Clay ArrittIt was a series sweep for Santa Ana, who took care of business against Cerro Coso over the weekend, with the Dons’ offense exploding in game one and a solid pitching performance in game two.
“We are who we thought we were,” head coach Tom Nilles said. “We know we can hit, I just wish our starting pitching would have been a little bit better.”
Game 1
After eliminating their conference rivals Orange Coast College on Friday afternoon, it would turn into a best-of-three series against Cerro Coso, who had to make the four-hour trek from Ridgecrest to Santa Ana.
The Dons’ offense got things started with a run in the first inning via a ground-out from right-fielder Nikko Paoletto. Cerro Coso answered with two in the bottom of the first off Santa Ana’s starting pitcher Zach Ireland.
“You look at the first inning, it was a little erratic,” Coach Nilles said about Ireland. “But he’s good enough to get people out even when he’s not at his best.”
After a scoreless second inning, Paoletto would step up with one out in the third, and he would deliver yet again. He drove a ball deep out to left for a home-run, his fifth of the season, tying the game at two.
“We got a lot of dogs in the box,” Paoletto said. “I have full confidence in every one of my guys that they’re gonna get a hit every time they’re up there, so I just let the lineup do the work. And usually, good things happen.”
In the process of Ireland firing four shutout innings in a row, SAC’s offense would begin to roll. “It was just going with what works and not fixing what’s not broken,” Ireland said. “Today it was the cutter, it’s been a different pitch every single game this year.”
Center-fielder Evan Reiter hit a two run triple to begin the fourth, and on the very next pitch, Paoletto would hit his second home run of the game, a no doubt shot over the left field fence. It was the Paoletto-Reiter show yet again in this one, combining for nine runs batted in. Both players were named first-team all Orange Empire Conference as freshmen.
“It’s just one through nine,” Coach Nilles explained as to why the offense is so relentless. Nilles was named Coach of the Year in the OEC after an incredible season for the Dons.
Ireland got pulled in the sixth after laboring in the inning, and relievers Adrian Villegas and Johnny Morales did their job getting the final 10 outs while only allowing one baserunner. Ireland finished with 5.1 innings, five runs (two earned) and five strikeouts in his first start after being named first-team all OEC. He earned his seventh win of the season.
“I think he battled good and threw the slider really well on the outer half of the plate,” pitching coach George Carralejo said. “Zach’s a great competitor, and then it’s just settling down into the game. And typically, he gets better as he goes along.”
The entire lineup was rolling in this one, as every starter got at least one base hit, and seven players had multi-hit games. The Dons were able to put up four runs in two separate innings, as well as five runs in the eighth and seven runs in the ninth to put the game way out of reach. The Dons had 25 hits, with 13 of them going for extra bases.
Game one would end in an absolute blowout, with Santa Ana earning a dominant 24-5 victory.
Game 2
Freshman Andrew Phillips, who was named second-team all OEC, got the start in game two, just two days after getting pulled in the first inning against Orange Coast College following a rough outing. This game started similarly for Phillips, allowing three hits and a walk in the first inning leading to a 3-0 lead for Cerro Coso.
Phillips would turn things around quickly, as he would go on to retire 11 straight hitters en route to five straight scoreless innings. “All the credit to him,” Coach Nilles said. “He turned it around, got back in the strike zone, and made some quality pitches, and in big spots started landing his breaking ball.”
In the bottom of the second inning, Santa Ana would score two runs, one on a Ken Tomitaka homer and another on a double from catcher Carlos Morales. Tomitaka was awarded OEC Player of the Year for his performance during conference play, and Morales was another first-team player. With that home run, the Dons surpassed their total from the state-winning 2023 team.
“Just trusting myself,” Morales said. “These past few days in batting practice, I’ve been really working to go the other way and take the outside pitch into the opposite field gap. So my first pitch today was literally what I worked on.”
Left-fielder Nathaniel Williams tied the game with another Dons homer in the fourth, and Aiden Marquez, who was also named first-team all OEC, gave them the lead, delivering a single with the bases loaded to make it 5-3.
Aidan Haller got the start at designated hitter in game two after coming off the bench in game one, and cashed in on his opportunity yet again. He went 2-3, driving in two runs and scoring another.
“Look at Haller, two days in a row, that guy was a huge force,” Coach Nilles said. “He hasn’t played a lot this year. He’s certainly a good player. Just the way the lineup was going, it was hard to get him at bats and get him a shot to flourish, and that’s just one more body you can count on in big spots. That’s how you win championships.”
It was Haller’s base hit in the bottom of the fifth inning that would give the Dons a 7-3 lead, where the score would hold until it finished.
Phillips would finish with six innings, three runs and eight strikeouts, to go along with a victory to improve to a 6-0 record on the season.
“First inning, I didn’t really have a feel for anything, and a few mistake pitches got me in a tough spot,” Phillips said. “I think the slider was the key. Staying fastball, slider with a few curveballs and working in the zone. Definitely got my confidence back since Friday. So I should be ready to roll next week.”
The Dons’ bullpen was flawless again in game two, delivering three shutout innings to protect a slim lead. “Fantastic,” Coach Nilles said about the bullpen. “You’re gonna need those guys when you make runs to a state championship.”
Santa Ana was able to advance to the 3C2A Super Regional, eliminating both Orange Coast and Cerro Coso in the process. The Dons will host the next round, a best-of-three series against Citrus College beginning on Thursday.
