LANCER 2006 VARSITY GAME SUMMARIES

March 4, 2006:  Santiago/Corona 5 - Lancers 0

The Lancers' offense started the season slowly, unable to provide the key hit with runners on base.  Kevin Craik started for the Lancers, and after early control problems, pitched effectively for four innings, allowing only three runs.  The offense was led by Jonathan Kline and Aaron Gates with two singles each.  Record:  0-1.

March 4, 2006:  Lancers 8 - Capistrano Valley 1

The Lancers looked like a different team in their second game of the day, against a fine Capo Valley team, ranked at the time as No. 3 in the county by the OC Register.  Daniel Renken announced his presence in his first varsity start, pitching a complete game, allowing only one run on four hits, and striking out nine.  The offense was led by Daniel Gray's two hits, including a double, two runs scored and an RBI.  A key single by Ryan Hall drove in two.  Daniel Gray and Jonathan Kline turned two key double plays.  Record:  1-1.

March 8, 2006:  Lancers 17- Warren of Downey 2

After an earlier attempt to play this game was rained out in the third inning (wiping out a two-run homer by Taylor Krick), the game was played at Hart Park.  The Lancers were helped by nine errors by Warren, while making only one themselves.  Sparkling defensive plays were made by Jimmy Sandford in right field, Cole Hockenberry at first base, Taylor Krick at third base, and Daniel Gray at shortstop.  Aaron Gates led the Lancers in the easy victory, pitching six innings, allowing two runs, only one earned, five hits, and striking out eight.  Aaron also had two hits, four runs scored and four RBI.  Record:  2-1.

March 9, 2006:  Lancers 2 - Mater Dei 1

In a tense Newport Elks tournament semi-final game, the Lancers edged the Monarchs of Mater Dei 2-1 in a pitching duel.  Daniel Renken improved his record to 2-0 with six strong innings, allowing one run on five hits, striking out three.  Not as dominant as in his first game, Daniel used his off-speed pitches to great effect.  Jonathan Kline stranded a runner at third base with one out to record the save in his first inning of the year. The Lancers were limited to three hits by the Monarch's starter, Blake Arthur, but they pushed across two runs early in the game and managed to hang on.  Cole Hockenberry's deep sacrifice fly to center field drove in the decisive run.  The win moved the Lancers into the finals of the tournament, of which they were the defending champion.  Record:  3-1.

March 10, 2006:  Mission Viejo 11 - Lancers 5

The Lancers dropped the Newport Elks "Sweet 16" finals game to Mission Viejo 11-5, in a game filled with sloppy play by both teams.  With the help of an error, the Lancers jumped to a 2-0 lead in the first inning on a Taylor Krick RBI grounder, but quickly relinquished the lead in the bottom of the inning, allowing three runs.  The game stayed at 3-2 until Mission scored five in the fifth to break it open.  The Lancers added three runs in the last two innings, helped by several Mission errors.  Daniel Gray drove in the final run with an RBI single.  Orange Lutheran finished its first week of non-league play with a record of 3-2 and as runner-up in the Elks tournament.  Record:  3-2.

March 17, 2006:  Kennedy 4 - Lancers 3

Kennedy pushed across a run in the top of the seventh to edge the Lancers 4-3 in a well-played game by both teams.  Daniel Renken pitched a complete game for the Lancers in opening Empire League play.  OL jumped to a three run lead after three, behind a big double by Justin Hebenstreit.  Kennedy came back with three in the fourth inning, and the game remained tied until the seventh.  Cole Hockenberry's shot to the right-center field gap would have tied the game in the bottom of the seventh but for an excellent diving catch by the Fighting Irish center fielder.  Taylor Krick batted three singles, and Cole Hockenberry added a double for the Lancers.  Record:  3-3, 0-1.

March 18, 2006 (first game):  Lancers 1 - Pacifica 0

Aaron Gates pitched a complete game shutout of the Pacifica Mariners in the first game of a Saturday doubleheader at Hart Park.  Neither team could produce much in the way of offense, and the Lancers scored the only run it needed on a wild pitch.  Aaron allowed only two hits and struck out seven in improving his record to 2-0.  Ryan Hall provided two hits, while Jonathan Kline and Daniel Gray combined to turn two superb double plays to snuff out possible Mariner rallies.  Record:  4-3, 0-1.

March 18, 2006 (second game):  Lancers 7 - Pacifica 0

The Lancers completed the sweep of Pacifica with another shutout, this time courtesy of Kevin Craik and Brett Wallach.  Kevin pitched six strong shut-out innings, striking out six in winning his first game of the year.  David Pratt and Ricky Hamm pounded doubles, and Austin Bell, starting his first game for the Lancers at second base, lined a single in his first at bat.  RBI's were produced by Aaron Gates (two), Austin Bell, David Pratt, Daniel Gray, and Justin Hebenstreit.  Record:  5-3, 0-1.

