Santa Barbara put itself in a 5-0 hole after three innings against Servite ace Cole Irvin, and the Dons couldn’t recover and suffered a 7-1 baseball defeat at the Anaheim Lions Tournament on Monday.
“It’s a matter of our pitchers being up in the zone early and the other team getting very good pitching,” Santa Barbara High assistant coach Mike Cooney.
Irvin is considered one of the top junior pitchers in Southern California. He’s committed to Oregon.
“He’s a 6-3 lefty who’s got all the mechanics and pitches,” said Cooney. “Three of our better hitters are lefthanded, so it was tough on them.”
Servite jumped on Santa Barbara starter Danny Zandona with a two-run homer in the first inning. The Friars added two more runs in the second, one in the third and two in the fourth.
Cooney said the Dons hit the ball hard, but Servite “played well defensively.”
Zandona had two of Santa Barbara’s four hits and scored the lone run on a double steal with Kees t’Sas in the fourth inning.
“This is good learning experience,” Cooney said of playing strong Orange County teams. “This will make us stronger for the rest of our league.”
Santa Barbara, 1-2 in the tournament and 9-3 overall, plays Mission Viejo on Tuesday afternoon.
Santa Barbara…000 100 0 — 1 4 2
Servite…221 200 x — 7 11 0
Zandona, McManigal (5) and Eaton; Irvin and Miller. W—Irvin 3-1, L—Zandona (4-1).
HR—Servite: Miller, 1st inn. one on.
