CdM Pony All-Stars edged, 3-2

CYPRESS ? Faced with the opportunity to knock off a talented team with a postseason pedigree Saturday at Oak Knoll Park, the Newport Harbor Baseball Assn. Corona del Mar 14-year-old Pony All-Stars found themselves in a pickle.

Make that two pickles.

The pickles in question were initiated by two attempts to execute the same delayed double steal with runners on first and third.

The first ? with Cypress All-Stars on the base paths ? resulted in a crucial run that wound up being the difference in a 3-2 Cypress victory in the championship semifinals of the District Tournament.

The second ? with the locals attempting to cash in ? resulted in a Corona del Mar runner being thrown out at the plate, adding to some considerable frustration for the designated home team.

The plays began with the runner on first breaking slowly toward second base, hoping to draw a throw from the pitcher. In both cases, the pitcher stepped off the mound, wheeled toward second and threw to a middle infielder covering the bag.

In both cases, the runner breaking from first, stopped and returned to first, as the runner from third broke for home the instant the pitcher let go off the ball.

But the Cypress runner breaking home from third was able to slide in ahead of the relay throw to the catcher, while the CdM runner was out at home by several feet.

“We didn’t execute that play on offense or defense,” Corona del Mar Manager Ken Gerdau said. “And that was the difference in the game.”

Perhaps the leading difference maker was Cypress starting pitcher Cameron Cox. The right-hander is one of nine players on the Cypress team who were part of the league’s victory in the Region Tournament last year as 13-year-old All-Stars (the Region Tournament follows the Section Tournament, to which which three teams at this District Tournament will advance).

Cox struck out 10 and allowed just two hits to earn the complete-game victory. He was also the runner on first who triggered the aforementioned successful double steal in the top of the third inning to give Cypress a 2-1 lead.

“He threw hard and he had a great curveball,” Gerdau said of Cox, who fanned five in the final inning (two victims reached when strike three went to the backstop) to clinch the win.

Cypress opened the scoring in the first, when it strung together three of its 10 hits.

After a one-out single, P.J. Purtle stole second and advanced to third on an errant throw from the catcher. When the throw from the center fielder sailed over the third baseman’s head, Purtle tried to score.

But CdM pitcher Tommy Colton, wisely backing up, chased the ball down and relayed to catcher Beau Attyah in time for him to tag Purtle out.

Cox followed with a booming double to left-center field and scored on Matt de Leon’s bloop single to left.

Corona del Mar tied the score in the first, without the benefit of a hit.

Parker Werline led off with a walk and was forced at second on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Matt Ruiz. Ruiz stole second and went to third on a wild pitch. After Michael Borchard walked, Ruiz scored on an RBI groundout by Attyah.

Chase Carlile singled in the second and stole a base, and Borchard walked in the third. They were the only two CdM baserunners in a four-inning stretch, until Werline doubled to lead off the eighth.

A CdM runner who reached on a third strike that went to the backstop toured the bases on three subsequent wild pitches to cut the deficit to 3-2.

But Cox kept fanning batters, until the fifth and final victim of the inning was thrown out at first by the catcher after retrieving an errant third strike.

Borchard walked twice and got aboard on an error to reach in all three of his plate appearances, while Werline reached twice in three plate appearances.

CdM third baseman John Christian made a diving backhand stop of a ground ball to his right, then tagged the bag at third for the final out with the bases loaded in the Cypress fifth inning.

Corona del Mar played again Saturday night in an elimination game.

A victory Saturday night would mean a game today for the right to advance.

Saturday night results were unavailable.

dpt.16-bases-2-BPhotoInfoPD1T019F20060716j2h0xencCredit: Caption: (LA)CdM All-Stars pitcher Tommy Colton delivers to the plate during Saturday’s game against Cypress. dpt.16-bases-3-BPhotoInfoPD1T018320060716j2h0osncCredit: PHOTOS BY JAMIE FLANAGAN / DAILY PILOT Caption: (LA)Brian Hurst of the Newport Harbor Baseball Assn. Corona del Mar 14-year-old All-Stars drives the ball in Saturday’s District Tournament game won by Cypress. dpt.16-bases-1-BPhotoInfoPD1T01G120060716j2h0knncCredit: JAMIE FLANAGAN / DAILY PILOT Caption: (LA)CdM’s Parker Werline dives safetly back to second as Cypress’ Andy Peterson receives throw.