Lesson learned for Mesa

Costa Mesa High’s doubleheader at La Quinta served as a learning

experience in baseball, and it was also an eye-opener for the

Mustangs, who were swept, Saturday in nonleague action.

“Our kids saw some things that they don’t usually see; hopefully

they learn from it,” Costa Mesa Coach Doug Deats said.

La Quinta (10-0), which is ranked No. 1 in the nation in the

Easton Sports [Collegiate Baseball] National High School poll,

defeated the Mustangs, 10-4, in the first game, and won, 9-2, to

close it out.

The Aztecs opened the doubleheader with 10 hits to enhance the

victory. Mesa’s Justin Peterson pitched a complete game with two

strikeouts.

“Peetie pitched a pretty good game,” Deats said of Peterson, who

also went 1 for 2 at the plate. “You don’t really see that, but [La

Quinta] just had that one big inning when they scored [six] runs. We

just had to make a couple of plays and the inning could have ended.

We had an error in that inning, and if we didn’t have that it’s

probably not that big of an inning.”

Senior leftfielder Derek Garcia went 2 for 3 with a run scored for

the Mustangs (4-5), who had five hits.

La Quinta, which has now scored 124 runs in 10 games, went for

seven hits in the nightcap. Costa Mesa collected five hits, including

a 2-for-3 performance from senior Robert Rodriguez. Sophomore Alex

Pisarski, the Mustangs’ shortstop, finished with a double and scored

a run.

Deats said he was impressed with senior pitcher Adam Beltran who

came in relief in the first inning and was sound through the fifth.

“I was proud that our kids played hard both games,” Deats said.

“Adam Beltran came on really hard in the second game and did a great

job for us.”

Deats also said junior pitcher Gary Gonzalez, who started, hurt

his hand while fielding the ball in the first inning and was

eventually relieved.

*--*

Nonleague Game 1

La Quinta 10, Mesa 4

Score by Innings

Mesa 000 000 4 -- 4 5 2

La Quinta 103 600 x -- 10 10 1

Peterson and Hunter; Torres, Duree (7)

and Randall. W -- Torres. L -- Peterson,

2-1. 2B -- Crosby (LQ), Baca (LQ). HR --

Stewart (LQ)

*--*

*--*

Game 2

La Quinta 9, Mesa 2

Score by Innings

Mesa 001 000 1 -- 2 5 1

La Quinta 411 102 x -- 9 7 0

Gonzalez, Beltran (1), Vargas (6) and

Hunter; Brambilla, Crosby (6) and Randall.

W -- Brambilla. L -- Gonzalez, 0-2. 2B --

Pisarski (CM), Stewart (LQ), Wason (LQ). HR

-- Laird (LQ)

*--*