Chaffey College: April 2008 Archives
By Michelle Gardner
Staff Writer
RANCHO CUCAMONGA -- The Chaffey College baseball team isn't just about offense after all.
Sophomore left-hander Andrew Steinmeyer proved that, pitching the Panthers to a 6-2 win over Foothill Conference foe Antelope Valley Tuesday. It was Chaffey's first complete game of the season and came in the school's last home game of the regular season.
Steinmeyer (5-1) needed just 119 pitches to dispose of the Marauders. The Corona native gave up two runs (both unearned), scattered four hits, walked none and struck out five.
"I was getting some calls on the inside fastball," Steinmeyer said. "My curveball wasn't great but I was able to throw for strikes a couple of times when I really needed it."
Steinmeyer allowed lone runs in the second and sixth innings, an outfield error giving the Marauders (13-22, 7-12) the first and one by the catcher helping them to the other.
But Chaffey (27-8, 18-3) managed enough offense to make up for those miscues. It got one in the first, then took the lead with a pair in the second, with James Koerner singling and scoring on a hit by Robert Escalera who later raced home on a sacrifice fly by Jonathan Costantino.
The Panthers added to that in the fifth, extending its lead to 4-1 on a run-scoring double by Ryan Delgado.
They rounded out the scoring in the sixth with another pair. This time it was Costantino driving home a run and Mychal Johnson plating another with a ground out.
Antelope Valley threatened in the ninth as pinch hitter Jake Wood and Bryan Rasch singled with two outs, putting runners on the corners. The Chaffey pitching coach George Barnes made a trip to the mound just to give his pitcher a breather.
"He told me they were sticking with me, just to bear down," Steinmeyer said.
The respit worked as Steinmeyer got the next hitter, Chase Doremus, on check swing to end the game.
The Panthers tallied nine hits with Ryan Delgado, Willie Holmes and Escalera getting two each. Costantino had two RBI and Johnson, Koerner and Escalera each scored twice.
About the only thing bothering coach Jeff Harlow after the game was the way his team ran the bases. It had three runners picked off the basepaths, the most notable problem coming in the third when it got its first two runners on, only to have them picked off in successive at-bats.
"That is definitely something we're going to have to address before we get in the playoffs," he said. "It didn't hurt us here, but it did prevent us from blowing the game open and when you get in the playoffs you're not going to have a lot of chances."
Steinmeyer has combined with another sophomore, right-hander Andrew Schile, to give the Panthers a formidable 1-2 combination on the mound. Harlow said the duo is looking as strong as they did early in the season.
"They both pitched gems our first two games of the season," Harlow recalled. "So it is nice to see us finishing the way we started. Hopefully we'll carry that momentum into the playoffs."
The Panthers close out the regular season with a double header against the Marauders at noon Friday at Clear Channel Stadium in Lancaster. The playoff should be announced over the weekend.
Several Chaffey College football players have made decisions on their future.
Defensive backs Colin Barrier (Etiwanda HS) and Dennis Gilleylen and linebacker Derek Walker (Hesperia HS) will attend Fort Lewis.
Kicker Justin Veazie (Chino HS) has opted for South Dakota while running back Matt Biggers is going to Delaware State.
Coach Carl Beach added that running back Jahmel Rover (Eisenhower HS) will return for his sophomore season. He was debating Division I options but Beach said the right offer did not come up.
Local rivals Chaffey and San Bernardino Valley College squared off in a Foothill Conference twinbill Saturday at Cal Baptist University, both games ending up 9-8 with Chaffey taking the opener and SBVC the nightcap.
The conference-leading Panthers (24-9, 15-3) took a 9-6 lead into the final inning of the opener, only to see the Wolverines (22-16, 12-6) storm back in the ninth.
Dwight Robinson singled and Alex Aunchman walked. A pair of passed balls advanced the runners. Robinson scored on a single by Dustin Williams and Sam Konnoff stroked a run-scoring double.
Chaffey used three pitchers in the inning but Dane Delfs got the last two outs to secure the win for Tim Redmon (3-0).
Anthony Delgado had three hits, two of them home runs, for Chaffey while Adrian Carmona had three for the Wolverines.
It was the reverse in the second game with SBVC having to withstand a Chaffey rally. The Wolverines were up 9-3 through four innings and 9-5 going into the seventh.
