LJ baseball 6, Otay Ranch 8

Viking head coach Gary Frank (4) gathers his

troops in front of the dugout to regroup.

(Photo by Ed Piper, Jr.)

By Ed Piper, Jr.

Otay Ranch solved the La Jolla baseball team, 8-6, Thurs., March 9, on the Vikings' quadrangle.

Randy Abshier, a 6'5" left-hander, was clocked on the JUGS gun (or whatever they use these days) from 84 to 87 miles per hour in the first three innings against La Jolla's lineup. He was a little wild, but good enough to get the win.

In the bottom of the first inning, La Jolla scored first. After leadoff hitter Cole Dimich, hero in Tuesday's game with a throw from the outfield to nail the tying run in the bottom of the 10th at Olympian, struck out swinging on an Abshier curveball, and Nick Ferenczy popped out in foul territory to the first baseman, four straight batters walked to force in a run: Dane Hansen, the Vikings' starting pitcher, Zach Sehgal, Garrett Brown, and freshman Cooper McNally.

McNally got an RBI, swinging (actually, not swinging) from the left side.

In the third, Ferenczy walked, then Hansen grounded out to third. Sehgal singled, and Brown got aboard on his second walk in a row to load the bases. But Coach Gary Frank's squad was unable to score against Abshier, as he induced McNally to pop out to short and caught Sebastian Partida looking for the second time in three innings.

Sophomore Blaise Gimber, a lefty, took over for Hansen on the mound during the fourth inning. Dane labored in the first inning, expending 33 pitches as he struggled with his location in his first outing of the young season and three of the Mustangs' first four batters.

The big right-hander escaped unscathed by striking out Christian Lopez, hitting in the fifth slot, on a fastball outside swinging, and forcing the designated hitter, Octavio Corona, to ground out to Gimber at first base.

Hansen threw a total of 60 pitches through the first three innings. He threw a total of 71 before giving way to Gimber.