Orange (Calif.) Lutheran High took the first step in its quest to win a third straight National High School Invitational title on Wednesday as Max Rajcic pitched the reigning champions past South Forsyth (Cumming, Ga.), 5-2, at Coleman Field.

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Rajcic, a junior right-hander, recorded his first six outs via the strikeout before finishing with 10 strikeouts over six innings in the opening-round victory. He allowed a pair of unearned runs on five hits and one walk and threw 62 of his 89 pitches for strikes in the outing.

“I think Max really set the tone in the first inning and we just went from there,” Lutheran head coach Eric Borba said after the game.

Rajcic dominated out of the chute, generating 13 swinging strikes en route to six swinging strikeouts across the first two frames. He induced the majority of his whiffs with a riding fastball that was up to 93 mph and sat at 89-92, and he also demonstrated good feel for executing a curveball with huge break at 76-81 mph, especially as the game progressed.

“Obviously my fastball was working the best. I was struggling with my curveball, but I started to feel it a little better,” said Rajcic, the fifth-ranked Class of 2020 prospect at this year’s event.

South Forsyth did their only damage against Rajcic in the third inning, when Gehrig Frei and Landon Sims pushed across runs with a double and a sacrifice fly, respectively, to capitalize on a leadoff walk and a Lancers infield throwing error earlier in the frame.

The Lancers’ offense put pressure on South Forsyth throughout the entire game, scoring in five of six innings in the victory.

The top five hitters in Lutheran’s lineup did a majority of the damage, as Chad Born (1-for-2, 2B, 2 RBI), Caden Connor (2-for-3, 2B, 2 R), Jasiah Dixon (2-for-3, 3 RBI), Garrett Frechette (2-for-4) and Rajcic (1-for-2, RBI) collectively went 8-for-14 with six RBIs. Elijah Buries also put together a solid game, finishing 1-for-2 with three steals and two runs scored.

“We know there’s a big target on our back -- everybody knows who we are. We know we have to play our best all week,” said Borba.

“Today we did a little bit of everything,” he continued, “a lot of guys contributing in a lot of different ways, and that’s what it’s going to take to win this thing again.”

IMG's Malone bests La Mirada's Jones in 1-0 duel

Two of the top pitching prospects at this year’s National High School Invitational were at their best on Wednesday as Brennan Malone and Jared Jones treated fans and scouts alike to a pitchers’ duel in the tournament’s opening round.

In the end, however, it was Malone who came out on top, firing a three-hit, seven-inning shutout to lead IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) over La Mirada, 1-0, and into the quarterfinals of the winners’ bracket. He struck out eight and issued three walks on 89 pitches, throwing 62 strikes.

Already viewed as one of the premier prep hurlers in the 2019 Draft, Malone -- the No. 10 overall prospect in his class, per MLB Pipeline -- showcased electric stuff from start to finish in a performance that is sure to further boost his stock.

Malone was still touching 96 mph with his fastball as late as the fifth inning and bumped 94 mph on his final pitch of the game, sealing his shutout with a called third strike on the outside corner. His slider was equally impressive, registering in the low 80s with sharp, often two-plane action that netted him whiffs and weak contact. At times he also showed feel for locating a mid-70s curveball.

What’s more, Malone was consistently around the plate with his arsenal -- something he had struggled to do consistently in front of scouts last year on the showcase circuit.

“My breaking ball is working a lot better, has a lot more command,” said the North Carolina commit after the game. “I just have a lot more command overall … everything’s working together.”

At the plate, Tucker Mitchell accounted for the game’s only run with his two-out RBI double in the second inning. It was one of just two hits IMG Academy recorded against Jones, who compiled six strikeouts against four walks while throwing 95 pitches (54 strikes) over six frames.

The No. 2-ranked 2020 Draft prospect at the NHSI, Jones ran his fastball up to 96 mph and sat 93-95 for the duration of his outing, pairing his heater with a sharp slider in the low 80s.

He did struggle with his control, hitting two batters to go along with the four walks, but still threw first-pitch strikes to 17 of 23 batters, all while impressing scouts with his lightning-quick arm action from an athletic delivery.

• Riley Greene, OF, Hagerty (Oviedo, Fla.): MLB Pipeline’s No. 8 Draft prospect went 1-for-4 with two RBIs, three runs scored and two stolen bases in Hagerty’s 11-1 rout of Christian Brothers College (St. Louis).

• Sam Hliboki, RHP, Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.): The senior right-hander went the distance, tossing a three-hit shutout in a 6-0 victory over Hendersonville. He struck out eight, walked one and threw 67 of his 102 pitches for strikes.

• Campbell Holt, OF, Desert Oasis HS (Las Vegas): Holt delivered a walk-off single to right field in the ninth inning as Desert Oasis edged Delbarton (Morristown, N.J.), 4-3. Finishing the game 2-for-5, he was one of four Desert Oasis players to collect two hits in the first-round victory.

• Joshua Hahn, LHP, Huntington Beach (Calif.): Hahn did it on both sides of the ball, going 1-for-3 with a two-run homer and a sacrifice fly at the plate and picking up the win on the mound as Huntington Beach defeated Northwest Guilford (Greensboro, N.C.), 11-2. He allowed two hits over five innings, striking out four and walking three.