Sea Kings continue win streak

Steve Virgen

For the Corona del Mar High baseball team, there were three words

that defined the Sea Kings’ 15-3 victory over Pacific Coast League

visitor Laguna Beach Friday.

Enough is enough.

That seemed to be what the Sea Kings said when they broke away

from a 3-3 tie and exploded for five runs in the fifth inning and

seven more in the sixth. Corona del Mar (16-5, 11-0 in league), which

has won eight straight, clinched at least a share of the PCL

championship with four games remaining.

The Breakers (5-17, 3-9) might have been thinking upset special,

but Sea King senior Nik Palchikoff quickly destroyed those thoughts

with one swing of the bat.

With the score tied, 3-3, runners on the corners and one out,

Palchikoff smacked his fifth home run of the season, a three-run

blast over the fence in right field. There was a bit of silence as

the ball traveled to right. Then the ball hit the scoreboard and the

crowd erupted, as fans stood to their feet celebrating the

momentum-shifting homer.

“It got to the point where we said, ‘Enough is enough,’ ” said

Palchikoff, who also had an RBI single. “We just couldn’t let them

hang around. Enough was enough.”

Palchikoff’s home run got the Sea Kings back on track. Corona del

Mar batted around the final two innings and it was clear the Breakers

could not have a short-term memory when it came to Palchikoff’s big

hit. Laguna Beach committed back-to-back errors after his home run,

and the Sea Kings took advantage as freshman Jake Lemmerman collected

an RBI, plating Tyler Lance with a sacrifice fly and Andy Frenkiel

brought in pinch-hitter Todd Macklin with a base hit.

“We needed something and we needed somebody to step up and Nik was

the guy,” said CdM Coach John Emme, who was impressed with his team’s

ability to overcome a three-inning hitless stint. “This is the type

of game you’re going to have at some point during the season. I

really like the way we responded.”

It was the Breakers who initially responded, rallying from a 3-0

deficit. The Sea Kings scored three runs in the first. Frenkiel

singled to open the game. Josh Bradbury drew a walk and Barrett

Sprowl collected his 14th double of the season, bringing in Bradbury

and Frenkiel. Wess Presson followed with a base hit past second base

for an RBI.

However, Laguna Beach scored three runs, two came unearned. Before

scoring two runs in the third inning, the Breakers left the bases

loaded in the second. They tied the score with an unearned run in the

fourth.

Meanwhile, Laguna Beach starter Jake Wheeler shook off his

first-inning skid and held the Sea Kings without a hit over the next

three innings.

Corona del Mar’s pitcher, Blake Contant, improved to 6-2, on what

was not one of his better days. Still, he struck out nine and allowed

four hits and one earned run.

“It was good for Blake not to have his best stuff and fight

through that,” Emme said. “That’s good preparation for the playoffs.”

The Sea Kings’ seven-run sixth began with a Presson home run, his

second of the season. Presson finished with three RBIs and a stolen

base. Palchikoff had four RBIs, while Parker Ferguson and Tyler Ray

contributed one each.

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Pacific Coast League

Corona del Mar 15, Laguna Beach 3

Score by Innings

Laguna 002 100 0 -- 3 5 4

CdM 300 057 x -- 15 10 2

Wheeler, Harrell (5), Pular (6), Pickett

(6), Sampson (6) and Kelly; Contant,

Eadington (7) and Presson. W -- Contant,

6-2. L -- Wheeler, 0-1. 2B -- Pickett (LB), Harrell (LB), Sprowl (CdM), Ray

(CdM). HR -- Palchikoff (CdM), Presson

(CdM).

*--*