NEWPORT COAST – Sage Hill’s baseball team won an Orange County-record 26th consecutive game Tuesday, but that wasn’t the magical number after its CIF-SS Division 6 semifinal.
The dry erase board inside the Lightning dugout displayed their most important digit after a 4-1 victory against visiting Flintridge Prep.
“5 more wins = CIF champs,” the board read.
Below the message were the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, one for each round of the playoffs. Only the 5 remains unchecked by the red ink.
“If we don’t win CIF, no one is going to remember this thing, so that (winning streak) is not what we focus on,” Sage Hill third-year coach Dominic Campeau said. “The plan is win CIF.”
Freshman lefty Ashwin Chona (12-0) pushed the top-seeded Lightning (27-1) into Saturday’s title game against Academy League rival Crean Lutheran by limiting the defending champion Rebels (19-6) to one run in five innings. Chona struck out six and walked one in his duel with senior Robbie Leslir (6-3).
“His maturity is not like a freshman,” Flintridge Prep coach Guillermo Gonzalez said of Chona, who allowed four hits. “He hit his spots. We couldn’t hit in clutch situations.”
Brett Super pitched two scoreless innings to earn his second save. The junior right-hander entered in the sixth to greet the No. 3, 4 and 5 batters in the Rebels’ order.
Flintridge catcher Cole Pilar (1 for 3 with a double) switch-hit and batted from the right side to lead off but Super retired the side in order.
“Our goal was to go with Ashwin at least four (innings) and then depending who was coming up in their lineup … adjust (with Super),” said Campeau, whose team started four freshmen. “That one-two punch, man, they’re incredible.”
Jack Pelc, Sage Hill’s No. 9 batter, used his speed to spark a two-out rally for two runs in the second. The junior beat out an infield grounder to drive in freshman Conner Hatz, who led off with a walk and advanced to third on a bunt and groundout.
Pelc then stole second and scored the go-ahead run on a single by his brother, freshman Edward Pelc.
“The key moment that kind of turned the game for us was the ground ball,” Gonzalez said. “It’s not the best baseball that we’ve played but we went up against a great team.”
Sage Hill senior Coltrane Tait, who made several slick plays at shortstop, added a two-run single in the fourth to extend the lead to 4-1.
“We really don’t take an L for an answer,” said Tait, who went 2 for 4. “We (also) have a couple great coaches, in addition to (former Dodgers bullpen coach) Mark Cresse.”
Contact the writer: dalbano@ocregister.com
