Costa Mesa musters offensive firepower

Bryce Alderton

The Costa Mesa High baseball team started the second half of the

Golden West League schedule with a lot better feeling than when

league play opened four weeks ago.

An offensive outburst surely helped.

The Mustangs, who opened league play with a 4-3, eight-inning loss

to Saddleback March 24, exacted revenge Friday in the teams’ second

duel this season. Mesa pounded 16 hits, scored nine runs in the

fourth inning and cruised to a 14-3 victory over the host

Roadrunners.

Mesa’s Nos. 3-5 hitters (Gary Gonzalez, Daniel Cooper and Andrew

Sanford) went a combined 10 for 15 and scored nine runs. Gonzalez

went 4 for 5 with three RBIs and three runs scored while Cooper and

Sanford each had three hits. Cooper scored four times while Sanford

crossed the plate twice.

“The guys came through with big hits,” Costa Mesa Coach Doug Deats

said.

The Mustangs (10-8, 5-2), who maintained a share of the league

lead with the victory, left 14 men on base -- eight in scoring

position -- in the earlier loss, which disappointed Deats.

“We thought we should have beat [Saddleback in the first game],

but we didn’t cash guys in,” he said.

The Mustangs left 12 Friday, but six came after they had already

scored their 14th run in the fourth. Mesa used six hits and five

walks to chase Saddleback’s left-handed starter, Daniel Gomez, who

failed to record an out through the first five batters in the fourth

before Matt Carr came on in relief. Mesa senior starter Daniel Cooper

went the distance, scattering five hits while striking out eight and

walking two -- none after the first inning -- in a 106-pitch outing.

The right-handed Cooper steadied himself after a shaky, 24-pitch

first inning, when Saddleback (5-13, 2-5) cut Mesa’s lead to 3-1, to

earn his third victory.

“Cooper settled down,” Deats said. “He needs to assert himself,

come out and be the man.”

The game lasted nearly four hours. The fourth inning took almost

40 minutes.

“That is the longest game we have played all year,” Deats said.

The league does have a mercy rule but both coaches need to agree

to end the game, Deats said.

“[The Roadrunners] didn’t want to [end the game],” Deats said.

“It’s funny because they took the mercy rule [in a 12-0, five-inning

road loss to Ocean View Wednesday].”

The Mustangs travel to Ocean View, which also improved to 5-2 in

league with a 7-4 victory over Estancia Friday, for a 3:15 p.m.

contest Wednesday. Westminster entered play Friday at 4-2.

“It’s going to be a sprint to the end,” Deats said. “Westminster

and Ocean View came out of their [spring break] tournaments hot.

There are five good teams.”

Junior third baseman Jeff Waldron went 2 for 3 with three RBIs and

a run scored while shortstop Dylan Hunter singled twice in five

at-bats, walking twice and scoring once for the Mustangs.

Hunter also sparkled on defense, assisting on six putouts to

Sanford and was part of the game-ending 4-6-3 double play.

“He makes it easy for our scorekeeper,” Deats said of Hunter’s

consistency.

*--*

Golden West League

Costa Mesa 14, Saddleback 3 Score by Innings

Mesa 302 900 0 -- 14 16 3

S’back 100 101 0 -- 3 5 2

Cooper and Benson, Pisarski (6); Gomez,

Carr (4), Chappell (5) and Morales. W --

Cooper, 3-4. L -- Gomez, 2-4. 2B --

Gonzalez (CM), Sanford (CM), Waldron

(CM), Chappell (S). 3B -- Sanford (CM).

*--*