RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA — The Tesoro baseball team received some late-game heroics from Jake Lambdin and beat Pacifica 4-3 in 10 innings Friday in the opening game of the Anaheim Lions Tournament at Tesoro High.
Lambdin, an Xavier commit, took the mound in the ninth inning with a runner on third base and no outs. He drew a groundout to the pitcher, a strikeout and a fly ball to escape the inning unscathed with the 3-3 tie intact.
In the bottom of the 10th inning, Lambdin drove in Nate Molinari with a sacrifice fly to left field to win the game for Tesoro (9-1).
Tesoro’s Coleton Dahl pitches during a tournament game against Pacifica at home on Friday, March 18, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Tesoro’s Jackson Freeman slides safely into home to score during a 4-3 win over Pacifica in an Anaheim Lions Tournament game on Friday, March 18, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Pacifica shortstop CJ Brown tags out Tesoro’s Kevin McCaffery at second after McCaffery got caught in a pickle during an Anaheim Lions Tournament game on Friday, March 18, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Pacifica’s Aiden Colin pitches during a tournament game at Tesoro High School on Friday, March 18, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Tesoro’s Brandon Woolley dives safely back to first base, avoiding the tag, during a tournament game against Pacifica on Friday, March 18, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Tesoro’s Carter Jorissen hits the ball during a tournament game against Pacifica at home on Friday, March 18, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Pacifica’s CJ Brown hits the ball during a tournament game at Tesoro High School on Friday, March 18, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Pacifica’s Johnny Morales hits a single during a tournament game at Tesoro High School on Friday, March 18, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Pacifica’s CJ Brown comes in as a relief pitcher to close out the game during a tournament game at Tesoro High School on Friday, March 18, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Tesoro first baseman Hunter Sablatura makes a catch to tag out Pacifica’s Ryan Anema during a tournament game between the two teams on Friday, March 18, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Tesoro’s Coleton Dahl pitches during a tournament game against Pacifica at home on Friday, March 18, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Tesoro baseball coach Tony Nieto steps to the mound to instruct his players during a home tournament game against Pacifica on Friday, March 18, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Tesoro’s Brandon Woolley hits the ball during a tournament game against Pacifica at home on Friday, March 18, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Pacifica’s Johnny Morales gets to first base just in time to avoid a tag from Tesoro first baseman Hunter Sablatura during an Anaheim Lions Tournament game between the two teams on Friday, March 18, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Tesoro first baseman Hunter Sablatura makes a catch in time to tag out Pacifica’s Johnny Morales during an Anaheim Lions Tournament game on Friday, March 18, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Tesoro’s Coleton Dahl pitches during a tournament game against Pacifica at home on Friday, March 18, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Tesoro’s Owen Faust dives safely back to first base, avoiding the tag, during a tournament game against Pacifica on Friday, March 18, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Pacifica’s Aiden Colin pitches during a tournament game at Tesoro High School on Friday, March 18, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Tesoro baseball coach Tony Nieto instructs his players from the dugout during a home tournament game against Pacifica on Friday, March 18, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Tesoro baseball coach Tony Nieto instructs his players from the dugout during a home tournament game against Pacifica on Friday, March 18, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Pacifica baseball coach Mike Ciara gives a pitching sign as his team competes in a tournament game at Tesoro High School on Friday, March 18, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
Pacifica baseball coach Mike Ciara takes notes as he watches his players compete in a tournament game at Tesoro High School on Friday, March 18, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Antenore, Contributing Photographer)
“We have full confidence in everybody on our team, but he is one of our leaders and we can put him in tough situations and he is going to compete,” Tesoro coach Tony Nieto said of Lambdin. “That’s a great team over there. They’ve had some big wins. We did a great job.”
Tesoro, ranked No. 13 in Orange County, had a 3-1 lead from the second inning until the top of the seventh. Titans starting pitcher Coleton Dahl was outstanding until the seventh. With two outs, he allowed three consecutive singles to load the bases.
Pacifica, ranked No. 10 in the county, scored two runs on a dropped third strike and a hit batter to tie the game. Dahl allowed two earned runs in 6 2/3 innings with five strikeouts.
“He did what we expect him to do,” Nieto said of Dahl. “His pitch count got up a little bit but he should have gotten out of there with a 3-1 victory. He gives us a chance to win every single time he gets out there.”
Pacifica (9-4) got a good start from pitcher Aidan Colin. After allowing three runs in the first inning, he blanked Tesoro for the next five innings. The Cal State Northridge signee allowed just five hits in six innings with two earned runs and four strikeouts.
“He is a competitor,” Nieto said of Colin. “He continued to hit his spots and mix with his curveball. He kept us off-balanced.”
Tesoro made some good contact in the first inning and got an early 3-0 lead. Brandon Woolley hit a two-run double over the left fielder’s head and Kevin McCaffrey drove him in with a double.
Chad Gurnea hit a run-scoring single for the Mariners in the second inning to cut the Tesoro lead to 3-1.
CJ Brown went 3 for 4 with a run batted in for Pacifica and Johnny Morales went 3 for 6 with a double.
Woolley went 3 for 4 with a double and two RBIs. Jackson Freeman had a pair of hits for the Titans and Hunter Sablatura had a hit and a crucial sacrifice bunt in the 10th inning.
Tesoro will host Layton of Utah on Saturday in the Lions Tournament. Pacifica will host Damien of La Verne on Saturday.
