Prep baseball: Sea Kings in vacation mode, fall, 7-4

Barry Faulkner

CORONA DEL MAR - Spring Break is still nearly a week away, but the

Corona del Mar High baseball team began its two-week vacation from the

Pacific Coast League Monday with unimpressive results.

Visiting Los Amigos took advantage of the listless Sea Kings to post a

7-4 nonleague triumph.

“It definitely felt like the exhibition season,” CdM Coach John Emme said

of the small crowd and somber mood in the Sea King dugout, particularly

after the Lobos seized a 4-1 lead the first two innings.

The Sea Kings (7-7) helped the Garden Grove League visitors build that

cushion, playing as if they’d just as soon have been at the beach, until

settling down in the third.

Los Amigos cashed in two singles, two walks and three CdM errors for a

three-run first. All three runs were unearned.

Two errant throws to first base, one on a pickoff attempt and the other

on a would-be groundout, helped prolong the inning, which gained further

life with a dropped foul pop.

The Lobos (7-7) would have scored a fourth run, but CdM center fielder

Billy Eagle threw out a runner at the plate on a single to end the

inning. Catcher Rory McKeever completed the play with a courageous block

of home plate.

CdM answered with a run on Eric Snell’s groundout, but gave that run back

in the second.

A walk, stolen base, wild pitch and groundout reinstated a three-run lead

for the Lobos, who managed just two hits from the second through the

sixth against Sea King left-hander Dave Knecht.

Knecht walked five in the first three innings, but did not walk another

his final three innings. He struck out five, before being relieved after

throwing 115 pitches.

“When he realized he could take advantage of the outer half of the plate,

he settled down,” Emme said of Knecht.”

While Knecht pulled it together, the Sea Kings methodically pulled even.

They cut the deficit to 4-2 on Wes Hockinson’s RBI single in the fourth,

but left the bases loaded.

A one-out double by Eric Snell triggered a two-run rally in the fifth.

Snell, who went 2 for 3 to produce one-third of the hosts’ hits, went to

third on a wild pitch and John DiCesare walked and stole second. Snell

scored on a wild pitch before Derek Loe walked and Andrew Johns plated

DiCesare on a groundout.

The Sea Kings, however, left the based loaded once more, contributing to

their frustrating total of 13 stranded runners.

CdM got the go-ahead run to third in the sixth, but a popup and a flyout

ended the threat.

Los Amigos, which now has wins over PCL teams Costa Mesa, Estancia and

CdM, scratched and clawed for its winning rally.

With two outs, Jesus Ruparte and Miguel Zapata bounced infield singles

over the mound. Then senior Raul Rodriguez, whom Coach Dave Austin said

has been a consistently clutch late-inning hitter, belted a three-run

home run over the left-center field fence.

A one-out error, followed by a Dustin Hatfield single, brought the tying

run to the plate in CdM’s final at-bat. But senior right-hander Raphael

Jesus closed the door to complete 2 2/3 innings of relief to earn the

victory.

Four Lobo pitchers combined to issue 10 walks, adding to Emme’s

exasperation.

“We didn’t hit the ball very well today,” Emme said. “We left guys on all

over the place. There were times when all we needed was to put the ball

in play to score a run, but we didn’t execute.”

Emme said the PCL bye week, created by the five-team league, creates a

unique situation for his team, which will not face another league team

until April 25.

The Sea Kings visit Ocean View Thursday, then host Back Bay rival Newport

Harbor Saturday in the opener of the Pride of the Coast Tournament.

“It’s a two week break for us and I won’t know until its over if it

helped us or hurt us,” Emme said. “But as lethargic as we were today ...”

NONLEAGUE

Los Amigos 7, Corona del Mar 4

Los Amigos 310 000 3 - 7 7 2 Corona del Mar 100 120 0 - 4 6 3

Flores, Nguyen (3), Ruparte (4), Jesus (5) and Jesus, Bruno (5); Knecht,

Martinez and McKeever. W - Jesus, 2-2. L -- Martinez, 2-3. 2B - Snell

(CdM). HR - Rodriguez (LA).