Mt. SAC topples Vaqueros 7-3 in playoff opener

Michael Sandoval went 3-4 with three RBIs on Friday and Mt. San Antonio rode a fast start to a 7-3 baseball win over visiting SBCC in the Southern Cal Regional playoffs.

The fourth-seeded Mounties (30-11) took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-3 series, which they're hosting in Walnut. The No. 13 Vaqueros fell to 20-21.

Mt. SAC scored all its runs in the first four innings. They took a 2-0 lead in the first and the Vaqueros tied it when Reinhard Lautz delivered a two-out, two-run single in the second.

Lautz, a sophomore right fielder from Agoura, went 3-3 with a double, a walk and two RBIs. Mitch Sancier was 2-4, raising his average to .372.

The Mounties took the lead for good with three runs in the third. Quinn Cotter had a two-run triple and Dino Miranda added a sacrifice fly to make it 5-2.

Mason Corneliussen (11-1) got the win, allowing three runs on 10 hits in seven innings. He's No. 3 in the state with 11 wins. Ian Churchill suffered the loss, giving up seven runs on six hits in 3 1/3 innings.

The Vaqueros had two runners on in the first, loaded the bases in the second and two more in the third but came away with just two runs.

John Jensen singled in the first inning, stretching his hitting streak to 16 games. Jake Holton had an RBI triple in the seventh that scored Lautz, who doubled with one out. Holton has a 12-game hit streak.

The same teams will clash again in Game 2 on Saturday at 11 a.m. The Vaqueros will be the designated home team and bat last. If SBCC wins the second game, a third game will follow at 3 p.m.