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Cerro Coso records first home win

By Tim Allen, Staff Reporter, The Daily Independent

“He started the game and didn't have a good down angle...”

After suffering two losses at the hands of College of the Canyons on Friday at the Dawg Yard, Cerro Coso wasn't about to take a third loss on the weekend lying down. Unfortunately for visiting Long Beach City College, the Vikings were next up on the schedule.

The Coyotes unleashed a well-balanced hitting attack, combined with some solid all-around pitching to earn a 12-5 victory and even their record at 4-4 on the year.

Earlier in the day, Long Beach had played CoC and lost when the Cougars rallied in the bottom of the ninth to win 6-5. The win moved CoC to 7-1 on the year and handed the Vikings just the opposite at 1-7.

Cerro Coso started the final game of the impromptu weekend series with a run in the bottom of the first to take a 1-0 lead. The Vikings answered in the third, and the Coyotes countered in their half of that frame to make it 2-1.

But Cerro Coso put what proved to be the winning tallies on the scoreboard when they put together a four-run fourth.

Garrett Weber led off the rally getting hit by a pitch from Viking hurler Josh Furlong. It was the second time Weber had gotten hit in the right side on his way to getting plunked three times on the day. He moved to second when Ryan Fischer singled.

Mark Sayas hit into a fielder's choice that put Coyotes at the Corners, and Sayas quickly stole second to put two runners within 180 feet of home plate. Royal Good came to the plate and singled to right-center field, plating both Weber and Sayas.

He scored one pitch later, when Jon Proesl hit a towering ball to right that made it to the wall. and wound up as a triple. But as the Vikings attempted to make a play on Proesl at third, the ball scooted away and the Coyotes got their fourth run.

Fischer, Cam White and Kyle Hanson carried the biggest sticks on the day, each going 3-for-5. Good, Proesl and Cody Rieger had tow hits apiece.

On the day, Cerro Coso exploded for 17 hits and committed just one error in the field. That was backed up by a solid pitching performance from started Jessie Zuber (1-1) who started slowly and worked himself into a good rhythm. He went seven innings, scattering 11 hits and one earned run while walking one and striking out two.

“He started the game and didn't have a good down angle,” said head coach Dick Adams. “I think he was ready to go and was throwing a little too hard on occasion. But settled down nicely in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings and really dominated them.”

Kyle Tullis and Ryan Gorzitze combined to pitch the eighth inning, with the latter coming in to stop a potential rally in its tracks with an inning-ending doubleplay. Tyler McAllister shut the door on any chances Long Beach had by pitching a perfect ninth.

Cerro Coso will play a make-up game today in Sylmar against Los Angeles Mission College. The locals will then travel to San Marcos for the Pacific Coast Tournament, before returning home for three straight games starting Feb. 20 against El Camino.

Long Beach 001 000 310 -5 12 6

Cerro Coso 101 411 40x -12 17 1

COYOTE Pitching
Zuber (W, 1-1) 7.0-11-3-1-1-2, Tullis 0.1-1-1-1-3-1, Gorzitze 0.2-0-0-0-0-0, McAllister 1.0-0-0-0-0-1

COYOTE Hitting
Sayas 6-1-2-2 (2B, SB), Good 5-2-2-2, Proesl 5-2-4-1-3B, SB), White 5-3-0-1 (2-2B), Hanson 5-3-0-2 (SB), Bello 4-1-1-1 (SB), Weber 1-0-1-0 (3 HBP, SB), Amato 1-0-0-0, Fischer 5-3-1-0, Rieger 4-2-1-1 (2B).

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

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