A baseball team has to be good at every part of the game to succeed in the Surf League.
Los Alamitos just might be that type of team.
The Griffins are No. 8 in the Orange County Top 25 and are ranked No. 7 in CIF Southern Section Division 3. They are 11-4 overall and 2-2 in the four-team Surf League that includes No. 4 Huntington Beach, No. 18 Fountain Valley and No. 19 Edison.
Los Alamitos had one bad inning Tuesday, giving up four runs in the third inning of a 4-1 loss to Fountain Valley.
Most of the Griffins’ innings have been much better.
The Los Alamitos pitching is led by junior right-hander Jack Lorenz, a UC San Diego commit. He struck out seven over 6⅓ innings in the Griffins’ 5-1 league win over Edison last week.
Senior second baseman/shortstop Jake Evans is batting .388 with 12 runs batted in and two home runs. He signed with Long Beach State.
Junior left-handed pitcher Tristan Dalzell is a Long Beach State commit.
Junior outfielder Devin Porch, batting .314 with nine RBIs, committed to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
Davis D’Errico, a UC Irvine signee, has a team-high 14 RBIs and is batting .389.
Senior third baseman/center fielder Cole Belfanti has a team-leading 15 hits.
Griffins second-year coach Tony Fusco likes the attitudes of this year’s players.
“They’re just a tougher group than what we usually have here,” said Fusco, who was an assistant coach at Los Alamitos before being promoted to head coach. “They hold each other accountable. They’re accountable to the team rules and to how they want their season to go.”
Fusco said that starts with the senior leadership provided by Evans and Jake Fowler.
“They’re like coaches on the field,” Fusco said. “They’re the ones saying ‘Hey, let’s pick it up, let’s hustle.’”
Fusco knows he can rely, too, on whomever the Griffins have pitching on any given day.
“We have some front-line arms and plenty of depth in our bullpen,” he said. “When Jack Lorenz is on the mound, having a guy like that out there, we know we’re always going to have a chance to win.”
RYAN LEMMON TOURNAMENT
The Ryan Lemmon Spring Tournament begins Saturday (weather permitting) and concludes Wednesday.
All of the tournament games will be played at Great Park in Irvine.
The tournament includes 36 teams, including several ranked in the Orange County Top 25: No. 5 San Juan Hills, No. 8 Los Alamitos, No. 11 Aliso Niguel, No. 12 El Modena, No. 14 Pacifica, No. 16 Foothill, No. 21 Canyon, No. 22 Marina and No. 24 San Clemente.
The tournament benefits the Ryan Lemmon Foundation. Daily admission is $12 for adults, $5 for senior citizens and $3 for students.
NATIONAL CLASSIC
The National Classic will be played next week, Monday through Thursday, at various sites in northern Orange County.
Among the teams in it are O.C. No. 1 Santa Margarita, which last week beat previous-No. 1 Orange Lutheran in two games of their three-game Trinity League series. Also in it are county No. 7 Cypress, No. 9 Servite and No. 17 El Dorado.
Out-of-county teams in the National Classic include Bishop Amat, No. 10 in the CIF-SS Division 1 rankings, and Arcadia, No. 6 in CIF-SS Division 2.
The tournament is a fundraiser. Admission to games is $10.
THE BORAS CLASSIC
The Boras Classic South tournament will be played next week, Tuesday through Friday, at JSerra and Mater Dei.
The tournament includes Corona, which is ranked No. 1 in CIF-SS Division 1 and in the Prep Baseball California state rankings. Pitching-rich Corona went into this week 9-1, with the loss to Orange Lutheran 4-2.
Other CIF-SS Division 1 top 10 teams in the Boras Classic South are No. 5 Huntington Beach, No. 6 JSerra, No. 7 San Dimas, No. 8 La Mirada and No. 9 South Hills. Maranatha, No. 3 in CIF-SS Division 2, also is in the tournament.
The tournament benefits the Boras Foundation. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for senior citizens and for students with valid student identification.
Champions of the Boras Classic South and Boras Classic North tournaments meet in a championship game at a later date.
Related Articles
Freddie Freeman Clubhouse unveiled at El Modena High School
Orange County boys athlete of the week: Tanner Tobias, Tesoro
CIF-SS baseball polls, March 25
Orange County baseball stat leaders through March 23
Orange County baseball Top 25: Santa Margarita takes over top spot, March 25
Leave a Reply