SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO >> The JSerra baseball team took its first step toward defending its crown as CIF Southern California Regional champions by beating Granite Hills of Mission Bay 5-2 Tuesday at JSerra High.

Last season, the Lions lost in the CIF-SS championship game and came out determined to win the regional championship. This season, JSerra (24-10) won the Division 1 Southern Section championship and seems to be more relaxed about the regional playoffs.

“We were out six guys with confirmation and the seniors have grad night tonight, so we knew we had some distractions and were going to play everybody,” JSerra coach Brett Kay said. “We’ve reached the mountaintop but also we want to be the first team ever to win CIF and regionals. It’s definitely a different, relaxed vibe.”

Trent Caraway, who went 3 for 3 Tuesday, and Kay felt that the week off between the CIF-SS championship game and the start of the regional playoffs had an effect on the team.

“We came out here and got the job done but it felt a little bit off,” Caraway said.

“Last year we didn’t have a week off and went right into it,” Kay said. “Last week we had graduation and a bunch of things. We still have an expectation to go out and win.”

Thirteen players made a plate appearance for the Lions, and they used four pitchers. Tristan Lamaison allowed two runs in the third inning and the JSerra bullpen of Matt Champion, Brodie Purcell and Ben Reimers pitched four shutout innings.

Sophomore Charlie Caruso got JSerra on the scoreboard in the bottom of the second inning with a sacrifice fly to put the Lions ahead 1-0.

Granite Hills (24-7), which was the San Diego Section Division 1 runner-up, put up two runs in the third inning on a sacrifice fly by Grant MacArthur and a run-scoring single by Jacob Embleton to take a 2-1 lead.

That lead would hold until the bottom of the fifth inning when JSerra’s Dominic Smaldino tied the score with a sacrifice fly.

“When the moment shines he becomes more locked in and he’s had a big year,” Kay said of Smaldino. “The at-bats trickled down after that and hitting is contagious. That changed the atmosphere in the dugout.”

Granite Hills made three errors in the sixth inning and JSerra took advantage with three runs. David Horn reached base on an error that also scored a run for JSerra. Dillon Martin drove in a run on a fielder’s choice and later scored on an error to put JSerra ahead 5-2.

JSerra will host Notre Dame of Sherman Oaks in the regional semifinals Thursday at 4 p.m. That game will be a rematch of the CIF-SS Division 1 championship game.

“We know they are going to come out after us,” Carraway said. “I think we will be ready and it’s going to be a fun game.”

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Kay said the Lions will use several pitchers Thursday, and that some of the team’s top pitchers — Lamaison, Horn and JJ Hollis — will not be available to pitch.

“We are going to mix and match as well as we can,” Kay said. “We are going to throw guys who didn’t have a lot of opportunities all year and see if they can handle it.”