Prep baseball: PCL survival challenge

Barry Faulkner

COSTA MESA - The lone remaining baseball playoff contenders from

the Newport-Mesa District will square off tonight for the first of two

Pacific Coast League showdowns this week.

Corona del Mar (10-11, 5-6 in league) enters one game ahead of Costa

Mesa (10-12, 4-7), as both trail Laguna Beach (6-5 in league) for the

PCL’s third and final guaranteed CIF Southern Section playoff spot with

just four league games remaining.

Coach John Emme’s Sea Kings saw their three-game winning streak ended

in a 4-1 setback at second-place University Friday.

Coach Kirk Bauermeister’s Mustangs dropped a gut-wrenching 4-3 verdict

at Laguna Beach Friday and need to sweep CdM to keep their postseason

hopes alive.

CdM used an eight-run sixth inning to defeat Mesa, 11-4, in their

first league meeting March 26 on the Sea Kings’ diamond.

The Mustangs led, 3-0, before CdM tied the game in the fifth, then

Mesa took a 4-3 lead into the fateful sixth, which included a three-run

double by CdM junior catcher Nick Karpe.

Senior A.J. Perkins had an RBI triple and sophomore Adam Jorgenson

drove in a run with a double for the Mustangs in the first CdM clash,

which brings together athletes who played together on the same team for

much of the summer.

While Mesa needs a sweep to remain in the playoff hunt, CdM is hoping

to at least keep pace with Laguna Beach, which plays league-leading

Northwood today and Friday.

CdM finishes the regular season with a pair of games against Laguna

Beach, which it defeated, 6-2, the first round of league play.

This is the second visit to TeWinkle Park for CdM, which was defeated

by San Clemente in the title game of the Pride of the Coast Tournament

April 3.