Prep baseball: Eagles have Hart, 6-3

Barry Faulkner

COSTA MESA - For Coach Doug Deats and his Estancia High baseball

team, the key to upsetting crosstown and Pacific Coast League rival Costa

Mesa came down to some time-honored diamond dogma with a twist.

“Ya gotta have Hart,” was the visitors’ battle cry Tuesday night at

TeWinkle Park, where junior left-hander Jordan Hart, coming back from

surgery to remove a fatty cyst from his back, pitched a complete-game

three-hitter to key a 6-3 Estancia upset.

“I’ve been out two weeks,” said Hart, who showed absolutely no rust in

earning his second victory in three decisions.

“Lefty pitched great,” said Deats, the former Costa Mesa coach who is

now 2-3 against his former team, current employer (he teaches there) and

alma mater.

“We played well and this was a great win. Now we just need to string a

few of these together.”

The victory dropped Mesa (8-3-1, 3-2-1 in the PCL), farther behind

league-leading Corona del Mar, which improved to 6-0 in league by beating

Laguna Beach.

But, thanks to Northwood’s 12-7 triumph over University Tuesday, the

Mustangs remain in a tie for second place.

Yet despite Hart’s heroics -- yielding only a bad-hop double, a triple

that could have been caught and an infield single -- Mesa was poised to

stay perfect against an Estancia team they trounced, 8-0, in the league

opener March 16 on the Eagles’ field.

After Estancia rallied to take a 2-1 lead on a double squeeze (two

runners scoring on the bunt), the Mustangs took a 3-2 lead when Antony

Grubisich tripled in a run, then scored on a wild pitch in the fourth.

Facing the same deficit, Estancia senior shortstop Armando Ortiz

walked to open the seventh. Brent Davis followed with an infield pop, but

the ball glanced off a Mesa defender’s glove, allowing Ortiz to sprint

safely to second. The throw to try to nail Ortiz, sailed wide and also

got past the Mustangs’ backup, allowing Ortiz to motor home. Paul Flory

followed with a single and Hart walked to load the bases, before the

Mustangs got the first out on a force play at the plate.

But Justin Lund singled through a drawn-in infield to put the Eagles

up, 4-3, and Andy Romo lined another single into center field one out

later to make it 5-3. J.B. Goff then walked to force across another

insurance run, but Hart hardly needed it.

“(Hart) got his release on Monday and he wanted the ball,” Deats said.

Said Hart, “I hit my spots and competed. I’ve been playing catch to

try to keep my arm strong and I felt good tonight.”

Deats said some economical innings allowed Hart to go the distance.

“We kept checking on him and he said he was feeling all right,” Deats

said. “He really wanted to finish.”

Estancia, which had only nine players in uniform, improved to 4-8, 1-5

and will host the Mustangs Friday at 3:15. The winner will claim the

annual crosstown series and take home the perpetual Troxel Trophy, named

after the late Paul Troxel who coached for both schools.

Lund had two of Estancia’s seven hits, while Casey Gates reached base

four times and scored twice for the winners.

Goff also made a dazzling catch in left field to limit Mesa’s

fourth-inning rally.

Evan McGuire, who apparently loves playing under the lights, doubled

and scored on a two-out error to open the scoring for the hosts. McGuire

is now 4 for 5 with a walk and a pair of doubles in two games at

TeWinkle.

Pinch-hitter Josh Feldman legged out a chopper to second with one out

in the Mesa seventh, but Hart got the next two hitters to end the game.

PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE

Estancia 6, Costa Mesa 3

Estancia 000 200 4 - 6 7 1

Costa Mesa 001 200 0 - 3 3 5

Hart and Davis; Haubrick, Cabico (5), Franco (7) and Hunter. W - Hart,

2-1. L - Franco, 2-2. 2B - Ortiz (E), E. McGuire (CM). 3B - Grubisich

(CM).