Mayor’s Cup down to wire

COSTA MESA ? Summer fun in the daytime will have to wait one more day for members of the Costa Mesa American Little League and Costa Mesa National Little League Majors Division All-Star teams.

“Do me a favor,” Costa Mesa American Manager John McLuckey told his team after it defeated Costa Mesa National, 4-2, Monday at TeWinkle Middle School to tie the best-of-three Mayor’s Cup series at one game apiece. “No skate parks, no beach and no [Orange County] fair [today].”

Both teams will want to be fully rested for the deciding game, tonight at 5:30 at Costa Mesa High.

Both teams expended enough energy to make a little rest and recuperation sound pretty good today.

“We had to fight for every run,” said McLuckey, whose team scored two in the top of the sixth inning, then retired Costa Mesa National in the sixth to get the win.

Pitcher Tom Werdel went the distance for the winners, striking out five and allowing six hits.

Werdel got some sizable assistance from his defense, which recorded seven outs at second base, third base, or home plate to help quell several Costa Mesa American rallies.

“Costa Mesa National made a couple of defensive plays that were rally killers,” McLuckey said of Saturday’s 4-0 Costa Mesa National triumph at Costa Mesa High. “Today, I think we had more of those than they did.”

Costa Mesa National Manager Greg Pearce, however, also had praise for his defense.

“I told my kids I thought they played like All-Stars tonight,” Pearce said afterward. “I thought that was one of the best games I’ve seen all year.

Both defenses set the tone against the opposing team’s opening batter.

Costa Mesa National second baseman Gramm Sedano dived to his right to stab a hard-hit ball with his glove, then scrambled to his feet in time to throw the hitter out at first.

In the home half of the inning, a would-be single to right field by the leadoff batter was turned into a 9-3 groundout as Nick Dawson charged and fielded the ball on one hop, then threw a strike to first baseman Martin Myszynski to record the out.

And the web gems kept coming from there.

Costa Mesa American third baseman Tyler Sheffner backhanded a hard-hit grounder to his right, then stepped on third for a forceout with the bases loaded and two outs in the second.

Also in the second, Costa Mesa American catcher Tyler Taormina and shortstop J.T. McLuckey combined on a well-executed 2-6-2 play that cut down a runner at the plate. The play was designed to negate the first-and-third double steal and it worked to perfection.

Taormina threw out another would-be base stealer at third base in the third inning and Sheffner made another fine stop on a hard-hit grounder, then threw to second to get the inning-ending force in the fourth.

Costa Mesa American second baseman Austin McArdle made a lunging grab of a grounder back up the middle, and scrambled, crab-line, on all fours, to touch second base for a forceout in the fifth.

Fittingly, Costa Mesa American ended the game with some fine defensive execution.

Center fielder Logan Kensing caught a line drove and threw to second to double off a runner who had strayed from the bag.

Werdel stretched to snag a bounder back to the box for the first out of the Costa Mesa National sixth inning.

Costa Mesa American scored on a first-and-third double steal in the second, as Sheffner stayed in a rundown between first and second long enough for J.T. McLuckey to score from third without a throw.

Costa Mesa National tied it in the second when Sedano drew a bases-loaded walk.

Costa Mesa American took a 2-1 lead in the third, when Dawson led off with a bunt single and advanced to third on an errant throw to first.

Josh Stubblefield followed with a bunt single, then stole second. After a fielder’s choice erased a runner at third, Taormina singled to right. When the fielder bobbled the ball, Stubblefield came around to score.

Costa Mesa National tied it in the fifth when Hans Anderle and Kevin Carvajal singled to open the inning.

After a strikeout, a throwing error during a fielder’s choice allowed Anderle to score.

In the Costa Mesa American sixth inning, Taormina led off with a walk and Werdel singled through the middle. A wild pitch allowed both to move up one base, then Myszynski bounced a single up the middle to drive in Taormina.

A single by Kensing allowed Stubblefield, who was pinch-running for Werdel, to score an insurance run.

Credit: DON LEACH / DAILY PILOT Caption: Costa Mesa American All-Star Josh Stubblefield, left, beats out a bunt single in front of Costa Mesa National pitcher Chris Molino. dpt-18-bsball-2-dl-BPhotoInfo671T1PD520060718j2ku3hncCredit: PHOTOS BY DON LEACH / DAILY PILOT Caption: (LA)Costa Mesa American Majors All-Star Josh Stubblefield, left, dodges a tag attempt by Gramm Sedano on Monday. dpt-18-bsball-3-dl-CPhotoInfo671T1N6320060718j2ku4bncCredit: Caption: (LA)Costa Mesa National Little League Majors All-Star Stephen Hilldebrand eyes the pitch by Tom Werdel of the Costa Mesa National All-Stars, as catcher Tyler Taormina awaits behind the plate. Costa Mesa American earned a 4-2 win. dpt-18-bsball-1-dl-BPhotoInfo671T1N1A20060718j2ku2kncCredit: PHOTOS BY DON LEACH / DAILY PILOT Caption: (LA)Costa Mesa American Majors All-Star Josh Stubblefield, left, dodges a tag attempt by Gramm Sedano on Monday.