The Irvine Valley baseball team is locked in.
The Lasers played one of their most complete games of the season in the second contest of an Orange Empire Conference doubleheader on Friday at Santa Ana.
IVC tied the first game, 4-4, in a seven-inning game with the Dons.
And then, Irvine Valley came back with an impressive 13-3 win over Santa Ana, and against the Dons' top pitcher, with plenty of players shining, especially freshman right-handed pitcher Ian Green and a big game from sophomore left fielder Dante Faicchio, who smashed a three-run home run.
On the day, Irvine Valley got its record to .500, moving to 9-9-2 overall and 8-7 in the Orange Empire Conference.
Irvine Valley has now won 9 of 12 games.
Green kept Santa Ana at bay for five innings. He didn't allow a run through the five, giving up four hits and four walks with three strikeouts. Green earned the win and improved his record to 2-1 overall.
The Lasers scored early and often in the second game.
They put up eight runs (six earned) against Santa Ana ace Dane Baker.
Irvine Valley had 12 hits on the day.
The Lasers had a 3-0 lead after the first two innings and never trailed.
IVC scored two runs in the top of the first on an RBI single by freshman second baseman Eric Burckle and a Santa Ana error.
Two more runs in the top of the fourth inning and a four-spot in the top of the fifth inning put the game out of reach. IVC held a 7-0 lead through five innings.
And after a four-run, top of the eighth inning, the Lasers were up, 13-0.
In that eighth inning, Faicchio hit a three-run home run and the Lasers scored another run on a Santa Ana error.
The Dons scored two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning and another run in the ninth to get on the board.
For Irvine Valley on offense, Faicchio went 2 for 5 with a home run, three runs and three RBI, Burckle was 3 for 5 with two runs and two RBI, sophomore first baseman Hank Schineller went 1 for 3 with a home run, two runs and two RBI and freshman designated hitter Jack Haggerty went 1 for 4 with two runs and two RBI,.
Irvine Valley will try to keep it going next week with a four-game conference series against Golden West. The first two game are at Golden West (Tuesday and Thursday at 2 p.m.) with the final two games at the OC Great Park Stadium on Friday with IVC as the host.