March 22, 2006:  Loara 7 - Lancers 4

In a game of missed opportunities, the Lancers dropped its second league game to Loara.  Timely hitting by the Saxons pushed in four runs in the fifth inning, breaking a 3-3 tie, and though the Lancers put many runners on the bases, they were only able to score four.  Jonathan Kline led the Lancers with three singles, with two added by Justin Hebenstreit.  Daniel Gray had the only extra base hit of the game, a line drive double to the alley, and he scored two runs and drove in one with a sacrifice fly.  Taylor Krick was 1-2, ripping a run-scoring single to left to give the Lancers an early lead.  Record:  5-4, 0-2.

March 24, 2006:  Cypress 7 - Lancers 3

Playing against the nationally ranked Cypress Centurions, the Lancers got off to a poor start, allowing three runs in the first inning and another in the second to dig themselves a hole.  After that, the Lancers settled down, cutting the lead in half on a home run to right-center field by Jonathan Kline, a two-run shot.  The game remained close until the fifth, when Cypress scored two more.  Taylor Krick hit his second single of the day in the sixth and later scored the Lancers' third run on a groundout.  Ryan Hall also added two hits for Orange Lutheran.  Record:  5-5, 0-3.

March 29, 2006:  Lancers 7 - Valencia 1

Daniel Renken led the Lancers to their first Empire League victory over the Valencia Tigers, this time with his bat and glove instead of his arm.  Daniel hit his first home run of the year, a solo shot just inside the left field foul pole, and later he added a line drive 2 RBI single to right field.  He also made a key catch of a fly ball with the bases loaded in the fourth inning, ranging far into the left field gap to snag what would have been a bases-clearing double.  Aaron Gates pitched six effective innings to improve his record to 3-0, allowing just one run on four hits, five strike-outs and two walks.  Jonathan Kline pitched a scoreless seventh to secure the victory.  Record:  6-5, 1-3.

March 31, 2006:  Lancers 2 - Katella 0

In a pitching duel, Daniel Renken threw a complete game shutout against Katella as the Lancers took their second league game in a row, 2-0 over the Katella Knights.  Daniel allowed only two hits, one walk and one hit batter in his seven innings, striking out four in improving his record to 3-2.  The Lancers were only able to collect three hits, but Justin Hebenstreit's second-inning home run over the left field fence at Boysen Park in Anaheim provided Renken with the only run he needed.  The second run also was scored in the second after a bunt hit by Ryan Hall and a couple of throwing errors allowed Cole Hockenberry to score.  Record:  7-5, 2-3.

April 6, 2006:  Lancers 3 - Kennedy 2

Avenging an earlier loss, Kevin Craik picked up his second win by a 3-2 margin over the Fighting Irish of Kennedy, in an away game played at Hart Park due to wet conditions at Kennedy's field.  Kevin pitched 5 2/3 innings, allowing just two earned runs on seven hits, striking out three.  Andrew Jarvi pounded a double over the left fielder's head to drive in one run, while Ryan Hall hit a triple down the left field line to drive in another.  Both Andrew and Ryan were 2 for 3, and Taylor Krick also had two singles and a run scored.  Jonathan Kline earned his second save in convincing fashion, getting out of a jam in the sixth with a strike out and then working a perfect seventh.  He stuck out three in a row before recording the final out on a fly to center field.  Record:  8-5, 3-3.

April 7, 2006:  Lancers 5 - Kennedy 2

Sweeping the two-game series, Daniel Renken threw a complete game as the Lancers defeated Kennedy 5-2.  The Lancers fell behind after allowing two unearned runs, but a double down the left field line by Andrew Jarvi plated the tying run in the sixth, and the Lancers went on to score four runs in the inning.  A bases loaded sacrifice bunt by Ricky Hamm drove in pinch runner Billy Vinovich, and a second run scored when the Fighting Irish pitcher threw the ball away.  Brett Wallach's second hit of the day drove in the final run.  Earlier Brett hit a double, scored the Lancer's first run, and also stole two bases.  Daniel Renken allowed no earned runs on five hits and no walks, striking out twelve in improving his record to 4-2.  Record:  9-5, 4-3.

