Artists drop Mustangs, 12-6

Richard Dunn

COSTA MESA - When, and if, Laguna Beach High’s baseball team

finally cracks the playoffs barrier, the Artists want to be on the

diamond when it happens.

They will get their chance.

In a showdown for third place in the Pacific Coast League, Laguna Beach

came from behind to defeat host Costa Mesa, 12-6, at TeWinkle Park

Tuesday night, setting up another interesting scenario Friday when the

teams meet again at Laguna Beach.

“If we lose (Friday) our season’s over,” said Costa Mesa Coach Kirk

Bauermeister, whose squad (9-13-1, 3-6 in PCL) plays Corona del Mar twice

next week to conclude the regular season, while Laguna Beach (6-11, 5-6)

will wrap up its regular season Friday and then have an open week.

“I’m saying it’s a must-win situation for us, and that’s what I told our

players,” Laguna Beach Coach Mike Schubert said. “If we win Friday, we

get to celebrate the right way, and that’s on the field. I don’t want to

celebrate by hugging my fiancee in the morning when I read the

newspaper.”

Laguna Beach is trying to earn a berth in the CIF Southern Section

playoffs for the first time since 1963, Schubert said, and “it’s very

exciting.”

Schubert, however, wasn’t too thrilled about his team’s defense to open

matters Tuesday as the Artists committed seven errors in the first two

innings -- finishing the game with nine.

Costa Mesa scored three unearned runs in the first two innings on only

one hit, staking right-hander starter Carlos Franco, usually the

Mustangs’ closer, to an early lead.

But Laguna Beach chipped away, then broke the game wide open with a

seven-run fifth inning. It took 45 minutes for the Mustangs to get three

outs in the fifth.

“Didn’t you hear? We threw out the fifth inning,” said Bauermeister,

maintaining a sense of humor following a tough loss.

In Costa Mesa’s fourth, Nick Cabico tripled home two runs to give the

hosts a 5-2 edge, a deep fly into the right-field corner near the 320

sign.

But the Artists scored seven times on five hits, three walks, three wild

pitches and two errors -- Mesa’s only errors of the game -- in the fifth

and never looked back.

In fact, they added three more runs in the sixth, keyed by a two-run

triple off the bat of Jimmy Bobst. There were six triples in the game,

four by Laguna Beach (and two by Ryan Gagnet, the Artists’ No. 3 hitter,

in the spacious ballpark).

Left-hander John Verdugo, 5-4, was solid on the mound for Laguna Beach,

working 6 1/3 innings, walking one and striking out four, while yielding

three earned runs. Reliever Alex Dy-Duncio struck out the last two Mesa

hitters to close the door on the Mustangs.

“When we’re clicking, we can play with anybody in Orange County,”

Schubert said.

PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE

Laguna Beach 12, Costa Mesa 6 Laguna Beach 001 173 0 12 14 9

Costa Mesa 210 200 1 6 6 2

Verdugo, Dy-Duncio (7) and Gagnet; Franco, Cabico (5), Stevens (6) and

Fajardo. W - Verdugo, 5-4. L - Franco. 2B - Schissler (LB), Verdugo (LB),

O’Keefe (LB). 3B - Gagnet (LB) 2, O’Keefe (LB), Bobst (LB), Cabico (CM),

Hunter (CM).