Records: Tesoro 6-3, 2-1; Capo Valley 3-3, 1-2

Impact: There's a three-way fight for the No. 2 and 3 spots in the South Coast League with Tesoro, Capistrano Valley and San Clemente. SC beat Tesoro, 11-7, last week, so the Titans didn't want to fall behind in the race early, and got a big win. The Cougars will have a shot at the Titans in the next portion of league, but could create quite a race by beating San Clemente when they meet.

Match of the day: Titans No. 3 Kathlyn Kordestani vs. Cougars No. 2 Ashley Ta. Kordestani upset Ta, 7-6, to finish off Round 2 and give Tesoro an 8-4 advantage.

“To be 8-4 instead of 7-5 is a different thing,” Titans coach Tim DiLeo said. “Kathlyn was pivotal. That was our biggest match.”

Sweeps: Titans No. 1 singles Mayci Jones and No. 2 doubles Tammy Taylor and Ariel Aung.

Read the full story.

More from the girls tennis blog:

1. Murrieta Valley

2. Capistrano Valley

3. Rosary

4. Liberty

Breakdown: There are some county teams that would like to be in this pool. Capo Valley has struggled to open the season. Here's the Cougars' chance to get it going. Murrieta Valley should finish undefeated in pool play.

Pool play begins 3:30 p.m Friday
1 VS 3 – REF 2
2 VS 4 – REF 1
1 VS 4 – REF 3
2 VS 3 – REF 1

Saturday morning games start at 8 a.m.
3 VS 4 – REF 2
1 VS 2 – REF 4

Pool 1

Pool 2

Pool 3

Pool 4

Pool 5

Pool 6

Pool 7

Pool 8

The 2009 Orange County player of the year, Matzek scrapped his college plans and signed a contract with the Rockies that included a signing bonus worth $3.9 million, according to Baseball America.

Matzek and a handful of other first-round draft picks rushed to put their names on contracts shortly before Major League Baseball's deadline for signing Monday night. (Matzek, a hard-throwing left-hander, was the 11th player overall selected in June's amateur draft.)

If Matzek hadn't signed by the 9 p.m. (PDT) deadline, the Rockies would have lost their rights to him and Matzek would have had to re-enter the draft next year. The recent high school graduate had made plans to spend the coming school year at the University of Oregon and to play baseball for the Ducks.

Those backup plans for college, however, are no longer needed. He should find out shortly where in the Rockies' organization he will begin his professional career.

In his senior year at Capo Valley, the 6-foot-4 Matzek  had a 13-1 record, 0.96 ERA and 106 strikeouts in 86 2/3 innings. He pitched 18 1/3 shutout innings in the playoffs.

Matzek had a fine season offensively, too. He batted .404 with eight home runs and 32 RBIs.

"He did everything but take out the trash," Cougars coach Bob Zamora told OCVarsity.com's Steve Fryer.

CAPISTRANO VALLEY (25-6) VS. EDISON (24-5)

Saturday, Angel Stadium, 7:30 p.m.

Tickets: $5-10; Parking $10

How they got here
Capistrano Valley: The champions of the South Coast League defeated Long Beach Wilson, 8-4, in the first round; defeated Orange Lutheran, 4-0, in the second round; defeated Marina, 11-0, in the quarterfinals; and defeated Riverside Poly, 1-0, in the semifinals.

Edison's Kurt Heyer

Edison: The champions of the Sunset League defeated Lakewood, 11-1, in the first round; defeated West Ranch of Valencia, 13-1, in the second round; defeated Dana Hills, 3-2, in the quarterfinals; and defeated Mater Dei, 2-1, in the semifinals.

A look at the matchup
Edison is trying for its second CIF baseball championship, having won it in 2001.

Edison senior starting pitcher Kurt Heyer, a 6-foot-3, 195-pound right-hander who signed with Arizona, is 11-2 with a 0.82 ERA and 111 strikeouts in 94 innings.

