The Los Alamitos High baseball team had its opportunities, but couldn’t come up with the hit they needed in a 1-0 loss to Aliso Niguel High on Saturday in a Loara Tournament game at Glover Stadium in Anaheim.
The Griffins loaded the bases on a couple walks and a hit-by-pitch, but Aliso was able to get a strikeout to end the game. The Griffins also had an opportunity to plate a run in the second inning when Jason Reid lined a hard ground ball just inside the third base bag for a one-out double.
One out later, the Griffins drew a walk by Tyler Smith, but the Wolverines were able to get a strikeout to end the threat. Smith also had a two-out single in the fourth, but was put out at second on a fielder’s choice grounder to end that inning.
Los Al Head Coach Tony Fusco said that the Griffins needed to stay on top of pitches, especially on a field like Glover, that uses a football field as its outfield and gives outfielders plenty of room. He also noted that many of the fields league teams have, like Los Al’s home field, are also big fields where deep fly balls often end up as easy outs.
You got to cut [pop ups] down, Fusco said. “And we didn’t do that today, we flew out way too much.”
But the Griffins are off to a good start in the early part of the season, at 2-1, after the Aliso game. They defeated Palos Verdes, 6-0, and Downey, 11-2, in their first two games. The pitching crew for the Griffins is on the young side, but talented, with a lot of Division 1 potential.
Sean Kasawara pitched five good innings, allowing just the one run, on a single that turned into a sacrifice RBI after two stolen bases. Logan Hunt pitched two scoreless innings to keep the Griffins within striking distance.
The Griffins are scheduled to play Yucaipa on Thursday at 3 p.m. (weather permitting) in another Loara Tournament game. They will be at Marina High on March 6 at 3 p.m. The Griffins are looking to improve upon a 3-6 Sunset Surf League finish from last year. The league is a tough one with Huntington Beach, Edison and Fountain Valley the other three teams this year.
Huntington Beach again looks like the early season favorite as the Oilers are ranked No. 5 in the CIF-SS Division 1 poll this week.
