Prep baseball: No. 1-ranked La Quinta sweeps Costa Mesa

Joseph Boo

COSTA MESA - If there was a bright side for Costa Mesa High’s

baseball team after Saturday’s nonleague doubleheader with visiting La

Quinta, it was the difference in scores between the first and second

game.

After getting hammered, 16-0, by the Aztecs in the opener, the Mustangs

played a more respectable second game in an 8-4 loss.

“I’m glad we had a doubleheader,” Costa Mesa Coach Kirk Bauermeister

said, “because the kids didn’t have to go home after the 16-0 loss.”

Bauermeister called the two games a barometer of how the young Mustangs

stacked up against the No. 1 team in CIF Southern Section Division IV.

La Quinta, which improved to 14-0, quickly showed off it’s power in the

first game.

In the second game, Mesa junior right-hander Carlos Franco kept La Quinta

quiet by pitching four quality innings. He gave up two unearned runs and

the game was tied, 2-2, when he left.

The Mustangs (4-7-1) took a 2-0 lead in the second off a two-run homer by

junior Antony Grubisich.

“If it was an important game,” Bauermeister said, “I would have kept

Carlos in. But I want to save Carlos, Jeremy (Haubrick, who threw a

scoreless seventh inning) and Nick (Cabico) for more important games.”

Besides the four strong innings on the mound, Franco went 2 for 3, and

added a stolen base and a diving catch in left field.

The Aztecs scored six times in the fifth inning to take an 8-2 lead,

thanks to some defensive miscues by Mesa. La Quinta capped off the inning

with a two-run homer from Jeff Moscoso.

The Mustangs’ Josh Little and Grubisich scored in the sixth and seventh

inning.

In the 16-0 game, La Quinta pounded out 14 runs on 10 hits in the third

and fourth innings. Six Aztec batters walked in those two innings, which

were each extended by Mesa errors.

Daniel Hunter was the only Mustang who threatened to score. He doubled in

the second inning and reached third base on a fielder’s choice.

“Our pitchers did a bad job in that game,” Bauermeister said. “In the

second game, they did a much better job. It shows if our pitchers do the

job, we can compete with anybody.”

Nonleague

First game

La Quinta 16, Costa Mesa 0 La Quinta 027 70 - 16 15 0

Costa Mesa 000 00 - 0 4 3

M. Wickerman and Jaussen; Casarrubias, Shores (3), Little (3) and Hunter.

W - M. Wickerman. L - Casarrubias. 2B - Arreola (LQ), R. Wickerman (LQ),

Garvey (LQ), Hunter (CM).

Second game

La Quinta 8, Costa Mesa 4

Score by innings

La Quinta 002 060 0 - 8 13 2

Costa Mesa 020 001 1 - 4 4 3

Garvey, Zieglowsky (5), Arreola (7) and Jaussen; Franco, Stevens (5),

Haubrick (7) and Fajardo. W - Garvey. L - Stevens. 2B - Cochreu (LQ),

Kennedy (LQ), Garvey (LQ). 3B - Stewart (LQ). HR - Grubisich (CM),

Moscoso (LQ).