High School Baseball and Softball Postseason Recap

With the playoffs kicking off on Thursday, a number of teams made their presence felt in the first round and others weren’t able to get the job done and bowed out early.

Hart boys go the distance

The Indians advanced to the second round of the playoffs in a nail-biter that went 14 innings and nearly four hours. They prevailed over Simi Valley, 5-4.

The Foothill League Champions’ 14th-inning walk-off run on Thursday gave them the victory over the Pioneers.

With the bases loaded, Hart senior and Michigan commit Brayden Jefferis stepped up to the plate, knowing that a run could win Hart the game.

The game-winning run was scored by Hayden Rhodes thanks to a sacrifice fly hit by Jefferis.

Jim Ozella , the Indians’ head coach for nearly three decades, is resigning, making this season unique.

Coach Jim Ozella with his varsity team players. Photo by Linsey Towles

As their 14-inning performance in the first round of the playoffs demonstrated, Hart is hell-bent on sending Ozella out on top.

Newport Harbor, the Indians’ next opponent, will play host to Hart on Tuesday at 3:15 p.m.

Valencia baseball dominates Aliso Niguel

Visiting Aliso Viejo, CA, the Vikings cruised to a 7-1 victory over the Wolverines.

Valencia really got going in the fourth inning, scoring five runs. Seniors Reid Farrell and Aiden Voyles, who scored two runs each, carried the big win along.

The Vikings’ defense was nearly faultless; they gave up just one run in the bottom of the seventh inning.

With the first round concluded Valencia now faces the Musketeers, who also cruised to a 7-1 first-round playoff victory.

On Tuesday at 3:15 p.m., the two squads will face off at Valencia High School.

West Ranch softball wins high-scoring game

The Wildcats came into the opening round of the playoffs ready to score and their 18 – 10 victory over Duarte showed this.

In the first two innings, West Ranch tallied seven runs while the Falcons stood at one.

Up 7-1 in the third inning, many would have thought the game was over, but Duarte had different plans.

In the bottom of the third, the Falcons managed to score nine runs to take a 10 – 7 lead.

While the Wildcats could have folded under pressure, they rose to the occasion and did not allow another run for the rest of the game.

With a second wind, West Ranch scored 11 runs over a three-inning span to win.

With Palos Verde on the horizon for West Ranch, the Wildcats will look to improve their defense and carry over their successful offense.

This game will take place on Tuesday at 3:15 p.m.

Valencia begins their postseason

In softball, the Foothill League champions are about to begin postseason play after earning a first-round bye.

The Vikings have been on an impressive winning streak since March 2. During the regular season, Valencia scored 156 runs while allowing 46.

La Serna, who advanced to the second round of the playoffs by defeating Ramona 5-0, will face the Vikings in the second round of the playoffs Tuesday at 3:15 p.m.

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