An outright great day

LAGUNA BEACH — Last year, Nick Pederson said the Costa Mesa High baseball team actually practiced dog-piling for when the Mustangs won the Orange Coast League title.

That moment never came after losing the last two games to Calvary Chapel.

No practicing it this year, not even talking about it.

“If [Coach Jim Kiefer] was going to make us practice it this year, we were going to say, ‘No,’ ” Pederson said.

But the Mustangs finally had the chance to put it in motion Tuesday at Laguna Beach High. They defeated the Breakers, 9-2, winning their first league title since 1978 outright.

The teams play again Thursday at Costa Mesa, but the Mustangs (19-6, 10-1 in league) won’t share their title with the Breakers (14-12, 7-4).

“All of these kids have been playing for at least three years in our program,” Kiefer said. “They know the expectations we have, the way we play baseball at Costa Mesa High. It showed this year … We’re very proud of what we’ve accomplished. We’re humbled by it, to be honest with you. It’s hard to win a league championship.”

Pederson, the senior who mixed up speeds all game, was a big reason why. The Mustangs’ No. 2 starter outpitched Laguna Beach ace Casey Miller, only allowing unearned runs in the first and second innings. He struck out eight and walked three.

Kiefer said he was proud of Pederson, who improved to 6-3. He was possibly going to be a reliever headed into the season.

Laguna Coach Jeff Sears was less thrilled, yet he said Pederson competed, unlike many of his players.

“We made him look like Cy Young,” Sears said. “We swing at pitches that bounce before the plate, that’s telling me that we’re not prepared, we’re not ready.”

Pederson also provided the big offensive blow in the fourth. After Mikey Molina, Brian Waldron and P.J. Maloney led off the inning with three straight singles, Pederson hit a 1-and-1 fastball over the center-field wall, the grand slam giving the Mustangs a comfortable 8-2 lead.

“I was thinking, ‘Wow, you hit it good finally,’ ” Pederson said of his team-leading third home run of the season. “I’ve been working on a new stance and finally got a hold of one. Then we just had to keep going.”

Pederson was three for five with the four runs batted in. Molina was also three for five, and hit a two-run homer of his own on the first pitch he saw in the second inning.

“I think the whole thing this season has been getting ahead early and putting up runs before the other team does,” Molina said. “In the early innings, we want to set the tone for the rest of the game, and I thought we did a pretty good job of that today.”

Waldron was three for three with a walk. Maloney, designated hitter Ryan Boulger and Tyler Sheffner each added two hits for the Mustangs.

Costa Mesa, which has already set the school record for wins in a season, would love to add to the magical year with a deep run into the playoffs.

“It’s pretty exciting,” said Pederson, one of just three seniors along with Molina and Willie LeValley. “It’s a good feeling to know that we’re a part of Costa Mesa history now. Thirty-one years is a long time, and we all know what happened last year.”

And what didn’t, making this year’s dog-pile all the more special.