Baseball: Tars drop one late

Tony Altobelli

NEWPORT BEACH - Well, it wasn’t a no-hitter, but for Newport Harbor

High’s baseball team, this one might hurt a little more.

Leading, 7-1, after five innings over visiting Woodbridge, who no-hit the

Sailors on March 31, Newport’s good fortune dried up in a 9-7 Sea View

League loss Friday afternoon.

Newport (5-14, 2-11 in league) allowed six runs to the Warriors (10-9-1,

6-5) in the sixth inning to tie the game and two runs in the seventh to

pull out the win.

The Sailors jumped out early, scoring four runs in the first inning. The

big blow coming on senior Nick Langsdorf’s bases-loaded double down the

left field line, scoring Justin McCarthy and Miguel Sandoval.

But it was a game of missed opportunities for the Sailors, scoring only

seven runs on 11 hits and 10 walks. They stranded 11 runners on base.

The Sailors scored two more in the second on RBI singles by Alan Lane and

Donovan Wong, but poor execution caused Newport to have two runners

caught stealing, allowing a bigger inning from developing.

Woodbridge got on the board in the third with a run before Newport

responded in the fourth on a bases-loaded walk by Justin Jacobs, scoring

Sandoval.

Newport could have blown the game open in the fourth and fifth innings,

but left the bases loaded in both innings.

That’s when Woodbridge mounted a serious comeback, thanks to some help by

Newport’s defense.

After a leadoff single, the next Warriors’ hitter appeared to hit a

routine double-play grounder to shortstop, but the ball was booted,

leaving all runners safe.

The next batter, Bryan Beck, slammed a three-run home run to left-center

field, cutting the lead to, 7-4.

After the next batter flew out with what could have been the third out of

the inning, Woodbridge turned two doubles and three singles into three

more runs, the final run scoring on the back end of a double steal, tying

the game at 7-7.

Newport had a runner at second base with only one out, but could not get

the key RBI hit, leaving the game tied.

In the seventh, the Warriors’ Cole Edmundson singled to right, went to

second on a Newport error, went to third on a sacrifice bunt and scored

on a wild pitch, giving Woodbridge its first lead of the game, 8-7. An

RBI sacrifice fly made it, 9-7.

McCarthy, who walked three times and had two hits, doubled with one out

in the seventh. But a line out and a strikeout later, the game was over.

Sandoval had three hits and three runs scored, Jacobs had two hits and an

RBI and Land had a hit, two runs scored and an RBI.

Newport and Woodbridge will play again Monday night at Windrow Park

beginning at 7.

SEA VIEW LEAGUE

Woodbridge 9, Newport Harbor 7

Woodbridge 001 006 2 - 9 11 1 Newport 420 100 0 - 7 11 3

Erickson, Miller (3), Pearson (5), Beck (7) and G. Martinez; Rorden,

McCarthy (4), Ward (6), Jacobs (7), Sandoval (7) and Brant. W - Pearson.

L - Ward. S - Beck. 2B - B. Martinez (W), Frey (W), G. Martinez (W),

Langsdorf (NH), McCarthy (NH). HR - Beck (W).