Newport Beach Little League: Dominating day

Bryce Alderton

LAGUNA NIGUEL - South Mission Viejo should have known it might be

in for a long day in the bottom of the first inning of their first-round

All-Star game against Newport Beach.

Twice in the inning Newport Beach Little League National (9- and

-10-year-old) All-Stars threw out would-be Mission Viejo runners

attempting to score, and the bats eventually came out for Newport as they

cruised to a 14-4 win the District 55 All-Stars Tournament.

With one out in the first and Newport Beach leading 1-0, a Mission

Viejo hitter hit a line drive over the head of Newport right fielder

Cameron Koziara. Koziara ran to retrieve the ball, threw it to cut-off

man Brian Hurst at second, and Hurst fired to catcher Tommy Colton, who

made the tag for the out. Colton then ran to the backstop to fetch a

passed ball and alertly threw to pitcher John Doering covering the plate,

who tagged-out a Mission Viejo runner for the third out in the first.

The defense seemed to spark Newport, who scored three in the top of

the second to increase the lead, 4-0.

In the inning, Cory Vitalo led-off with a double and Jack Gerdau

sacrificed him to third. After a walk, Will Morrow laid down a bunt to

load the bases.

Parker Stone then lined a base hit to center field to score two.

Newport would add another run in the inning.

Mission Viejo scored three in the bottom of the third to pull within

4-3 but Newport countered in the top of the fourth with three more runs

with key hits coming on singles by Koziara and Doering and a double by

Colton.

Newport added five more in the top of the fifth and two in the top of

the sixth on Koziara’s double.

In the bottom of the sixth Newport turned a 6-4-3 double play as

shortstop Stone threw to Hurst at second, who then fired to Peter Fraaza

at first to complete the play.

Doering pitched a complete game while Mission Viejo used five

different pitchers.

“Doering pitched phenomenal, real crafty. He’s like a little Greg

Maddux out there,” said Newport Manager Ken Gerdau.

A strength of Doering’s is his ability to keep hitters off-balance,

Gerdau said.

“He’s one of the smartest player’s I’ve ever seen.”

Colton had three hits on the day while Koziara (two runs), Stone and

Doering each added two hits.Newport next faces North Mission Viejo at

noon Saturday at La Paz Sports Park in Laguna Niguel.