Baseball: Hawks use different method to beat Tars

Richard Dunn

NEWPORT BEACH - When last seen, the Laguna Hills High Hawks poked

five home runs in their cozy ballpark and won going away after Newport

Harbor coughed up a 5-1 lead.

In the Sea View League rematch Wednesday at Newport Harbor, it was a

little less dramatic in Laguna Hills’ come-from-behind victory, 10-9.

Instead of the long ball, Laguna Hills this time scored the winning run

on perhaps the most uneventful act in baseball: The balk.

The Sailors (2-7, 1-4 in league) rallied for an 8-2 lead in the second

inning, then were handcuffed at the plate the rest of the way by sidearm

right-hander Vince Abernathy, who gave up only two hits in the last five

innings.

After Laguna Hills took a 9-8 advantage in the fifth, the Tars tied it in

the sixth on a double by junior Alan Lane and RBI single by Nick

Langsdorf.

But the Hawks (6-5, 5-1), who won 12 days earlier against Newport with

home runs, 15-6, staggered across the tape with the decisive run in the

seventh inning against Sailor sophomore Cody Forsythe.

With the leadoff hitter out in the seventh, Chris Turner of Laguna Hills

singled to center and was balked to second and third base, setting up

Brian Anderson’s scoring fly ball to right field.

Forsythe, a 6-foot-2 1/2 left-hander who posted a 10-2 record last year

on the Sailors’ championship frosh/soph team, relieved starter Chris Ward

after five innings. Forsythe yielded only one hit in two innings.

Ward, a junior right-hander, gave up three earned runs and scattered 11

hits. After Newport Harbor built its six-run lead, Ward continued to

battle, throwing first-pitch strikes to 13 of the next 14 batters he

faced.

But the Hawks zoomed in on a tired Ward in the fifth, touching him for

four straight hits, including three doubles, in a four-run rally. The

inning was extended by a fielding error in the Newport infield.

In the second inning, Harbor chased Laguna Hills starter Kevin Barnum,

who walked three in the inning, but was also victimized by a passed ball

on a swinging third strike.

Ward drove home Newport’s first run with a line-drive single to left --

the first pitch he saw from Barnum -- and Nick Langsdorf added a two-run

single to center with a rocket-like shot against Abernathy.

With two outs in the inning and four Sailor runs across, Newport’s Scott

Beerer reached on an error to load the bases for senior Justin Jacobs. On

a 3-2 pitch, Jacobs clouted a grand slam over the wall in left, giving

the hosts an 8-2 cushion.

Abernathy, however, shut down the Sailors the rest of the way with his

sinking fastball, coaxing Tar hitters into 12 ground-ball outs (from 16

outs).

Harbor Coach Jim Kiefer, disgusted with the outcome, said he had no

comment after the game.

SEA VIEW LEAGUE

Laguna Hills 10, Newport Harbor 9Laguna Hills 202 140 1 - 10 12

2Newport Harbor 080 001 0 - 9 6 2Barnum, Abernathy (2) and Rochon;

Ward, Forsythe (6) and Brant. W - Abernathy, 2-0. L - Forsythe, 0-1. 2B -

Lane (NH), Turner (LH), Viglion (LH), Johnson (LH) 2. HR - Viglion (LH),

Jacobs (NH).