First-round games were played today, Thursday, in Divisions I, III, V and VII (the odd-numbered divisions; even-numbered divisions play first-round games Friday). Some interesting developments …

Home teams were the winners in all 16 games in Division I, and in 14 of the 16 first-round games in Division III. The only visiting-team winners in Division III, Downey and California of Whittier, got to the first round by winning wild-card round games Tuesday.

The county’s winning teams in Division VII, Saddleback Valley Christian and St. Michael’s Prep, won big. Saddleback Valley Christian beat Shalevet of Los Angeles, 22-1. St. Michael’s Prep beat River Springs Charter of Indio, 30-0. Scores like that happen frequently in the first round of Division VII.

Tuesday, there will be two second-round games in Division I in which county teams with strong baseball traditions will play each other. 

Canyon, Division I finalist last year, will play top-seeded Los Alamitos. Los Alamitos’ 2-0 victory over Long Beach Poly on Thursday was the first playoff victory for Griffins coach Mark Clabough, who was 0-4 in the playoffs going into this week.

Capistrano Valley will play Mater Dei. Mater Dei coach Burt Call played at Capistrano Valley for current Capo coach Bob Zamora. It won’t be the first time Call and Zamora have coached each other; in 2006, Mater Dei beat Capo in the first round of Division I.

– Steve Fryer

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