Edison is still alive

A this point in the prep baseball season, all you need to do is win and move on.

That was Edison Coach Steve Lambright’s take after his Chargers scored the go-ahead run in the top of the sixth inning Tuesday and made it stand in a 4-3 victory over host Orange Lutheran in the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs.

The win sends top-seed Edison (25-3) on the road again, this time for a quarterfinal date at Moore League champion Lakewood at 3:15 p.m. Friday.

Lakewood was an 8-0 winner Tuesday over Tesoro.

Edison scored the winning run Tuesday without getting a hit. Timmy Lopes drew a two-out walk, Tyler Jones got on base on an error and A.J. Libunao was hit by a pitch to load the bases. That brought Sean Whiteman to bat and the senior also was able to draw a walk to force in the go-ahead run.

The Chargers wrapped up the victory after reliever Henry Owens shut down Orange Lutheran, an at-large entry from the Trinity League that finished the year 15-14-1, in the sixth and seventh innings to get the save. Senior Jon Torres threw the first five innings to get the win.

The 25 wins ties the school record (set by the school’s 1981 CIF championship team) for most victories in a single season, Lambright said.

“We played well enough in terms of making plays when we needed to,” Lambright said. “The dynamics of the playoffs are such that sometimes you don’t play your best, but win, and sometimes you play your best, but lose, and the season’s over. This was a tough game but the important thing is that we’re moving on.”

Lambright said that Owens will start Friday at Lakewood. The senior, who threw two innings Tuesday, has eight innings of eligibility left this week.

Owens was spectacular last Friday, tossing a no-hitter in an 11-0 first-round rout of Santiago of Corona (Big VIII No. 4). The left-hander struck out 12 in running his mark to 12-0. Torres hit a solo home run in the bottom of the first to give the Chargers the lead and sophomore Jake Lesinski smashed a three-run homer in the third inning to take the lead to 4-0.

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In other CIF baseball action:

Ocean View: The defending CIF Division 3 champion Seahawks had their run for a repeat title end Tuesday at Menifee by host Paloma Valley (Sunbelt No. 2), which posted a 9-5 victory.

A lead-off triple off the wall in right-center field by Timmy Robinson got Ocean View off to a promising start and he scored on Blake Walker’s single. The Seahawks took a 3-0 lead in their first at-bat. The Wildcats, however, parlayed an Ocean View error into two runs and were able to tie the score after one inning.

Ocean View starter Freddy Sepulveda was removed in the third inning and replaced by Alex Knowles, who finished the game. The Seahawks committed five errors in the game that led to seven unearned runs and had three base running errors.

Blake Hitchcock homered in the seventh to close out Ocean View’s scoring.

“We just ran out of gas mentally, I think,” Ocean View Coach Shane Borowski said. “Three road games in a row, over 300 miles travelled and we just ran out of mental juice.

“Our mistakes were very uncharacteristic of who we are and how we play. We hit well, we’ve been hitting well. We are hitting exactly how you would want to be hitting in the playoffs. Hitters one through nine are all swinging great, we have a couple of red-hot guys and yet we couldn’t play catch today. It’s really tough to swallow because these kids are so much better than they showed. It was just an off-day that we couldn’t escape.”

Ocean View, which tied for second in the Golden West League, began the playoffs May 17 with a 4-3 wild-card round win at Diamond Bar (Hacienda No. 3). Last Friday, the Seahawks scored a 4-2 win at San Andreas League champ and No. 5-seed Colton.

“I’m very proud of them and our accomplishments this year,” Borowski said. “I want to thank my seniors for four great years. They’ve been a great group to be around and they are all winners.”

Marina: The Vikings, the No. 3 team from the Sunset League, had their season end May 17 against Canyon of Anaheim, which rode a four-run third inning that led to a 4-1 home win in a Division 1 wild-card game. Marina Coach Bob Marshall said the Vikings misplayed three bunts in the third inning that “cost us the game.”

Marina finished 16-11-1 in Marshall’s first year as head coach.

“Everyone picked us to come in fifth in our league and we were tied for second place with Los Alamitos,” Marshall said. “This group of guys, I’m so proud of them. People have counted us out all year. Last year, we finished 5-10 in league and 14-12 overall. So, we improved. My coaching staff and I believed in them and this team rallied together and believed that they could win anywhere and anytime. We knocked off some tough teams in the county and we went down to the San Diego Lions tournament and won the Premiere division. All I can say is, ‘wow.’ What great memories these young men will take with them.”

Fountain Valley: The Barons had their season come to an end Friday in a 17-10 first-round loss at Simi Valley (Marmonte No. 2) in a first-round Division 1 game. Fountain Valley, an at-large playoff entry from the Sunset League, had defeated host St. John Bosco (Trinity No. 3), 4-1, in a wild-card game May 17.