Pony baseball: Sportsworld coming into its own

Steve Virgen

NEWPORT BEACH - With the toughest part of their schedule behind

them, the Sportsworld Boweries, of the Newport Harbor Baseball

Association, are ready to make their move to be among the elite in the

Pony division.

Sportsworld began the charge, Saturday, with a 9-4 victory over the

Calvary Chapel Eagles of Costa Mesa.

The Boweivels, who picked up their nickname from a Texas minor league

baseball team owned by the late racing great Dale Ernhardt, produced a

five-run second inning, breaking a 2-2 tie.

Sports world, the home team at Ensign Intermediate School, built a 2-0

lead in the first inning. Johnny Ashen walked and two balks moved him to

third. Patrick Keehan popped a sacrifice fly to score the first run.

Billy Munce also earned an RBI with a sacrifice fly that brought in Eric

Schelin who singled.

The Indians, however, answered with two runs in the second inning. Pat

Dayton walked to start the inning and Chris Hurley brought him in when

Hurley pounded a triple deep in right field. Brett Fielder grounded out

to score Hurley.

The Boweries (3-4) then broke open the game with the five-run second

inning. An Eagles pitcher’s balk scored Carmen Cimini and Robin Mirhadi

singled in John Mena. Mirhadi finished with two RBIs and Manager Tom

Keehan awarded him the game ball for his performance.

Ashen had an RBI double, Keehan grounded out and an error scored three

more runs in the second inning.

“We started slow this season,” Tom Keehan said. “But, now we’re

picking up steam. We are really playing better every week. We’re coming

into our own.”

Eric Schelin finished with three stolen bases, while Mena and Keehan

stole one base each. Keehan had two RBIs and Billy Munce and Ashen earned

one each.

Though the Eagles (5-4) lost, they came up with some sparkling

defensive plays. Hurley, who played third base, accounted for two double

plays. He ended the fourth inning when he fielded a grounder, tagged

third for the force out and threw out the runner before he made it to

first. Hurley also ended the sixth inning when he snagged a line drive

and threw out the runner who left second base.

The Eagles also had some offensive punch. Jordan Thoma crashed the

ball deep to left field for an inside-the-park home run. Thoma finished 3

for 4, while Geoff Brand had a double.

“They did good with the double plays,” Calvary Chapel Coach Steve

Mendez said. “When they do that, I give them bubble gum for their

reward.”

Schelin pitched three solid innings allowing three hits as he struck

out two batters. Munce and Kyle Kastner threw for two innings each as

they combined to strike out four and did not allow a hit.

Cody Smith, Pat Dayton and Daniel Duhaime pitched for the Eagles. They

combined to scatter seven and struck out three.

Note: Pony Division baseball is a 16-team league which consists of

squads from the Costa Mesa and Corona del Mar leagues and the Newport

Harbor Baseball Association.