Prep baseball: Mesa, CdM seeking leg up

Barry Faulkner

Two teams anxious to display upward mobility in the Pacific Coast

League baseball standings will get down to business today at 3:15 p.m. at

Corona del Mar High.

Coach John Emme’s cellar-dwelling Sea Kings (2-7, 0-3 in league) host

Costa Mesa (5-5, 1-2) in a game that pits summer league teammates against

one another for the shot to avoid falling farther behind league-leading

Laguna Beach.

“John and I talk after just about every game and we agreed we’d like

to both get half a win and move on,” said Costa Mesa Coach Kirk

Bauermeister, whose team was one strike away from a 3-1 win Friday,

before host Laguna Beach tied it with a two-run homer and won in the

eighth, 4-3.

And while the heartbreaking loss likely ruined the Mustangs’ weekend,

the CdM malaise now spans a six-game losing streak.

“This game is as big as it can be this early in the year,” Emme said.

“We can’t afford to give many more away and still hope to be in the upper

half of the league standings.”

Despite early league struggles, both coaches believe better days are

ahead.

“We got beat by a good University team, we beat Northwood and we were

one out away from beating Laguna Beach,” Bauermeister said. “I think the

kids still feel good about themselves. I felt terrible Friday, because I

didn’t think I did a poor job of coaching. Instead of trying to squeeze a

few more runs out, when we were ahead, I laid back and waited for the big

inning. I think I cost us some runs.”

Emme, whose lineup card is filled with as many as eight starters at

least a year away from graduation, said he has not lowered expectations

for this group.

“This is the first time I’ve ever had a team here play below my

expectations,” Emme said. “In trying to come to grips with why that’s

happening, I still think my expectations are accurate. I think it’s just

a matter of building experience. There’s no substitute for varsity

experience and the only way young guys get that is by making mistakes on

the field. And, unfortunately for us, it seems like every time we make a

mistake, it leads to a big inning for the other team.”

Both Mesa and CdM, as well as Estancia (1-7-1, 1-2) may take solace in

the fact that seven of the nine PCL games this spring have been decided

by three runs or less, including five one-run verdicts.

“Laguna Beach has a tough week this week (hosting Northwood today and

visiting CdM Thursday), so we just need to just keep hanging in there and

playing good baseball,” Bauermeister said.

Noted Emme, “Things can still change in a hurry.”

Junior Beau Stockstill will start on the mound today for CdM, while

Bauermeister will counter with either sophomore Daniel Cooper or junior

George Vargas.

“One will probably go four innings and the other will go three,”

Bauermeister said.

The Mustangs are led offensively by senior catcher Mike Carrasco (.370

with two homers and 10 RBIs), as well as senior Michael McGuire (.364).

CdM is paced by UCLA-bound senior Billy Eagle (just better than .400),

though nagging arm trouble has limited the two-time All-CIF Southern

Section center fielder to designated hitter duty all season.

Sophomore Josh Bradbury and freshman Wess Presson are also hitting in

the high .300s, according to Emme.

Estancia visits University today at 3:15, while Newport Harbor (2-5,

0-4) hosts Sea View League rival Aliso Niguel today.

Coach C.K. Green’s Eagles are at Costa Mesa Thursday, while Newport

visits Irvine.

Mesa, CdM and Newport Harbor open the Pride of the Coast Tournament

Saturday, including an 11 a.m. Back Bay showdown between the Sailors and

host Sea Kings at 11 a.m.

Sage Hill (3-4, 1-3), continues Academy League play by hosting Calvary

Chapel of Downey today at 3:15.