CdM downed

Bryce Alderton

The Corona del Mar High baseball team’s drive home encountered some

roadblocks Saturday in Laguna Beach.

Host Laguna Beach issued the deterrents -- accurate throws and

timely tags, including the game’s final play at the most elusive

place of all for Sea King runners in the Pacific Coast League

contest.

The Sea Kings never reached their destination.

With two outs and runners on first and second for CdM in the top

of the seventh, Laguna left fielder Trevor Pierce fielded Sea King

junior R.J. Duernberger’s single -- CdM’s third of the inning -- on

one hop and rifled a pinpoint throw to catcher Noah Brewster, who

tagged a sliding Jake Lemmerman for the game’s final out.

Brewster slammed his glove on the dirt in celebration as the

Breakers sent the Sea Kings a step back in their quest to repeat as

league champions with a 1-0 victory.

The Sea Kings (15-6, 8-3 in league) sit two games behind

league-leading Tesoro with four PCL contests remaining, including the

final two with the Titans.

“We’ve got to beat Northwood [CdM faces the Timberwolves twice

next week], who is two games behind us, no matter what happened

[Saturday],” Sea Kings’ Coach John Emme said when asked what he told

his team in the postgame huddle.

The Sea Kings, who tallied eight hits to the Breakers’ four, were

victimized by an alert Laguna defense that ruined CdM’s

aggressiveness on the basepaths.

The Breakers (8-13, 4-7) also received a boost from junior starter

Kevin Kelly, who went the distance, striking out five and walking no

one.

“That was our best pitching performance of the year,” Laguna Coach

Dave Dopf said.

Emme, coaching at third base, waved Lemmerman home on the game’s

final play and had no regrets.

“With two outs on that play, you have to send him,” said Emme.

Brewster made three putouts on Sea King runners attempting to

score, including two in the second on successive hitters to end the

inning.

Taylor Alston, who reached base with a one-out single, attempted

to score from first on Andy Williamson’s high pop up that landed in

left field after the Breakers’ outfielder lost the ball in the sun.

But shortstop Ryan Landry recovered the ball and relayed to third

baseman Garrett Rauch, who fired a strike to Brewster in plenty of

time to tag Alston.

Williamson took second on the play and, with two outs, Duernberger

sent a chopper that caromed off Rauch’s glove. Rauch retrieved the

ball, tossed to Landry covering third and caught Williamson too far

off third. Landry threw to Brewster, who made the tag.

The Sea Kings also had a runner picked off at second and one

tagged out on a head-first slide while trying to stretch a single

into a double.

Williamson and Duernberger each went 2 for 3 with two singles

apiece while Lemmerman, Wess Presson, Tyler Ray and Alston, all had

one single. Alston entered the game as the league’s top hitter at

.471.

Junior Matt Hauser, making his first start of the season, allowed

one run on four hits with four strikeouts and two walks in four

innings for the Sea Kings and was relieved by the left-handed Eric

Eadington.

Brewster, the league-leader in RBIs with 25, doubled home Landry

in the fourth.

Eadington, a junior, retired all six batters he faced -- four on

strikeouts, including fanning the side in the sixth.

The Sea Kings and Breakers were supposed to play Friday, but water

from the recent rains accumulated in several areas of the field,

making it unplayable Friday afternoon.

Pacific Coast League

Laguna Beach 1,

Corona del Mar 0

Score by Innings

*--*

CdM 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 8 1

Laguna 0 0 0 1 0 0 x - 1 4 1

*--*

Hauser, Eadington (6) and Presson; Kelly and Brewster. W --

Kelly, 3-3. L -- Hauser, 3-3. 2B -- Brewster (LB).