Prep baseball: CdM gets ‘Cavan’ fever
Barry Faulkner
CORONA DEL MAR - Costa Mesa High baseball coach Kirk Bauermeister
identified pitching and defense as the critical elements in Corona del
Mar’s 4-0 Pacific Coast League home victory Wednesday, which propelled
the Sea Kings into the CIF Southern Section Division IV playoffs.
But scouting may also have been as important for CdM starting pitcher
Cavan Cuyler, who, having gone to school on the Mustangs first hand,
executed his lesson plan by ending Mesa’s season with a complete-game
two-hitter.
“I learned some things,” admitted Cuyler, who along with fellow pitchers
Dave Knecht and J.D. Martinez, took advantage of a PCL bye week by
jotting notes about the Mustangs, whom they watched from the Costa Mesa
stands.
A bloop single over shortstop by Galel Fajardo and a rocket laced past
the third baseman by Carlos Franco were the only hits against Cuyler, who
struck out four, walked three, and faced the minimum in all but two
innings. He needed just 86 pitches.
The junior right-hander left the bases loaded in the third, striking out
the No. 3 hitter for the final out. Only three Mustangs reached second
base, as Cuyler’s defenders executed well, including a pair of
around-the-horn double plays and an inning-ending caught stealing by
catcher Rory McKeever.
“(Cuyler) threw very well,” Bauermeister said. “He moved the ball in and
out and mixed his pitches.”
Offensively, senior leadoff man Alex Swanson was the key for the winners.
He went 3 for 3 with an RBI double, one run and one stolen base. The
steal upped his Orange County-leading total to 28, though Mesa catcher
Fajardo later nailed him at second for his only ill-fated theft attempt
of the campaign.
A determined at-bat by junior second baseman Wes Hockinson, who worked a
walk by fouling off three would-be third strikes, triggered a two-run
second for the hosts. He was also the pivot man on the aforementioned
twin killings.
First baseman Andrew Johns raced behind the dugout to haul in a foul pop
in the fourth and McKeever sprung from behind the plate to snag a botched
sacrifice bunt attempt in the air in the fifth.
Swanson singled and Knecht reached on an error to open the first. After a
flyout, Swanson led a successful double steal, which put him in position
to score on Eric Snell’s subsequent groundout. Another Mesa error, its
second and final miscue, allowed Knecht to score.
After Hockinson’s gritty walk and a McKeever single, Swanson whacked a
double against the base of the right-field fence to plate Hockinson in
the second. A wild pitch brought McKeever home and Cuyler did the rest,
improving to 5-2.
“(Cuyler) showed against University (a complete-game, six-hitter in which
the league champions prevailed, 3-0, Friday) he could dominate a game and
he did it again today,” CdM Coach John Emme said. “He established strike
one and he got it all going. He’s picked up his pace lately and his last
two outings have been nearly identical. He used to be a human rain delay,
pacing in between pitches and thinking too much. Once he stopped thinking
so much, he became much more effective.”
With the win, the defending CIF Division IV champion Sea Kings (13-11,
6-6 in league) tie idle Laguna Beach for second place. And though the
Artists won the three-game series, 2-1, both teams will enter the
playoffs as No. 2 representatives, since they are in different divisions.
“Our goal was to make the playoffs, so we’re pleased,” Emme said.
Mesa (10-15-1, 4-8) wasted a brilliant relief performance by Franco. The
junior right-hander allowed back-to-back singles after coming on in the
second, but yielded only one additional hit in 4 1/3 solid innings. He
faced the minimum in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth and is part of a
quality nucleus returning.
“We have just about everyone back (Fajardo, center fielder Josh Little
and designated hitter Lyle Yourex were the only senior starters
Wednesday), so we believe we’ll be in good shape next year, said Mesa’s
Bauermeister.”
PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE
Corona del Mar 4, Costa Mesa 0
Costa Mesa 000 000 0 - 0 2 2
Corona del Mar 220 000 x - 4 6 2
Haubrick, Franco (2) and Fajardo; Cuyler and McKeever. W - Cuyler, 5-2. L
- Haubrick. 2B - Swanson (CdM).
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