Baseball: CdM topples Estancia again

Richard Dunn

COSTA MESA - Suspense filled the air, along with a perfect spring

breeze, until the sixth inning Friday when Corona del Mar High was once

again introduced to a new best friend -- the Estancia bullpen.

After Estancia senior right-hander Paul Flory, who was limited to five

innings because of the 10-innings-per-week rule, gave up only two earned

runs and came out with his squad trailing by one run.

The Sea Kings broke the game open with seven runs in the sixth and an

even dozen in the seventh against three Estancia relievers as they

defeated the host Eagles, 23-4, in Pacific Coast League baseball.

“Yeah, we were just talking, and if we played five-inning games, we’d

have a lot of wins,” Estancia assistant coach Mike Scheafer quipped

between marathon innings.

The Eagles (3-13-1, 1-7 in the PCL) enjoyed a 3-1 edge after four

innings, but CdM (9-10, 4-5) rallied for three runs in the fifth to take

the lead, 4-3, against Flory, arguably the best 0-8 pitcher anywhere.

“Flory’s 0-8, but every start has been excellent,” Estancia Coach C.K.

Green said.

CdM Coach John Emme cleared his bench as soon as the score got out of

hand, and what followed was a poignant moment for recent varsity call-up

Andy Frenkiel, a freshman.

Frenkiel, pinch-running for Nick Karpe, caused one of the biggest

reactions from the CdM dugout in the seventh inning when he took off from

second on a wild pitch.

There was no need to slide at third base and Emme, in the third-base

coaches’ box, tried to hold him up. But Frenkiel slid headfirst anyway,

creating a huge dust cloud because of the powder-like dirt in front of

the base.

Emme turned and smiled, and, moments later, Frenkiel scored the second

run of what would become a 12-run inning for the Sea Kings.

“In the last three games, including the Northwood game, we’ve been

swinging the bats pretty well,” said Emme, whose team also defeated

Estancia, 18-0, Tuesday. “We need it, because we’re going into a position

next week with a chance to make the playoffs.”

CdM, which plays University twice next week, including Tuesday at

home, had 17 hits, including three doubles by catcher Karpe and two

doubles by sophomore designated hitter Danny Whitaker.

The Sea Kings also received five walks and five hit batters in the

ballgame, while four of Estancia’s eight errors contributed to the

seemingly never-ending top of the seventh.

Whitaker doubled and scored on Karpe’s single in the first, then

Estancia rallied for three runs in the third and maintain its lead

through four.

“I was getting a little concerned about a repeat performance of the

previous loss,” said Emme, whose team absorbed an 8-7 setback to the

Eagles earlier in PCL action.

Karpe finished 4 for 5 with three runs scored, three RBIs and three

two-baggers, while Brandon Lewis was 3 for 5 with two RBIs and a walk.

In the seventh, CdM senior and UCLA-bound Billy Eagle, slowed this

year by shoulder problems, came off the bench to pinch-hit and added an

RBI infield single. Then Eagle stepped up to the plate again in the

seventh with the bases loaded and capped the inning with a grand slam.

“Hey, you’ve got to send him up there to hit. You can’t tell him not

to hit it out,” Green said to Emme, who had walked over to the Estancia

dugout to apologize for the score getting out of control.

CdM’s Josh Bradbury, the winning pitcher who improved to 2-1, was 2

for 4 at the plate with three runs scored and a walk.

Estancia scored three in the third when Mitch Valdes tripled to right

field and scored on leadoff hitter J.B. Goff’s single to right. Goff

scored on Flory’s RBI ground out and Jeremy Hauser, who reached on an

error, eventually came home on Cameron Crom’s scoring fly ball to center.

In the sixth, Estancia’s Jermaine Snell doubled, moved to third on a

balk and scored on Valdes’ slow chopper to third base, which turned into

a CdM error.

PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE

Corona del Mar 23, Estancia 4

Score by Innings

Corona del Mar 100 037 (12) - 23 17 3

Estancia 003 001 0 - 4 5 8

Bradbury, Contant (6), Stockstill (7) and Karpe; Flory, Hauser (6),

Lund (7), Crom (7) and Lund, Hauser (7). W - Bradbury, 2-1. L - Flory,

0-8. 2B - Snell (E), Whitaker (CdM) 2, Karpe (CdM) 3. 3B - Valdes (E). HR

- Eagle (CdM).