Corona del Mar keeps rolling
Barry Faulkner
The roster has been overhauled, new uniforms are still in the mail
and the scoreboard is in need of repair. But winning remains a
constant for the Corona del Mar High baseball program, which opened
its 2005 campaign with a 7-3 triumph Friday over visiting La Serna in
Newport Elks tournament pool play.
“That’s 18 in a row,” said a smiling CdM Coach John Emme after his
defending CIF Southern Section Division IV champions added to their
17-game win skein to conclude 2004.
Some familiar faces stood out for the hosts, including junior
starting pitcher Eric Eadington, as well as senior returners Andy
Frenkiel and Tyler Lance.
Senior third baseman Mitch Folks cashed in on his new starting
role, while junior catcher Aaron Williamson, junior reliever Matt
Hauser, and sophomore outfielder Vinnie St. John made a strong first
impression in their varsity debuts.
Eadington allowed just three hits and struck out seven in five
innings to pick up the win.
Frenkiel went 2 for 4 with an RBI and a run, while Lance had a
two-run single, stole a base and scored a run.
Williamson went 2 for 3 with a home run and scored twice, Folks
went 2 for 3 with an RBI, and St. John singled, stole two bases and
scored twice.
Hauser earned the save, stranding five in two innings.
“We haven’t been real excited about our performance in practice,
so the coaches were anxious to sit back and watch how the kids
performed with the game on the line,” said Emme, who said last week
he would use the preleague season to audition newcomers for starting
jobs. “All the guys who got a shot today performed.”
Eadington, 1-0 with a 3.30 ERA last spring, showed up in style
Friday. He struck out the side in order in the first and threw
first-pitch strikes to eight of the first 10 La Serna hitters. He
appeared to tire after a strong 3 2/3 innings, issuing all four of
his walks in the final 1 1/3 .
A homer by Matt Balzano to lead off the second was the lone run
Eadington allowed through four, but an RBI double by Folks tied it in
the second and St. John followed with an RBI groundout to put the
hosts ahead for good.
Frenkiel singled in a run in the fourth to up the lead to 5-1 and
Williamson began a two-run sixth with a blast over the right-center
field fence.
Newport Elks tournament
Pool play
Corona del Mar 7,
La Serna 3
Score by Innings
*--*
LS 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 - 3 5 3
CdM 0 2 2 1 0 2 x - 7 10 1
*--*
Skinas, Bash (6) and Ma. Balzano; Eadington, Hauser (6) and
Williamson. W -- Eadington, 1-0. L -- Skinas, 0-1. Sv -- Hauser (1).
2B -- Folks (CdM). HR -- Ma. Balzano (LS), Williamson (CdM).
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