Prep baseball: CdM drops third straight PCL game

Steve Virgen

IRVINE - Even though the Corona del Mar High baseball team lost its

third straight Pacific Coast League game there’s hardly a need to push

the panic button. But, CdM Coach John Emme said there should be a sense

of urgency after the Sea Kings lost to host University, 6-3, Friday.

The Sea Kings (2-7, 0-3 in the PCL) are off to their worst start in

league since Emme’s first season, 1997-98, when they started the Sea View

League, 0-4. Further, CdM has never lost six straight under Emme until

this season.

However, Emme saw many positives in the loss to Uni, and with the

parity in the PCL, he remains confident his squad can turn its situation

around.

“We have to have a sense of urgency,” Emme said. “We have Costa Mesa

on Tuesday. Those guys are like our brothers. We played with them in the

summer. We need to go out there and take care of business.”

Emme also noted he saw improvements in the hitting department. The Sea

Kings collected eight hits, led by junior catcher Nick Karpe’s 4-for-4

performance, that included two doubles. But, they saw University rack up

10 hits and break away from a 2-2 tie with a pair of runs in the fifth

and the sixth.

“We improved quite a bit today,” Emme said. “We’re young. We have four

sophomores (Jeritt Thayer, Danny Whitaker, Josh Bradbury and Todd

Macklin) and a freshman (Wess Presson) out there. Each game we need to

learn and get better.

I anticipated taking some lumps. I didn’t think we would take this

many, but that’s what you get when you have a young team. I know we have

the talent. We just have to keep them understanding that we’re moving in

the right direction.”

Presson, the freshman right-fielder, smashed a triple to center field

in the sixth inning. The Trojans’ center-fielder dove for the fly ball,

but it bounced off his glove. Presson’s shot scored Thayer, who reached

on a fielder’s choice, and the Sea Kings trailed 4-3.

Thayer also drew praise from Emme for making, “a great play,” at third

base when he charged at a bunt. Thayer, with his bare right hand, grabbed

the bunt off one hop and threw the runner out in the second inning.

“We made two double plays,” Emme said. “We played solid defense. Our

defense has to carry us through the year.”

CdM junior pitcher Nick Rhodes went the distance (six innings),

including 86 pitches, with two strikeouts, no walks, eight groundouts and

the aforementioned two double plays from grounders.

University Coach Chris Conlin called CdM’s record, “deceiving.”

“Rhodes is a very good pitcher,” said Conlin, whose squad improved to

4-6, 2-1. ‘We scouted him a couple of times and we were a bit ready.

(But) CdM shouldn’t worry (about its record). It’s a wide open league.

Getting a loss is not that big of a deal.”

PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE

University 6, Corona del Mar 3

Corona del Mar 020 001 0 - 3 8 3

University 110 022 x - 6 10 3

Warner and Sagud; Rhodes and Karpe. W - Warner, 2-1. L - Rhodes, 0-4.

2B - Karpe (CdM) 2, Sagud (U). 3B - Presson (CdM).