Dominguez and Earnest Undo Redondo With Big Hits in Mira Costa Victory

His fastball was good enough to strike out 12 batters Wednesday night, but Redondo High right-hander Frank Bignami wouldn’t mind having a couple of them back.

One of Bignami’s fastballs ended up behind Redondo’s right field fence. Another one landed in back of the left field wall.

And those two pitches were the difference in Mira Costa’s 6-3 Ocean League victory over Bignami and host Redondo.

“Those two big swings were the ballgame,” Mira Costa Coach Jim Beaumont said. The victory moved the Mustangs (7-10 overall, 5-2 in league) into second place in the Ocean League behind Culver City.

The first big blow came with one out in the second inning, when left fielder Scott Earnest--who entered the game hitting below .200--turned on a Bignami fastball and drove it over the right-field wall for a three-run home run.

In the next inning, Bignami (3-3) left a fastball over the plate for Mira Costa third baseman Bobby Dominguez, who pulled it over the left field fence for two more runs and a 5-0 Mira Costa lead.

Dominguez, one of the Mustangs’ top players, was making his first appearance since breaking his wrist five weeks ago in a brawl with Rolling Hills.

“That home run by Bobby gave us a big lift,” Beaumont said. “A homer for him in his first game back is just icing on the cake for him.”

Third-place Redondo (9-9, 4-3) scrapped out three runs on six hits against Jason Garner, but couldn’t break through for more than one run in any inning. The Sea Hawks stranded 10 runners.

The right-handed Garner (2-5) threw 141 pitches in posting a complete game. He walked seven and hit one, but four of his nine strikeouts came with the bases loaded.

“Jason has been pretty resilient,” Beaumont said. “He never complains about a sore arm. He’s our best guy, so he wasn’t coming out of the game. He’s never been that wild before, but he was getting his fastball by people so we stayed with it.”

Redondo pulled within 5-2 in the fifth when Bob Tassin drew a bases-loaded walk. But the Mustangs got an insurance run when designated-hitter Cody Beason scored on Chris Townsend’s error.

The Sea Hawks cut the lead to three again in the bottom of the seventh when Bignami delivered a one-out single to score Brett Tyrrell. But Garner struck out Tassin and Scott Denhart with runners on first and second to end the game.