Deol's big blast lifts Aliso Niguel past Mission Viejo
MISSION VIEJO – Aliso Niguel outfielder Dutch Deol's solo home run in the top of the seventh inning Friday could have made its way to a freeway onramp behind the fence in left field at Mission Viejo High.
It was hit hard enough, a tree just got in the way.
"He saw a pitch up and drove it and probably hit it about 420 feet, if the tree's not there," Aliso starting pitcher Brett Barker said.
The home run and a stellar effort from Barker helped the Wolverines squeak past Mission Viejo, 3-2, snapping a three-game losing streak and moving them into a second-place tie with the Diablos in the Sea View League.
"This was a big game for us and for Mission Viejo as well, because you need to win the series," Aliso coach Craig Hanson said.
Aliso (14-7, 4-4), which lost to the Mission Viejo, 7-3, on Wednesday, now holds the tiebreaker over the Diablos (13-10, 3-3) with a 2-1 record in head-to-head matchups.
Deol's timely hit was coupled with Barker's performance. The junior lefty threw a complete game, scattering five hits with two strikeouts and one walk.
He also chipped in a solo home run, finishing 1 for 4 with two RBIs.
"He (Barker) feeds off that (his offense)," Hanson said. "He's a competitor and you want to give the ball to a guy like that on the mound."
After laboring through the third inning and allowing his second run on squeeze play in the fourth, Barker tied the score with a two-out homer in the top of the fifth.
Barker seemed energized from there, facing seven hitters in the final two innings and letting only one ball leave the infield.
Still, the teams mirrored each other for most of the afternoon. Solid pitching, flawless defense, and timely hitting.
When Barker scored Deol on a fielder's choice grounder to shortstop in the third, Mission Viejo center fielder Boog Powell answered in the bottom of the inning, singling home Austin Saenz. And when Danny Poe of the Diablos scored on a squeeze play in the bottom of the fourth, Barker responded in the top of the fifth with his third home run of the season.
The nip-and-tuck game prolonged a recent trend of close losses for Mission Viejo. The Diablos have dropped six of their last eight, including four by two runs or fewer.
Friday, it came in spite of a 110-pitch complete game from Dallas Draviczki, who walked one and struck out eight.
Mission Viejo coach Chris Ashbach was pleased with the right-hander's performance.
"He's got good pace and kept everybody involved. I think he still struck out seven or eight and for the most part kept the ball down, other than that one ball," Ashbach said.
The "one ball," turned out to be the difference.
It might also help get Deol, a former all-league performer, out of a season-long slump.
"This year he's been struggling, putting a lot of pressure on himself," Hanson said. "Yesterday he had a great practice and he carried it over into a game today."
Deol finished 2 for 3 with a double, home run and two runs scored. It was his second multihit game of the season.
