Los Alamitos Can’t Find a Way to Defeat Katella

Wednesday’s game between Los Alamitos and Katella in the Loara tournament quarterfinals--won by Katella, 4-2, on a three-hitter by Cameron Flading--matched a team trying to figure where it’s going against a team that has already gotten there.

The Griffins (2-1) want to revive a program that has been down the last couple of seasons. The 1996 edition was projected to be one of the school’s better teams. Wednesday, the Griffins were not at their best, looking shaky on defense and seeming impatient at times at the plate or on the bases.

Twice Los Alamitos ran itself out of innings, with runners caught stealing in the first and getting picked off in the second.

And even though Flading was wild early--walking four in the first two innings, throwing a wild pitch to set up Los Alamitos’ run in the first, hitting a batter in the fourth--he settled down.

Until the seventh, the Griffins’ only hit was a fourth-inning single by David Licht.

“It would have been nice to win the tournament, but right now our main purpose is to get ready for the league season,” Griffin Coach John Bryant said. “To put it another way, this is a quiz. The league is finals.”

Meanwhile, the Knights’ lone concern is finding a dependable second starter behind ace Joe Fraser. “Other than that we’re pretty set up here,” Coach Tim McMenamin said.

And Flading, who also drove in two runs with a first-inning double, made his pitch for that spot. It was Flading’s first start for Katella, and his first complete game.

“I was getting ready to take him out and suddenly he settled in,” Tim McMenamin said. “He looked totally different after the second inning.”

“After the third inning I felt in control,” said Flading (1-0).

Griffin starter Kevin Feterik (0-1), who gave up three runs in the first and six of the Knights’ 10 hits in three innings, took the loss.

In Loara tournament consolation games:

El Toro 10, Kennedy 2--El Toro’s Joe Smith hit for the cycle, going four for four with five RBIs and two runs scored for host El Toro (2-1). Smith’s final hit was a two-run triple in the sixth.

Irvine 7, Lakewood 2--Ryan Brucker had four hits, including two triples, for host Irvine (2-1).

In the El Segundo tournament:

Santa Margarita 12, El Segundo 4--Chris Collins hit two home runs for Santa Margarita (3-0).

In nonleague baseball:

Buena Park 4, Canyon 2--Cesar Carillo hit a grand slam in the fifth for Buena Park (2-2).