Baseball: Tars get blanked

Tony Altobelli

NEWPORT BEACH - Newport Harbor High’s baseball team was looking for

some positives in Friday’s North Orange County Classic pool-play contest

with visiting La Serna heading into Sea View League play on Wednesday.

They’re still looking.

Not a lot of things went right for the Sailors in their 10-0 loss to the Lancers and with Irvine first on the Tars’ league menu, some positives

better be found.

“I don’t really know what to say after a game like that,” Coach Jim

Kiefer said. “We didn’t hit today and our pitching took a major step

backward.”

Lancers’ pitcher Derek Krause had a lot to do with the Sailors’ lack of

offense. He threw a complete-game two-hitter, striking out six. It was

the second consecutive complete-game shutout for the senior righthander.

“He did a good job of hitting his spots and changing his speeds,” Kiefer

said. “But we gotta do a better job of swinging the bats out there.”

The major damage came in La Serna’s fourth inning. With two outs and

nobody on base, nine straight Lancers’ batters reached safely, with six

of them scoring, turning a 4-0 lead into a 10-0 blowout. The big blow was

a three-run home run by Krause.

“We didn’t do a good job of changing speeds well and we’re not hitting

our spots,” Kiefer said. “We’re gonna have to find a couple of guys that

can come in and do a good job for us.”

On the positive, Scott Beerer, the Sailors’ No. 1 pitcher, is expected to

make his 2000 pitching debut in the league opener at home against Irvine

at 3:15 p.m. He’s been kept off the mound due to an injured lower back.

“Obviously, we’re excited to get him back pitching,: Kiefer said. “He’s

feeling better and better every day. We’re definitely gonna need him down

the stretch.”

Beerer and sophomore Mike Jones had the lone hits for Newport (1-3).

“We haven’t gotten our offense going at all,” Kiefer said. “We’ve got to

start scoring runs if we’re gonna start winning.”

For the Whittier-based Lancers (2-2), Tim Roberto had a solo home run,

two doubles, two runs scored and two RBIs and Richard Olivarez added two

hits and two RBIs.

NORTH ORANGE COUNTY CLASSIC

Pool play

La Serna 10, Newport Harbor 0

La Serna 103 60 - 10 14 2

Newport Harbor 000 00 - 0 2 4

Krause and Olivarez; Jacobs, Forsythe (4), Ward (4) and Langsdorf, Beerer

(4). W - Krause, 2-0. L - Jacobs, 1-1. 2B - Koza (LS), Roberto (LS) 2,

Krause (LS), Gomez (LS). HR - Krause (LS), Roberto (LS).