April 11, 2006:  Loara 10 - Lancers 9

An eighth inning rally fell short when Justin Hebenstreit's line shot to center field was caught stranding the tying run on third base.  The Lancers jumped to a 7-3 lead with four runs in the fifth inning, but the Saxons scored four of their own in the sixth.  Loara scored three in the top of the eighth, but the Lancers came back with two of their own on hits by Daniel Gray and Jonathan Kline.  Justin Hebenstreit led the Lancers with a triple and two doubles, and his line shot to end the game could not have been hit harder.  Ryan Hall batted two doubles, and Daniel Renken drove in two runs with a single to right.  Justin Lambert made the defensive play of the game with a diving catch in left field, then doubling up the runner at second.  Record:  9-6, 4-4.

April 13, 2006:  Lancers 8 - Loara 0

Daniel Renken's two-hit shutout led the varsity to a comfortable 8-0 win over the Saxons.  Cole Hockenberry's first inning two-run home run to left-center field at Glover Stadium in Anaheim gave Daniel all the support he needed, but the Lancers scored four more in the fifth and two in the sixth.  Taylor Krick led the offense with a four-for-four game, scoring twice and driving in one.  Andrew Jarvi added three hits and an RBI.  Daniel Renken (5-2) allowed only two infield hits while striking out nine and walking none.  It was Daniel's second shutout of the year and the fourth for the Lancers.  Record:  10-6, 5-4.

April 19, 2006:  Lancers 4 - Norwalk 2  (Bishop Gorman Tournament)

The Lancers traveled to Las Vegas for the Bishop Gorman Easter Classic and picked up a win over Norwalk early in the morning.  Both Cole Hockenberry and Justin Lambert pitched for the first time this season and combined to throw a three-hitter, allowing just one earned run.  Justin threw eight straight ground ball outs to record the win.  Jonathan Kline tripled in the first run in the first inning and later scored.  Brett Wallach had two hits and scored a key run in the Lancer victory.  Record:  11-6, 5-4.

April 19, 2006:  Lancers 7 - Dublin, CA 4  (Bishop Gorman Tournament)

Kevin Craik picked up his third win of the year as the Lancers swept the opening day of the tournament with a hard-fought victory over a fine Dublin team.  A six-run fifth inning erased a 2-0 deficit, punctuated by a pinch-hit two RBI double by Daniel Renken.  Kevin Craik allowed just two unearned runs in five innings on the mound, with Justin Lambert coming back after his fine performance in the early game to throw the final two innings.  Taylor Krick was 2-2 with a walk, scoring one and driving in one.   A pinch-hit double by Ricky Hamm in the seventh drove in the final run.  Record:  12-6, 5-4.

April 20, 2006:  Lancers 11 - Modesto Christian 0  (Bishop Gorman Tournament)

Daniel Renken improved his record to 6-2 combining with Jimmy Sandford for an easy shutout victory over Modesto Christian, called after five innings under the "mercy rule."  The victory clinched first place in Pool B of the tournament, placing the Lancers into the semifinals.  Daniel threw only 38 pitches in four innings, allowing just two hits.  He also was hot with the bat, going 3-3, with a triple and three RBI.  The offensive star of the game, however, was the red-hot  Taylor Krick, who also hit 3-3, with a three-run home run and six RBI.  In addition to his one scoreless inning on the hill, Jimmy Sandford had two hits and two RBI.  Record:  13-6, 5-4.

April 21, 2006:  Lancers 17 - Bishop Gorman 15 (nine innings)  (Bishop Gorman Tournament semifinal)

Those of us who witnessed this game will not soon forget it, and a brief paragraph cannot do it justice.  The wind was blowing out in the dry desert air, and balls were flying around and out of Hadland Park in Las Vegas.  In the end, the Lancers prevailed in extra innings 17-15 over a fine Bishop Gorman squad, one of the top teams in Nevada.  After an early lead behind a three-run home run by Taylor Krick and a two-run double by Brett Wallach, the Gaels bats heated up, and the Lancers fell behind.  By the top of the seventh, the Lancers trailed 12-10, only to tie the game on a dramatic two-run home run by Ryan Hall and then take the lead on a two-run homer by the sizzling Taylor Krick.  The Lancers added another run to take a 15-12 lead, only to see Bishop Gorman refuse to lie down, scoring three in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game.  Both teams had scoring chances thwarted in the eighth inning.  Daniel Renken came in with two on and one out in the bottom of the eighth to work out of the inning.  In the top of the ninth, Ricky Hamm's double down the right field line knocked in two runs, and Daniel Renken was able to work out of a jam in the bottom of the inning to record his seventh win.  Taylor Krick had a total of eight RBI in the game.  Record:  14-6, 5-4.

