Uni captures PCL baseball crown, 14-3

Richard Dunn

CORONA DEL MAR - Taken by mercy again, Corona del Mar High baseball

coach John Emme would like to see his squad, at least once this year,

play the Pacific Coast League champions straight up.

Instead, like in Tuesday’s 14-3 PCL setback against visiting University,

the Sea Kings didn’t play the Trojans even.

“I’d really like to see what we could do against them if we play the way

we’re capable of playing, instead of mercies in five (innings),” said

Emme, whose team committed six errors on defense and gave up much more

where it doesn’t show up in the box score.

CdM (12-9, 5-4 in PCL), which won a CIF Southern Section Division IV

title last year, had Uni runners picked off base on five occasions in

this one, but only caught one.

“We haven’t played defense in both games against Uni this year,” Emme

said. “Our pitchers did a good job, but when you’re giving up four, five

or six outs an inning, you’re not going to beat anybody.”

The Trojans (18-4, 9-0) clinched their fourth PCL championship in six

years and their first back-to-back titles since winning the South Coast

League in 1985 and ’86.

“We’ve been striving for success this year as a team, and what we want is

to win our last game -- like what Corona del Mar did last year (at Edison

Field in the CIF finals),” Uni Coach Chris Conlin said. “We want to win

our last game of the year. We try to play tough teams and copy success

and do the things that they do.”

University right-hander Matt Gamble benefited from two large innings and

clocked out after four innings of work, improving to 8-0. Gamble, who

possesses a fine curveball and good control, scattered seven hits. Jairo

Ochoa pitched a one-two-three fifth inning to close out the Sea Kings.

“It all starts with pitching,” said Conlin, whose squad scored two runs

in the second inning, five in the third, four in the fourth and three in

the fifth to send everyone home early.

Uni center fielder Jay Nichols, the team’s cleanup batter and Orange

County’s leading hitter, went 3 for 3 with a home run, five RBIs and

three runs scored, lifting his average to .620 (44 for 71). It was

Nichols who unloaded a two-run double to left-center field to provide Uni

with the necessary cushion to end matters in a mercy rule (10 runs after

five).

“(Nichols) has a lot of RBIs (41),” Conlin said. “We’ve been real

fortunate to get a lot of guys on base ... I think Nichols has hit in

just about every situation for us this year.”

After CdM starter Dave Knecht, 3-2, retired Uni in order in the first

inning, the Trojans rallied in the second on an infield single, a

blooper, a throwing error on a stolen base and an RBI double that was

almost caught by sophomore center fielder Billy Eagle, who dived in the

gap but had the ball pop loose on impact.

Eagle crushed a two-run home run to center field in the third inning for

CdM’s offensive highlight, scoring Alex Swanson, who opened the inning

with a walk and stolen base.

In the first, CdM took the lead, 1-0, on John DiCesare’s booming double

against the wall in right-center field, allowing Knecht to score. Knecht

singled to left, stole second and moved to third on a wild pitch.

Andrew Johns went 2 for 2 for the Sea Kings, including a double.

Uni, which has blown out most of its PCL opponents this season, barely

squeaked by Laguna Beach last week, 6-5.

PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE

University 14, Corona del Mar 3

University 025 43 14 11 0

Corona del Mar 102 00 3 7 6 Gamble, Ochoa (5) and Wood; Knecht, Marston (5) and McKeever. W - Gamble,

8-0. L - Knecht, 3-2. 2B - DiCesare (CdM), Johns (CdM), Horner (U),

Nichols (U). HR - Nichols (U), Eagle (CdM).