My thoughts on the county baseball landscape.

** I went to the El Toro-Foothill game on Friday thinking that Chad Thompson was getting the start for the Chargers. He didn’t, but I did see a pitcher whose name that you should write down: Colin Welmon of Foothill. The sophomore probably deserved a victory, but lost, 1-0. He had good movement and velocity. He allowed five hits in a complete game and will be a force in the future.

** El Toro’s Nolan Arenado is a vacuum at short.

** As I was sitting there watching Dana Hills build up a 10-2 lead on Friday, in the back of my mind I kept waiting for the Tesoro offense to wake up. It finally did in the sixth. This team can strike and do it fast.

** That makes Peter Tago’s performance for Dana Hills that much more impressive. To held the Titans to two runs on four hits before leaving after five innings. … Congrats to Tago.

** Friday’s Dana Hills-Tesoro game was the first three-hour game I’ve covered all year. Is every game in the South Coast League like this?

** I don’t have any idea how the South Coast League is going to play out, but if you have a chance, make sure to catch some of the upcoming games.

** It is a good thing that there are four pitcher spots available on the Register’s All-County first team. There are also four spots on the second team.

** Speaking of pitchers, have you seen Marina’s Paul Strong? I saw him strike out the first nine Edison batters in a game earlier this season. He just pitched a no-hitter on Thursday against Esperanza with eight strikeouts.

** Teams in the O.C. top 10 that I haven’t seen yet: Santa Margarita, Cypress, Orange Lutheran, Mater Dei, Capistrano Valley.

** Teams outside the O.C. top 10 that I want to see: Beckman and Fullerton.

** Finally, I have always made it a point to keep score whene I cover a baseball game. This practice started when I was in college covering the Cal State Fullerton program. It keeps me focused on the game. Well, for the first time ever, I almost gave up at the Dana Hills-Tesoro game. My score book was a mess.

That’s it for this week. See you at a ballpark near you!

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