SOUTHERN SECTION 4-A BASEBALL PLAYOFFS : Capistrano Valley Makes Up for Losses With 18-5 Victory

MISSION VIEJO — Catcher Brand Caso felt Capistrano Valley High School’s baseball team had something to prove Tuesday after losing six consecutive games to rival El Toro over the past two seasons.

Caso and his teammates got their point across by getting 20 hits in an 18-5 rout of El Toro in the semifinals of the Southern Section 4-A playoffs at Saddleback College.

Capistrano Valley (20-10-1) advances to Saturday’s championship game at Anaheim Stadium against Canyon riding a wave of momentum that has seen the Cougars win six postseason games after struggling to tie for third place in the South Coast League.

Caso hit a home run, double and single and drove in five runs before being replaced in the sixth inning. And he had plenty of help as Capistrano Valley scored in every inning except the third.

Every starter except winning pitcher Travis Burgus (10-2) got at least one hit for the Cougars. Among the standouts:

--Outfielder Scott Patton, who went four for four and scored three runs. Later, Capistrano Valley Coach Bob Zamora said Patton would be the starting pitcher in the title game.

--Leadoff batter Jonathan Petke, who reached safely on two walks, an error and a base hit and scored four runs.

--First baseman Chris Lugo, who singled three times, scored three times and provided some timely relief pitching by retiring six of the seven batters he faced in the fifth and sixth innings.

--Unheralded outfielder Eric Kemper, who doubled, homered and drove in four runs in his best offensive game of the season.

“They might be the second-best team in the county behind Esperanza,” losing Coach Dan DeLeon said. “They were aggressive at the plate and swung the bats big time,” he said.

El Toro finishes 18-12.

Capistrano Valley jumped on starting pitcher Marc Ver Wayne (9-3) for three runs in the first inning and four more in the second before DeLeon replaced the sophomore pitcher. Ver Wayne had problems controlling his curveball as Cougar batters waited for his fastball.

“He couldn’t spot his curve, so they sat on the fastball and hit it hard,” DeLeon said. “Then it got ugly.”

Capistrano Valley had an 11-2 lead after four innings and added six runs in the fifth to put the game out of reach.

Caso said the Cougars are peaking going into Saturday’s championship. Capistrano Valley has won 11 of its last 13 games.

“The momentum is building,” he said. “Hopefully, we have one more game left in us. Maybe we can score 20 runs the next game.”

Zamora said he didn’t know what to expect after his team had lost six in a row to El Toro.

“This has been an unbelievable year,” Zamora said. “I have no idea how to read this team. I didn’t know when we were 2-5-1 in league, and I don’t know now. Who knows what they’re going to do in Anaheim Stadium?”