Sea Kings Take Over First Place With Win

Andre Johns singled home Billy Eagle in the ninth inning and Eric Snell then pitched his way into and out of a bases-loaded jam as visiting Corona del Mar held on for a 5-4 victory over Costa Mesa Friday in a battle for first place in the Pacific Coast League.

Snell came on in relief to pitch a perfect eighth inning after Costa Mesa had tied the score, 4-4, with two runs in the seventh. In the ninth inning he walked two batters and misplayed a bunt, loading the bases with nobody out. He then induced Josh Feldman to hit a chopper to first; Johns grabbed the ball and threw home for a force out. Nick Cabico flied out to shallow center field and Snell struck out Dan Hunter on three pitches.

“I had problems with my control early in the inning,” Snell said, “but I just tried to throw strikes and have faith in my teammates. A team needs character to win and this team has it.”

Perhaps the biggest play of the game came in the bottom of the seventh with Costa Mesa (8-2-1, 3-1-1) threatening. With the bases loaded and one out, Hunter lifted a fly ball to right field. Dave Knecht circled back to catch the ball, then threw it on two hops to catcher Rory McKeever, who tagged out the sliding Billy Halverson to send the game into extra innings.

“It was intense.” said Knecht. “That was a big moment for us and I was ready for it.”

Snell got Corona del Mar (8-3, 5-0) off to a fast start with a two-run home run in the first inning. The Sea Kings scored twice in the third on a run-scoring grounder by Snell and an RBI single by Johns.

Costa Mesa got a two-run home run from Anthony Grubisich in the fifth before tying it in the seventh on an RBI double by Halverson, followed by Feldman’s single.

“They made a couple of big plays and we didn’t,” Costa Mesa Coach Kirk Bauermeister said. “We were just one play away from winning.”