Steinmeyer stars as Chaffey wins 6-2

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.

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Cal State racks up CCAA softball honors

Cal State San Bernardino senior infielder Jordan Dahl today was named the California Collegiate Athletic Association’s most valuable player of the year by a vote of the conference coaches

Dahl, of Vacaville (Will Wood HS/Sacramento City College),  played 18 games at third base and the last 12 at shortstop for CSUSB in CCAA play, and was No. 1 in conference competition in hitting (.418), doubles (12), total bases (70), slugging percentage (.714), and was No. 2 in on base percentage (.491) and third in runs scored (25), hits (41),  RBI (21) and steals (10).

In the field, she handled 94 chances at third and shortstop with only two errors (.979 fielding percentage).

Overall, this season, Dahl batted ..375 in 61 games with 11 home runs,  15 doubles, a team-high 72 hits, a team-high 50 runs scored and stole 23 bases in 26 attempts. In 30 CCAA games she hit .475 in the leadoff position and .452 with runners in scoring position.

Joining Dahl on the all-CCAA first team were:

  • Freshman centerfielder Priscilla Curiel (San Bernardino/Cajon HS), who batted .329 in 30 CCAA games with a CCAA-leading eight home runs and 19 RBI and a .659 slugging percentage. Curiel handled 49 chances in the outfield without an error. Overall, Curiel hit .285 in 58 games with 10 home runs and 33 RBI.
  • Junior right-handed pitcher-outfielder Debbie Shisler (Phoenix, AZ./Scottsdale Christian Academy/West Alabama), who batted. .371 in 26 CCAA games and made only one error in 51 chances (.980) playing both left and right fields. In the circle, Shisler was 3-3 in CCAA play with a 2.77 earned run average. Overall, she hit .351 in 54 games with 10 doubles and 11 stolen bases, posting a 5-6 record in the circle with a 2.29 ERA and six complete games, two of them shutouts.
  • Senior second baseman Jamie Lowe (Norco, Norco HS, Cal Baptist) who batted .349 in 30 CCAA games with a CCAA-leading 12 sacrifice bunts hitting behind Dahl who led off most of the season. Lowe was an “at-large” selection. She hit .339 in 61 games, drew a team-high 30 walks and led the team in sacrifice bunts with 17.

Capping off the honors, Coach Tacy Duncan was named the CCAA’s “Coach of the Year”. In her three seasons, she had taken the team that struggled before she arrived to a third-place finish in the CCAA standings and the program’s first-ever appearance in a post-season championship tournament. CSUSB is also ranked No. 9 in the West Region.

Duncan’s team is 32-28-1 this season, equaling the second most wins in the history of the program dating back to 1987. In her three years, her teams are 80-87 overall and 47-47 in the CCAA. The program produced a dismal 38-129 record in the three years before her arrival.

Other first-team selections were Marissa Slattery, Natalie Galletly, Caitlin Klug and Lizzy Prescott from Humboldt State; Meghan Franksen, Jessica Gaumnitz and Alyssa Guzman of Cal State Stanislaus; Katie Jordan and Katie Garcia from Cal State Dominguez Hills and Allison May of UC San Diego.

Prescott was named the CCAA “Pitcher of the Year” while Nikki Ketteringham was selected as “Freshman of the Year.”

No Coyotes were selected to the second team..

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Two SBVC athletes sign with Cal State L.A.

Two athletes from San Bernardino Valley College will be continuing their careers at Division II Cal State Los Angeles. Both basketball player Shy Walter and soccer standout Megan Dias will attend the school which competes in the CCAA along with locals Cal State San Bernardino and Cal Poly Pomona.

Dias, a midfielder out of Colony High School, is the schools all-time leader in scoring (28 goals) and points leader (72). She was a two-time all-conference selection, managing 11 goals and 14 assists last season in helping the Wolverines to their best season ever.

She will be joining an Eagle team coming off its best season ever at 13-6-4. The team was ranked as high as No. 15 nationally last year.

Walter, a 5-foot-10 shooting guard out of Perris High School, averaged 11.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.4 steals in helping the Wolverines (26-6, 15-1) to a Foothill Conference title. She had a season-high of 23 points against Rio Hondo and a high of nine rebounds twice. She was a first-team all-conference selection.

Thats a good place for her, Crebbin said. Its close to home but not too close to home. What she does well will work into their style of play and she should be able to play right away. I am very happy for her.

Cal State Los Angeles (9-17) finished ninth in the 11-team CCAA last year.

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