Mesa victory proves hollow

Steve Virgen

It took about five minutes and one cellular phone call to send a

chain reaction of disappointment through what had been a victory

celebration on the Costa Mesa High baseball diamond Wednesday.

Just minutes after the Mustangs had defeated Santa Ana, setting up

what the Mustangs hoped would be a third-place Golden West League

playoff game with Orange, Saints Coach Gary Crippen received a call

with the news that Orange had upset Westminster. Orange’s win enabled

the Panthers to claim sole possession of third and the league’s final

CIF Southern Section Division III playoff berth.

Junior Kyle Benson, the Costa Mesa High catcher who helped lead

the Mustangs to a 4-3 win, threw down a rake in disgust.

Moments before, Dylan Hunter, Costa Mesa’s junior shortstop, had

earned assists on the final five outs, gloving ground balls to

contribute to the win. He smiled and laughed after the last out. Then

he shared a hug with senior pitcher Justin Peterson.

But a few minutes later, Crippen was on his cell phone, speaking

to a Westminster parent who had been at the Orange game.

“Orange won, 8-3,” Crippen said.

A few Costa Mesa players overheard and the news spread, confirming

the Mustangs (13-11, 7-5 in league) had finished fourth.

“We had a winning mentality coming into this game,” said Benson,

who delivered a two-run double on an 0-2 pitch in the second inning.

“It was a must-win game for us. We did what we had to do. But Orange

did what they had to do, too.”

Costa Mesa Coach Doug Deats was pleased with his team’s effort and

took pride in the fact that his players finished the season with a

win. He did not want to believe the 8-3 Orange win, saying he would

wait to see it in the newspaper to confirm his team’s fate.

“I’m proud of the way the guys played,” Deats said. “Our bottom

half of the lineup did a good job.”

Benson and Hunter, batting eighth and ninth, respectively, had two

RBIs each. They came up with key hits in the second inning, when the

Mustangs overcame a 1-0 deficit with four runs.

Senior Daniel Cooper singled to lead off the second. Andrew

Sanford, Costa Mesa’s junior first baseman, and junior Jeff Waldron

followed with singles to load the bases. After a pop fly, Benson

delivered his aforementioned two-run double.

Hunter then singled to right, scoring Waldron and Benson for all

the runs the Mustangs would need.

“That was big,” Deats said.

Santa Ana (14-12, 6-6) took a 1-0 lead in the first, when catcher

David DeLeon pounded a home run over the right-field fence.

But that did not shake Peterson, who retired the next five

batters. He struck out the side in the second.

Peterson, a lefty, finished with seven strikeouts. He scattered

six hits and his only walk was intentional.

“I was pretty pumped up for this game,” Peterson said. “Everybody

wanted to win this one.”

The Saints rallied in the fifth, scoring two runs, one unearned,

as DeLeon reached on an error. With two outs, Santiago Contreras

doubled and Eddie Ramirez followed with a two-run double.

Peterson, however, induced the next hitter to ground out and the

Mustangs held on for the win.

Crippen said the Saints had several opportunities to win, such as

the fifth inning. In addition, Santa Ana left the bases loaded in the

fourth, when Peterson induced a pop fly to second baseman Ryan Szwast

for the third out.

Leaving runners stranded was a familiar sight for Costa Mesa in

its league-opening loss to Saddleback March 24. Deats pointed to that

4-3, eight-inning setback as the main reason the Mustangs did not

make the playoffs.

“We were in this situation because we didn’t take care of business

earlier in the season,” Deats said.

Costa Mesa left 14 runners on base, including the bases loaded in

the third and fourth innings, when it lost to Saddleback. Deats’

words afterward proved to be true.

“This one will bite us in the rear end,” Deats said.

*--*

Golden West League

Costa Mesa 4, Santa Ana 3

Score by Innings

SA 100 020 0 -- 3 6 1

Mesa 040 000 x -- 4 6 4

Mendoza, Carrasco(2) and DeLeon; Peterson

and Benson. W -- Peterson, 7-4. L --

Mendoza, 4-4. 2B -- Contreras (SA), Ramirez

(SA), Sebreros (SA), Benson (CM). HR --

DeLeon (SA).

*--*