Box Score

By Ron Smith
February 28, 2017
 
(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) A grand slam by Connor McManigal in the fourth and back-to-back RBI doubles by Michael Stefanic and Luke Coffey in the eighth resulted in a 10-7 victory by #8 Westmont Baseball (10-2) over the Mariners of Marymount (1-6) on Tuesday afternoon at Russ Carr Field.
 
The Mariners struck first with a pair of runs in the opening frame, but the Warriors kept pace in the second half of the innings, putting up two runs of their own. With one away, Matt Matlock produced a ground rule double down the left field line. After Stefanic was hit by a pitch, both runners advanced on a wild pitch.
 
A ground out by Luke Coffey scored Matlock from third and allowed Matlock to score and Stefanic to reach third. Stefanic scored as the result of a failed pick-off attempt by Marymount's catcher that sailed down the left field line.
 
Neither team scored again until the fourth inning, in which both teams added four runs.
 
In the top of the fourth, Marymount's Omar Avila recorded an infield hit that drove in Terrance Trueblood from third. Eric Fields then doubled down the left field line to bring home Avila and Cole Henderson before Andrew Banuelos produced a double to right field to score Aelx Golembiewski.
 
In the bottom of the fourth, McManigal came to the plate with the bases loaded and drove the ball over the right field fence to score Neil Sterling, Derek Rodigo and Taylor Bush.
 
With the score tied at six, Marymount snatched the lead with a double steal. Golembiewski, stationed at first, took off for second. The Warriors threw to second and then to home when J.J. Muratore broke for the plate. The throw home, however, was high, allowing Muratore to slide underneath to give the Mariners a 7-6 advantage.
 
Three Marymount errors and two Warrior hits in the bottom half of the eighth, lead to three runs and a Warrior win. With one away, Robert Mendez reached on an error by the Mariner's third baseman and advanced to second when the overthrown bounced of the first base dugout railing and ended up behind home plate.
 
One out later, with Michael Frigon serving as a courtesy runner at second for Mendez, Matlock lined a ball directly at the shortstop that should have ended the inning. Aiden Gutierrez gloved the ball, but it dropped to the ground. Matlock, who had stopped on his way to first, dashed for first and Guiterrez recovered the ball and fired to first.
 
First baseman Darren Contreras, however, thought the inning was over and was walking back to the dugout. Hearing the shouts of his teammates, he started back to cover the bag at first, but the ball got there before Contreras did.
 
With the ball bounding away from Contreras, Frigon raced past third and scored the winning run. Matlock not only reached first, but was able to take second on the play.
 
That brought up Stefanic who's double to center drove home Matlock. Coffey then doubled to center, brining home Stefanic.
 
William Hoyer-Pringle took over as a pinch runner for Coffey and stole third base. He later scored the game's final run on a wild pitch.
 
Westmont's Bailey Reid was awarded the win after pitching the eighth inning. Sean Coyne pitched the ninth and earned his first save.
 
Starter Nolan Cannon and reliever Cory Dawson each pitched three innings. Cannon allowed two runs on three hits, struck out two and walked four. Dawson allowed just one hit, struck out two and walked one without allowing a run.
 
Westmont will take to the road this weekend for a three-game series with San Diego Christian at Grossmont College. First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.