If the reaction to Kolby Allard’s back injury was “there goes San Clemente’s season,” well, the season is going just fine.
The Tritons won the National High School Invitational, probably the best high school baseball tournament in the nation, last week in Cary, N.C. They took home the 3-foot-tall trophy after beating College Park, another California team, 8-3, in the tourney championship game Saturday.
Allard, a left-handed pitcher who is considered among the nation’s top prospects, is expected to be out for the rest of the regular season because of a stress reaction in his back.
San Clemente’s pitching remains deep. Tanner Lawson got the start Saturday and did not allow a hit until the fourth inning. Dylan Riddle did not allow a hit while pitching the final 22/3 innings. Riddle threw four scoreless innings when the Tritons beat Lambert of Suwanee, Ga., in a first-round game.
The Tritons still have standout catcher Lucas Herbert, who like Allard signed with UCLA, and other college signees elsewhere on the field. And they still have a winning attitude.
“I’ve never seen a more focused group in my coaching career,” said Dave Gellatly, who has been coaching San Clemente baseball since 1995. “Losing Kolby is a huge loss, but the team has not allowed itself to be greatly affected by that.”
Allard still is contributing.
“He’s the biggest cheerleader on our bench,” Gellatly said.
Still, it is March and there are challenges ahead and soon. San Clemente plays host today to Mission Viejo, which is expected to have ace left-hander Patrick Sandoval on the mound. The Tritons play in the Boras Classic next week.
As Gellatly said, “It’s back to the grind, right away.”
Around the horn in Orange County baseball:
• The Boras Classic is a statewide tournament. The Northern California bracket started Friday and concludes Thursday. The Southern California bracket begins April 7 and includes three teams in the state top 20: No. 1 San Clemente, No. 2 JSserra and No. 20 Granite Hills of El Cajon.
• The Boras Southern California bracket final is at JSerra on April 10 at 6 p.m. The winners of the Northern and Southern California brackets meet at Cal State Fullerton on May 2 at noon.
• Huntington Beach finished third at the NHSI. The Oilers went 3-1, with the one loss to San Clemente. Like Huntington Beach, JSerra went 3-1 in the NHSI; the Lions won three in a row after a 1-0 loss in the first round.
• The CIF-Southern Section did not release updated rankings for its seven divisions Monday and won’t release new polls until April 13.
• Cox3 will tape today’s Mission Viejo at San Clemente game for broadcast on Friday at 11 p.m., Saturday at 1 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m.
• CASportsZone.com carries live streaming of Lions tournament games this week and also the Orange Lutheran-Chaminade doubleheader today at Hart Park and Huntington Beach at Marina on Friday.
• The Anaheim Lions Tournament, with nearly 80 teams in it, is underway. The championship game is Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Dee Fee Field, the baseball part of the Glover Stadium complex at La Palma Park in Anaheim. Follow the tournament at anaheimlionstourney.com.
• The Ryan Lemmon Invitational begins Saturday. Among the teams in it are El Modena, Mission Viejo, Pacifica and Trabuco Hills. The tournament championship game is at Windrow Park in Irvine on April 9 at 6:15 p.m.
• The National Classic begins Monday. That tournament includes Cypress, Orange Lutheran, Santa Margarita and host schools El Dorado and Esperanza. The championship game is at Cal State Fullerton on April 9 at 7:30 p.m.
• The Santa Ana Elks Tournament is back after a hiatus of a few years. It begins Saturday. The championship game is at Century on April 8 at 3 p.m.
• Also this week: Villa Park at Foothill, North Hills League, Wednesday; Esperanza at El Dorado, Crestview League, Wednesday; a Cypress at El Toro doubleheader, Thursday; Edison at Los Alamitos, Thursday; and Garden Grove at Santiago, Friday.
• The county top 10 is a weekly poll of five media members. This media member on Monday voted this way: 1. San Clemente; 2. JSerra; 3. Aliso Niguel; 4. Edison; 5 Dana Hills; 6. El Dorado; 7. Orange Lutheran; 8. Huntington Beach; 9. Cypress; 10. Mater Dei.
• Crean Lutheran and Sage Hill are tied for first place in the Academy League, at 2-0. They don’t play each other until April 24.
• Anaheim, Katella and Savanna are tied for first in the Orange League at 3-1. They are all in the Lions Tournament. Savanna and Anaheim play April 8 at Anaheim when league play resumes.
• There is a four-way tie for first in the Pacific Coast League. Beckman, Corona del Mar, Northwood and Woodbridge are 2-1. Corona del Mar plays at Beckman today.
• Dana Hills catcher/first baseman Jay Schuyler committed to University of San Diego, it was announced Monday. Schuyler has been all-league in baseball and football.
Contact the writer: sfryer@ocregister.com
