Irvine Valley's baseball team started fast, but came up a run short in a 8-7 loss to Santa Ana in the Orange Empire Conference opener for both teams at IVC on Saturday.
Santa Ana improved its record to 13-1 overall, while Irvine Valley saw its record slip to 7-7 overall.
Both teams put up runs early (seven combined in the first inning) and Irvine Valley led, 7-4, after four innings. The first three innings took an hour and five minutes. Santa Ana scored four runs in the top of the fifth inning to take the lead for good.
Santa Ana scored three runs in the top of the first inning on three walks, a double by Austin Pritchard and a runner scoring on a throw through from the outfield.
But Irvine Valley came back with four runs in the bottom of the first inning.
Freshman second baseman Tyler Odekirk singled up the middle to lead off.
Two batters later, sophomore left fielder Clint Jack singled to short. Sophomore catcher Branden Williams singled through the left side to load the bases.
And sophomore shortstop Jordan Gillerman doubled to left field to bring in the first two runs.
Freshman third baseman Austin Reynolds hit a sacrifice fly to tie the game at 3-3.
And then freshman right fielder Weston Ellis singled through the right side to bring in Gillerman and give Irvine Valley a 4-3 lead.
Irvine Valley added a run in the bottom of the second on a RBI single by sophomore center fielder Dillon Millar to go up, 5-3.
Santa Ana got a run back in the top of the third on a RBI single by Trevor Steinman.
But IVC went up, 6-4 in the bottom of the third on another sacrifice fly by Reynolds.
And in the bottom of the fourth inning, Irvine Valley took a 7-4 lead on a RBI single by Jack.
But Santa Ana took the lead for good in the top of the fifth inning with four runs.
Andrew Ramos had an RBI single, Nathan Cervantes hit a two-run double to right center and Justin Mellano doubled to left center to bring in Santa Ana's final run of the frame.
Neither team scored after that, although the Lasers had chances. They had three hits in the bottom of the sixth, but didn't score and also loaded the bases on two hits and a Santa Ana error in the bottom of the eighth, but couldn't get a run home.
In the bottom of the ninth inning against Santa Ana closer Andrew Hodges, Gillerman led off with a single, but Hodges was able to retire the next three IVC batters.
Irvine Valley finished with 18 hits in the game. Santa Ana had eight hits.
Odekirk was 3 for 5, Jack went 3 for 5 with one RBI, Gillerman was 3 for 5 with two RBI, Millar went 2 for 4 with one RBI, Reynolds was 1 for 3 with two RBI and freshman first baseman Tyler Wanger went 2 for 4.
Patrick Cromwell went 1 for 3 with a walk and three runs scored for Santa Ana. Pritchard was 1 for 5 with two RBI, Cervantes went 1 for 4 with two rBI and Mellano was 2 for 4 with one RBI.
Both starting pitchers struggled. Santa Ana's Daniel Garcia went three innings and gave up six runs on nine hits with one strikeout.
Irvine Valley sophomore left-hander Ryan Abady pitched 4.2 innings and gave up eight runs on seven hits, four walks and two hit batters with four strikeouts.
Austin Vander Riet got the win for Santa Ana, pitching 2.1 innings and allowing one unearned run on four hits. Hodges got the save, pitching two scoreless innings and allowing three hits with a strikeout.
Sophomores Kyle Goodbrand and Cole Millerd each pitched well in relief for IVC. Good brand went 3.1 innings and gave up one hit and three walks with five strikeouts, while Millerd pitched a scoreless inning with a strikeout.
