Oceanside Retires Ben Pai’s No. 16

Oceanside High honored pitcher Ben Pai, who died March 29 from an asthma attack, by retiring his No. 16 at a memorial assembly at the school last week.

“No. 16 will always belong to him,” Oceanside Coach Dave Barrett said.

During the emotional assembly, teammates, coaches and friends spoke of Pai, and players displayed No. 16 patches they had sewn on the arms of their jerseys.

Pai’s father, Benjamin Sr., has attended every Oceanside game since his son’s sudden death. In the first one, Oceanside defeated El Camino, 9-2, rallying from a 1-0 deficit with eight runs in the fourth after after Benjamin Sr. went into the dugout and spoke to the team.

“He feels Ben is still a part of us,” Barrett said, “and he is.”

Pai continues to be an inspiration to team members. The Pirates (10-3-1) had won seven in a row before Tuesday’s loss to San Marcos in the Lions tournament.

“We know there are more important things than baseball,” Barrett said. “We’re just glad to be playing; winning is a bonus. I have such an appreciation for the kids every time they take the field.”

And what’s our mascot? Following Oceanside’s 10-4 victory over Kearny in the Lions tournament Monday, Barrett was discussing with his team its possible opponents in the tournament. He said the Pirates were one of the few undefeated AA division teams left.

Oceanside player Terry Vaughn asked, “Who are the Pirates?” Teammates ignored him, thinking he must be joking. So Vaughn innocently asked again. A teammate grabbed Vaughn and said, “WE ARE!”

Mission Bay lost to University City in the City Western League opener, then defeated the Centurions, 11-6, last week. Mission Bay had not lost since the league opener, and University City had not won.

Monday, University City was forced to forfeit a game it was leading, 5-4, in the sixth inning against San Pasqual. A University City player was wearing a necklace, breaking a rule prohibiting jewelry during games, and the Centurions had used up all their subs.

Mission Bay’s winning streak was snapped Monday by a 3-0 loss to Torrey Pines.