LAGUNA NIGUEL : Pony League Team Advances in Tourney

The powerful Pony League baseball all-star team took fourth place in the Whittier sectional tournament this weekend, earning the league a first-ever berth in the regional tournament in San Diego.

The team got off to a bad start in the Whittier tournament, losing its first game 10-0 to Garden Grove. Eight of the Garden Grove runs came in the first inning.

But the 14-year-old baseball standouts “came back like gangbusters on Saturday” in the words of team manager Tom Grzecka. They beat La Mirada 8-3. Outfielder John Dabbs led the offense, going 4 for 4 with a double, three singles and three RBIs.

“We had very good community support,” Grzecka said. “A tremendous number of people drove the 60 miles to Whittier to see us play.”

A 6-4 loss to Whittier on Sunday spelled the end of Laguna Niguel’s chances for placing higher than fourth in the eight-team tournament. The team had entered the Whittier tournament undefeated, having soundly beaten three opponents in the district tournament by 10 runs apiece.

Laguna Niguel will play its first game of the regional tournament Friday at 8 p.m.