April 22, 2006:  La Mirada 13 - Lancers 6  (Bishop Gorman Tournament championship final)

A strong La Mirada team overcame an exhausted Lancer pitching staff to win the championship game of the Bishop Gorman Easter Classic. The Lancers pounded 14 hits but left a lot of runners on base.  Playing catch-up the entire game after La Mirada scored five in the top of the first, the Lancers made a game of it, cutting the lead to two, before a late surge by the opponent.  Jonathan Kline led the Lancers offensively with a huge game, going 4-5 with three doubles, including a two-run double in the fifth inning that cut the lead to 6-4.  Gerrit Cole, a stand-out on the JV squad, had an RBI single in his first varsity at bat.  The Lancers ended the tournament with a 4-1 record and finished as runner-up in the sixteen team tournament.  Record:  14-7, 5-4.

April 26, 2006:  Cypress 9 - Lancers 0

Returning to Empire League play, the Centurions' Adam Wilk, the top pitcher in Orange County, shut down the Lancers on two hits as Cypress won 9-0.  Early balks and errors hurt Orange Lutheran, allowing Cypress to score six unearned runs in the first three innings.  After that, Wilk impressively shut down the Lancers' offense, improving his County-best record to 10-0.  Highlights for the Lancers were a sparkling diving catch in center field by Ryan Hall, and Andrew Jarvi's two singles.  Justin Lambert came in relief to pitch two scoreless innings.  Record:  14-8, 5-5.

April 28, 2006:  Cypress 6- Lancers 1

The Centurions remained undefeated in the Empire League, completing the sweep of Orange Lutheran at Cypress High School.  The Lancers put up a fight, tying the game 1-1 on a two-out RBI double to deep left-center field by Daniel Renken in the fourth inning.  Unfortunately, the number three-ranked Centurions (per the OC Register) came back with two in the bottom of the inning, capitalizing on three walks.  Ryan Hall led the offense with two line-drive singles, and Taylor Krick and Andrew Jarvi also each had two hits.  Cole Hockenberry and Daniel Gray collected the other hits for the Lancers, who finished with a total of nine.  Record:  14-9, 5-6.

May 3, 2006:  Lancers 9 - Valencia 7 (eight innings)

It was not pretty, but the Lancers pulled out an exciting and important victory over Valencia.  The Lancers allowed two early unearned runs and then fell behind 4-1 going into the sixth inning.  A clutch RBI double by Garret Cole brought the Lancers to within a run, and a two-RBI single by Ryan Hall put them ahead.  The Tigers came back to tie the game, but Cole Hockenberry's long home run with a man on in the top of the seventh put the Lancers up by two.  Again the Tigers would not give up, scoring two in the bottom of the inning to push the game into extra innings.  With Ryan Hall on second and Daniel Gray on first, Taylor Krick hit a shallow fly ball down the right field line, just eluding the diving attempt by the Tiger right fielder.  Ryan scored easily and Daniel barely plated the final run with a head-first slide avoiding the catcher's tag.  The victory improved the Lancers chances to reach the playoffs.  Record:  15-9, 6-6.

May 5, 2006:  Lancers 9 - Valencia 8 (ten innings)

Sometimes you need some luck in baseball, and the Lancers were on the receiving end in this game.  Falling behind early in the game 7-2, Justin Hebenstreit hit a solo home run to left field to bring the Lancers a run closer.  Still down by three in the bottom of the seventh, Orange Lutheran stormed back behind a triple by Ryan Hall, a deep sacrifice fly by Daniel Gray, and an RBI double by Cole Hockenberry off the right-center field wall.  Andrew Jarvi's RBI single tied the game.  Justin Lambert and Garret Cole pitched four innings of scoreless relief until an error in the top of the tenth allowed Valencia to score an unearned run.  After two quick outs in the bottom of the tenth, things looked bleak, but the Valencia pitcher hit two batters in a row, bringing Taylor Krick to the plate.  Taylor hit a sharp grounder to second which should have ended the game, but the shortstop did not touch second base.  Ryan Hall kept running around third to score the tying run, and the shortstop threw the ball over the catcher's head to allow Daniel Gray to score from first base, diving into home with the winning run.  Ryan Hall and Cole Hockenberry each had three hits.  Record:  16-9, 7-6.

