Mustangs bounce back for 2-0 win

Steve Virgen

If the Costa Mesa High Mustangs were left heartbroken after a 7-6

loss Saturday, they sure didn’t show it Monday, when they defeated

visiting Paramount, 2-0, in a consolation quarterfinal of the Pride

of the Coast baseball tournament.

The Mustangs (6-6) earned all the runs they needed in the first

inning, when junior Alex Pisarski pounded his first home run of his

high school career and junior Andrew Sanford added an RBI double.

Senior pitchers Gary Gonzalez, Daniel Cooper and Justin Peterson

combined for a one-hitter.

Costa Mesa had just four hits, but Pisarski and Sanford produced

the most meaningful.

Piskarski, the Mustangs’ leadoff hitter, sent an 0-1 pitch over

the fence in left field.

“I didn’t really see it go over the fence,” said Pisarski, who

plays third base. “I think the wind helped it a lot. It was probably

the worst pitch I’ve seen because it was at my nose. I was pretty

stoked. I’m usually a singles kind of guy.”

With one out, Cooper reached on a fielder’s choice, then scored on

Sanford’s double to right-center field.

The Mustangs will face West Campus in the consolation semifinals

today at noon. Peterson will start.

Costa Mesa Coach Doug Deats was proud of his team’s ability to

respond from Saturday’s one-run loss, in which it led, 3-0, after

four innings. The Mustangs’ victory was also impressive because

Paramount had defeated them, 10-4, in the Newport Elks tournament

March 13.

“They pitched a great game,” said Paramount Coach John Guggiana,

whose team dropped to 5-8. “They played great defense. We couldn’t

get the key hit. They just bottled us up.”

Deats said Gonzalez was supposed to work just two innings, but he

left him in an extra two. He logged 75 pitches, allowing one hit and

four walks, before he gave the ball to Cooper with one out in the

fifth inning. Gonzalez struck out four and earned the win to improve

to, 1-1.

Cooper struck out the first two batters he faced. He retired the

side in order in the sixth inning, ending the frame with another

strikeout.

In the seventh inning, he induced a groundout and walked the next

batter. Then Peterson came on to close it out. The left-hander walked

the first batter he faced, but struck out the next two to end the

game.

“We’re playing better,” said Deats, who has been trying to

preserve his pitchers’ strength. “We played well on Saturday. But

we’re just trying to get through the tournament. I think we’ve got

one too many [games], and on Saturday we got burned.”

While Deats was pleased with the victory he said the Mustangs

could have generated more offense, considering they started off so

hot and Paramount pitcher Charles Parra seemed to tire as the game

went on.

Luckily for the Mustangs, they did not need the runs mainly

because of their pitching and defense.

In the fourth inning, Paramount shortstop Marco Camacho drew a

walk to open the frame. After a strikeout, he advanced to second on

an error from a Jeremy Lara groundball.

Camacho then went to third base, tagging up on a fly ball by

Alvaro Vasquez. It was the only time the Pirates had a runner on

third. But Gonzalez induced a groundout, a ball that Pisarski, the

third baseman, gloved and made the throw to Sanford at first to end

the inning.

Sanford went 2 for 3 with an RBI and a stolen base. He nearly was

perfect, but Paramount left fielder James Martinez made a diving

catch to steal a would-be single.

In the fourth inning, Sanford led off with an infield single,

using his speed to beat the throw from third. He never scored because

the Mustangs flied out three straight times. Alex Dominguez, Costa

Mesa’s designated hitter, was also apparently robbed of a single, as

Martinez left his feet for another highlight play in the fourth

inning.

*--*

Pride of the Coast tournament

Consolation quarterfinal Costa Mesa 2,

Paramount 0

Score by Innings

Paramount 000 000 0 -- 0 1 3

Costa Mesa 200 000 0 -- 2 4 1

Parra and Aguilar; Gonzalez, Cooper (5),

Peterson (7) and Benson. W -- Gonzalez,

1-1. L -- Parra, 2-3. 2B -- Sanford (CM).

HR -- Pisarski (CM).

*--*