Roundup: Orange Lutheran packs a punch in rout of Mater Dei

Orange Lutheran's Noelle Hee starts to clap as she heads toward the plate after hitting a home run against Mater Dei during Tuesday's game. Orange Lutheran won, 9-1.
Orange Lutheran's Noelle Hee, right, is congratulated by teammates as she crosses the plate after hitting a home run against Mater Dei during Tuesday's game.
Mater Dei teammates gather around pitcher Gabby Sandova, center, to give her support during a rough inning against Orange Lutheran on Tuesday.
Mater Dei right fielder Hannah Wessel isn't able to hold onto a fly ball near the right-field line during Tuesday's game against Orange Lutheran.
Orange Lutheran's Ciara Briggs slides headfirst into third base for a triple against Mater Dei third baseman Kelli Godin during Tuesday's game.
Orange Lutheran starting pitcher Maddy Dwyer delivers a pitch against Mater Dei during Tuesday's game.
Mater Dei's Priscilla Martinez looks to swing at a pitch during Tuesday's game against Orange Lutheran.
Orange Lutheran's Isabelle Valdez isn't able to come up with a shoe-string catch during the fourth inning against Mater Dei on Tuesday.
Orange Lutheran's Danielle Dawson fouls off a pitch against Mater Dei during Tuesday's game.
Mater Dei first baseman Amanda Esquivel, right, catches a throw from the outfield to double up Orange Lutheran's Ciara Briggs during Tuesday's game.

By Kenny Connolly | kconnolly@scng.com | Orange County Register

April 19, 2016 at 8:46 p.m.

The season series is officially all square, but for now, an Orange Lutheran win in round two carries more weight on the overall scorecard.

The fifth-ranked Lancers rode a five-run second inning and a four-run third to ease past No. 4 Mater Dei, 9-1, in a Trinity League game Tuesday afternoon at Orange Lutheran High.

Freshman center fielder Ciara Briggs went 2 for 3 with a bases-clearing triple and an RBI single to finish with four RBI, and junior first baseman Noelle Hee jumpstarted the second-inning rally with a solo bomb to left-center field.

“It was a good win for us, but you know, we just broke it open, had a big inning, and they did that to us when we saw them at the Woodbridge Tournament,” Lancers coach Steve Miklos explained. “With good hitting teams, that can happen sometimes. Our bats are starting to get better. We struggled a little bit and were having some really close games, but we’re starting to hit the ball now. That’s good we’re doing it at the right time.”

Orange Lutheran (19-3, 3-0) has reeled off seven straight wins since a 6-0 loss to Mater Dei (18-4, 2-1) at the Alan Dugard Woodbridge Classic earlier this month, and in their last two games combined, the Lancers have scored 30 runs.

Hee drove the first pitch in the second inning well beyond the left-centerfield fence for a 1-0 lead. Mya Rodriguez, Amelia Van Orman and Danielle Dawson then loaded the bases on successive singles, with Rodriguez later scoring on a dropped fly ball in right field.

With two outs in the inning, Briggs belted a three-run triple to the left-center field gap, giving Orange Lutheran a 5-0 lead.

The Lancers collected five hits and sent nine batters to the plate in the second inning, and matched those numbers in the third, collecting four additional runs for Maddy Dwyer in the circle.

“Certain pitchers have certain tendencies, and you can take advantage of that,” said Hee, referring to the team’s familiarity with Mater Dei pitchers Gabby Sandoval and Danielle Kahn. “I think that helped a lot.”

Also in the Trinity League:

Santa Margarita 6, No. 8 Rosary 5 (10 innings): After the Eagles scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to send it into extras, senior Jenna Cone completed the comeback with the game-winning RBI single in the 10th.

Cone went 3 for 6 and was one of five Eagles to finish with multiple base hits. Miranda Johnson and Meghan McClure also notched three hits each, while Kat Holmes-Stall and Devan Sperry finished with two apiece. Sperry homered and drove in a game-high four runs.

In the Empire League:

No. 7 Pacifica 3, Cypress 0: Junior second baseman Alison Seng went 3 for 3 with a pair of doubles and two runs batted in, and Hannah Boos tossed a four-hit shutout to give the Mariners sole possession of first place in league.

In the North Hills League:

Brea Olinda 7, Foothill 6: Alyssa Chacon and Nine Del Rio blasted home runs to lead the Wildcats past the visiting Knights in the league opener. Foothill’s Anissa Amarillas hit two home runs and drove in four.

In the Crestview League:

Yorba Linda 3, Esperanza 1: Ciara Stapp opened league play with a no-hitter and struck out nine. Stapp also collected two hits and Annie Davila drove in all three of Yorba Linda’s runs with a bases-clearing double in the first inning.

Contact the writer: kconnolly@ocregister.com