Prep baseball: CdM drops the ball

Barry Faulkner

CORONA DEL MAR - The Corona del Mar baseball team let another

opportunity to clinch the Pacific Coast League title slip through its

hands Friday, but the Sea Kings still have their championship destiny in

their clutches.

“Nothing we do next week will determine how the league is won,” said

University Coach Chris Conlin after his Trojans earned a 10-4 victory

over CdM. “(The Sea Kings) still have that in their hands.”

CdM (15-8, 10-3 in league) takes a half-game lead over Uni into its

final two games against Costa Mesa (at home Monday at 3:15 p.m. and at

TeWinkle Park Wednesday at 7 p.m.)

Uni gets a home-and-home series with Estancia, also Monday and

Wednesday.

The Trojans (15-8-1, 9-3-1) once again rode their red-hot offense,

which has averaged 15 runs in four games since spring break. But the

visitors also got a sterling pitching performance from junior

right-hander Matt Stone.

Stone, who improved to 7-1, struck out a career-high nine, en route to

his first complete game this season. Only one CdM run was earned, as

Stone overcame five Trojan errors.

“(Stone) established the inside part of the plate with his fastball

and went outside with his breaking ball,” CdM Coach John Emme said. “He

threw well and they beat us, flat out.”

After CdM worked out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the first, the

Trojans took a 3-0 lead in the second. A triple that short-hopped past a

charging CdM outfielder was the key blow in the inning.

CdM battled back for two in the second, including an RBI single by

senior Rory McKeever.

Uni expanded the lead with two unearned runs the third, but CdM once

again trimmed the deficit to one.

Sea King senior Wes Hockinson, who began the CdM third with a single,

eventually scored on a wild pitch and McKeever plated the other run with

a sacrifice fly.

CdM starter Cavan Cuyler matched Stone with three scoreless innings

through the sixth, but Uni erupted for four insurance runs in the seventh

to claim the three-game series, 2-1.

Cuyler held Uni sluggers Kevin Conlin, bound for UCLA, and USC-bound

Jay Nichols to a combined 1 for 8 with four strikeouts. And the top six

hitters in the Uni order collected five hits and no RBIs.

But, No. 9 hitter Bob Stoneking, a designated hitter who earned the

pitching victory Tuesday against CdM, went 2 for 4 with four RBIs. Ashton

Chaney and Nick Gerakos, hitting seventh and eighth, respectively, had

three combined hits and two RBIs each to fuel the Trojans 12-hit attack.

“Give Cuyler credit, he competes,” said the elder Conlin. “Some of our

guys solved him today, but some haven’t done it for three years.”

CdM junior All-CIF returner Billy Eagle went 2 for 4, and reached

twice more on errors to lead the hosts, who also got hits from Keith

Long, Andrew Johns, Eric Snell and Jason Savopolos.

PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE

University 10, CdM 4

University 032 000 4 - 10 12 5

Coroan del Mar 022 000 0 - 4 8 3

Stone and Conlin; Cuyler, Snell (7) and McKeever. W - Stone, 7-1. L -

Cuyler, 6-3. 3B - Stoneking (U).