A sacrifice fly by James Koerner plated Willie Holmes who had doubled. Ryan Delgado walked and eventually scored on a balk. The Panthers drew within one when Mychal Johnson singled home Delgado.
But with two outs and two runners on pinch hitter Gerry Hernandez grounded out to first.
Starter Tommy Bills (7-1) got the win and Adrian Carmona the save.
By Michelle Gardner
Staff Writer
RANCHO CUCAMONGA - Earlier in the season the Chaffey college softball team threw a scare into perennial playoff contender Antelope Valley, losing by only one run.
The teams squared off again in a Foothill Conference finale on Friday and this time it wasn’t close as the Marauders, ranked No. 6 in the state, trounced the host Panthers 11-3 for their 62nd straight conference win. It also capped off a fourth straight conference title.
“I think the last time we played them they took us lightly and we put a scare into them,” Chaffey coach Jimmy Rodriguez said. “They told us they would be ready the next time and they were.”
Antelope Valley (38-6, 14-0) was never threatened thanks to the efforts of sophomore pitcher Gracie Perez. Perez, the conference pitcher of the year in 2006, sat out last year. She has returned to form in dominant fashion, striking out 14 batters, 13 of them in the first five innings.
Jessica De Luna was the only Chaffey hitter to reach base in the first four innings, doing so on a walk in the second.
The Marauders led 4-0, highlighted by a two-run home run from Felecia Shepler in the fifth.
Chaffey finally got on the scoreboard in the bottom of that frame with Marissa Lavendera reaching on an error and scoring on a double by Krystal Gonzalez.
Antelope blew the game open in the last two innings, scoring three in the sixth and four in the seventh with four errors paving the way.
Chaffey (26-17, 11-3) made it closer, getting two in the seventh with Gonzalez again providing the big blow. The freshman out of Kaiser High School smacked a Perez offering over the left center field fence for her second home run of the season. It followed a double by Katelyn Outzen.
“She has a very good rise ball and it was really working today,” said Gonzalez, who struck out in the third. “You have to move up in the box and go for it before it rises.”
Antelope leadoff hitter Traci Wolf stole the show offensively, going 4-for-4 with a walk, triple and scoring five times.
Early in the week the Panthers thought the game would be for a share of the conference title but it ended up not meaning much because they suffered a 5-1 loss Wednesday to Mt. San Jacinto in which the team was lethargic from the start.
Rodriguez admitted it took some edge off the game on Friday but players say they were ready.
“We still had a chance to stop them from being undefeated in the conference,” Gonzelz said. “We still came in here with the attitude of winning the game.”
Rodriguez said he will give his team a few days off and await the playoff draw which will be announced next week. The Panthers should advance as the conference runner-up but will face a tough draw with a matchup against a strong Orange Empire conference team likely.
“We will give them a couple days off, then go back to basics and do the best we can to be ready,” he said.
The Panthers (23-8, 14-2) pounded out 16 hits and cruised to a 16-2 win over the Wolverines (21-15, 11-5) in a battle between the top two teams in the Foothill Conference.
The series continues with a noon doubleheader Saturday at Cal Baptist University since SBVC does not have a home field.
“He (Schile) wasn’t his best but he is a sophomore, one of our team captains. He is always going to battle and give a great effort,” coach Jeff Harlow said.
Schile’s effort was more than good enough. He went five innings, allowing just four hits and two runs (one earned) while striking out two, walking three and hitting one. He exited after the top of the fifth with his team in control 9-2.
The right-hander out of Miller High School said he was slowed by a back injury that flared up when he arrived at practice Wednesday.
“When I got to practice I couldn’t even bend over. I don’t even know when it exactly happened,” he said. “With the way our guys hit I knew I didn’t have to have my best stuff because we have been scoring a lot of runs. I was just trying to get some ground balls.”
Chaffey, which started the day with a two-game lead over SBVC, jumped on Wolverines starter Sam Konnoff for two runs in the first, one on a run-scoring single by Ryan Delgado and the other driven home by his brother Anthony.
The Panthers tacked on five more when they batted around in the third. All the RBI came from different players, with the only extra-base hit in the frame a double by James Koerner.
