LJ baseball 4, Point Loma 3

Zach Sehgal takes the ceremonial Gatorade bath

courtesy of teammate Sebastian Partida after his

walkoff hit in the bottom of the seventh.

(Photo by Ed Piper)

By Ed Piper

Zach Sehgal lined the first pitch he saw in the bottom of the seventh inning into centerfield, with two on and two out, to drive in Ben Wintringer from second base with the winning run in a 4-3 walkoff thriller by La Jolla over Point Loma at Petco Park Tues., April 18.

The winning rally was propelled by an error in centerfield that allowed two runs to score, then a balk to send Johnny Agbulos home from third base to knot the game 3-3.

Wintringer and Garrett Brown then got aboard to put runners on first and second, setting the scene for Seghal's game-winning hit.

The win moves the Vikings to 3-0 in the Western League, 15-4 overall. They face the Pointers two more times in league play.

La Jolla struggled on offense against Point Loma starter Cole van den Helder, being limited to two hits over the first four innings and three over the first six, before the seventh-inning lightning against multiple relievers.

Nick Ferenczy, who opened on the mound for the Vikings, was touched up for two runs in the top of the first inning on some hard-hit balls and some miscues in the field.

The game at Petco Park was a makeup of a rained-out date April 8. The Padres provide the showcase opportunity to several high school baseball teams each year.

The Vikings, though it was just a league win, celebrated Sehgal's walkoff hit like it was a championship game. There had been a lot of anticipation and excitement coming into the game, due to its being played on the major league field.