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  • Mission Viejo's Terra McGowan reaches to catch a pop fly...

    Mission Viejo's Terra McGowan reaches to catch a pop fly during the Friday's game against Orange Lutheran.

  • Orange Lutheran Noelle Hee makes contact with the ball during...

    Orange Lutheran Noelle Hee makes contact with the ball during a game against Mission Viejo on Friday.

  • Mission Viejo's Olivia Viggiano lays down a bunt against Orange...

    Mission Viejo's Olivia Viggiano lays down a bunt against Orange Lutheran during the Michelle Carew Classic at Canyon High on Friday.

  • Orange Lutheran's Taylor Whitney fields the ball against Mission Viejo...

    Orange Lutheran's Taylor Whitney fields the ball against Mission Viejo during the semifinals of the Michelle Carew Classic on Friday.

  • Mission Viejo's Hanna Nilsen pitches against Orange Lutheran during Friday's...

    Mission Viejo's Hanna Nilsen pitches against Orange Lutheran during Friday's game at Canyon High.

  • Orange Lutheran shortstop Mackenzie Boesel looks to make a throw...

    Orange Lutheran shortstop Mackenzie Boesel looks to make a throw to first base for an out during the Michelle Carew Classic semifinal on Friday at Canyon High.

  • Orange Lutheran's Isabelle Valdez is called safe at second base...

    Orange Lutheran's Isabelle Valdez is called safe at second base while Mission Viejo's Samantha Dees tries to get up after falling during the Michelle Carew Classic semifinal on Friday at Canyon High.

  • Orange Lutheran players wait at the plate to celebrate with...

    Orange Lutheran players wait at the plate to celebrate with teammate Lauren Espalin (24) after she slugged a game-winning grand slam to beat Mission Viejo, 6-2, in the semifinals of the Michelle Carew Classic on Friday.

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Associate mug of Kenny Connolly, Anaheim reporter.

Date shot: 12/31/2012 . Photo by KATE LUCAS /  ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

ANAHEIM – The only person who had a sliver of doubt the ball was going to clear the fence was Lauren Espalin.

With two outs and the bases loaded in a tied game in the bottom of the seventh, Orange Lutheran’s junior catcher belted the first pitch she saw to dead center field, and her immediate reaction was to worry that she didn’t hit it far enough.

There was no need for the uncertainty.

Espalin’s drive easily made its way over the fence for a walk-off grand slam, and the second-ranked Lancers dugout erupted in celebration of their 6-2 win over No. 1 Mission Viejo in a semifinal game of the Michelle Carew Classic on Friday afternoon at Canyon High.

Orange Lutheran (22-3) will play No. 5 Huntington Beach in the championship game next Saturday at 4 p.m. at Canyon High.

“I’ve actually never hit (a grand slam) before, so it’s a really nice feeling,” Espalin said. “I was really excited for this game. Winning Carew is one of our goals this year, and especially playing a team like Mission, it’s good preparation for CIF (playoffs).”

The Lancers catcher went 2 for 4 in the game and drove in a total of five runs. Her RBI single in the first gave Orange Lutheran a 1-0 lead, and Dani Dawson doubled that with a solo homer to left field.

Mission Viejo (19-3) squared things up in the fourth inning with RBI singles from Terra McGowan and Bella Loya.

“We’d much rather play these games than blowouts,” Diablos coach Troy Ybarra said. “We got better today. We fought at the plate, we had four line drive outs and had 10 hits. How can I be mad at a team that got 10 hits against a kid (Maddy Dwyer) that’s going to Stanford?”

The score remained tied headed into the seventh, and a diving catch from Lancers shortstop Mackenzie Boesel erased any potential of a Diablos rally.

Orange Lutheran loaded the bases with one out in the bottom half of the seventh. After Noelle Hee popped out for the second out, Espalin crushed a fastball over the inner half of the plate.

“It’s been team wins for us,” said Lancers coach Steve Miklos, whose squad has reeled off 10 wins in a row. “Different people have been contributing for us, stepping up in different roles.

“We’ve matured quite a bit. We didn’t panic. The girls seemed pretty confident and they believed in themselves. It was a really good win for us.”

Contact the writer: kconnnolly@ocregister.com