Newport Beach Little League: Dodgers claim AA title with hot bats

Steve Virgen

NEWPORT BEACH - The Newport Beach Little League’s Dodgers broke

away from a 2-2 tie to claim a 13-4 victory over the Red Sox in the AA

championship game at Lincoln Elementary Saturday.

In the top of the third inning, the Dodgers’ David Weiland broke the

tie when he smashed a triple and an error allowed him to cross the plate

after he brought in Nick Flamson and Francesco Impagliazzo. Weiland’s

huge hit seemed to enliven his teammates as they used the momentum to

score three runs in the fifth and five more in the sixth.

“They just hit great today,” Manager George Logan said of his Dodgers.

“Their attitude has been great all season. Whenever there was a pressure

situation, they always came through.”

Pitcher Kyle Danese, who is better known as “Iceman” because Logan

says he’s so cool under pressure, relieved the Dodgers of a pressure

situation in the fifth inning.

He struck out a Red Sox batter with two outs and the bases loaded.

Manager Bart Thomsen’s Red Sox managed to score one run in the inning

when Parker Werline thumped an RBI single to bring in Joshua Harrison.

The Red Sox (11-2-3) took a 1-0 lead after the first inning. Will

Morrow led off with a double and he scored after Werline earned his first

RBI.

The Dodgers (18-6), however, answered with two runs in the second.

Danese and Chris Burke scored as Burke and Karl Fletcher picked up an RBI

each.

Flamson tied the score after Harrison’s RBI and then the Dodgers’ bats

came alive.

Danese, Chase Nugent and Fletcher scored a run each in the fifth and

the Dodgers put the game out of reach when Flamson, Jarrett Logan,

Weiland, Danese and Burke tallied one run each in the sixth.

Danese showed some more coolness in the clutch, taking down the Red

Sox with the bases loaded and no outs in the sixth. He led one batter to

an infield fly ball for the first out. He then scooped a ball from a bunt

and tossed it home for the force-out. He ended the game when he induced a

groundout and the Dodgers celebrated near their dugout.

NEWPORT BEACH LITTLE LEAGUE

AA CHAMPIONSHIPS

Dodgers

8 Nick Flamson

99 Jarrett Logan

77 David Weiland

88 Kyle Danese

2 Chris Burke

19 Chase Nugent

11 Karl Fletcher 3 Carter Taylor

9 Gustaf Hellmer

5 Francesco Impagliazzo

Manager: George Logan

Coaches: Robert Danese, Rob Goodmanson and Michael Flamson

Red Sox

9 Will Morrow

25 Parker Werline

5 Blake Thomsen

15 Weston Nielsen

8 Brennan Anderson

24 J.B. Salem

23 Joshua Harrison

19 Jackie Anderson

2 Andrew Conger

7 Peter Markel

Manager Bart Thomsen

Coaches: Don Morrow and Steve Kwong