Esperanza Plays Huntington Beach in First-Round Pitching Matchup

Two Orange County matchups will highlight the first round of the CIF Southern Section 4-A baseball playoffs, which begin with a wild-card game Wednesday and first-round games Friday.

Esperanza, the Empire League champion with a 20-3-1 record, plays host Friday to Huntington Beach (13-11) in a game that features two of the county’s top pitchers--Aztec left-hander Steve Halweg (11-2) and Oiler lefty Jaff Haack (10-2).

The Aztecs are seeded fourth in the tournament but will face a hot pitcher in Haack, who shut out defending 4-A champion Fountain Valley, 2-0, Saturday to give Huntington Beach third place and the Sunset League’s final playoff berth.

Loara (17-9-1), which beat Esperanza, 7-4, Friday to gain the league’s third playoff spot, will travel to Servite Friday to play the Friars, who won a share of the Angelus League championship with St. Paul.

Simi Valley (23-3), ranked No. 1 in the nation by Collegiate Baseball, is the top seed in the 4-A division and plays host to Muir in the first round.

Sonora (24-1), which earned the top seed in the 3-A division, has a 22-game win streak heading into Friday’s game against Warren (9-9). Second-seeded Western, Orange League champion with a 22-4 record, plays host to Troy (12-9).

Irvine, which won its first South Coast League championship, is the fourth-seeded team in the 2-A division and plays host to Chino in the first round. There are two county matchups in the 2-A division as Saddleback will travel to Garden Grove and University plays host to Santiago.

Two county teams will play wild-card games in the Small Schools division Wednesday as Newport Christian travels to St. Margaret’s.