Irvine Valley's baseball team lost the first game of a three-game Orange Empire Conference set to Saddleback, 8-0, on Saturday afternoon at home.
Saddleback improved its record to 3-1 in conference and 14-3 overall, while Irvine Valley saw its record fall to 1-3 in conference and 8-9 overall.
The Lasers could manage just two hits and four total base runners against Saddleback starting pitcher John Sheaks.
The Long Beach State commit pitched a shutout, giving up just two hits and one walk. He struck out eight batters to improve to 4-0 on the season.
Saddleback scored two runs in the top of the third to take the lead and then added four runs in the top of the fifth inning to go up, 6-0.
Kent Burckle drove in a run with a groundout and Jared Donahoe hit an RBI double to left field to drive in the first two runs.
In the fifth inning, Donahoe had an RBI single and later scored on a wild pitch and then Ryan Fitzpatrick drove in two runs with a single to left.
Saddleback added single runs in the top of the sixth and seven innings.
The Gauchos finished with 14 hits on the day. Luke Jarvis was 3 for 5, Donahoe went 3 for 3 with a walk and two RBI, Andrew Wilson was 2 for 4 and Fitzpatrick went 1 for 4 with two RBI.
Freshman third baseman Austin Reynolds (triple) and freshman first baseman Tyler Wagner (single) had IVC's two hits.
Sophomore left-hander Ryan Abady started on the mound for IVC and took the loss. He went 4.1 innings and allowed five runs on nine hits and one walk.
Sophomore Joseph Chacon pitched a scoreless eighth inning for the Lasers.
IVC plays at Saddleback on Tuesday at 2 p.m.
