Breakers’ mistakes lead to loss

LAGUNA BEACH - Jeff Sears’ words after his team lost Tuesday could have been described as an understatement.

“We didn’t play defense where we needed to, and that hurt us,” the Laguna Beach High baseball coach said after his team suffered a 3-0 loss to visiting Costa Mesa.

Two errors in the first inning allowed the Mustangs to score two runs, and another error at third base allowed for a third run in the seventh inning.

The crucial errors forced Laguna Beach to see its dream of going to the playoffs slide further away.

The Breakers entered Tuesday with some confidence with a 2-0 win over the Mustangs (April 15).

Laguna showed glimpses of its confidence with a stellar catch in left field and one double-play. But the standout plays were offset by four errors, Sears said.

A few well-executed putouts and a strikeout with the bases loaded prevented Mesa from driving in more potential runs, leaving five men on base overall.

Zach Nuno pitched well for Laguna, striking out seven.

“He dominated the game, and controlled the situation,” Sears said.

The Breakers had three hits, but weren’t able to score any runs.

In previous action, the Breakers picked up their first win against Calvary Chapel on April 25, defeating the Eagles 7-2 at Orange Coast College.

They suffered three prior losses to Calvary with scores of 6-2 (April 22), 10-8 (April 3) and 4-0 (March 18).

Sears said the team executed at the plate, played very well defensively, and demonstrated some solid pitching.

Andrew Padden hit a triple, and Chris Paul and Gabe Stansbury each hit a double, contributing to the 11 hits overall, and causing the Breakers to pull away in the last inning.

Paul had two RBIs. Padden, Dillion Pierce, and Alex Gillette each batted in one run.

On defense, Gabe Stansbury had eight put-outs, followed by Zach Nuno with four. Dalton Sype and Mike Maxsenti combined to strike out seven.

Laguna takes on Costa Mesa for the fourth time this season in league play Friday at 3:15 p.m.