Harbor College Knocked Out of State Tournament

Harbor College Coach Jim O’Brien tried everything to keep his team alive on Saturday in the California community college baseball tournament, but nothing worked.

O’Brien’s hopes of winning a third state title were eliminated along with his team (33-16), which fell 10-1 to defending state champion Sacramento City College (39-13) in the final of the losers’ bracket at American River College.

Earlier in the day the Seahawks dropped a 9-3 decision to Cerritos College (41-9) of Norwalk at the Sacramento City field. Cerritos, unbeaten in the tournament, advances to play Sacramento in the title game at noon today. Cerritos has defeated Sacramento already in this tournament.

Harbor opened play Friday night with a come-from-behind, 2-1 victory over San Jose City College (38-15).

The Seahawks, who were eliminated each of the last four years in the regional playoffs, were simply overpowered Saturday, first by Cerritos, which has won eight state titles, then by Sacramento.

O’Brien tried a number of different hitters and he went through eight pitchers in the two games. Against Sacramento five Harbor pitchers were battered for 14 hits.

The Seahawks’ hitting, which has been missing in action throughout regional and state play, wasn’t much better against Sacramento. Harbor got only five hits off sophomore left hander Robert Dodd--freshman catcher Gus Mungaray’s single in the top of the third, Greg Baer’s single to right field in the top of the seventh, David Bewley’s single in the top of the eighth and Frank Fields’ single in the top of the ninth.

The Seahawks got their only run in the top of the eighth. With Mike Stone on base, Dodd walked three batters, including Jonathan Lopez, which scored Stone.

Harbor coughed up its game with Cerritos. The game was tied 2-2 when the Falcons, who beat Harbor twice in preseason tournaments, scored four runs in a lengthy sixth inning.

Cerritos needed just one hit in the inning. Harbor pitcher Chris Garrett walked the Falcon lead-off batter, then threw short of second base after a bunt by Dan Ramirez. With two on, the next batter, Joe Arredondo, dropped another bunt and this time Garrett threw wild to third, allowing Cerritos base runners to move up another 90 feet and break the tie, 3-2.

Garrett intentionally walked Javier Fimbre, loading the bases, and O’Brien brought in freshman John Ingram. He was greeted by a base hit from designated hitter Chris Olsen, that scored another run. Ingram got the hook in favor of freshman Tom Fulkerson. Fulkerson got out of the inning, but not before Cerritos scored two runs on a pair of sacrifice flies. Harbor also committed another error.

O’Brien’s strategy irked the starter, Garrett.

“I felt good out there,” Garrett said. “I don’t know why he pulled me out. He should have stuck with me. That was my game and he took it away from me.”

O’Brien didn’t see it that way. He said Garrett was fatigued.

“He just broke down,” O’Brien said. “The communication was bad, too, between him and the catcher.”

Freshman Gus Mungaray, the Seahawks’ regular catcher, was replaced by freshman Darrin Wollwine at the end of Friday’s first-round game with San Jose because Mungaray is in a slump.

Harbor got a little luck in defeating San Jose in the bottom of the ninth inning. The Seahawks trailed 1-0 until the bottom of the eighth when freshman right fielder Matt Nuez ripped an RBI double to left field with two outs.