Orange Lutheran baseball beats Corona in showdown between state’s top two teams
The Lancers improve to 8-0 with their 4-2 victory in the championship game of the PBR Spring Invitational
Orange County Register
ORANGE – Brady Murrietta hit a two-run home run and Derek Curiel reached base on all three of his plate appearances for Orange Lutheran in the Lancers’ 4-2 win over Corona on Friday in the championship game of the Prep Baseball California Spring Invitational at Hart Park.
Orange Lutheran is off to an 8-0 start. Corona is 3-1.
In the California rankings of Prep Baseball Report, which organized and managed the tournament, Corona is No. 1 and Orange Lutheran No. 2.
Orange Lutheran won the Prep Baseball California Spring Invitational in its first year, 2022, and was tournament co-champion with Gahr last year.
The Lancers used seven pitchers, one per inning, Friday. In order of appearance: Vinny Hudson, Colt Peterson, Brady Strohm, Sage Nelson, Alex Chavez, Ross Clark and Nolan Tillit.
“We’ve got league starting next week,” said Orange Lutheran coach Eric Borba. “So we really wanted to set everything up. With the rain it’s been tough to have a steady schedule and we wanted all of our pitchers to face some hitters before we go into league.
“And we trust all of our guys. The depth of the pitching staff is one of our strengths.”
Orange Lutheran scored two runs in the first inning and two in the second. Corona scored its runs in the fifth inning.
Corona had not played since Feb. 15 when the Panthers beat JSerra 4-1.
“We got down early to a really good team,” said Corona coach Andy Wise. “And we haven’t played in a while, but there’s no excuse.
“It is tough to come out after taking that time off and play a team that’s been rolling. (The Lancers) were 7-0 coming in and played all the big boys. They were ready and we weren’t.”
Corona will become even better when brothers Brady and Trey Ebel become eligible March 20. That’s when the sit-out period ends for transfers who do not make the change of residence that would grant them immediate athletic eligibility.
The Ebels, whose father Dino is the Dodgers’ third-base coach, transferred from Etiwanda.
In the bottom of the first inning Curiel walked with one out. Murrietta followed one out later with his two-run homer, a blast down the left-field line at a place, Hart Park, in which home runs are uncommon.
Orange Lutheran extended the lead to 4-0 in the bottom of the second inning. Finnegan Steward scored on a passed ball and Curiel hit a double to drive in Wyatt Hanoian.
Corona scored its two runs in the top of the fifth. Anthony Murphy’s triple to right field drove in Adria Ruiz for the first run. Next up was Ethan Schiefelbein who struck out, but Orange Lutheran’s catcher, Murrieta, dropped the third strike and had to throw to first base to get the out. Murphy beat the return throw to home plate to make it 4-2.
Orange Lutheran leadoff batter Ben Reiland, a senior left fielder who signed with Oklahoma State, has nine hits in 23 at bats (.391).
Curiel, a senior center fielder who signed with LSU and bats second, is 8 for 21 this season (.381) with seven RBIs.
Junior first baseman Josiah Hartshorn, No. 3 in the order, has six RBIs and sophomore catcher Murrietta has seven RBIs batting fourth.
“It’s special,” Curiel said of the team’s lineup.
“We got Ben Reiland to start if off, a four-year varsity starter going to Oklahoma State,” Curiel said. “Then we go to me, I’ve been here four years just as well. We’ve got Josiah Hartshorn, in my opinion one of the best players in the junior class. Then we’ve got Brady Murrieta and everyone saw what we can do today.”
Corona junior right-handed pitcher Seth Hernandez, who did not play high school baseball as a freshman and sophomore, threw in the fifth and sixth innings. He allowed no hits, walked one and struck out three to give him nine strikeouts in six innings this season.
Orange Lutheran and Corona do not play in the same league. But they could meet again.
Both teams are in the National High School Invitational in April at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in North Carolina. And both would be in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs bracket if they qualify for the playoffs.
Orange Lutheran, No. 1 in the Orange County Top 25,opens Trinity League next week with three games against county No. 3 JSerra, last year’s CIF-SS Division 1 champion. The first of the three games is at JSerra on Tuesday at 4 p.m.