Baseball: Aliso topples Harbor, 8-4

Richard Dunn

NEWPORT BEACH - The law of averages caught up with Newport Harbor

High’s baseball team Friday in the fourth inning of a scoreless Sea View

League game against highly regarded Aliso Niguel.

After Newport Harbor starter Joel Brown worked his way out of trouble

in each of the first three innings, the senior right-hander wasn’t so

fortunate in the fourth as the visiting Wolverines pushed across the

game’s first three runs on a blooper down the right-field line.

“Joel wiggled his way out of a couple jams early, but then they

started hitting it where we weren’t,” Harbor Coach Jim Kiefer said,

following Aliso Niguel’s 8-4 victory.

The Wolverines (7-2, 3-1 in league), who had a runner thrown out at

the plate earlier in the fourth on a relay by Newport second baseman Alan

Lane, had two runners in scoring position with two out in the inning, but

Brown walked their No. 9 hitter to load the bases and keep the inning

alive.

Chris Fielder, Aliso’s leadoff hitter, dropped a Texas Leaguer just

inside the line in right field to score two runs, then a relay dribbled

past a Newport infielder for an error, allowing a third run to score on

the play.

“It’s a weird game,” Aliso Niguel Coach Mike Chapman said. “We’re

hitting the ball right on the button for three innings and we have

nothing to show for it, then an absolute chinker scores three runs. Wow,

that’s really weird.”

After the Wolverines picked up three runs in the fourth, they managed

three more in the fifth and two in the sixth for an 8-0 lead against the

Sailors (4-4, 1-3), who spoiled Aliso Niguel 6-foot-3 senior southpaw

Todd Difley’s shutout bid in the sixth.

Brown, 2-1, worked out of first-inning trouble, after the Wolverines

had runners on second and third and nobody out.

In the second inning, Newport right fielder Cameron Pemstein made a

circus catch on a ball hit deep by Aliso’s Brian Serocke with a runner

aboard.

Then, in the third, Harbor left fielder Jon Vandersloot made an

off-balance catch, while fighting the tricky wind, when Aliso had a

runner at second base.

While Aliso was hitting the ball on the screws, Brown was doing a

high-wire act.

Aliso Niguel’s Sean Koch opened the fifth inning with a home run to

center, chasing Brown and prompting Chris Ward to relieve. Ward

surrendered two unearned runs in the fifth and two more in the sixth.

Newport committed two of its seven errors in the seventh, but Aliso left

the bases loaded and did not score.

In Harbor’s half of the sixth, catcher Garrett Brant ripped a two-out

double to the base of the wall in right-center field to score Mike Jones,

giving the Sailors their first run and ending Difley’s impressive outing.

Difley, who had a no-hitter through 3 1/3 innings, gave up only two

hits and struck out six in 5 2/3 innings.

Later in the sixth, against Aliso reliever Koch, Vandersloot produced

a two-run single to left field and Pemstein connected on a run-scoring

double to left.

Harbor’s fifth and sixth innings ended on called third strikes on

fastballs, and two of its outs in the seventh were the result of looking

at fastballs for strikes.

Brant was 2 for 3 for Harbor. Brown struck out Aliso’s No. 3 hitter,

Jeremy Burchett, three times.

SEA VIEW LEAGUE

Aliso Niguel 8, Newport Harbor 4

Aliso Niguel 000 332 0 - 8 10 1

Newport Harbor 000 004 0 - 4 4 7

Difley, Koch (6) and Serocke; Brown, Ward (5) and Brant. W - Difley,

2-0. L - Brown, 2-1. 2B - Fielder (AN), McClelland (AN), Brant (NH). HR -

Koch (AN).