Aliso Viejo Falls in State Title Game

During a pitching change in the middle of an eight-run inning by Orange, the song I Got a Feeling by the Black Eyed Peas blared over the Westfield Park loudspeaker. But for only one team would tonight be a “…good, good night.”

In fact, it was Aliso Viejo that came away with the black eye.

Orange Little League delievered a beating Monday night, slamming six home runs, including three for all eight runs in the sixth, and collected 16 hits off two pitchers to turn a 12-run loss the previous day into a 12-run victory a day later. The final score was 16-4 and will send the Orange Little League to San Bernardino to play in the West Region Tournament.

For Aliso Viejo's 2012 Major All-Star team it meant the end of the road. The 13 players and three coaches fell one win short of matching the 2008 Aliso Viejo team that won the Southern California State Division Championship. For most of them it was probably their most lopsided loss of the season.

“Yeah, I sure wish it had been closer,” Aliso Viejo Manager Scott Poirot lamented. “These are better boys that what that scoreboard says. It hurts because you get so close and come up short. But these boys have been competitors all season.”

Against Orange, Aliso Viejo had several chances for big innings early on, but each time fell short. The team finished with 11 hits but also stranded eight baserunners. Trailing 3-0 in the second, they scored one run and had the bases loaded—but the batter flew out. In the bottom of the third, two singles brought the tying run to the plate trailing 4-1—but the batter struck out.

Orange then showed Aliso how to score runs.

Ryan Islas led off the fourth inning with a home run, followed by a single, walk and a fielder’s choice that scored another run. Chris Huerta, the pitcher for Orange, then crushed the pitch thrown by starter Ryan Poirot, hitting it well over the centerfield batting cage, to put Orange ahead 8-1.

After Aliso Viejo cut the lead by one on a solo home run by Hunter Jump, Orange put the game away for good. Huerta again put the "hurt-a" on Aliso, unloading a three-run home run deep over the leftfield fence. The next three batters reached base to set the stage for Josh Smith, who hit a grand slam. Another homer made it 16-2.

“They hit the ball and we didn’t,” Scott Poirot said. “We hit some balls, too, but we also had some bad breaks, especially in that big inning. We were forced to bring the ball up and they obviously hit it. They hit the ball better than we did, bottom line.”

After winning Game 2 on Monday, 12-0 mercy ruled, Aliso Viejo looked to have the momentum back after losing Game 1. But neither team got this far in the playoffs by not overcoming a little adversity along the way.

“We’ve played our best games after losses throughout this All-Star season,” Orange Manager Chris Esperanza said. “We lost a tough game in section play, and came back and won four straight. We lost in subdivision play and came back and played our best game of the season. You never think this is going to happen. It’s pretty amazing we’re here.”

Scott Poirot said that even though Aliso Viejo fell a game short of reaching its goal of playing in the West Regional, the ride was a memorable one.

“They worked their tales off since Day 50 or 51, everyday on the field. These boys put the time and effort in and we won district, sectionals, sub-district and pushed it to Game 3 today,” Poirot said. “We just missed a few spots and a couple calls and breaks went their way. It was one of those games that got away from us.”