Corona del Mar fit to be tagged

Barry Faulkner

University High baseball coach Chris Conlin said the arrival of the

Pacific Coast League schedule was a new lease on life for his team,

which had won only once in its first six games. But it was an old

hand who made the decisive play in the Trojans’ dramatic 6-5

league-opening win Friday at Corona del Mar.

“He was an all-league shortstop last year and he was the

all-league football quarterback the last two years,” Conlin said of

senior Nick Gerakos, whose relay throw from about 20 feet beyond the

infield cutout in shallow right-center field beat the potential tying

run to the plate for the final out of the game.

The play, triggered by a double into the right-center gap by Todd

Macklin, turned a crescendo of cheers from CdM rooters into

disconsolate silence. It also shook up those who deemed CdM a

favorite for the league title this spring.

Rucky McKinley chased the ball down at the base of the fence and

threw a strike to Gerakos. Gerakos, a four-year varsity baseball

player whose cutoff assignment was recently extended to balls in the

right-center gap [normally reserved for the second baseman], turned

and gunned a one-hop strike to catcher Royce Huffaker , who had

plenty of time to collect the throw and tag out a sliding CdM

pinch-runner trying to score from first.

The fateful relay squelched a spirited CdM comeback that began

with two outs, nobody on, and the Sea Kings trailing, 6-3. CdM junior

Josh Bradbury singled off Tyler Brown, who opened the frame in relief

of starter Dan Warner, to begin the threat. CdM’s Nick Karpe and

Barrett Sprowell both reached on errors, with Bradbury scoring on

Sprowell’s botched ground ball to second.

Conlin then brought in closer Caleb Rackliffe, who was bailed out

by his defense on Macklin’s double.

“We told Caleb ‘Nice save,’ ” Conlin said with a smile. We’re 2-5

now, so their hasn’t been a lot to save.”

The Trojans saved their offense for outbursts in the fourth and

fifth innings, after the Sea Kings (3-2) scored three in the third to

open the scoring.

Nick Palchikoff’s leadoff homer over the center-field fence was

followed by a Keith Long single and a Bradbury blast over the fence

in right-center to stake starting pitcher Macklin to the early

cushion.

University parlayed three hits, a walk, and a CdM error to take a

one-run lead in the fourth, with Will Gottbrecht’s double the capping

blow.

After Macklin was relieved to start the fifth, Gerakos walked and

Austin Underwood lifted a homer to left center for, as it turned out,

the deciding runs.

Bradbury was 2 for 4 with two RBIs and Keith Long was 2 for 4 with

a stolen base to pace CdM’s seven-hit attack.

University, which Conlin said came in hitting .160 as a team, had

six hits.

“CdM Coach John Emme, meanwhile, hopes the setback will not prove

to be an omen.

“It’s a tough way to lose with all the excitement (in the

seventh),” Emme said. “We came in as the favorite in this league, but

now we know we have some work to do.”

*--*

Pacific Coast League

University 6, CdM 5

Score by Innings

University 000 420 0 -- 6 6 4

CdM 003 000 2 -- 5 7 1

Warner, Brown (7), Rackliffe (7) and

Huffaker; Macklin, Contant (5) and

Marin-Finn, Presson (5). W -- Warner, 1-1.

L -- Macklin, 1-1. Sv -- Rackliffe (1). 2B

-- McKinley (U), Gottbrecht (U), Macklin

(CdM). HR -- Palchikoff (CdM), Bradbury

(CdM), Underwood (U)

*--*