Newport Beach Little League: Angels off to fast start

The Angels of the Newport Beach Little League Majors Division

opened their season with two victories over the Cardinals and Yankees.

The Angels started the season with a 14-4 win over the Cards. Shane

Boras, who went 3 for 3 with three runs scored and three RBIs, led the

Angels, while Andy Rovzar (2 for 3 with three runs scored and an RBI) and

Hunter Alder (2 for 3 with two RBIs) also made significant contributions.

Rovzar also pitched two scoreless innings for the win.

The Cards were led by Aaron Northcraft, who pitched two scoreless innings

and drove in two runs with a key hit, and Reed Zachman, who picked up a

key hit and played solid defense.

The Angels also defeated the Yankees, 5-1. Angel pitchers, Alder and

Rovzar, combined to limit the Yankees to one unearned run in the six

innings. For the Yankees, Patrick Brennen and Brett Weinberger combined

to strike out 12 batters.

The Angels’ Michael Page went 2 for 3 with two runs scored and two RBIs,

while Rovzar had a triple and Boras finished with two hits and an RBI.

Defensively, Michelle Zucker made great plays at third base, thwarting

two Yankee rallies. With two outs and the bases loaded in the sixth, she

grabbed a hard-hit ground ball and stepped on third base to end the game.

In other NBLL Majors Division action:

Reds 3, Cardinals 1 - Pitcher Blaine Neilsen held the Cardinals to one

run over six innings to help lead the Reds to the victory.

The Cards took a one-run lead in the top of the third inning on singles

from Reed Zachman and Michael Bloom. But the Reds responded in the bottom

of the third with consecutive hits from Brett Bartlett, J.P. Gormly and

Sean Tokuyama, that resulted in a 2-1 Reds’ lead.

The Reds added another run in the fourth with a single by Andrew Silva

and an RBI double from Neilsen.

The Cardinals threatened in the top of the sixth by putting runners on

second and third with one out, but Silva came on in relief to retire the

next two batters and earn the save for the Reds.