Prep baseball: Tars’ demise errors, again

Steve Virgen

NEWPORT BEACH - True to the name of the tournament they hosted and

true to the words of their coach, the Newport Harbor High Sailors had

much to be proud of while playing in the Pride of the Coast baseball

tourney.

Newport (4-9) was able to improve and won back-to-back games Monday

and Tuesday, after a one-run loss to Back Bay rival Corona del Mar

Saturday. So, an 8-6 consolation championship loss to Pacifica Wednesday

could not dim the Sailors’ light at the end of the tunnel.

The Tars know: If they eliminate errors they have a better chance to

win. Wednesday, the Sailors outhit Pacifica, 14-7, but they were done in

by four errors, which led to three unearned runs.

“We won two in a row and improved every game,” Newport Coach Joel

Desguin said. “We battled today. Hopefully, we’re going in the right

direction. We still have to eliminate some errors, and that got us

today.”

For the tournament overall, Desguin said the Sailors, “got the most

out of it.” In addition, the consolation championship produced an

opportunity for freshman Matt Erickson to make his pitching debut.

The Tars’ right-hander went four innings and showed strong character

in the fourth. After allowing two runs (one unearned), Erickson started

to show signs of falling apart. Then, a would-be double play by senior

first baseman Cody Forsythe went for naught because a catcher’s

interference loaded the bases. After, Pacifica designated hitter Alfonso

Auelua, who would later slam a towering solo home run over the

right-center field fence in the sixth, came up to bat.

Erickson battled with Auelua to a full count, then delivered a low

change-up pitch -- a swing and a miss -- for the strikeout, his second of

the game. Erickson led the next batter to a groundout to get the Tars out

of the jam.

“Erickson did a great job,” Desguin said. “We got four innings out of

him, which was what I wanted to do. I thought Cody would come in and do

what he’s capable of doing, then (Ryan) Torrey comes in and shuts them

down. But we had made some base running mistakes and errors. But,

overall, heck, any time when you win two back to back, it’s definitely a

good thing.”

Newport junior second baseman Ryan Heenan led the Tars’ 14-hit attack

with a 3 for 4 performance, while seniors Jon Vandersloot and Mike Jones

and junior Travis Moore added two hits each. Forsythe crushed a

bases-clearing double to the left-center field fence, scoring Andre

Pinesett, Torrey and Moore, to tie the score, 4-4, in the bottom of the

fourth. But the Mariners (13-3) responded with a three-run fifth, leading

to the win.

PRIDE OF THE COAST TOURNAMENT

Consolation championship

Pacifica 8, Newport Harbor 6

Pacifica 110 231 0 - 8 7 4

Newport Harbor 000 401 1 - 6 14 4

Estrada, Castre (5), Bowling (7) and Randall; Erickson, Forsythe (5),

Torrey (6) and Moore. W - Estrada. L - Forsythe. 2B - Bernard (P), Heenan

(NH), Torrey (NH), Forsythe (NH), Jones (NH). HR - Auelua (P).