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).
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