Newport Beach Little League: Reds and D-backs set for title tilt

Bryce Alderton

NEWPORT BEACH - This is it.

It’s what every player who suited up the first day of practice dreams

about - playing in a championship game.

And the Reds and the Diamondbacks of the Newport Beach Little League’s

Major Division will get that chance Thursday at 5 p.m. at Lincoln

Elementary.

The Reds (13-8) will have had four days of rest after defeating the

Giants handily 6-0 Saturday, while the D-backs, 15-3 during the regular

season, are working on two days rest after defeating the Angels, 1-0,

Monday night.

The D-backs defeated the American Division champion Reds both times

the teams dueled in the regular season, once in the first game of the

year with the second time coming late in the regular season, as the

D-backs won, 9-4.

In the teams’ most recent meeting, Chris Rosen, who pitched for the

D-backs, had three hits, Connor Whalen added two hits and Scott Colton,

Garrett Amoroso and Tommy Colton each belted key hits for the D-backs.

Steven Manning, Mason Sayer and Amoroso kept the Reds in-check on the

mound.

Andrew Silva (two hits), Blaine Nielsen, Timmy Winning, Brett

Bartlett, Eric Mooney and Joe Frey all contributed to the Reds’ offense

in defeat that day.

Reds Coach Dan McNerney, one of three coaches alongside Manager Fred

Silva, hopes the Reds reverse their fortunes against the D-backs

Thursday.

McNerney thinks the early-season jitters in that first game are behind

the team as they prepare for the title game.

“We made a lot of errors and they capitalized on that,” McNerney said.

“They pitched well and we were in a slump at the plate and not hitting

the ball. But we’re feeling good right now. Our pitchers are in the zone

and our hitters are solid right now, making good contact with the ball.

They are a great team, well-coached, with great players that hit the ball

very well. They have solid hitters just like we do.”

The Reds roll through the playoffs has included wins over the

Mariners, 10-4, Yankees, 5-2, and the Giants, 6-0.

“We’ve just had a real consistent lineup that’s been able to generate

a couple of good strong run-scoring innings every game for us,” McNerney

said. “We’ve relied on strong pitching that’s been hard to hit with lots

of strikeouts. If both (pitching and hitting) are in the zone, we think

we’ll have a good game.”

That hitting and pitching McNerney speaks of came to fruition against

the Giants.

Blaine Nielsen led the Reds on the mound, striking out the first three

batters on nine pitches, and went three innings allowing no hits while

striking out nine.

Nielsen also starred at the plate, belting a solo home run over the

left-field fence in the bottom of the second.

Andrew Silva, who had an RBI single and also doubled in the game

against the Giants, threw three innings in relief, allowing no hits while

striking out five.

The National Division champion D-backs had the Angels number in recent

days, beating them, 11-4, Saturday and, 1-0, Monday.

D-back starter Chris Rosen allowed only one infield hit and only two

Angel baserunners advanced past first base in Monday night’s game. Rosen

finished with eight strikeouts.

Rosen, Garrett Amoroso and Fletcher Della Grotta combined to stymie

Angels’ hitters Saturday.

In the game, Rosen hit a three-run home run in the first inning as

Scott Colton and Doug Kelley each contributed two hits. Other key hits

for the D-backs came from Whalen, Riley Sullivan, Sayer and Michael

Epstein.