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Aquinas baseball gets boost from its bats in playoff win over Ocean View

May 13, 2023

SAN BERNARDINO >> Hits found holes and the Aquinas baseball team made more of its own luck.

Nate Christman tripled, homered and had three RBIs as Aquinas totaled 11 hits in a 7-2 win over Ocean View on Friday in a CIF Southern Section Division 2 quarterfinal playoff game.

“Today we got a lot more guys on base and in scoring position and it makes for a much more successful day for us,” Aquinas coach Mike Carpentier said.

Christman went 3 for 4 with a run, and Gavin Egan and Josh Torres both had pinch-hit two-run singles as Aquinas (25-4) won its 11th consecutive game.

“It’s not just me, it’s the guys coming off the bench, too,” Christman said. “For those guys to go 2 for 2 with four RBIs is big.”

The Falcons host Crespi in a semifinal round playoff game Tuesday.

“There’s still lots to do. The last two years we’ve gotten to the semifinals and haven’t gotten the job done, so we’re looking to do differently this time,” Christman said.

Spencer Johnson was knocked around for six earned runs on nine hits in the loss for Ocean View (20-11), which was making its second section quarterfinal appearance since 2019.

“I thought we hit some balls on the screws, right at guys, and (Aquinas) found the bleeders, so the luck went their way and in a playoff games that’s everything,” Ocean View coach Tanner VanMaanen said.

Ocean View had outscored opponents 20-1 in the first two playoff rounds but managed just five hits against Aquinas while striking out seven times and leaving five runners on base.

A University of Oregon commit, Christman slammed a two-run home run to straightaway center field in the second inning for an early lead.

“It was a 1-1 changeup and he just didn’t execute,” Christman said. “It kind of hung. It was identical to his fastball, just slower speed, so I was able to recognize that and put a good swing on it.”

Torres came up with a two-run single in the fourth to double the lead, a hit that proved decisive in the first ever matchup between the two programs.

Mulivai Levu blasted a two-run home run in the fifth to cut the lead in half and chase Aquinas starter Cody Kiemele, but reliever Owen Egan entered and kept Ocean View from inflicting further damage.

“We didn’t feel overmatched, but you’re in a CIF game and you need to make luck happen,” VanMaanen said.

Gavin Egan smoked a two-run double into the right-center field gap to extend the lead in the bottom of the fifth, and Christman tripled off the wall to drive in Owen Egan in the sixth.

Owen Egan allowed just one hit and struck out three of the final four batters he faced to earn the save.

Mason Greenhouse went 2 for 2 with two runs, and Eric Bitonti had a double among his two hits and also scored a run for Aquinas, which defeated Capistrano Valley Christian 3-2 in 12 innings in a second-round game Tuesday.

“We’ve been battle-tested and we’re ready for games like this,” Carpentier said. “After we won the last game it was already like we’d won the championship because it was so grueling.”

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Orange County Register

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Aquinas baseball gets boost from its bats in playoff win over Ocean View

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