Marina sits in first in wild Sunset race

Through the first nine games in the Sunset League baseball championship race, the league lead entering this week belonged to Marina.

League teams wrapped up three-game series last week and the league’s balance was evident as teams split their two games last week.

In the Golden West League, Ocean View continued on in its role of league leader.

Marina moved back into sole possession of the Sunset lead which was on the line Friday when it played host to Edison. The Vikings had suffered a loss two days earlier at Edison, a setback that created a three-way tie for the top spot, but responded with a 6-4 win.

Friday’s victory, combined with a Huntington Beach loss that day to Newport Harbor, allowed the Vikings to regain sole possession of first.

Edison also fell from a share of the lead with Friday’s loss.

“The players showed a lot of resiliency to put together quality at-bats in the fifth to score six runs,” said Marina Coach Bob Marshall whose team beat Edison for the first time this year.

Eric Anderson’s double and two RBIs highlighted Marina’s six-run fifth inning which turned the game. Senior right-hander Riley Ohl pitched four innings and gave up four runs. Senior right-hander Matt Clark pitched the fifth and sixth innings and earned the victory to improve to 3-0. Sophomore right-hander Jared Minor, who lasted two innings in the April 20 game between the teams, came on in relief in the seventh to earn a save.

Marina ran its league record to 6-3 and overall record to 14-7.

Hank Skolnick had a hit and two RBIs and Leo Hyodo two hits for Edison (5-4 league, 10-13-1 overall).

“We couldn’t hold a 4-0 lead into the fifth inning,” Edison Coach Cameron Chinn said. “Credit Marina for finding ways to get runners on and coming up with big at-bats that produced runs.”

The Chargers won their second game in the series April 20 and pulled into a tie for first with a 6-1 home win that ended Marina’s eight-game winning streak. Junior left-hander Vince Inman allowed a run and six hits with four strikeouts through six innings. Kaz Akamatsu went three for three with two RBIs and run scored, and John Thomas went two for three with a double and run scored for the Chargers.

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•Huntington Beach’s attempt to still own a share of the Sunset lead evaporated late in its 8-6 home loss in eight innings to Newport Harbor Friday.

The Oilers held a 5-4 lead going into the final inning where Newport Harbor’s John Olmstead hit a solo home run in the top of the seventh to tie the score. Luke Genova doubled and later scored to give the Sailors a 6-5 lead but Huntington’s Ben McConnell drove in the tying run with a bases loaded single in the bottom-half of the frame. The Oilers, however, left the winning run stranded at third base.

Newport Harbor pushed across two more runs in the top of the eighth but Huntington rallied again, putting runners at second and third with nobody out, yet couldn’t score.

The Oilers left nine runners in scoring position in the game.

Huntington, which had held a 2-0 league series edge on the Sailors (3-6 league) and entered the game ranked No. 10 in CIF Southern Section Division 1, fell to 5-4 in league and 15-8 overall and out of the rankings.

“It is sickening how we played,” Huntington Coach Benji Medure said. “Not the loss, not the stranded runners or errors, but how selfish we played. We need to check ourselves and find the team concept that somehow escaped us.”

Huntington had defeated the Sailors at Newport Harbor April 20, 13-8. Trevor Windisch, Dylan Palmer and Landon Silver hit home runs, and Chad Minato had three hits and three RBIs. Sophomore left-hander Nate Madole got the win in a relief effort (one pitch, one out) and took his record to 4-0.

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•Fountain Valley split two Sunset League games last week with Los Alamitos.

In the final league meeting between the teams, the Barons were edged Friday by the host Griffins, 3-2. The Barons had won by the same score April 20 at Fountain Valley.

The two results left Fountain Valley 4-5 in league and 14-10 overall.

“We made too many mistakes offensively and defensively,” Fountain Valley Coach Deric Yanagisawa said. “Los Al was able to come up with clutch hits and we weren’t able to. We didn’t execute very well down the stretch. Los Al deserved to win because they made the least amount of mistakes.”

In Fountain Valley’s 3-2 home win April 20, Trent Sievers doubled and produced the game-winning RBI which scored Michael Murphy (two hits) for the walk-off win. Riley Hanson had a hit and two RBIs, and junior right-hander Justin Yang (2-0) recorded the win.

Los Alamitos took the league series, 2-1.

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•Ocean View won twice last week against rival Westminster to complete a three-game sweep of the Lions which kept the Seahawks perfect in Golden West League play.

In the teams’ most recent meeting Friday, Ocean View edged the Lions, 3-2. Braydon Salzman went two for three with an RBI and scored twice, and senior right-hander Brandon Nicholson allowed five hits and a walk and struck out seven in a complete-game victory. The Lions’ scoring came on two unearned runs.

“We started the game off with great energy, but then we went into cruise control and finished the game off when it counted,” said Ocean View Coach Tanner VanMaanen whose club upped its league record to 9-0 and overall mark to 11-8.

The Seahawks also dealt the Lions a 7-1 setback April 20. Jake Volo had a triple and three RBIs and junior right-hander Adam Carles allowed one run on four hits and four walks with three strikeouts in a complete-game win.

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•Brethren Christian stepped away from Academy League play to take on Estancia Saturday and handed the host Eagles a 2-0 shutout loss. Brendan Hughes went two for four with a double and RBI, and George Miller two for three with two runs scored. Hughes, a sophomore right-hander, also got the pitching win by allowing only one hit with a strikeout in five innings. The save went to senior right-hander Tyler Ubl.

BC freshman Johnny Klaeb made a crucial defensive stop in left field with an over-the-shoulder catch as he went to the ground, with the tying run at second base with two out in the bottom of the seventh.

“I’m extremely proud of the way our guys fought and battled all game long,” BC Coach Mike Thompson said. “This was one of the biggest wins we have had as a program for several years. Hopefully, this win will lead to a successful final stretch of games.”

In a pair of league games last week, BC lost 5-4 and 7-4 to Downey Calvary Chapel.

The Warriors are idle this week and return to action next Tuesday for a league contest against Oxford Academy.