Catcher Donald Sneed is batting .344 with seven home runs and 21 RBIs. Senior left fielder Chris Czerniachowski has a team-high 22 RBIs, but the Chargers’ hottest hitter lately has been sophomore center fielder Eric Snyder, who is 9 for 16 in the playoffs.

Snyder

Capistrano Valley starting pitcher Kevin Chambers, a 6-3, 205-pound senior right-hander who signed with Oklahoma State, is 8-4 with a 2.60 ERA and 64 strikeouts in 62 innings.

The Cougars also have projected first-round draftee Tyler Matzek (12-1, 0.98 ERA, 104 strikeouts) on the staff, but Matzek pitched seven innings Tuesday in the victory over Mater Dei. He has three innings available to him, as CIF pitchers are limited to 30 outs per week Monday through Saturday.

Chambers

Edison coach Steve Lambright is plenty impressed by Chambers.

“If Matzek isn’t on that team,” Lambright said, “then everybody would be talking about Chambers.”

Matzek is batting .407 with team highs of seven home runs and 31 RBIs, and Chambers has 19 RBIs. Center fielder Steve McMichael is batting .398.

Said Capistrano Valley coach Bob Zamora: “They’ve got a guy on the mound, Heyer, who’s going to keep the game close. Our guy, Kevin Chambers, can keep it close, too. We’ll see where it goes.”

Matzek

Capistrano Valley has won five CIF baseball championships, the most recent in 2001.

Projected Lineups

Capistrano Valley

No. 8 Steve McMichael CF

No. 17 Nolan Clark C

No. 19 Tyler Matzek 1B

No. 18 Kevin Chambers P

Castro

No. 12 Lee Casas DH (for No. 21 Kyle Matzek 3B)

No. 3 Jordan Castro 2B

No. 6 Peter Hoyt RF

No. 13 Charles Pfirrmann LF

No. 22 Kyle Hunt SS

Edison

No. 24 Eric Snyder CF

No. 21 Chris Czerniachowski LF

Lesinski

No. 28 Josh Lesinski DH (for No. 26 Kurt Heyer P)

No. 7 Donald Sneed C

No. 2 Ryan Little 2B

No. 6 Tanner Phillips 1B

No. 1 Ryan Miller 3B

No. 42 Jimmy Madden RF

No. 3 Kyle Jones SS

Capistrano Valley (25-6) vs. Edison (23-5)

When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Angel Stadium

The road to the finals

Capistrano Valley: defeated Long Beach Wilson, 8-4; defeated Orange Lutheran, 1-0; defeated Marina, 11-0; defeated Riverside Poly, 1-0

 Edison: defeated Lakewood, 11-1; defeated West Ranch, 13-1; defeated Dana Hills, 3-2; defeated Mater Dei, 2-1

Projected starting pitchers

Capistrano Valley:  Kevin Chambers (8-4)                       Edison: Kurt Heyer (11-2)

Kevin Chambers

Kurt Heyer

Starting lineups (used in the semifinals)

Edison (vs. Mater Dei)
CF – Eric Snyder
LF – Chris Czerniachowski
DH – Josh Lesinski
C – Donald Sneed
2B – Ryan Little
1B – Tanner Phillips
3B – Ryan Miller
RF – Jimmy Madden
SS – Kyle Jones

Capistrano Valley (vs. Riverside Poly)
CF – Steve McMichael
C – Nolan Clark
P – Tyler Matzek
1B – Kevin Chambers
DH – Lee Casas
2B – Jordan Castro
RF – Peter Hoyt
LF – Charles Pfirrmann
SS – Kyle Hunt

What to look for
If or when Tyler Matzek takes the mound for Capistrano Valley?

If the senior left-hander is available, and I have a feeling he will be, he can pitch no more than three innings.

If the Cougars need to protect a late lead, then I believe Coach Bob Zamora wouldn’t hesitate to get Matzek in for an inning or two.

Matzek at the plate
The guy is a difference-maker whenever he’s on the field.

Edison is going to have to keep him in the park. That’s something that Marina couldn’t do in the quarterfinals, as Matzek hit two home runs and the Cougars won, 11-0. Matzek was 2 for 3 with an RBI against Riverside Poly.

