Hornyak, Scripps Ranch stun Eastvale

By Ramon Scott
Updated: July 25, 2026

2026 LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL

Hornyak pitches complete game, clears bases with decisive triple as Section 6 champions topple one of SoCal’s leading title contenders

By Ramon Scott
EastCountySports.com

ALISO VIEJO — For four innings Saturday, Scripps Ranch was locked in the type of low-scoring game that appeared to favor one of the Southern California State Tournament’s most highly regarded teams.

Then the Section 6 champions changed the tournament in a matter of minutes.

Scripps Ranch erupted for five runs in the top of the fifth inning, and Joshua Hornyak followed the biggest hit of the game with the final six outs on the mound as SRLL defeated Eastvale, 5-1, in its opening game at Woodfield Park.

Hornyak pitched a complete game, limiting Eastvale to one run on six hits while striking out seven and walking none. He also delivered a three-run triple with two strikes during the decisive fifth-inning rally.

Joshua Hornyak

Eastvale had entered the tournament after overwhelming its earlier postseason competition and was widely considered one of the leading contenders for the Southern California championship. Scripps Ranch was not intimidated by the reputation or an early deficit.

Eastvale took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third.

Levi Cortez reached base and scored when Levi Starnes delivered a two-out RBI single.

Eastvale starter Easton Poe protected the lead through four innings, but Scripps Ranch had begun applying pressure.

Lucas Morton collected two hits in his first two plate appearances, while SRLL matched Eastvale with four hits through the opening four innings.

The breakthrough arrived in the fifth.

A leadoff walk and Teddy Hanvey’s bunt single placed two runners aboard with nobody out. An error at third allowed both runners to advance, and Ethan Lum walked to load the bases.

Eastvale turned first to Dylan Tondre and then Thomas Coleman in an attempt to escape the inning. Scripps Ranch continued applying pressure.

With the count at 3-1, Luke Koba lined a single into left field to bring home the tying run. The bases remained loaded for Hornyak, who fell behind 0-2 before lining a three-run triple into left.

Within two batters, Scripps Ranch had turned a 1-0 deficit into a 4-1 advantage.

Jonathan Cornelissen followed with a sacrifice fly that brought home Hornyak and completed the five-run inning.

Hornyak returned to the mound with a four-run lead and finished what he started. Eastvale mounted one final challenge in the sixth when Caleb Lechuga singled and Joel Ibarra added another hit, putting two runners aboard with one out.

Scripps Ranch ended the threat—and the game—with a double play.

Second baseman Colton Hansen started it, Hanvey made the turn at shortstop, and Ben Caballero completed the play at first.

SRLL finished without an error.

Hornyak threw all six innings and contributed three RBIs from the third spot in the order. Hanvey and Morton collected two hits apiece for Scripps Ranch.

Poe allowed five hits and two runs over four innings for Eastvale, striking out two and walking two.

Jacob Ornelas led Eastvale by going 2-for-2, while Starnes supplied its only RBI.

Scripps Ranch advanced in the winner’s bracket with one of the tournament’s most consequential opening-day victories. Eastvale moves into the elimination bracket, where every remaining game becomes a must-win assignment.

Scripps Ranch families enjoying the game on Saturday.

Tournament impact

This was not a fortunate escape or a narrow victory produced by one Eastvale mistake.

Scripps Ranch received a complete-game performance, matched Eastvale’s lineup through four innings, created sustained pressure in the fifth and played error-free defense.

The result gives Scripps Ranch a big boost to join the leaders of the tournament field.

Eastvale’s earlier dominance made it a reasonable championship favorite entering the tournament, but Scripps Ranch held that lineup to one run without issuing a walk. SRLL also handled three Eastvale pitchers during the fifth and produced its biggest hits after falling behind in the count.

Scripps Ranch should now be considered part of the tournament’s leading group.

Sweetwater Valley remains the strongest San Diego-area championship candidate following Noah Kirk’s dominant opening performance at the same time on the opening day of the tournament, but the separation between the two local representatives is considerably smaller than it appeared before Saturday.

Hornyak controls every phase

Hornyak’s three-run triple will be the defining image from the victory, but his command may have been even more important.

He faced an Eastvale lineup that had produced extraordinary scoring numbers earlier in the postseason and did not issue a walk in six innings. That prevented Eastvale from extending innings without earning its way aboard and allowed the SRLL defense to remain in control.

When Eastvale finally created traffic in the sixth, Scripps Ranch completed the game with its cleanest defensive sequence: Hansen to Hanvey to Caballero for the tournament-clinching double play.

Hornyak’s final line:

6 innings
6 hits
1 run
7 strikeouts
0 walks
1-for-2
Three-run triple
3 RBIs
1 run scored

Scripps Ranch advances to face Ladera Ranch National

Scripps Ranch advances to Sunday’s 4 p.m. winner’s-bracket quarterfinal against Ladera Ranch National, which received an opening-round bye.

The scheduling creates a different challenge for SRLL. Ladera Ranch National will enter with a rested pitching staff, while Scripps Ranch must account for Hornyak’s complete-game workload and the resulting Little League rest requirements.

That does not diminish what SRLL gained Saturday. Hornyak handled all six innings, allowing Scripps Ranch to preserve every other pitcher on its roster.

The Section 6 champions also demonstrated that their lineup can produce against elite competition, scoring five runs in one inning against three Eastvale pitchers.

Ladera Ranch National won two of three meetings against Ladera Ranch American during district play before capturing the Section 10 championship. It should benefit from the bye, but Scripps Ranch now owns the stronger state-tournament result.

Updated outlook: Scripps Ranch should be favored to advance. The pitching matchup will be less certain without Hornyak, but SRLL’s defense, lineup depth and ability to manufacture a major inning give it the edge over a rested but less-tested Ladera Ranch National team.

Eastvale faces immediate elimination test

Eastvale returns Sunday at 1 p.m. against the loser of Saturday afternoon’s Encino–Vineyard game.

The opponent will significantly affect the difficulty of Eastvale’s path. Encino entered the tournament as one of the leading championship contenders behind a powerful lineup featuring Asher Sonnier, Liam Martinez and Matt Lazo. Vineyard entered as a dangerous but less-established challenger.

An Encino loss would create an unusually difficult elimination game between two teams that began the tournament with championship expectations. If Vineyard falls, Eastvale would enter as the favorite but could not afford another quiet offensive performance.

Eastvale used Easton Poe, Dylan Tondre and Thomas Coleman against Scripps Ranch, so availability and pitch counts will shape its elimination-game plan.

The Section 9 champions still possess enough pitching and power to make a lower-bracket run, but Saturday exposed a vulnerability that had not appeared during their dominant earlier tournament results: Eastvale collected six hits yet scored only once, drew no walks and failed to produce a late extra-base hit.