Prep Baseball: Mesa listless in victory

Steve Virgen

COSTA MESA - One look at the scoreboard and the result was evident:

the Costa Mesa High baseball team won its second Pacific Coast League

game, an 11-5 victory over visiting Northwood Friday.

The Mustangs (7-1-1, 2-0-1 in league), however, looked as if they had

lost.

“Our kids just mailed it in,” Mesa Coach Kirk Bauermeister said of his

Mustangs, ranked No. 9 in Orange County. “They weren’t working hard. They

let (Northwood) get back in the game.”

Bauermeister added Mesa has not shown a strong desire in its play,

“probably since November.”

Northwood Coach Rob Stuart also recognized Mesa’s laid-back

performance.

“I thought (the Mustangs) would be better,” Stuart said. “I was a bit

surprised. They are a beatable team. If I was judging by their body

language, they were playing as if they had already won, you know, being

cool and going through the motions.”

The Northwood coach also noted the reason for Mesa’s lack of intensity

might have been because the Timberwolves (0-7, 0-3) are winless.

Fortunately for Mesa, the Mustangs’ effort was solid enough for the

victory.

Mesa senior catcher Daniel Hunter smacked a three-run home run over

the right field fence to break a 2-2 tie in the second inning. Junior

Nick Cabico and senior Josh Feldman finished with two stolen bases each

and were both walked twice. The Timberwolves’ pitchers walked eight and

Cabico and teammate Carlos Franco scored on passed balls.

Feldman, Franco, senior Steven Shores, senior Mike Armstrong and

junior Billy Halverson had one RBI each.

But, statistics were beside the point after the game.

“We wanted to come out and work hard,” Hunter said. “But, we didn’t.

We went through the motions, since we had the lead. Even though we won,

it didn’t seem like we learned anything from it. On Monday (at practice),

we’re going to find out who really wants it. Our seniors need to step it

up.”

The Timberwolves stepped it up after Mesa built a 2-0 first-inning

lead.

Shores singled to drive in Feldman and Franco scored Hunter with a

sacrifice fly in Mesa’s first at-bat. But, the Timberwolves responded

when Ryan Miller’s two-run homer knotted the score, 2-2.

“We could’ve played a lot better,” Halverson said. “I felt like we

just let up at the end. (Coach Bauermeister) is let down because he knows

we have so much talent and we’re just wasting it.”

The Mustangs will seek to reverse the trend Tuesday, when they host

Laguna Beach at 3:15 p.m.

PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE

Costa Mesa 11, Northwood 5

Northwood 020 002 1 - 5 9 2

Costa Mesa 240 113 x - 11 6 1

Morrison, Gragnano (6) and Changala; Stevens, Franco (4), Costelloe

(7), Haubrick (7) and Hunter. W - Stevens. L - Morrison. 2B - Morrison

(N) 2, Lucas (N), Watanabe (N), Halverson (CM). HR - Miller (N), Hunter

(CM).