Prep baseball: Sailors make some breaks

Barry Faulkner

NEWPORT BEACH - Proponents of raising the mound, expanding the

strike zone and generally helping pitchers in an attempt to limit

offense, might want to steer clear of the Newport Harbor High baseball

diamond.

With offensive statistics reminiscent of the dead ball era, Sailors

Coach Joel Desguin, just like Jim Kiefer before him, has had to

manufacture runs for so long, his players likely belong to a union.

“I’ve told our guys I’ll do whatever I can to help put pressure on the

defense,” said Desguin, who saw that philosophy pay off in a 6-5 victory

over visiting Costa Mesa in the consolation semifinals of the Pride of

the Coast Tournament Tuesday.

“You have to run the bases aggressively and make the other team throw

the ball around. The more you force the other guys to make plays, the

better chance there is of them making mistakes.

“We’ve been in a situation where we’re forcing teams to work for only

about four of their 21 outs. But we’ve been doing a better job of putting

the ball in play lately.”

The sudden increase in productivity has led to two-game winning

streak, after a seven-game slide in which the Tars beefed up opposing

pitchers’ stats. The Sailors will host Pacifica today at 11 a.m. in the

consolation title game.

And while the Tars (4-8) rapped out eight hits against two Mesa

pitchers, the Mustangs committed five errors to help Desguin demonstrate

his point.

Newport’s only earned run came in the first, when it rallied from a

2-0 deficit to take a 3-2 lead it failed to relinquish.

The first of two Harbor errors contributed to the Mustangs’

first-inning rally, in which both runs scored on an overthrow to second

base on a would-be pickoff throw from the catcher.

Leadoff man Mike McLean walked to start things for the hosts, then

went to third on a single by Ryan Heenan. A passed ball plated McLean and

Heenan scored on Jon Vandersloot’s groundout. Ryan Torrey then singled,

stole second and third and came home on the second Mesa error of the

frame.

McLean’s RBI single scored Andre Pinesett, and McLean later scored

when a line drive glanced off the glove of the left fielder.

Travis Moore scored the eventual winning run after singling, advancing

to second on a wild pitch and coming home when a low throw skipped away

from the first baseman on what would have been a groundout.

Mesa closed to within 6-3 when A.J. Perkins singled in Michael McGuire

in the fourth, then added two unearned runs in the sixth to create some

drama.

Mike Carrasco and Kevin DeSandro both singled, then circled the bases

courtesy of a wild pitch, an errant pickoff throw from the pitcher and

another mild defensive transgression by the Tars.

But Newport senior Cody Forsythe stranded the tying run at third in

the seventh, finishing out his four innings of relief without allowing an

earned run. Forsythe surrendered half of the Mustangs’ six hits, walked

two and struck out four to record the victory.

“Cody came in and threw well,” Desguin said.

Heenan paced the Sailors with two hits and a run, while senior

shortstop Mike Jones made the game’s best defensive play, turning a

bouncer up the middle into the second out in the seventh.

Junior Adam Beltran went 2 for 3 with a walk and a stolen base to lead

the Mesa offense, which was also hampered by having three runners thrown

out on the base paths, including two picked off first by Newport starter

Shane Glenn.

The Sailors were further handicapped when senior leadoff man Nick

Cabico left the game in the first with a hamstring injury.

Costa Mesa will host Saddleback today at 2 p.m. to close out

consolation action for 11th place.

PRIDE OF THE COAST TOURNAMENT

Consolation semifinal

Newport Harbor 6, Costa Mesa 5

Costa Mesa 200 102 0 - 5 6 5

Newport Harbor 321 000 x - 6 8 2

Cooper, Garcia (4) and Hunter; Glenn, Forsythe (4) and Moore. W -

Forsythe. L - Cooper. 2B - Moore (NH).