Estancia baseball reaches Division 6 final with another dramatic win ...Middle East

COSTA MESA — The Estancia baseball team is becoming familiar with dramatic postseason victories.

The Eagles were just one out away from clinching a spot in the CIF-SS Division 6 championship game, but the tying run was also just 90 feet away from scoring.

Estancia pitcher Vaughn McCrea fired a pitch to Rancho Mirage’s Jesus Gutierrez, who hit a fly ball to shallow left field. Jacob Ramirez made a diving catch to secure Estancia’s 4-3 win Tuesday at Estancia High.

The catch set off a wild celebration by the Eagles players, who have a chance to earn the baseball program’s second section title. The Eagles will face Marshall of Pasadena in the Division 6 final on Friday or Saturday. The finals schedule will be announced Wednesday.

In these playoffs, Estancia (19-13) earned a walk-off victory, 4-3, over Pacifica Christian in the quarterfinals and beat Alhambra 10-8 in the first round.

“As soon as I saw that ball hit, I knew it was gonna be shallow,” Ramirez said of his game-clinching snag. “And there was, earlier in the game, he (Gutierrez) did hit another shallow ball, which I made also. But I kind of expected it to drop and I just ran and caught it.”

Estancia coach Nate Goellrich praised the efforts of Ramirez, a four-year player he called “a program guy.”

“For him to come through in that moment,” Goellrich said, “to have the courage and guts to dive after that, knowing that if he misses it, what could take place; it’s just a huge moment for him, I’m so proud of him, and four years he’s put in for us.”

“We’ve had our highs and lows this year, and you know, for us to reach the finals with this group of guys is pretty special,” Goellrich added.

Rancho Mirage (18-13) opened the scoring in the top of the third inning with a two-RBI single from Edward Carlin.

The Eagles responded in the bottom half of the frame with a lead-off single from Miles Dodge and back-to-back RBI doubles from Sawyer Atkinson and Nico Viramontes.

McCrea’s RBI single gave Estancia a 3-2 lead.

The Rattlers tied the game in the fifth inning thanks to some aggressive base running. Rancho Mirage’s leadoff batter Kobe Finnikin singled to left field then proceeded to steal three bases, including home, which evened the score 3-3.

The Eagles retook the lead again in the bottom of the fifth on a two-out RBI single by Carlos Hauser.

Sean Sweeney reached second base safely after a throwing error by Finnikin. McCrea was intentionally walked, setting the scene for Hauser’s clutch swing.

“For them to walk Vaughn and go to Carlos, I totally respect that decision and I understand the decision.” Goellrich said. “And for Carlos to come through is a testament to the work he’s put in for us.”

In six innings of work, Viramontes allowed three hits with four strikeouts before Goellrich handed the ball to McCrea to get the final three outs of the game.

“We had the choice between him and Lincoln (Silva) and having the faith in both those guys, but with that part of the lineup, I felt he was better suited to face them there,” Goellrich said of McCrea. “And fortunately, he pulled through for us.”

Viramontes took a moment after the game to reflect on what one more victory would mean to him and his teammates.

“Oh, it’s gonna be amazing,” he said. “I’m really hoping for it. I feel like we have the grit and resilience to do this thing. So I feel like we have a really good chance at this.”

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