CdM walks off with win
CORONA DEL MAR — The sun was going down by the time Nick Roco entered the batter’s box. It was the bottom of the ninth inning at Corona del Mar High and the Sea Kings had a runner on first base with no outs.
Roco got the sign to bunt the runner into scoring position. After a wild pitch allowed the runner to reach second, Roco’s job changed against Laguna Hills.
The junior was looking to drive in the run. He swung for the fences. He came up a little short. The ball didn’t go over the center-field fence, but he provided the perfect sunset for CdM on Thursday.
Roco’s walk-off RBI double lifted the Sea Kings to a 5-4 win in their season opener. Roco’s first start on varsity ended with a bang in the opening game of the Newport Elks Tournament.
His first hit came at the right time, before darkness ended the extra-inning affair in the Foothill Division. The game probably would’ve gone down as a tie because CdM doesn’t have lights on its field.
Coach John Emme is glad Roco delivered for the Sea Kings, who won the Foothill Division last season.
“Everyone’s got three games in five days and we’re trying to conserve pitching,” said Emme, whose team plays at Ayala of Chino Hills on Saturday, then plays host to Savanna on Monday. “This didn’t help.”
Emme will take the decision as the Sea Kings only used three pitchers.
Billy Macdonald started and threw five solid innings. Max Stone came in for three strong innings of relief. Tyler Duncan entered in the ninth to pick up the win.
Two of those players just joined the baseball team five days ago. Stone and Duncan played on the boys’ basketball team, which advanced to the quarterfinals of the CIF Southern Section Division 3A playoffs.
Another member of the basketball team helped CdM get off to a good start on the diamond.
Andrew McCormack singled in his first two at-bats, driving in a run each time and CdM jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the fourth inning. The senior batted in the clean-up spot and he almost ended the game in the eighth inning with one swing.
McCormack pulled a pitch and it hit the left-field fence, good for a double. The hit was CdM’s first since the fourth inning.
Any momentum gained from the extra-base hit was lost when the home plate umpire stopped the game for about five minutes. The umpire was nicked on his right arm and he walked toward the CdM dugout for help.
Earlier in the game, on two calls, the umpire didn’t help the Sea Kings’ cause. The missed calls frustrated Emme.
When play resumed in the eighth inning, Emme looked just as frustrated as he did earlier. The Sea Kings were unable to bring home McCormack, who went three for four with two runs batted in. Reliever Kevin Cunningham lasted more than one inning.
Duncan came in the ninth inning for CdM and retired the side in order on 11 pitches.
Cunningham never got to throw as many pitches in the bottom half of the inning. He lost his control, walking the first batter he faced, Aaron White, on five pitches.
His first pitch to Roco, the designated hitter, was in the dirt and it went to the backstop. White easily took off for second base and made it without a throw.
Two pitches later, Roco was looking for a fastball and he got it.
“I knew I had a job to do,” Roco said. “I just tried my best to do it.”
Twitter: @DCPenaloza
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Newport Elks Tournament
Foothill Division
Corona del Mar 5, Laguna Hills 4
SCORE BY INNINGS
LH 000 030 100 – 4 10 0
CdM 102 100 001 – 5 7 2
Diomartich, Bieber (4), Cunningham (8) and Cotton; Macdonald, Stone (6), Duncan (9) and Lawson. W – Duncan, 1-0. L – Cunningham, 0-1. 2B – McCormack (CdM), Roco (CdM). HR – Weihe (LH).