Tomasek gains redemption with winning hit

COSTA MESA — When Eddie Tomasek stepped to the plate, the harsh winds continued, as they blew dirt toward him.

But it was more than the winds bothering the Estancia High junior Tuesday.

The curveballs from Costa Mesa starter Garrick Williams fooled Tomasek throughout the Orange Coast League game.

It got so bad that Tomasek gave up trying to hit the pitch.

But up with the bases loaded, two outs, and the game tied in the bottom of the eighth inning, Tomasek had no choice with a 1-2 count. Go after anything close.

The curveball never came.

Tomasek hit a fastball up the middle for a walk-off RBI single as the Eagles upset their cross-town rival, 3-2, in extra-innings at home, their first league win of the year.

“I was kind of surprised,” said Tomasek of seeing a fastball. “I couldn’t hit the curveball. I just have a hard time hitting him for some reason.

“I don’t really remember [where the pitch was]. I just remember it was a fastball.”

And that it made him the star for Estancia (5-6, 1-2 in league) and not the scapegoat. The latter could have easily been Tomasek.

Everyone wanted this game to end in seven innings, especially the pitchers, Williams and Estancia sophomore Gavin Montague, who each went the distance.

Helping the two were the blistery winds blowing in from left and center field, making well-hit balls die in the outfield.

The winds created havoc, but none more so than what Tomasek couldn’t do at first base — record the last out for Estancia.

He couldn’t scoop up Blake Pinto’s one-hop throw from third base, or keep it in front of him. A run scored for the Mustangs on the error, allowing them to tie the game, 2-2, and a chance to remain as the league’s lone undefeated team.

But despite the mishap, Montague (2-1) never wavered, relying on his control and defense to get him through his longest outing of the year.

Before the game-tying run, Costa Mesa (7-4, 2-1) saw its first two hitters reach base with singles.

Two pitches later, Costa Mesa Coach Jim Kiefer called for a hit-and-run.

It made sense to Kiefer as Montague constantly hit his marks, as 72 of his 98 pitches were strikes.

One problem, though, Montague threw a pitch out of the strike zone and the batter missed the ball. Estancia catcher Trevor McDonald threw out the runner going to third base.

“That hurt,” Kiefer said. “In that situation, quite frankly, we’re playing to win there and not tie.”

The best Costa Mesa managed to do was force extra innings.

Williams (2-2) made it possible despite seeing his team strand 10 runners on base. The senior gave the Mustangs his fourth quality start in a row.

But a defensive miscue, a wild pitch, an intentional walk followed by another intentional walk, and Williams found himself in a bases loaded jam in the eighth. The only good signs were that there were two outs and a weary Tomasek was up next.

Tomasek batted cleanup, but Kiefer wanted Williams to face Tomasek, who had already singled twice. So he ordered Williams to intentionally put Pinto on to load the bases.

“I don’t want their best hitter to beat me,” said Kiefer of Pinto, who entered the game leading the league with a .515 batting average. “That’s a pretty sound decision.”

The move almost panned out.

Williams jumped ahead of Tomasek, 1-2, with Tomasek’s favorite pitch, the curveball. All Tomasek could do is stay alive. One time he thought a Williams pitch grazed him, as he stared at the home plate umpire to bail him out.

The umpire didn’t budge. So Tomasek fouled three consecutive pitches until Williams challenged him with something he could handle: a fastball.

Tomasek took the pitch up the middle, and shortstop Miguel Molina tried stopping the ball by diving at it, but it rolled to center, and rolling in from third was Montague for the victory. Not just any victory.

“This is the biggest of my life,” said Montague, who allowed one earned run and 10 hits, and walked two batters. “It’s really big, especially since they beat [league favorite] Calvary [Chapel]. We got beat by Calvary [Chapel, 16-0], but we came out thinking, ‘We got to change this.’

“Now after this no one really knows what’s going to happen in league.”

The winds haven’t settled down just yet.

Orange Coast League

Estancia 3,

Costa Mesa 2

Score by Innings

CM 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 - 2 10 4

Estancia 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 - 3 10 2

Williams and Pisarski; Montague and McDonald. W -- Montague, 2-1. L -- Williams, 2-2. 2B -- Millian (CM), Rybarczyk (CM).