Baseball: Aliso Niguel hits three home runs to advance to Division 2 final

There may be no stopping Aliso Niguel the way the Wolverines are playing in the Southern Section Division 2 playoffs. Kyle Molnar, Domenic Colacchio and Blake Sabol hit home runs and Ryan Randel threw a shutout in an 8-0 semifinal victory over La Mirada on Tuesday.

It means Aliso Niguel will have Molnar, the UCLA commit considered among the top junior pitchers in the nation, ready to pitch in Friday’s 5 p.m. championship game against Temecula Valley at Dodger Stadium.

Temecula Valley, which returns all nine starters from last season’s runner-up team, defeated Placentia Valencia, 10-1. Drew Seelman had a two-run home run and Burke Mitchell allowed three hits.

In Division 3, Bishop Amat advanced to Friday’s 2 p.m. final at Dodger Stadium with a 3-1 win over Redondo. Nick Valdez ignited a three-run fifth-inning rally with a double to put runners on second and third. Then came three walks and a balk.

Andrew Eppenbach allowed one run in four innings. Scott Hurst got the save, striking out two batters in the seventh. Anthony Walters had two hits for the Knights.

Bishop Amat will face Palm Desert, a 9-2 winner over Santa Monica.

In Division 4, South Torrance will face rival Torrance in the final. Torrance defeated Laguna Beach, 4-3, in nine innings on a Kyle Smith RBI single. South Torrance defeated California, 5-1. The two teams will play at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday at UC Riverside.

Village Christian defeated Oak Hills, 3-2, to win its Division 5 semifinal game. Jesse Hanckel threw six innings and also had an RBI. Chris Davidson got the save. Village Christian will face Big Bear at 1 p.m. on Saturday at UC Riverside.

In Division 6, Sierra Canyon defeated Pasadena Poly, 5-1. Jackson Ramey threw a complete game, striking out five and walking none. Ramey improved to 13-2. Sierra Canyon will play Capistrano Valley Christian on Saturday at 4 p.m. at UC Riverside.