Prep baseball: CdM holds PCL lead

Barry Faulkner

CORONA DEL MAR - Corona del Mar High baseball coach John Emme is no

mad diamond scientist. Yet, in his four-year tenure, the Sea Kings’

varsity schedule has resembled a laboratory experiment for different ways

to win ballgames.

In 1998 and ‘99, “Corona del Mash” utilized a destructive offense to

simply beat foes into submission. This method, becoming increasingly more

popular in the long-ball era, led to a CIF Southern Section Division IV

title in ’99.

Last spring, CdM rode a band of base-stealers to the CIF playoffs.

This season, however, the Sea Kings have added pitching, defense and

offensive intangibles to their home-run trots and head-first slides.

The results were strikingly apparent Tuesday afternoon, when the Sea

Kings outexecuted visiting University to earn a crucial 6-5 Pacific Coast

League victory.

The win over the two-time defending PCL champions allowed the Sea

Kings (7-3, 4-0 in league) to maintain sole possession of first place,

heading into another first-place showdown at Costa Mesa (3-0-1 in league)

Friday. It also ended a 17-game league unbeaten skein for the Trojans

(5-4-1, 2-1-1), who now find themselves in the unfamiliar third-place

position.

But, perhaps most importantly, the victory showed this year’s Sea

Kings can win without the long ball or the stolen base.

“That was something,” said Emme, who watched his team come from behind

twice to tie, then forge ahead and hang on.

It began on the mound, where sophomore left-hander Nick Rhodes, who

had won all three of his previous varsity decisions, provided heavy doses

of damage control in five quality innings.

Rhodes, spotting three pitches and showing no awe of the playoff

atmosphere that enveloped the game, stranded nine Trojans, including the

bases loaded in the first and second, before giving way to senior Cavan

Cuyler.

Cuyler, who made a mechanical adjustment based on a flaw Emme picked

up in a Daily Pilot photo of the Sea Kings’ victory Friday over Estancia,

pitched two strong innings to earn his third win in four decisions.

After Uni turned four singles into two runs in the first, CdM

manufactured its first run.

Leadoff man Dave Knecht singled, was balked to second, then advanced

to third on Keith Long’s fly to right. Knecht then motored home on Billy

Eagle’s groundout.

The Sea Kings cashed in a leadoff error in the second to pull even, as

Jason Savopolos reached on an errant throw to first. Rory McKeever

followed with a walk and both moved up on a passed ball. Savopolos then

scored on Knecht’s sacrifice fly to center.

CdM senior first baseman Andrew Johns struck out with the bases loaded

to end the threat, but he would later get more than enough redemption.

After the Trojans scored twice in the fourth, an RBI single by Knecht

and a Uni throwing error allowed the hosts to knot the score, 4-4.

It stayed that way until the CdM sixth, when Knecht triggered the

winning rally with a one-out double off the left-field fence. After

Knecht advanced to third on a flyout, Billy Eagle was walked

intentionally for the second time and Eric Snell was hit by a pitch to

load the bases.

Then, Johns, making what Emme later called a mid-at-bat adjustment,

grounded a two-run single through the middle.

“That was my best hit ever,” said Johns, whose heroic knock stood up,

despite a Uni run in the seventh.

Knecht was 3 for 3 with two RBIs and two runs, while Johns and Derrick

Lewis also had two hits for the winners.

Johns also anchored an errorless defensive effort, scooping out a

handful of low throws to first.

Additional defensive prowess was shown by Long, Snell, McKeever and

Wes Hockinson.

PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE

Corona del Mar 6, University 5

University 200 200 1 - 5 11 3

Corona del Mar 101 202 x - 6 7 0

Stone, Sherwood (4) and Edmunds; Rhodes, Cuyler (6) and McKeever. W -

Cuyler, 3-1. L - Sherwood. 2B - Gerakos (U), Knecht (CdM), Chaney (U).