Cats finish strong heading into playoffs

The Saddleback baseball team finished the regular season with an 8-2 win over Irvine Valley College on Friday at Doug Fritz Field.  With the win the Bobcats finish in second place in the Orange Empire Conference heading into the playoffs.

Saddleback took some time to get the offense cooking, but once it did it served up a four-course meal for its fans.  The Bobcats didn't have a hit through the first three innings and finally got on the scoreboard in the bottom half of the fifth inning when they scored three times in taking the lead.  Saddleback started with a double from Andrew Nykoluk and a single from Ben Castelli, putting runners at the corners.  Makani Tanaka then drove home the first run of the game with a sacrifice fly to center field.    Jacob Beauchaine also had a sacrifice fly before Jacob Hudson drove home the final run of the inning with a single up the middle.

Saddleback scored five more times in the bottom half of the seventh inning when things completely unraveled for the Lasers.  Irvine Valley committed three innings during the frame and also had a costly passed ball.  The Bobcats made all the extra outs hurt with a double from Tanaka and a single from J.C. Allen.

Saddleback received a sensational performance on the mound from Jack Wade.  Wade got himself into some trouble in the opening inning when Irvine Valley loaded the bases with only one out in the inning.  Wade got out of the jam with a force out at home and a strikeout, thus keeping the Lasers off the scoreboard.  Wade then cruised through the next six innings, allowing just one hit over the next six frames.  He finished with 11 strikeouts over seven innings before turning the ball over to Zachary Allegro in the eighth inning with an 8-0 lead on the scoreboard.

Tanaka, Allen, Rodrigo Barajas and Jacob Hudson all had four hits to lead the offense. 

Saddleback finishes the regular season 24-15 overall and 12-9 in Orange Empire Conference play.  The Bobcats finished in a tie for second place in conference play with Santa Ana, a team they defeated in a three-game series during the season.

Saddleback now waits to see what seed they will receive when the seeding committee meets on Sunday to determine the pecking order.  The Bobcats are expected to host a series starting Friday.