Loara Baseball Tournament : Bowen’s 3 RBIs Help Huntington Beach Top Newbury Park, Gain Final

The Huntington Beach High School baseball team withstood Newbury Park’s seventh-inning rally Thursday at La Palma Park to advance to the final of the Loara tournament.

Huntington Beach will play Villa Park, a 4-3 winner over Ocean View, Saturday at 7 p.m. in the championship game.

Huntington Beach (7-0) scored four runs in the top of the fifth inning to pull away to a 10-5 lead.

However, in the bottom of the seventh, Newbury Park had Chris Fick single in Dan Smith and Don Smith with one out to cut the Huntington Beach lead to 10-7. A fielder’s choice, Eric Greene’s single, and a walk loaded the bases and brought the winning run to the plate.

Ken Pope came in to relieve Tim Wimbish (3-0) and struck out James Alvarez to earn his third save.

Senior left fielder Chris Bowen led Huntington Beach offensively by going 3 for 4 with a home run, three runs scored, two steals and three RBIs. Dominic Alvarez (2 for 4) also had an inside-the-park home run for the Oilers.

“I started off pretty well this year,” said Bowen, who was 2 for 2 with three RBIs Thursday against Irvine. “I think (the home run pitch) was a curve ball--it was over the plate.”

Jason Bettinger, Chance Agnew and Gerod Cawhorn each had two hits for Huntington Beach.