Little League baseball: Newport on the brink

Bryce Alderton

IRVINE - At least the Newport Beach American Little League Majors

Division All-Stars can look forward to playing in another game this

season.

Thus the beauty of double-elimination tournaments, as Newport Beach

will try to rebound from Saturday’s 7-0 loss to Rancho Niguel at Hicks

Canyon Park and prepare for its next game at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in the

District 55 Tournament.

Newport Beach will face either Rancho Santa Margarita or Viejo/Laguna

Beach.

Rancho Niguel scored three runs (all unearned) in the first and added

three more in the second to build an insurmountable 6-0 lead.

“The errors killed us in the first two innings,” said Newport Beach

Manager Fred Silva. “Down six runs, we were sort of shellshocked. We had

the pregame jitters of coming to a new field, concern about the unknown.”

Newport Beach committed three costly errors in the first and had four

passed balls, which allowed Rancho Niguel runners to advance into scoring

position.

Trailing, 3-0, in the bottom of the first, Newport Beach leadoff

hitter Mitch Sands and the next batter, Nick Freeman, walked, bringing up

Joe Eberhard.

Eberhard hit a bullet that second baseman Mychael Harbin caught inches

above the dirt and alertly threw to first baseman Logan Lee, who then

threw to shortstop Zack Luther at second base for a triple play.

Newport Beach had at least one runner on in all six innings, but

grounded into an inning-ending double play in the second, and twice

grounded into fielder’s choice force outs at second base to stop any

scoring chances.

“We just didn’t put the ball in play,” Silva said. “They were thinking

and we weren’t. They pitched well enough to get us swinging at balls in

the dirt.”

Morgan Williamson and Josh Lee stopped many balls from rolling to the

backstop, which pleased Rancho Niguel Manager Ed Luther.

“(They) did a great job blocking balls in the dirt,” Luther said.

“There’s all kinds of room between home plate and the backstop where

runners can take one or two bases and score if you’re not blocking the

ball. Newport Beach is a good team. We were fortunate to come out on

top.”

Four Rancho Niguel pitchers combined to give up three hits, with eight

strikeouts and four walks.

But after Rancho Niguel scored its final run in the third, a leadoff

home run by Michael Nadel, Newport Beach pitching settled down. Patrick

Brennan took the the hill and allowed no runs on one hit while walking

one and striking out one.

Newport’s defense also shook off some early butterflies, as shortstop

Eberhard and third baseman Freeman caught back-to-back line drives in the

fourth and center fielder Mitch Sands caught two fly balls in the second

and fifth innings.

Eberhard was 2 for 3 and Andrew Silva added the third Newport hit.

Three of Rancho Niguel’s first four hitters reached base and scored in

the first, but Josh Lee was the only one who scored after a hit.

Rancho Niguel hitters pounded four hits in the second, getting

contributions from Ryan Birkinshaw, who singled and scored, and Stephen

Ferguson, who singled in a run and scored.

Morgan Williamson had an RBI triple to right field in the third and

finished with two RBIs and scored twice. Harbin was 2 for 4 with two

singles and two RBIs.

Two years ago, Silva coached the 9- and 10-year-old All-Stars that won

seven straight games after dropping the first one, so he is optimistic

about his team’s chances.

“Nothing is impossible. I think we have a lot of talent on this team

and we just need to execute.”