Bradbury ignites Sea Kings on the road

Bryce Alderton

Corona del Mar High’s baseball team could only keep its emotions in

check for so long.

When second baseman Jeritt Thayer waved his arms and watched the

meager pop fly fall softly into his glove, the Sea Kings had held off

the final surge and earned a 4-3 victory over host Temple City in the

second round of the CIF Southern Section Division IV playoffs

Tuesday.

CdM fielders threw their gloves up, trotted toward one another and

shouted exultations after holding off one last rally by the Rams, who

had the bases loaded with one out in the final inning and CdM

clinging to a 4-3 lead.

But junior left-handed reliever Blake Contant induced a groundout

as Thayer flipped the ball to senior shortstop Keith Long for the

force at second. Then Contant, who pitched the final 1 1/3 innings in relief of junior starter Josh Bradbury, induced the pop out to Thayer

sending the Sea Kings into the quarterfinals for the first time since

1999, when they won the Division IV championship. CdM faces

top-seeded La Quinta of Westminster (27-2) on Friday at a site to be

determined today by a coin flip.

CdM (19-8 and champion of the Pacific Coast League) had gotten out

of jams in the first and second innings when the Rams, who left seven

on base, had runners at first and second with no more than one out in

each of those two innings.

“We had three sacrifice bunts we didn’t execute and we never got

our Nos. 3 and 4 hitters up with first base open to where Bradbury

would have had a lot more to think about,” Temple City Coach Barry

Bacon said. “But don’t take anything away from [CdM]. They won fair

and square.”

Bradbury struck out eight in 5 2/3 innings for his fourth win this

season. He also belted his team-leading 10th home run on the year --

a solo shot over the left-center field fence -- to begin the fifth

inning, which turned out to be the winning run.

“Talk about a gutsy performance by [Bradbury],” CdM Coach John

Emme said. “This is the toughest game he has ever pitched in. Josh

keeps his emotions to himself. He just went after [the Rams].”

With one out and two on in the first inning, Bradbury got cleanup

hitter Tommy Bullock to swing at a ball in the dirt for the strikeout

and then retired Mark Payne on a fly out to right fielder Wess

Presson.

Temple City (17-7-1 and champion of the Rio Hondo League) got the

first two batters on in the third inning, but a diving snare by

catcher Danny Marin-Finn on a bunt attempt and two subsequent

strikeouts by Bradbury kept CdM ahead, 1-0.

The Sea Kings increased their lead to 3-0 in the fourth inning

when senior third baseman Brandon Kurtz hit a slow roller the second

baseman hurriedly threw past first, allowing Presson to score from

third. Presson, who had singled earlier in the inning, alertly

advanced to third from first when a pickoff throw eluded the first

baseman, which also scored CdM left fielder Nick Palchikoff.

Palchikoff went 2 for 3 with a double and two runs scored, while

senior Nick Karpe singled twice in four at-bats and first baseman

Barrett Sprowl added an infield single to contribute to the seven-hit

attack, a stark contrast from CdM’s 19-hit, 19-run outburst against

Hesperia in the first round.

The Sea Kings, who were averaging 7.3 runs per game this season,

held the high-powered Rams to only three hits. The hosts came into

Tuesday’s game averaging 8.5 runs a game and defeated Cantwell Sacred

Heart of Mary, 13-0, in the first round Friday.

Bradbury’s mound opponent, sophomore Ryan Tucker, lost for only

the second time this season, but struck out 12 Sea Kings in a

complete game.

CdM loaded the bases in the top of the seventh inning only to see

the rally end with a strikeout and force out at second.

“[Tucker] is scary,” Emme said. “To put four [runs] on the board

with the way he was throwing was good.”

Tucker’s velocity hardly waned as the game wore on. He threw 121

pitches.

“He is in such great shape and got better as the game went on,”

Bacon said. “If we play defense, we win this game, 3-0.”

CdM’s defense, on the other hand, shined, especially at third

base. Kurtz dove to his left to snag two groundballs and threw out

each runner at first.

“We did a good job behind Josh and he did a great job in front of

us,” Emme said. “When your pitcher is throwing strikes, you are going

to be in the game.”

Temple City cut CdM’s lead to 4-3 in the sixth inning when

pinch-hitter Derek Cullen whacked the second pitch he saw from

Bradbury over the left-center field fence. But Bradbury regrouped and

induced a pop out to Thayer two batters later to get out of the

inning.

CdM left Temple City with a victory and now faces La Quinta, which

was ranked No. 1 in the nation for part of this season and has won 10

consecutive Garden Grove League titles, going 115-9 in that span.

*--*

CIF Division IV

Second round

Corona del Mar 4, Temple City 3 Score by

Innings

CdM 010 210 0 -- 4 7 3

Temple City 000 003 0 -- 3 3 2

Bradbury, Contant (6) and Marin Finn;

Tucker and Dattola. W -- Bradbury, 4-2. L

-- Tucker, 10-2. 2B -- Palchikoff. HR --

Bradbury (CdM), Cullen (TC)

*--*