Bronco All-Stars tune up

Tony Altobelli

LOS ALAMITOS - The long ball giveth and the long ball taketh away.

One day after ripping four home runs to advance to the Los Alamitos Fish

Fry Tournament semifinals, the Newport Harbor Baseball Association Bronco

Division “A” All-stars gave up two costly dingers in a 6-4 loss to Garden

Grove at the Los Alamitos Little League Park Tuesday afternoon.

“Hey if it was a prizefight, we would have won on rounds,” Manager Kevin

Heenan said. “That’s what happens when you get pitches up against a

good-hitting ballclub like Garden Grove.”

All of Garden Grove’s runs came in the third inning courtesy of a grand

slam by Alfie Baca and a two-run shot by Sean Hill.

It was Newport that jumped out to an early lead, thanks to a couple of

defensive miscues by Garden Grove outfielders.

Back-to-back fielding blunders, followed by a safety squeeze by Alec

Martinez and an RBI single by Nick Frazier, gave Newport a 2-0

first-inning lead.

It became 3-0 in the second when Davis Pemstein singled to left, went to

second on another outfield error, went to third on a wild pitch and

scored on a Blake Fogg RBI single.

But from there, the Newport bats went into hibernation against Garden

Grove’s ace pitcher Mike Geiger. Geiger struck out seven over three

innings and allowed only two hits.

After Garden Grove’s big third inning, Martinez kept Newport in the game,

throwing 2 1/3 scoreless innings with four strikeouts.

“Alec really threw the ball well for us,” Heenan said. “He knows how to

spot his pitches real well.”

Newport scored a run in the top of the sixth, but poor baserunning

prevented a larger offensive output.

Kurt Yacko and Dennis Heenan each singled and hot-hitting Billy Munce was

at the plate with nobody out.

Newport tried to pull off a double-steal, but instead had two runners at

second base, one of whom was tagged out.

“Probably one of our biggest weaknesses is a lack of baserunning

insight,” Kevin Heenan said.

Following that play, Munce ripped an RBI single to left-center, but the

next two hitters struck out to end the threat.

Pemstein led Newport with two hits and also threw two scoreless innings

to start the game.

Dustin Schuler threw a scoreless seventh inning, striking out the side

and Donny Hunt made several solid defensive plays at second base.

Using the Los Alamitos tournament as a warmup, Newport will get down to

business in the Pony All-Star District playoffs, beginning Friday at 5

p.m. at Westhaven Park in Garden Grove.

“Our season starts Friday,” Heenan said.