Mustangs fall, 11-9

Roger Carlson

IRVINE - Whatever comes as the Pacific Coast League baseball season

plays out, wherever the Costa Mesa Mustangs finish in their quest for a

CIF Playoffs berth, one thing’s for certain: They’ll hardly be

intimidated.

Coach Kirk Bauermeister’s Mustangs lost on Friday to heralded

University, 11-9, in yet another slugfest as the two teams each finished

1-1-1 against one another in the league’s three-game format. Over the

course of the three games Mesa outscored University, 28-26.

And the Mustangs outhit University on Friday, 17-13, but a series of

misfortunes kept the Mustangs in the catch-up mode from the start.

Mesa stranded 11 baserunners, eight in scoring position, and in the

fourth inning when the Mustangs were turned away emptyhanded, they had

four batters, four singles, one runner caught at third when University

right-fielder Adam Horner quickly fielded Brent Stevens’ single and

rifled the throw to the bag, and two others were picked off first base.

Costa Mesa had enough batters with honors to win four games.

Josh Feldman was 4 for 5 with an RBI and a run scored.

Nick Cabico was 3 for 4 with two runs scored.

Michael McGuire was 2 for 3 with an RBI, three runs scored and two

walks.

Steve Shores had a double, and a near-game winner, only to see his

liner to left flagged down for the last out with the bases loaded.

Carlos Franco had a single, a walk and a hot one to third which got

two runs across, although the play was ruled as an error.

Billy Halverson was 3 for 4 with a run scored and an RBI, and Stevens

was 3 for 4 with an RBI.

On the downside, Mesa’s No. 4 slot, manned by three different batters,

went down five times on strikes.

University had its big bats, too, led by UCLA-bound Kevin Conlin’s

two-run double in the second inning and Adam Horner’s two-run homer in

the third inning.

PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE

Costa Mesa 022 023 0 - 9 17 2

University 232 310 x - 11 13 2

Stevens, Haubrick (3), Costelloe (5), Cabico (6) and Hunter, Carrasco

(3); Stone, Conlin (5) and Conlin, Edmonds (5). W - Stone. L - Stevens.

Sv - Conlin. 2B - Conlin (U), Sherwood (U), Stoneking (U), Shores (CM),

Halverson (CM), McGuire (CM), Horner (U). HR - Horner (U).