NHBA Bronco: Dodgers reign supreme

Tony Altobelli

NEWPORT BEACH - The Dodgers showed just how powerful a combination

quality pitching, stellar defense and powerful offense is with a 12-2

mercy-rule win over the Red Sox in Saturday’s Newport Harbor Baseball

Association Bronco Division (ages 11-12) championship game, held at

Mariners Park.

The 10-run win is the third straight mercy-rule win by the Dodgers in

the playoffs. “It’s been an awesome season,” a drenched but happy Dodgers

Coach Ron D’Cruz said, shortly after getting doused by a healthy portion

of ice water. “We’ve got three awesome pitchers and our offense has been

really hitting the ball hard all season long.”

For the Red Sox, their improbable run from worst to first came a game

short. After finishing last in the regular season, the Sox came alive in

the playoffs and clawed their way to the title game.

“All year, even when we were losing, we were in every game,” Coach

John Houten said. “We got hot at just the right time, but today, we

simply ran out of gas. I’m so proud of these players. They never stopped

believing in themselves.”

But it was the Dodgers who found the scoreboard in the first inning,

jumping out to a 3-0 advantage. Ian Goodwin, Dan Winkle and Jerry Whitney

each had RBI hits, while Eric Paine, R.J. D’Cruz and Winkle scored the

runs.

After a scoreless second inning, the Dodgers went back to work in the

third inning. Paine singled and scored on a triple by Goodwin.

Two batters later, Jarrett Daniel, upon request from an excited

parent, launched a two-run home run over the left field fence. Winkle

followed with a triple and scored on another RBI hit by Whitney, making

the score, 7-0.

The Red Sox tried to mount a comeback in the fourth. Matt Helfrich was

hit by a pitch and scored on a bad-hop triple by Brett Houten. The next

batter, Spencer Smith, drove in Houten with an RBI grounder, cutting the

lead to 7-2.

But the Dodgers responded in the bottom of the fourth with three more

runs. Trey LaGrandeur tomahawk-chopped his second double of the game down

the left-field line and would score on a single by Robert Timlin. Paine

followed with an RBI single, scoring Timlin before Goodwin drove in his

third run of the game with his third hit, a single to left.

The Dodgers closed out their scoring in the bottom of the fifth.

Winkle singled and stole second and third. Whitney walked and stole

second, setting up a two-run, game-ending single by Alan Orozco.

Winkle had three hits and three runs scored, Paine had two hits and

three runs scored, Goodwin had three hits and three RBIs and Whitney and

Orozco each had two RBIs.

NHBA Bronco Division Dodgers

24 Eric Paine

26 Ian Goodwin

23 R.J. D’Cruz

6 Jarred Daniel

27 Dan Winkle

28 Jerry Whitney

31 Alan Orozco

30 Chase Behr

29 Trey LaGrandeur

32 Jake Dayton

25 Robert Timlin

Coach - Ron D’Cruz

NHBA Bronco Division Red Sox

24 Matt Helfrich

30 Brett Houten

29 Spencer Smith

26 Brock Schuler

33 Tommy Olson

31 Steven Keitzer 23 Vince Newsome

32 Michael Garcia

25 Stefan Brysha

27 Brett Adams

Coach - John Houten