Valencia rolls to victory after bumpy start

PLACENTIA – Trailing by a run in the second inning, Valencia loaded the bases with nobody out. But a foul out and a double play left the Tigers with nothing to show for their efforts.

“We let a great opportunity slip away from us,” Valencia coach Mike Scheetz said.

The Tigers would not make that same mistake again.

Frankie Nogales hit a two-run single with the bases loaded in the third inning and Tony Saavedra followed with a two-run double to help the Tigers cruise to a 10-2 victory over Pasadena in a wild-card game of the CIF-SS Division 2 playoffs at Valencia.

Nogales, who led the team with 29 RBIs coming into the game, drove a 2-1 outside fastball into right-center field to give the Tigers (16-9-1) the lead. He finished the game 4 for 4 with five RBIs.

“He’s a good hitter and we have a lot of confidence in him,” Scheetz said. “He was the the right guy at the right time at the plate for us.”

Saavedra, who led the Tigers with 38 hits and a .487 batting average this season, went 2 for 4 with two doubles and three RBIs to help Nogales carry the offense.

The Tigers will travel on Thursday to play Harvard Westlake (21-7) of North Hollywood, the Mission League champions, in a first-round game.

“They are pretty good,” Scheetz said of Harvard Westlake. “But we have played some pretty good teams already this year. We beat Trabuco Hills and had Cypress down in the sixth inning twice. We can play with anybody.”

The Tigers trailed Pasadena (17-10-1), 1-0, after the first inning, thanks to some jitters from starting pitcher Bryson Kauhaahaa.

“He didn’t pitch for us in the playoffs last year,” Scheetz said. “He probably had a case of the butterflies and he struggled in the first couple of innings.”

The senior gave up a run on three hits and a walk in his first two innings, but after his offense provided him a 4-1 lead in the third inning he settled down. Kauhaahaa (8-2) gave up two runs on six hits in six innings, striking out three.

His counterpart, senior Robert Lain, was not so fortunate. The Bulldogs starter went just three innings, surrendering four earned runs on six hits, walked two and struck out two. He was the first of five pitchers used by the Bulldogs, who finished in third place in the Pacific League.

Senior William Yost went 2 for 2 and right fielder Gio Cabral was 1 for 2 with a single, walk, and two runs scored for the Bulldogs.