ALISO VIEJO – Aliso Niguel took on quite a schedule this season.
The Wolverines played in the National High School Invitational in North Carolina. They were in the Boras Classic, which is as close as there is to a state championship tournament.
And Aliso plays in the Sea View League, which has three of its five teams in the Orange County top 10.
There have been failures and there have been successes. The Wolverines enjoyed one of the latter Friday in a 6-4 league win at home against San Clemente.
Aliso Niguel, ranked No.7 in the county, took sole possession of second place in the Sea View. The Wolverines (11-7 overall, 3-1 in league) are one-half game behind Dana Hills.
Third-ranked San Clemente is 15-5, 2-2.
Aliso junior third baseman Dominic Colacchio had two hits, drove in two runs and scored twice. Senior right fielder Mitchell Brady hit a solo home run and senior shortstop Justin Fowler had an RBI double for the Wolverines
Anthony Sommer pitched 4 1/3 innings to get the win. He took a line drive off of his right bicep in the fourth inning, but remained in the game and struck the next two batters he faced.
San Clemente tied the score twice and briefly took the lead. Junior catcher Lucas Herbert hit a tying solo homer in the fourth inning, senior second baseman Kent Burckle had a run-scoring single and senior designated hitter Alex Kline drove in a run with a sacrifice fly.
Aliso Niguel went 2-2 in the NHSI. The Wolverines lost their first two games in the Boras Classic, won the final two and since have won three league games in a row.
“This one was a big one,” Colacchio said. “We needed to come out here and battle, and that’s what we did.”
Colacchio’s two-out, full-count single in the sixth inning drove in two runs to unknot a 4-4 tie.
The Wolverines had taken a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Colacchio singled and scored on Sommer’s ground out to first base.
The Tritons tied it on the home run by Herbert, who committed to UCLA. Fowler’s opposite-field double off the wall near the right-field foul pole drove in Eric Wagaman to return the lead to Aliso, 2-1, in the fourth.
San Clemente took a 3-2 lead in the top of the fifth when Conner Sealey’s sacrifice fly sent home Kline and Burckle’s single drove in Kolby Allard.
Aliso went back on top, 4-3, in its half of the fifth as Brady homered and Colacchio scored on an error. Kline’s sixth-inning sacrifice fly scored Will Tribucher with the tying run. Colacchio’s two-run single in the sixth provided the final 6-4 result.
Sommer pitched into the fifth inning, before Ryan Randel took over and gave up one run in 22/3 innings.
Colacchio was impressed that Sommer stayed in the game after a Tribucher line drive drilled Sommer.
“I was surprised he stayed in there, taking it on the right arm,” Collachio. “But he’s a team player.”
Aliso Niguel plays Dana Hills twice next week. Dana Hills is the home team Tuesday. Aliso is the home team Thursday.
San Clemente, No.7 in the CIF-Southern Section Division 2 poll, plays at Laguna Hills on Wednesday, and is home to the Hawks on Friday.
Contact the writer: sfryer@ocregister.com
