Mission Viejo scored four runs in the top of the 11th inning Wednesday to beat San Juan Hills, 7-3, in a Sea View League baseball game.
Zach Sanchez hit a two-run single in the 11th. Joey Castelli followed with a two-run double.
Mission Viejo is 12-9 overall and 2-3 in league. San Juan Hills had sole possession of first place going into this week. The Stallions and Trabuco Hills are tied for first now, with both sporting 5-2 league records.
San Juan Hills and Mission Viejo play each other on Friday at Mission Viejo.
Mission Viejo scored a run in the top of the seventh to send the game into extra innings. Jake Figueroa led off the inning with a bloop double down the right-field line. He scored on Tanner Bibee’s two-out double.
Bibee was the Diablos’ starting pitcher and hit a two-run home run in the first inning to give Mission Viejo a 2-1 lead.
San Juan Hill scored a run in the bottom of the first when Oregon State-signee Jack McCarthy, who had doubled, eventually scored on a double play.
The Stallions took a 3-2 lead with two runs in the fifth inning. Conner Glenn hit a run-scoring single to tie it, 2-2, and a Mission Viejo error sent home the go-ahead run for San Juan Hills.
Two innings later, Bibee, a junior who committed to Cal State Fullerton, doubled to tie the score.
Mission Viejo won the CIF-SS Division 2 championship last season. With 18 players on that team having graduated, the Diablos have several new and young players in key positions.
Mission Viejo coach Chris Ashbach hopes Wednesday’s comeback win will provide lasting lessons.
“Maybe this is a confidence-builder,” Ashbach said. “Maybe these guys now understand they can play with these good teams like San Juan Hills.”
Sanchez, a senior first baseman who leads the Diablos in RBI with 18, figures the game will provide a boost.
“We’ll learn a lot from this game, and from all of the games to come,” Sanchez said.
Also in the Sea View League:
Trabuco Hills 9, Laguna Hills 5: Matt Wong homered and drove in four runs for the host Mustangs (10-9, 5-2).
In the Empire League:
Kennedy 4, Pacifica 0: Aaron Fishman pitched a shutout for the visiting Fighting Irish (13-6, 3-0), who are tied for first place with Cypress.
No. 5 Cypress 9, Western 1: Jason Baca drove in three runs and Ryan McCanless homered and had two RBI for the host Centurions (14-6, 3-0). James Acuna pitched a complete game.
In the Freeway League:
Troy 4, Fullerton 2: Michael Lozano homered and Jack Eisner allowed no earned runs in five innings for the visiting Warriors (14-5, 6-1).
In the Golden West League:
Ocean View 7, Westminster 1: Adam Carles pitched a complete game for the first-place Seahawks (9-7, 8-0).
In the South Coast League:
No. 6 Aliso Niguel 2, No. 9 Tesoro 1: Zak Nocon pitched a complete game for the visting Wolverines (13-7, 4-3).
In the Sunset League:
Edison 6, Marina 1: Kaz Akamatsu went 3 for 3 and had two RBI for the host Chargers (9-12-1, 5-3). Marina last week beat league favorite Huntington Beach twice.
Fountain Valley 3, Los Alamitos 2: Riley Hanson drove in two runs for the host Barons (14-8, 4-4).
In the Trinity League:
No. 8 Santa Margarita 6, St. John Bosco 4: Jared Witt had two RBI for the visiting Eagles (14-5, 2-2).
In nonleague:
Foothill 1, El Modena 0: Carson Herrell and Matthew O’Donoghue collaborated on a three-hitter for the Knights (17-7).
Contact the writer: sfryer@ocregister.com
