DIV. I BASEBALL: NO SURPRISES LEFT FOR OAKS LIONS FALL TO TOP SEED ST. PAUL IN SEMIS ST. PAUL 15, OAKS CHR. 10.

Byline: Sean Ceglinsky Staff Writer

WESTLAKE VILLAGE - Not many observers expected much from the Oaks Christian of Westlake Village baseball team this postseason. The Lions entered the Southern Section Div. V playoffs with a 9-17 record.

That didn't prevent the Lions making an improbable run, one that ended Tuesday with a 15-10 semifinal loss to top-seeded St. Paul of Santa Fe Springs.

``We worked harder than anyone to get this point. We wanted it,'' Oaks Christian junior Tim Johnston said. ``No one thought we would make it this far.''

The Lions (12-18) surprised St. Paul early, scoring three runs in the bottom of the second inning to take a 3-1 lead. But the visiting Swordsmen (26-6-1) answered quickly, rallying for two runs in the third to tie the score and five more in the fourth for an 8-3 advantage. They extended lead to 11-4 in the sixth.

Oaks Christian refused to go away quietly.

Jimmy Dunn and Johnston reached base with two outs in the bottom of the sixth, and Chris Auten hit a towering home run, clearing the 405-foot sign in right center field to pull the Lions to within four runs, 11-7.

``I knew it was gone once I made contact,'' Auten said. ``No doubt about it.''

Joe Dembesky followed with a double, but he was stranded when Ryan Haddock lined out to second base.

``They came to play. They got after us,'' St. Paul coach Patrick Fitzsimons said. ``We weren't going to take them lightly. They came into the game on a roll. They battled the whole game.''

St. Paul, with four Div. I college prospects - Estevan Hernandez, Dwight Tardy, Anthony Aguilera and Brian Flores - had too much. The Swordsmen scored four more runs in the seventh and finished with 16 hits.

``Entering the game, we knew it was going to be about who could score the most runs, not make the most outs,'' Auten said. ``They didn't stop hitting.''

Oaks Christian tried to rally in the seventh. With two outs, Joey Navarro delivered an RBI single, Dunn followed with an RBI triple, and Johnston added an RBI double before Auten made the game's final out.

``We're going to play all seven innings, until the final out,'' Oaks Christian coach Mike Maio said. ``There's no quit in these kids. We overcame a lot of obstacles this season.''

Auten went 3 for 4 with four RBI, Navarro was 2 for 3 with two RBI, and Dembesky and Johnston each had a pair of hits.

Hernandez went 5 for 5 with three runs for St. Paul, which reached the title game for the first time since 1969. The Swordsmen will face Serrano of Phelan, a 3-2 winner over St. Bonaventure of Ventura in Friday's 7:30 p.m. championship at UC Riverside.

Sean Ceglinsky, [phone]

sean.ceglinsky(at)dailynews.com