Prep baseball: CdM walks the line in victory

Barry Faulkner

CORONA DEL MAR - Corona del Mar High’s Wes Hockinson doubled down

the left-field line to lead off the eighth, setting up the game-winning

rally that may have saved the Sea Kings’ season.

But the most important moment of CdM’s 9-8 Pacific Coast League baseball

victory over visiting Estancia Tuesday might have occurred five innings

earlier, in foul territory around the same outfield locale.

“We needed to make a change, change our routine,” CdM Coach John Emme

said of the impromptu confab which followed a five-error third inning in

which Estancia padded its lead to 8-2.

Immediately following the final out of the third frame, which led to

three more of the Eagles’ five unearned runs (on seven CdM errors), Emme

sprinted from the dugout ordering his players “Down the line.”

What followed was an inaudible, but inspired talking to, which challenged

the Sea King players and released some pent-up venom Emme had accumulated

watching his team’s defensive debacle. The CdM struggles included six

booted ground balls to infielders, which helped Estancia bat around in

the second and third.

“It was like we were down, 15-0, but you looked at the scoreboard and it

was only 8-2,” Emme said. “This game was the difference in us controlling

our own destiny, or having to have someone else do us a favor. Losing

this one could have ruined our season.”

Instead, CdM (11-8, 4-3 in league) moved a game ahead of thirfd-place

Laguna Beach and 1 1/2 games ahead of fourth-place Costa Mesa.

Estancia (8-10, 2-7) and now the victim of four one-run PCL losses, two

of those in eight innings, slipped farther into the cellar. But the

Eagles showed they will have a say as to which teams earn the second and

third playoff spots, behind league-leading University.

“Those guys are gamers,” Emme said of the Eagles, who had seven hits in

the second and third to make CdM pay for the error of its ways.

“We battled today, we just didn’t come out on the winning end,” Estancia

Coach Doug Deats said. ‘I’m proud of our effort.”

That effort included a two-run single by C.K. Green, as well as RBI

singles by David Akiva and J.B. Goff in the second.

Junior Armando Ortiz had the Eagle’s only hit in the third, a bunt

single. But they merely needed to put the ball in play and watch the Sea

Kings clank with the leather to take command.

CdM junior left-hander Dave Knecht seized command of his own, after

surviving the third inning, his first in relief. Knecht allowed only

three hits the final five innings. He struck out four and walked two to

record his third victory of the season.

“When Dave came in, we felt like, if we could put some runs on the board,

we’d have a chance,” Emme said. “We knew he could hold ‘em and he did a

great job.”

The Sea Kings, who scored two in the second on a John DiCesare triple, an

Eric Snell RBI single and an RBI double by Andrew Johns, posted two more

in the third.

Swanson, who led off four innings, reaching three times, doubled to start

the latter rally. Knecht singled and stole second and Billy Eagle’s

single plated them both.

Eagle, Derek Loe and Johns drove in runs in the fourth as CdM pulled

even, but Estancia senior C.K. Green came on in relief to end the threat.

Green worked a scoreless sixth and seventh innings, but Hockinson, a

second baseman who made a diving backhand stab of a liner to end the

Estancia sixth with two men on base, yanked a double to begin the CdM

eighth.

Rory McKeever followed with a bloop single to center, which put runners

at the corners, and Swanson lifted a fly ball to shallow left center,

which was enough to plate Hockinson with the winning run.

Johns, who stole his Orange County-leading 24th base, Eagle, DiCesare and

Lowe each had two hits for the winners.

Ortiz was 3 for 5 to lead the Eagles’ 10-hit attack.

PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE

Corona del Mar 9, Estancia 8

Estancia 053 000 00 - 8 10 3

Corona del Mar 022 040 01 - 9 14 7

Ortiz, Green (5) and Davis; Cuyler, Knecht (3) and McKeever. W - Knecht,

3-1. L - Green, 3-6. 2B - Johns (CdM), Swanson (CdM), Hockinson (CdM). 3B

- DiCesare (CdM).