SANTA ANA – Segerstrom scored five runs in the fifth inning for a 7-5 comeback win over Mary Star of the Sea in a CIF Southern Section Division 4 first-round baseball playoff game Thursdasy at Segerstrom High.

It was Segerstrom’s first win in the baseball playoffs since 2018. The Jaguars lost in a first-round game last season.

The Jaguars (16-12-1) will play at Santiago of Corona (20-10) in the second round Tuesday.

Mary Star finished 15-10. The Stars were the No. 2 team from the Camino Real League.

Segerstrom celebrates the final out of its 7-5 win over Mary Star of the Sea in a ⁦@CIFSS⁩ Division 4 first round baseball playoff game ⁦@ocvarsity⁩ ⁦@ocvarsityguy⁩ ⁦@mikehuntley63⁩ pic.twitter.com/T9o11WFZSk

— Steve Fryer (@SteveFryer) May 6, 2022

The Stars had a 4-2 lead going into the bottom of the fifth inning. Segerstrom sent eight batters to the plate in its five-run half of the inning to go ahead 7-4.

James Ashcraft led off the fifth with a single down the third-base line. Ashcraft advanced to second base on Elijah Sandoval’s sacrifice bunt, and after Zander Bretza was hit by a pitch Adrian Villegas hit an opposite-field single to right field to drive in Ashcrast to make it 4-3.

Bretza scored on a wild pitch to tie the score. Bruno Banuelos followed with an opposite-field triple to right to send home Villegas and give the Jaguars a 5-4 lead.

Demetre’s sharp line-drive single to left increased the lead to 6-4 and an error allowed a fifth run to score for the 7-4 lead.

Segerstrom coach Erasmo Ramirez’ postgame talk with his players centered on the comeback.

“I told my guys that the one thing I’m going to take away from this is, we fell behind and you guys showed some grit and we came back,” Ramirez said. “And in order to make a run in the playoffs, you’ve got to be able to come back.”

A walk and back-to-back singles by Mary Star’s Gerry Bucemi and Isaac Vega cut Segerstrom’s lead to 7-5. Bretza, who took the mound in the sixth inning, retired the next three batters, two by strikeout, to secure the Jaguars’ victory.

Segerstrom had taken a 2-0 lead in the first inning with the help of two Mary Star errors. Mary Star scored three runs in the third on RBI hits by Bucemi and Brody Cuellar, and Vega scored on a passed ball to put the Stars on top 3-2.

Cuellar hit a solo home run in the fifth inning.

Banuelos, who signed with Cal State Northridge, pitched the first five innings and got the win to improve to 8-1. UNLV signee Bretza earned his third save.