Baseball Teams Orange County

Fountain Valley, the top-seeded team in the Southern Section Division I baseball playoffs, will face Esperanza, the defending champion, in the second round Tuesday at Esperanza. The Barons (23-3-1), Sunset League champions, routed Montebello Schurr, 14-1, in the first round Friday. Esperanza (14-12), the third-place team from the Empire League, beat Redlands, 3-1. In last season's title game, the Aztecs defeated No. 1-seeded Simi Valley.

Baseball is back. Which is good, because there were many who didn't want to see the 1995 season end. Last season was arguably the finest in county history, with four teams winning Southern Section titles. This season figures to be wide open, with at least 20 coaches believing their teams have a chance at winning a league title and going on to postseason glory. So without further ado . . . Will Pat Riley be making another tidy profit from "three-peat" paraphernalia?

Seth Etherton stepped off the mound after a few shaky pitches, his confidence wavering. But when he glanced at the players around him, he stepped back on the mound, re-energized. Etherton, a hard-throwing right-hander and graduate of Dana Hills High, was pitching for the Orange County Cardinals in the Connie Mack Pacific Regional championship game at Cherry Creek, Colo. Although he didn't have his best stuff, that wasn't imperative with this bunch.

Seth Etherton stepped off the mound after a few shaky pitches, his confidence wavering. But when he glanced at the players around him, he stepped back on the mound, re-energized. Etherton, a hard-throwing right-hander and graduate of Dana Hills High, was pitching for the Orange County Cardinals in the Connie Mack Pacific Regional championship game at Cherry Creek, Colo. Although he didn't have his best stuff, that wasn't imperative with this bunch.

Baseball is back. Which is good, because there were many who didn't want to see the 1995 season end. Last season was arguably the finest in county history, with four teams winning Southern Section titles. This season figures to be wide open, with at least 20 coaches believing their teams have a chance at winning a league title and going on to postseason glory. So without further ado . . . Will Pat Riley be making another tidy profit from "three-peat" paraphernalia?

The top baseball teams in Orange County, and a few from around the country, will compete in five Easter week tournaments, beginning Saturday. Capistrano Valley, ranked No. 1 in the county, and Huntington Beach, ranked fourth, will play in the first round of the Dole Big West tournament on Saturday. The tournament, based in Irvine, runs through Thursday. El Dorado, Mater Dei and Troy, all among the top 10 teams in the county, begin play Monday in the Upper Deck tournament.

Bob Zamora, Capistrano Valley High School coach, said he often wondered how the top baseball teams in Orange County compared to some of the top teams throughout the nation. On Wednesday, Zamora got a first-hand look in the semifinals of the Upper Deck baseball tournament at UC Irvine. Capistrano Valley played Miami Westminster Christian evenly for five innings before losing, 7-4, as Westminster Christian rallied for four runs in the final two innings.

Ocean View and Tustin high schools, the top two baseball teams in Orange County, are the favorites to win the 26th Santa Ana Elks tournament, which begins today at four fields. Ocean View, the top-ranked team, is led by shortstop Daniel Hernandez and pitcher Duane Page. Hernandez is batting .405 and Page is 5-0 with 26 strikeouts. Tustin, the second-ranked team, is led by right fielder Shawn Green and pitcher Dan Baker. Green is batting .

The long-anticipated third meeting between Esperanza and El Dorado, the premier baseball teams in Orange County, had one unusual twist Wednesday at Esperanza High. Esperanza, the county's top-ranked team, played to form by getting some timely hitting and strong relief pitching from Joe Foss and Jeff Bowman in a 6-4 victory that moved the Aztecs into a first-place tie with El Dorado in the Empire League.

Fountain Valley, the top-seeded team in the Southern Section Division I baseball playoffs, will face Esperanza, the defending champion, in the second round Tuesday at Esperanza. The Barons (23-3-1), Sunset League champions, routed Montebello Schurr, 14-1, in the first round Friday. Esperanza (14-12), the third-place team from the Empire League, beat Redlands, 3-1. In last season's title game, the Aztecs defeated No. 1-seeded Simi Valley.