SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO – JSerra’s offense came to play Saturday, posting 11 hits in an 8-1 victory against Tesoro in the championship game of the Frank Lerner Division of the Newport Elks Tournament.
The Lions (5-0), ranked second in the county, played without their captain and All-Trinity-League center fielder Brady Shockey.
“Brady’s injury hurts us, but the guys we are mixing and matching are filling their roles well,” Lions coach Brett Kay said.
JSerra’s efforts at the plate were led by Davis Wendzel, who was 2 for 3 with two RBI and two doubles. Royce Lewis, Lyle Linn and Andrew Swanson each had two hits.
JSerra wasted no time putting pressure on Tesoro. Lewis hit a single on the first pitch of the game. Wendzel hit a double two pitches later, followed by a sacrifice fly by Chase Strumpf. Lin added an RBI double to give the Lions a 2-0 lead at the end of the first inning.
Two runs was enough support for Lions starting pitcher Collin Quinn. The senior pitched four shutout innings, allowing just two hits and striking out six. Tesoro had scored 26 runs in its first four games of the tournament, including a 12-0 victory over Capistrano Valley in the semifinals.
“Collin is a different guy,” Kay said. “He isn’t going to wow anybody on the radar gun, but he can flat-out pitch. He gives us a great chance to win every time he steps on the mound.”
The Lions exploded for four runs in the fourth inning. Swanson and Lewis had back-to-back singles. Wendzel drove in both of them with a double down the left field line.
Strumpf drove in Wendzel for his second RBI of the game. Colton Hector drove in Strumpf before Titans pitcher Keenan Cisneros got out of the inning.
“We are playing good baseball right now. We hit the ball well today and have pitched well all season,” Kay said.
Christian Ricciardi pitched the last three innings for the Lions, allowing one hit and striking out two.
Brett Auerbach went 1 for 3 and drove in the only run for Tesoro (4-1) in the sixth inning. The senior catcher has four hits in his last seven at-bats with four RBI.
JSerra plays a doubleheader at home against top-ranked Huntington Beach on Monday and has a Trinity League game against St. John Bosco at Angel Stadium on Wednesday.
“Huntington Beach will be a good matchup to see where we stand going into league,” Kay said.
Tesoro will be at home for a doubleheader against San Juan Hills on Monday.