Baseball: One big upset in Division I openers

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The competition was stiff, but there was only one major upset in the opening round of the Southern Section Division I playoffs, and that was defending champion Simi Valley losing to Temescal Canyon, 6-5.

A smaller upset was Vista Murrieta knocking off the Foothill League champion, Valencia, 10-9, and Villa Park defeating the Marmonte League runner-up, Simi Valley Royal, 2-1.

Otherwise, the top teams and their standout pitchers came through. No. 1 Norco defeated Brea Olinda, 5-1, with Matt Hobgood hitting two home runs and throwing a one-hitter. No. 2 JSerra topped Camarillo, 3-2. Mater Dei handled Saugus, 6-2. Edison defeated Lakewood, 11-1. Marina routed Hueneme, 18-2. Orange Lutheran defeated Anaheim Canyon, 3-1. Tesoro defeated Long Beach Poly, 6-0. Dana Hills defeated Rio Mesa, 6-1. Riverside Poly defeated Chaparral, 13-3.

West Ranch, which has been struggling of late, got a terrific pitching performance from Trevor Fredrickson, who did not give up an earned run in a 6-2 victory over El Dorado, the final game for retiring Coach Steve Gullotti. Jake Bernards added three hits for West Ranch.

There’s some great matchups on Tuesday, such as Capistrano Valley-Orange Lutheran and Tesoro-Mater Dei.

-- Eric Sondheimer