Sea Kings, Macklin dominate

Barry Faulkner

Corona del Mar High’s Todd Macklin played the leading role in the Sea

Kings’ 15-1 Pacific Coast League baseball victory at Laguna Beach

Friday. But, in addition to his complete-game three-hitter on the

mound and his 3-for-4, four-RBI performance at the plate, the junior

right-hander also played personal metaphor for what is becoming a

memorable league campaign for Coach John Emme’s squad.

“Everything just came together,” Macklin said after his all-around

artistry, which included a second-inning solo homer and a season-high

nine strikeouts.

The same could be said for the first-place Sea Kings (11-6, 7-2 in

league), who have won six straight PCL contests and take a one-game

lead over Calvary Chapel into next week’s two-game series with the

Eagles, beginning Tuesday at CdM.

Calvary was the last league team to defeat CdM, a 12-4 verdict

March 28. Since then, the Sea Kings have outscored PCL foes a

combined 56-15. The margin is 46-10 the last four league games,

including Tuesday’s 9-3 triumph over the Breakers (5-11, 3-6), who

lost all three games to the Sea Kings this spring, by a combined 33-5

count.

When asked about the prospect of running away from the PCL

competition, Emme smiled broadly and, perhaps diplomatically,

acknowledged that is the goal.

Emme said some dugout banter by the Breakers in Tuesday’s game

also served to motivate his team Friday.

“We had some difficulty with the [chatter] that went on Tuesday

and we wanted to make a statement today,” Emme said. “We wanted to

focus some anger we had on the baseball game.”

Josh Bradbury delivered the first salvo with his bat with one out

in the first, when he launched an opposite-field homer well over the

snug right-field fence to give the Sea Kings the lead.

Laguna answered with a run on two hits in the first, but CdM

quickly established control, sending 13 hitters to the plate and

scoring seven runs in the second.

Macklin led off the outburst by yanking an inside fastball onto

the football field, beyond the left-field fence, for a solo homer.

Nick Palchikoff followed with a single and Wess Presson reached on an

error, allowing Danny Marin-Finn and Ryan Rhodes to drive in runs

with a single and double, respectively.

Keith Long followed with a two-run single and, after a pair of

walks loaded the bases, Macklin grounded a two-run single through the

hole to make it 8-1.

Then, Macklin, who improved to 3-2, went to work, facing just 11

hitters over the next three hitless innings (one of whom reached on

an error).

CdM erupted for another seven-spot in the fifth, when the first

nine hitters reached safely. Barrett Sprowl, Palchikoff, Presson and

Marin-Finn had RBI singles to fuel the surge, with Presson’s bingo

driving in two runs. Long also plated a run on a sacrifice fly en

route to going 3 for 5 with two RBIs and scoring twice.

Palchikoff was 2 for 3 with an RBI and two runs and Marin-Finn

went 2 for 4 with two RBIs and one run, as all nine hitters in the

CdM starting lineup had at least one hit.

Macklin surrendered a single in the fifth and saw two more

Breakers reach on errors in the final three innings. But he fanned

five of the final six, including the side in the seventh, to cap a

shining performance.

“I’ve been getting over a pretty bad cold and I haven’t quite been

healthy for a while,” Macklin said.

“Todd has incredible stuff and he was throwing strikes today [67

of his 94 pitches],” Emme said. “He allowed us to rest our other arms

today, which is nice, because we have three games next week.”

One of next week’s games include a Pride of the Coast consolation

game against Arlington Monday at home at 3:15 p.m.

*--*

Pacific Coast League

CdM 15, Laguna Beach 1

Score by Innings

CdM 170 070 0 -- 15 16 3

L. Beach 100 000 0 -- 1 3 2

Macklin and Marin-Finn, Kelly (7);

Cedeno, Pickett (2), Bieser (4) and Hite,

Harris (7). W -- Macklin, 3-2. L --

Cedeno. 2B -- R. Rhodes (CdM). HR --

Bradbury (CDM), Macklin (CdM)

*--*