Blast drops Mustangs’ playoff hopes to their knees

SANTA ANA ? The Costa Mesa High baseball team had some nice moments this season, like sweeping cross-town rival Estancia and reaching the consolation championship of the Beach Pit Classic.

But an inexperienced Mustangs squad will not experience the pleasure of the CIF Southern Section playoffs ? not after its 12-1 loss to Saddleback in Golden West League action on Wednesday.

When Saddleback’s No. 3 hitter, Raul Duran, hit a deep drive well over the left-field fence for a three-run home run in the first inning off Costa Mesa pitcher Alex Dominguez, it helped crush whatever hopes the Mustangs had of winning the game and staying in the hunt for the playoffs.

Dominguez, who threw eight innings of shutout baseball last week against Westminster, didn’t have the same stuff on Wednesday.

“Dominguez had a great start last week, so we went to him again, but his ball was up today,” Costa Mesa Coach Jim Kiefer said. “He got the ball up to the No. 3 hitter, and that three-run shot set the tone for the day.”

The Mustangs started the game well enough. Junior John Rybarcyzk led off with a single up the middle, nearly taking the pitcher’s head off in the process. After Rybarcyzk took second on a fielder’s choice, Dominguez (two for three) launched a run-scoring double over the left fielder’s head all the way to the fence to give the Mustangs a 1-0 lead.

But Dominguez was stranded and it was the first and last time Costa Mesa (9-14, 2-8 in league) would score. The Mustangs only had one other runner reach second base in the game.

The Mustangs ended with just four hits off Saddleback starter Jose Chavez, who started spotting his curveball in the second inning and went the distance.

“We haven’t been able to sustain an inning on offense pretty much the entire league season,” Kiefer said. “But the Saddleback pitcher definitely settled down after the first inning and started getting his breaking ball over.”

The Roadrunners added four runs in the third off Dominguez and five runs on five hits and three wild pitches in the sixth off reliever Cameron Santana. Junior Garrick Williams hurled a scoreless fourth and fifth innings for the Mustangs.

With a week left in the season, the Mustangs are in sixth place in the seven-team Golden West League, ahead of only Estancia. Costa Mesa has two league games remaining against Ocean View and Orange ? two teams that are very much in the playoff scenario.

Kiefer said the Mustangs have no intentions of packing it in until the season is over.

“I told the kids we owe it to a lot of people to play it out hard,” Kiefer said. “We have a chance to play spoiler. And the young guys owe it to the seniors to play hard and build on things for next year.”

Another positive effect from this season is that the Mustangs will go into next year boasting more players with varsity experience. Costa Mesa had just one returning starter this season in Dominguez.

“We knew coming into the season we had limitations,” Kiefer said. “We didn’t have a lot of experience. A lot of guys without varsity experience got that experience this season.”