Small ball might be the key
I have a hunch that this game is destined to go extra innings.

Capistrano Valley managed one run on two hits against Riverside Poly in the semifinals, and Edison scored two runs with just five hits in its victory over Mater Dei on Tuesday night.

That means whichever team can do the little things and move runners into scoring position will likely hoist the CIF title.

Edison coach Steve Lambright said that he doesn’t see this as a 6-5 game, and he might be right.

His follow-through hinted that perhaps his back was a bit stiff. The Capistrano Valley senior struggled through a lot of three-ball counts in the early going.

Somewhere, maybe in the fifth inning, Matzek got loose.

A fluid-moving Matzek is very, very good.

Capistrano Valley pitcher Tyler Matzek pitched a two-hitter in Tuesday's semifinals victory over Riverside Poly. / SAM GANGWER, THE REGISTER

Matzek was very, very good Tuesday. He pitched a two-hitter and drove in the only run in Capistrano Valley’s 1-0 victory over Riverside Poly in a CIF-Southern Section Division I semifinal Tuesday at Blair Field in Long Beach.

Matzek, a left-hander, threw several fastballs clocked at 97 and 98 mph, but he was wild high with a bunch of them. Yet he walked only three.

His skills are so strong, he is projected to go early in the first round of the Major League Baseball draft next Tuesday. The latest projections have him going either as the No. 6 selection, by San Francisco, or No. 9, by Detroit.

Capistrano Valley assistant coach Bob Pomeroy said, yes, Matzek did struggle to get loose.

“Nah,” said Capistrano Valley Bob Zamora, overruling with a smile. “Tyler was fine.”

Matzek was fine at the plate. He hit a single in the first inning that drove in Steve McMichael for the game’s run. Matzek added a double in the sixth.

Those were the Cougars only hits.

Riverside Poly threatened in the seventh. These are high school kids who make high school kid mistakes, and Riverside Poly made two big ones in that inning.

A runner who should not have attempted to advance from second base to third was thrown out on a heads-up throw by Capo first baseman Kevin Chambers, and Capo catcher Nolan Clark completed a double play when, after Matzek got his seventh strikeout, Clark popped out of his crouch and fired to second base to get the runner there for the third out.

This has been an excellent-fielding Cougars team. Steve McMichael catches everything in center field, Clark is one of the top defensive catchers in the county, Kyle Hunt is rabbit-quick at shortstop, and Chambers makes so many tough plays at first.

Chambers also is a fine pitcher, and likely is the starting pitcher Saturday when the Cougars play in the Division I championship game at Angel Stadium.

Riverside Poly was sharp defensively Tuesday, too, and Bears pitcher Dylan Stuart was tough. He gave up just the two Matzek hits, walked only two and struck out six.

But he was matched against a guy who has been tabbed as the top left-handed pitching prospect in the country.

Matzek might not have been up to his sky-high standards Tuesday, but he surely was good enough.

Click here to read the full game story.

The second-round games are Tuesday at 3:15 p.m..

Division I

Temecula Valley at Norco; Mater Dei at Tesoro; Edison at West Ranch; Dana Hills at Temescal Canyon; Capistrano Valley vs. Orange Lutheran at Hart Park; Marina at Vista Murrieta; LB Millikan at Villa Park; JSerra at Riverside Poly

Division II

El Toro at Redlands East Valley; San Luis Obispo at Santa Barbara; Crespi at Pacifica; Dos Pueblos at Damien; Notre Dame at Chino Hills; Foothill at Mira Costa; Arlington at Huntington Beach; Cypress at Yucaipa

Division III

Beckman at La Serna; Charter Oak at Palmdale; Downey at Ocean View; Lancaster at Bell Gardens; Los Altos at Santa Monica; Paramount at Corona del Mar; South Hills at Hemet; Bonita at Alhambra

Division IV

Bishop Amat at La Habra; St. Bonaventure at La Quinta; El Segundo at Palm Desert; San Dimas at Sonora; Torrance at Palm Springs; Fullerton at Barstow; Anaheim at Kaiser; Northview at St. Paul

