Pony baseball: Title in the Cards

Barry Faulkner

CORONA DEL MAR - Perhaps the last group of Cardinals to possess

this much sock had a red-bearded first baseman named McGwire.

But offense is just the most obvious ingredient to victory for the

Corona del Mar Pony Cardinals, who also like to flash a little leather,

perform mastery on the mound and blaze around the bases.

They did all of the above Sunday against the Corona del Mar Giants,

earning a 6-1 victory to claim the championship of the 15-team

Newport-Mesa Conference Tournament at Eastbluff Park.

“We’ve hit well the whole season,” said Cardinals Manager Jim Kline,

whose No. 3-seeded squad was 15-6 in the regular season, then reeled off

five straight tournament victories to take home championship trophies.

“But we pride ourselves on defense.”

Kline also confessed his pitching deserves much of the credit, and

that role was personified by Ryan Lance Sunday.

Lance, a hard-throwing right-hander, struck out 10 and allowed only

two hits in a seven-inning complete game. After walking in a run in the

third with the third of his four free passes, he tagged out a runner

trying to score on a wild pitch, then retired the next nine hitters to

allow his offense to extend its early 3-1 lead.

Lance, who walked and came around to score the first of the Cardinals’

three first-inning runs, had a little something to do with widening that

lead. He yanked a line drive over the fence in left center for a solo

home run with one out in the third. It was Lance’s sixth dinger of the

season and third in two games. He belted a pair in Wednesday’s winners

bracket final victory.

Not to be outdone, third baseman Andrew Dialynis made it back-to-back

jacks with a towering drive onto the knoll beyond the left-center-field

barrier. Dialynis’ clout was his team-leading seventh of the season and

the 31st for the Cardinals, who were responsible for nearly one-third of

the league’s 105 taters this season.

Catcher Jamie Kline nearly added a third round-tripper in the inning,

but his drive over the right-fielder’s head short-hopped the fence for a

double. It would have been the second time in two games the Cardinals

homered thrice in an inning. They managed the feat, believed to be

unprecedented in league history, Wednesday, when they hit five homers to

set a league single-game record and advance to the title game.

“We’ve had nine of our 12 players hit homers this season,” Jim Kline

said.

Also unveiling their home run trot during the Cardinals’ championship

campaign were Jamie Kline (six), Kelsey Chase (four) and Hunt Rychel

(four). Matt Loyd, Kyle Schneekluth, Martin Ostrowsky and Jaffer Kattan

all had one big fly apiece. Kattan’s came with the bases loaded

Wednesday, prompting the rhyming nickname “Grand Slam” Kattan to be

utilized by league president and announcer Jim Ferguson during Sunday’s

game.

The Cardinals’ nine-hit attack came dispite the strong pitching of

Giant left-hander Eric Eadington, who matched Lance’s strikeout total

with 10.

Rychel’s two-run single in the first followed a Dialynis single and

the aforementioned Lance walk. A third run scored on an infield error,

but Eadington struck out the next two to end the rally.

Tommy Hutchinson singled with one out to start the Giants’ lone

scoring sequence in the third. Shawn Maxwell and Vinnie Saint John

followed with walks and, one out later, Austin Elliott worked a walk for

an RBI.

Up, 5-1, in the fifth, the Cards padded the cushion, thanks to a

leadoff single and some aggressive baserunning by Lance. Lance stole

second and third, trotting home on the latter attempt, after the throw

skipped down the line. Lance’s thefts were the seventh and eight steals

of the day for the winners.

“We try to be aggressive on the bases and it has worked out for us,”

Jim Kline said.

Jamie Kline was 2 for 3 with three steals, while Lance (three steals)

and Dialynis (one steal) also had two hits apiece. That threesome will

join Schneekluth, who sparkled defensively at shortstop Sunday, on the

league’s 14-year-old All-Star team.

Ostrowsky and Loyd also contributed singles to the Cardinal attack,

while Roget Ramillon, David Wheatley and Alex Johnston also shared in the

victory.

Lance received praise for his pitching from his manager.

“If there is one kid I could pick to pitch a final game, it would be

Ryan Lance and I got him today,” Jim Kline said.

In addition to Eadington’s pitching, the Giants received solid hitting

all tournament long from center fielder Maxwell and catcher-pitcher

Vinnie Saint John.

The Giants run to the title game was, in fact, a testament to their

players’ resolve.

“We started the season 0-6 and we were 1-8 at one point,” said Manager

Vinnie Saint John. “We had to battle through the losers bracket,

including knocking off the No. 1 seed. Shawn and Vinnie hit better than

.700 during the tournament, Eric and Vinnie pitched well and we played

solid defense.”

The Giants, who finished tied for fourth in the six-team CdM Pony

Division, won four of six in the tournament to finish 14-13.

The Cardinals meet the CdM Reds Tuesday at 5 p.m. at Eastbluff Park to

decide the CdM Division crown. The two teams tied for the regular-season

title.