A new batting order by coach Kim Brooks-moving Andres Rodriguez to the leadoff spot, Mike Piazza into No. 3 and J.T. Torres to No. 5-certainly proved fruitful but it was the mainstay cleanup hitter Nick Mandry who once again powered the offense. 

With the team in the dumps after an early 3-0 hole, it was imperative that the only junior in the lineup, shortstop Rodriguez, reach base to lead off the bottom of the first inning, and he did just that with a hard line drive single to center on his second offering.  Rightfielder/lefthanded batter Karl Perez followed with a beautiful hit-and-run poke to the opposite field and firstbaseman Mike Piazza fought back behind 1-2 in the count to load the bases with a walk. 

Mandry, who homered in the opener against Fountain Valley to help overcome an early 2-0 deficit, then blistered a two-run single to center.  Torres kept it going with a full-count base on balls and, an out later, thirdbaseman Kyle Harper dropped a two-run single into centerfield for a 4-3 advantage. 

University of Arizona-bound Daniel Poncedeleon then re-took the mound after a rocky first inning (although he did strike out the side) and allowed a two-out, run-scoring single to give El Dorado its last stake in the contest, 4-4. 

In the bottom of the third, Poncedeleon helped himself with an authoritative, one-out single up the middle on a 1-2 count, then advanced to third on Harper's second safety, another successful hit-and-run by a lefthanded batter fundamentally hitting to the other side where the shortstop just abandoned to cover secondbase.  Poncdeleon scored on an errant pickoff throw by the pitcher and Harper, after advancing two bases because the toss went out of bounds, came home on centerfielder Jesse McHenry's sacrifice fly to rightfield. 

La Mirada made it 7-4 the next frame on Piazza's one-out steamroller down the leftfield line, a plunking of the smoking-hot Mandry, a walk to load the bases to Torres and a sacrifice fly to right from Poncedeleon.  Yes, indeed, by far the Matadores played their most fundamentally sound game in the early goings. 

On that same vein, secondbaseman Garrin Haile laid down a perfect bunt on the first pitch to advance McHenry, who led off the fifth with a walk.  Haile, however, still reached first because the Golden Hawks' sophomore pitcher bumbled the play. 

Another two base on balls by the shaken lefty loaded the bases and Piazza drove in Haile with a grounder to second for an 8-4 margin. 

Then it was Mandry time-in a quick way.  The stocky catcher unloaded on the first pitch for a three-run bomb over the centerfield fence for his fifth RBI.  Last year, many Matadore fence busters were barely pushed back by a recurring blowing-in wind but on a cold, blustery day with a breeze slightly blowing out, "Manimal" got all of it and wasn't denied his due. 

Senior backup thirdbaseman John Molloy reached on an error by his counterpart, junior pinch-hitter Nick Mata walked, junior leftfielder Nolan Anderson soundly advanced both runners with a ground out to the right side and Perez drilled a two-run, opposite-field double to complete the Matadores' scoring in the sixth.  La Mirada put up crooked numbers in every inning but the second. 

Not allowing anything but round numbers was senior righthanded reliever Alex Pedroza, who was spectacular in three perfect innings that featured five strikeouts. Pedroza didn't exactly mop up, either, as he entered the contest in the fifth with his team ahead only 7-4 to earn the save.

The defense was solid with no errors but didn't have many plays of note.  Poncedeleon, though, made a fine grab on a hot-comebacker and he and Rodriguez both made quick, hard and perfect throws for a 1-6-3 doubleplay in the fourth that made Papa Ramon leap off the bleachers in delight, not only because deuces are the best friend of a pitcher's father but that his son played a big part in it.  Piazza, as is the norm, also prevented a few throwing errors with his gold glove at first.

One of the few down sides for the Matadores is a surprising trend of large strikeout numbers on their offensive side.  Six, alarmingly, were looking, which made thirdbase coach Jimmy Zurn turn inside out and into a werewolf.