Division V

San Jacinto at Whittier Christian; Sierra Vista at Sultana; Calvary Chapel at Beaumont; Woodcrest Christian at Aquinas; Maranatha at Mary Star; Campbell Hall at Cabrillo/Lompoc; Linfield Christian at Paraclete; Tahquitz at Santa Ynez

Division VI

Crossroads at Bloomington Christian; Santa Paula at Capistrano Valley Christian; Desert Christian at Oxford Academy; Salesian at Vasquez; Windward at Baptist Christian; Nordhoff at Boron; Sage Hill at Pasadena Poly; Rosamond at Saddleback Valley Christian

Division VII

Cornerstone Christian at Eastside Christian; Hillcrest Christian at Thacher; Nuview Bridge at Rolling Hills Prep; Faith Baptist at Lee Vining; North County Christian at Rio Contiguo; Packinghouse Christian at St. Michael's Prep; Pacifica Christian at Cate; Animo Leadership at Milken Community

Capistrano Valley 8, Long Beach Wilson 4: Tyler Matzek threw four no-hit innings and Charles Pfirrmann hit a second-inning grand slam as the Cougars breezed through their opening-round game of the CIF-SS Division I playoffs.

Matzek, who moved to 10-1 on the season, was hardly tested, striking out six on 39 pitches.

Pfirrmann's grand slam helped Capo Valley (22-6) enter the fifth inning with a 6-0 cushion and an opportunity to rest their ace.

The Cougars will face Orange Lutheran ina second-round game Tuesday at Orange Lutheran at 3:15 p.m. Orange Lutheran defeated Canyon, 3-1, on Friday.

In the bottom of the sixth, with the Bruins (21-11) edging their way back, Cougars senior Nolan Clark hit a two-run homer to virtually seal the outcome.

Technically, it was Clark's only round-tripper. However, in his second at-bat, the umpire behind the mound called a balk, but it was not noticed by the plate umpire until after the pitch was delivered. Clark swung away and drove it over it the fence, only to have the homer rescinded a few seconds later.

 -- ERIC PATTEN, For OCVarsity.com

No. 7 Tesoro 12, No. 6 Capistrano Valley 0: Evan Finkenberg (4-3) pitched a five-hitter and the Titans (16-6, 7-4) had three four-run innings as they routed the visiting Cougars (17-6, 8-3).

Tesoro pounded out 19 hits after being held to five hits and no runs by Capistrano Valley's Tyler Matzek on Wednesday. The Cougars won that game, 6-0.

No. 7 Tesoro (15-5, 6-3) vs. No. 6 Capistrano Valley (16-5, 7-2)

When: Wednesday at Capistrano Valley; Friday at Tesoro

Outlook: Welcome to this week’s must-see South Coast League series of the week. This week, we have first-place Capistrano Valley taking on second place Tesoro.

The Cougars swept Dana Hills last week thanks to the pitching of Tyler Matzek and Kevin Chambers. Matzek tossed a complete game, two-hit shutout in a 1-0 victory over Dana Hills.

Chambers followed that up with a complete game of his own, allowing two runs in a 5-2 victory.

Matzek enters the week at 6-1 with a 1.41 ERA and Chambers is 5-3 with a 2.60 ERA.

Steve McMichael leads Capistrano Valley with a .474 batting average.

Tesoro enters the week after splitting a two-game series with San Clemente.

Anthony Hutting  (.471), Ryan Olive (.492), Austin O’Neal (.420), Conner Spencer (.456) are hitting over .400. Kris Paulino is at .500.

Will the Cougars be able to slow down this offense?

If you remember, Tesoro beat Chambers, 8-1, earlier this season.

(All games at 3:15 p.m., unless noted)

RELATED:

• Baseball games of the week: Orange vs. Ocean View
• Baseball games of the week: Brea Olinda vs. Villa Park
• Baseball games of the week: Edison vs. Marina
• Baseball games of the week: Santa Margarita vs. Mater Dei