Santa Fe Christian scores 10 times in the eighth inning and rolls to a 12-3 win in the biggest series of the season

4S RANCH — In the biggest three-game series of the season, with the lead in the Coastal League on the line and playoff seeding implications, Maranatha Christian High School ran into a buzzsaw.

Those were the words used by baseball coach Matt Jervis after Santa Fe Christian scored 10 times in the eighth inning and rolled to a 12-3 win on Saturday.

The 10-spot came after Maranatha Christian tied the game 2-2 with Charlie Morse’s clutch two-out RBI single in the seventh inning.

 
SFC responded by scoring 10 times in the top of the eighth. Catcher Kyle Plasman’s opposite-field, two-run double opened the floodgates.

Jack Haferkamp’s long, three-run home run — his fifth homer of the season — put a capper on the double-digit inning and a 13-game winning streak.

The three wins against Maranatha Christian — 18-4, 2-0 and 12-3 — move SFC to 18-4 overall and 9-0 in the league with six games remaining in the regular season.

 
The Eagles came into the week seeded No. 1 in Division 2, with Point Loma, Bonita Vista, Maranatha Christian, Madison and Coronado in hot pursuit.

Maranatha Christian is now 15-7 overall and at 5-4 is realistically the last team in the Coastal League that can catch SFC.

“It has been a fun week,” said SFC left fielder Jackson Noonan, who had six RBIs in the first game, two in the second and drew a bases-loaded walk in the eighth inning Saturday. “This team is really close, really talented. We play with a lot of energy.”

The Eagles took a 10-day trip to the Dominican Republic before the start of the season. Haferkamp believes that’s when it all came together.

“That’s when we started to bond,” he said. “The guys on this team like each other. We pick each other up. Our goal is pretty straightforward — win the league, win CIF and make a run in the Southern California playoffs.

“We have six games left before the playoffs and we don’t plan to back down.”

Plasman, who is hitting .368, also handles a pitching staff that includes Davis Lee (5-1, 1.19 ERA), Kam Lohse (5-1, 1.97 ERA) and Will Marenghi (5-1, 1.09 ERA).

Marenghi was Saturday’s starter, working five innings and allowing just an unearned run.

“Our starters are awesome,” said Plasman, who has 15 RBIs. “They’re so much fun to catch.

“Davis is a master finesse guy, moves the ball around. Kam is a stud, a great competitor. Will throws pretty hard. We play great defense behind all three, so we’re a well-rounded team.”

The Eagles threw two Maranatha Christian runners out at the plate Saturday.

And Maranatha made some fine defensive plays to back a strong pitching effort from tough-luck loser Andy Baltgavis. First baseman Jack Kelly made a twisting catch sprinting down the right-field line to rob Connor Sawyer of a double and two RBIs in the second inning.

“Our pitching kept us in the game, then our bats came alive,” said SFC coach Lance Roenicke. “In the eighth, we were patient at the plate, and strung together some really good at-bats.

“This was a nice win, three good wins against a really good Maranatha team.

“But we haven’t won anything yet. We have our eyes on the playoffs, but the most important game of the season is Monday against Bishop’s.”

Despite the losses, all is not lost at Maranatha Christian.

“We’re going to be OK,” Jervis said. “Santa Fe Christian is a really good team and we caught them when they were hot. I think we’re in the playoffs, for sure. But we need to finish strong (with three-game series against La Jolla Country Day and Bishop’s).

“If we do that, we’ll be fine.”