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Coso ends season with Chaffey split

By Cheeto Barrera, Sports Editor, The Daily Independent

DAILY INDEPENDENT PHOTOS BY NATHAN AHLE Mark Sayas (4) rounds first base as teammate and coach Luke Heil (9) shouts instructions on Sayas’ triple in the fifth inning of the second game of Cerro Coso’s doubleheader with Chaffey College Thursday afternoon at the Dawg Yard. Sayas later scored on a balk by Chaffey pitcher Bryan Lewis.

Cerro Coso ended its 2007 on a high note: Defeating Foothill Conference champion Chaffey.

It came in the second game of the double header on Thursday, to give the 2007 champs just their third conference loss of the season as the Coyotes won 7-5. The win came after Cerro Coso shot itself in the foot with errors to lose 4-1.

The Coyotes finish the season 19-25 overall and 11-13 in conference play.

Leading the charge was perhaps the best performance out of Jessie Zuber all season.

Going the full nine innings, Zuber pitched around errors giving up seven hits, walking one and striking out four.

“This was probably the best he’s pitched,” said coach Dick Adams. “This was a game that he just wasn’t going give in.”

The Coyotes had one bad inning in the sixth, allowing a 6-1 lead get chipped away with three runs coming across the plate following an error in the outfield to extend the inning.

“It was our first lead in all three games,” Adams said. “I was wondering ‘are we here?’ I thought this is great but we got to hang on to this. ... They are good team and they came storming back. We opened the door for them and they took advantage.”

But an insurance run in the seventh allowed Cerro Coso to remain in control aided by the masterpiece put out by Zuber.

The test of Zuber came in the eighth inning when a runner reached third as the result of an error. Adams came out and talked with his pitcher, reminding him that they had a three-run lead and the guy on third meant little.

“Jessie this season has not been a pitcher who could get out of a jam like that — he usually needs help,” Adams said. “I really commend him for getting through that right there. He pitched very well in the seventh, eighth and ninth.”

Zuber almost had to go the full way, with little help available.

The Coyote closer Tyler McAllister was tossed in the second inning for arguing balls and strikes and the No. 2 closer Ryan Fischer sidelined with a broken arm.

But Zuber didn’t do it completely by himself.

The Coyote bats came through at the right time to get the seven runs.

Jon Proesl had the big bat of the day, a double shy of the cycle with a two-run home run and a two RBI triple.

Proesl finished the day going 4-7 with a hit in the first game.

Mark Sayas also came through with a triple of his own, later scoring on a balk.

The win was a turn around from the first game where a series of errors plagued both teams, leading to five unearned runs between the two teams.

Chaffey’s first three runs came in the opening inning as the result of two hits and three errors. The fourth run came in the sixth following a hit-and-run play that the second baseman misplayed.

The Coyotes had just four hits in the game, two coming from Fred Bello who went 2-3 with a double.

Chaffey will move on as the top seed from the Foothill Conference to the state playoffs. Depending on how Rio Hondo did against Antelope Valley College on Thursday. Rio Hondo needed one win out of two games to clinch the second spot in the conference with AVC needing a sweep to overtake second.

Friday, May 4, 2007