That 7-0 lead was never threatened. Chaffey got hits from 10 different players and RBI from nine. Anthony Delgado and Jonathan Costantino had three each while Willie Holmes stroked a home run.
Even the reserves factored in as freshman Robert Escalera came off the bench and ripped a two-run double in a five-run eighth.
SBVC totaled just six hits on the day, three of those by No. 9 hitter Alec Ortez who had a double and a triple and scored one of the team’s two runs.
Veteran SBVC coach Bill Mierzwik will try and win the series with his two most consistent pitchers on the mound Saturday in right-handers Tommy Bills and Teddy Martinez.
“We could have come out and lost 3-2 and it’s still a loss,” he said. “They play well here so we’re taking a gamble. It might backfire but we thought it was our best shot.”
Mierzwik, in his 18th year directing the team, is hoping his team can at least hold its position because the conference traditionally gets two teams in the playoffs. It would be a fitting reward for a team he has enjoyed.
“I have had very few teams I enjoyed as much as this one,” he said. “They just come out and play. It isn’t easy playing every game on the road and not one of them has complained. I would love to get in the playoffs because these guys deserve it.”
A Foothill Conference title is fine. But the Chaffey College baseball team has loftier goals. It is looking to make some noise in the playoffs instead of being sent home after the first round.
The Panthers (22-8, 13-2) finished off a three-game sweep of Victor Valley with convincing 14-6 and 16-6 wins Saturday at Lowder Field. They outscored the Rams 59-13 in the three games.
Even though the host team was comfortably in front most of the way, Chaffey focused on the little things it needs to do to get better - whether it’s putting down a bunt or moving a runner over. Coach Jeff Harlow used the big lead to his advantage, also working in some of his younger players.
The Panthers slipped up last weekend against Cerro Coso but still have a two-game lead with nine games left.
“Every inning we play we’re out there, working on something, no matter what the score is,” he said. “You can’t take anyone lightly because the minute you do bad things happen.”
In the past three years, the Panthers have been eliminated in the first round of the playoffs with Orange Empire Conference contender Cypress sending them home last year. The Panthers lost two straight games in the best-of-three set to the Chargers, blowing late leads in each game.
The playoff draw hasn’t been much help as the Foothill teams traditionally first draw a foe from the Orange Empire Conference which has the most depth of any in the state.
All say they are looking to change that trend last year. The Panthers have 15 sophomores on their roster so 2007 has not been forgotten.
“It was like that in high school too,” said shortstop James Koerner, who went 7-for-7 with three doubles and six RBI in the twinbill. “It was very disappointing because we know we’re better than what we showed and we want to make up for it this year.”
This Chaffey team has different strengths. Last year it relied on a solid pitching staff but this season it features a more powerful offense.
The Panthers pounded out 53 hits in the series against the Rams. Saturday third baseman Ryan Delgado had five - three doubles and two home runs. Koerner, designated hitter Willie Holmes, center fielder Jonathan Costantino and twins Chris and David Gwin have led the charge.
Harlow is looking to solidify some roles among his pitchers. Right-hander Andrew Schile and left-hander Andrew Steinmeyer, both sophomores, have been solid starters but the Panthers have not settled on a No. 3 hurler.
The Panthers are also looking for someone to pick up the slack for closer Steven Raburn, who is out with an arm injury. Freshman right-hander Erik Bastio is one candidate.
“I like the way we have been hitting the ball and it has been everyone contributing,” Harlow said. “That’s really what we’re going to need.”
The opposing team walked away impressed.
“I like what they have put together,” Victor Valley coach Bob Smith said. “They can play the short game, they can hit the long ball. It looks like they’ll win the conference and will be a strong representative.”
A pair of Kaiser High School products delivered big as the Panthers (26-14, 10-1) surged past visiting San Bernardino Valley College 12-3 in Foothill Conference action Friday.
Freshman catcher Jessica DeLuna had three home runs, including a grand slam in the second inning and collected nine RBI. She now has six home runs on the season.
Britni Baca, also a freshman, turned in a strong effort in the pitching circle, giving up just five hits and three runs and striking out six.
Freshman Chelsea Navarro had two hits for SBVC.
Chaffey will play nonconference games today against Citrus and Cerritos, both of whom are state-ranked.
