High Scoring Game Drives Mission Viejo Baseball Coach Batty

Coaches are notorious worriers, but one could hardly blame Mission Viejo baseball Coach Ron Drake if he had contemplated retirement several times Saturday during his team’s 21-16 victory over El Modena.

The Diablos scored six runs in the first inning. On the mound wasDave Kronkite, who was coming off a strong performance. Easy victory, right?

Kronkite got the first batter out, then couldn’t find the plate if it had his lunch on it. El Modena scored seven runs.

But Mission Viejo scored four runs in the third and took an 11-8 lead with two outs in the seventh. This time, everything was going to be fine, right Ron?

“Right then I started telling my assistant coach about when I was at USC and we were playing Cal State Los Angeles,” Drake said. “The winner went to the College World Series and Cal State L.A. was up by four with two outs in the final inning. We rallied and tied the score and won in extra innings. I was just finished telling him this and El Modena starts to rally. They scored three runs with two outs.”

On to extra innings.

Mission Viejo scored three in the ninth for a 14-11 lead. Surely, this was the end.

“I couldn’t believe it, but they tied it again,” Drake said. “I was wondering what we had to do win this game.”

Seven runs in the 12th was the answer. But still the Vanguards made Drake sweat.

“I looked at my assistant coach and said, ‘I don’t think it’s safe yet,’ ” Drake said.

Sure enough, El Modena scored two runs before the Diablos got the final out.

In all, there were 37 runs, 37 walks, 25 hits and nine errors. Neither starter got out of the first inning. Nine pitchers were used. Mission Viejo’s Scott Neuhausen reached base eight consecutive times with three hits and five walks. It took five hours to complete the game.

“It was the strangest game I have ever seen,” Drake said.

It could have been worse. They could have played two.