May 9, 2006:  Lancers 7 - Katella 6

This one almost got away.  Needing to sweep Katella to claim second place in the Empire League, the Lancers took the first game of the week after almost squandering a six-run lead.  The Lancers scored six times in the second inning.  Jonathan Kline's bases-loaded walk was followed by a bases-loaded, two-RBI single by Daniel Gray down the right field line.  Two errors by the Knights allowed three more runs to score for a comfortable 6-0 lead.  The Knights pecked away at the lead, but Daniel Renken pitched effectively for six innings, allowing three runs.  Katella took advantage of an error and some timely hitting to tie the score in the top of the seventh.  For the third time in a row, however, the Lancers were able to win the close one.  After Andrew Jarvi was hit by a pitch and Justin Hebenstreit walked, Brett Wallach looped a soft single into center field, scoring Jarvi with the game-winning run.  Daniel Gray and Brett Wallach each were 2-3 with a walk.  The win assured the Lancers no worse than third in league and a playoff spot, and gives them a chance for second place if they can defeat Katella in the final game of the regular season.  Record:  17-9, 8-6.

May 11, 2006:  Lancers 10 - Katella 7 (End of regular season)

The Lancers came into the week needing to sweep two games from a talented Katella squad in order to pass the Knights into second place.  Orange Lutheran's bats answered the call, pounding out ten hits and outscoring Katella 10-7.  Taylor Krick led the offense again, as he has so often during the season, with a single, double and triple, driving in three runs and scoring two.  Cole Hockenberry's two singles drove in three runs, including the first run of the game in the first inning.  Ryan Hall and Daniel Gray set the table for the big bats, as the number one and two batters in the lineup each scored three times, and also each drove in a run.  Two other RBI's were produced by Andrew Jarvi.  "Big Kid" Kevin Craik pitched effectively for five innings, allowing three earned runs on only four hits in picking up his fourth win of the season.  The Lancers finished behind only undefeated and nationally-ranked Cypress in the Empire League and awaited word of their first opponent in the CIF Division 2 playoffs.  Record:  18-9, 9-6.

May 19, 2006:  Lancers 10 - Mira Costa 4 (CIF Division II playoffs - first round)

About eighty Lancer supporters made the lengthy drive to Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach for the first-round playoff game.  Good pitching and timely hitting resulted in a 10-4 victory over the Mustangs.  The pitchers dominated the first three innings, neither team threatening to score.  In the fourth, two errors by the host team set up Andrew Jarvi, who responded with a line-drive two-RBI single to right-center field.  On the next pitch, Daniel Renken lifted a high fly ball which rode the strong sea breeze over the left-field wall for a two-run home run.  The Lancers kept it up in the fifth on the back of Taylor Krick, who blasted a  shot over the left-center field wall for a three-run homer.  The 7-0 lead was cut in the bottom of the fifth when the Mustangs strung together several hits for four runs.  In the top of the sixth, however, the Lancers responded with three runs of their own.  Ricky Hamm came off the bench for an RBI pinch hit double down the right field line.  After Ryan Hall walked, Daniel Gray put a cap on the scoring with a line-drive double into the left-center field gap, knocking in the final two runs.  Daniel Renken survived his one rough inning and pitched a complete game, striking out seven in earning his eighth win of the season.  Record:  19-9, 9-6.

May 23, 2006:  Loyola 9- Lancers 8 (CIF Division II playoff - second round)

The word "heartbreaking" was invented for games such as this.  One out away in the top of the seventh from a four-run win, Loyola would not allow the final out to be recorded until it had pushed across five runs, ultimately claiming a hard fought 9-8 victory.  Starting fast, an RBI single by Andrew Jarvi in the first helped the Lancers jump out to a two-run lead, extended to three in the second on an RBI single by Taylor Krick.  The Cubs responded with two in the third and two in the fifth to edge ahead by a run.  Responding as they so often have this season, the Lancers rallied for five runs in the bottom of the sixth.  Austin Bell sparked the inning with a single, which was followed by a bunt single by Jonathan Kline, and a two-RBI double by Ryan Hall.  Daniel Gray then was hit by a pitch, and Taylor Krick followed with an infield single.  A sacrifice fly by Cole Hockenberry and a single by Daniel Renken helped plate the final runs in the inning.  In the top of the seventh, the Lancers recorded two quick outs, but a hit batter and a walk opened the floodgates, and a key single and double sparked the come-back by the the Cubs, and a potential rally in the bottom of the seventh was snuffed out by a game-ending double play.  The Lancers lost despite pounding fourteen hits, three by Daniel Gray, and two each by Ryan Hall, Taylor Krick, Andrew Jarvi and Daniel Renken.  Though the final game was disappointing, the Lancers nevertheless finished a successful first season for head coach Mike Grahovac with a fine 19-10 overall record, second place in the Empire League, and runner-up finishes in the Newport Elks and Bishop Gorman Easter Classic tournaments.  Record (final):  19-10, 9-6.

      FINAL 2006 EMPIRE LEAGUE STANDINGS