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A windy, wild win

By Kyle Kensing, Sports Editor, The Daily Independent

Cerro Coso pitcher Adam Garner throws to a San Bernardino Valley batter in yesterday’s 17-6 Coyote win. Coso is a perfect 4-0 in Foothill Conference play. Daily Independent Photo By Mike Delaney

Coso routs SBVC, remains perfect in conference

Wind and cold temperatures made for poor conditions yesterday, but if it affected Cerro Coso in its 17-6 win over Foothill Conference rival San Bernardino Valley it didn’t show.

The Coyotes (8-12, 4-0 Foothill Conference) never trailed in its fourth consecutive win, thanks in no small part to a five-run first inning.

“It looked like [SBVC was] bothered [by the conditions],” said CCCC head coach Dick Adams. “Our guys are conditioned, and we used that to our advantage.”

SBVC starting pitcher John Frisbie perhaps was among those “bothered” by the wind gusts. He had a rough start, walking two and hitting two Coso batters.

Third baseman Andrew Masojc took advantage of Frisbie’s struggles, knocking the first of three doubles on the day to score two runs.

Masojc had an all-around oustanding game. He batted 1.000 at 6-for-6 including the aforementioned three doubles, and a triple. He also drove in five Coyote runs.

And the sophomore from Tecumseh, Okla. did more than produce at the plate.

Twice in the second inning he made big defensive plays to stop the Wolvervines cold, the first a charging play on an SBVC chopper and the second a diving grab on a would-be run scoring shot down the line.

Center fielder Jon Proesl also played a strong game on both sides. His laid-out catch on a screaming Robert Nugent shot into the outfield was “the kind of play winners make,” according to Adams.

The five first inning Coso runs proved important in the third inning when San Bernardino started to get its offense moving.

Starting Coso pitcher Adam Garner walked two, and shortstop Mark Sayas bobbled a potential double play ball, which opened the door for three Wolverine runs.

Adams referred to such as plays as “compound mistakes,” which he said he hopes to improve upon as conference play continues.

San Bernardino struck again in the fourth, and the Coyotes’ five-run cushion was down to one.

But two runs in the fifth on a Kevin Orlowski RBI and Sayas squeeze bunt set the stage for a breakout sixth.

Garner, who Adams said was “a warrior,”gave up a run, but struck out two in the top half.

At the plate, Proesl and Paul Saville knocked back-to-back hits, with Masojc following for a third straight knock and an RBI.

Dustin Romero had Lady Luck on his side, when his grounder up the middle took a hop on second base and caromed into the outfield, driving in two runs.

Tyler Curran, despite hitting into a double play, batted in the Dawgs’ 11th run of the day, which proved more than enough to give Garner his fourth win on the season.

CCCC tacked on six more runs against a parade of SBVC pitchers to reach the final score.

“We have tons of confidence,” Adams said of his team’s hot conference start.

The Dawgs will look to continue on this recent trend Saturday when they travel to San Bernardino Valley for a double header with the Wolverines.

Aaron Keplinger gets the ball in the first game, with Kade McAllister getting the start in game No. 2.

Friday, March 10, 2006