Prep baseball: Irvine leaves Tars half satisfied

Barry Faulkner

NEWPORT BEACH - In the baseball equivalent to the age-old

philosophical debate about which portion of a partially filled glass to

acknowledge, Newport Harbor High supporters were optimistic and/or

pessimistic following Wednesday’s Sea View League opener against visiting

Irvine.

The Sailors played, arguably, their best ball of the young season, only

to fall to reigning Sea View co-champion Irvine, 3-1.

On the bright side, senior right-hander Justin Jacobs pitched a

complete-game four-hitter with four strikeouts and two walks. The

third-year varsity starter had more hits than he’d given up, until the

Vaqueros (4-2) had back-to-back singles in the scoreless seventh.

Backing Jacobs’ sterling performance (just 73 pitches, 43 strikes) was a

strong defensive effort, which included a pair of double plays. Three

additional Vaquero baserunners were erased on the base paths, one via a

quick Jacobs pickoff move to first and another gunned down on a would-be

steal of second by catcher Garrett Brant.

Sailor supporters were supplied offensive optimism from Jacobs (3 for 3),

Scott Beerer (2 for 3) and Nick Langsdorf, who belted leadoff homer high

over the center field fence in the fourth.

Newport leadoff man Miguel Sandoval also did his job, reaching in three

of four plate appearances, including a picturesque bunt single in the

fifth.

“It was a good showing,” Newport Coach Jim Kiefer said. “Jacobs pitched a

helluva game. He made good pitches when he needed to (working out of a

bases-loaded, no-out jam in the seventh). He had been a question mark for

us, but he should gain confidence from todays’ performance.”

Kiefer, however, recognized the unsatisfactory result, created by two

no-doubt Irvine home runs and a lack of clutch hitting by the younger

members of the Harbor order.

“It’s tough,” Kiefer said of absorbing the loss on a day when his team

played so well. “Our young hitters have to learn how to deal with a

pitcher who gets into a rhythm (Irvine’s Chad Hazlett). We missed a

squeeze bunt (fouled off) and we had men on second and third twice with

one out and didn’t score (in the fourth and sixth).”

Harbor (1-4) stranded six runners and had another erased on a

second-inning double play.

Irvine got all the offense it needed on no-doubt homers by Chris Lewis

and Travis Otott in the first and second, respectively. Otott’s blast

followed a hit batter to finalize the scoring.

Hazlett, a second-team all-league pick a year ago, needed just 90 pitches

(63 strikes) to record Irvine’s first complete game. It was his third

straight victory over Harbor.

“Tip your cap to him,” Kiefer said of the right-hander. “He’s a

competitor.”

Sea View League

Irvine 3, Newport Harbor 1

Irvine 120 000 0 - 3 4 1

Newport Harbor 000 100 0 - 1 7 2

Hazlett and DeVries; Jacobs and Brant. W - Hazlett, 4-1. L - Jacobs, 1-2.

HR - Lewis (I), Otott (I), Langsdorf (NH).