Little League Baseball: Newport All-Stars overmatched

Bryce Alderton

IRVINE - Unfortunately for the Newport Harbor Baseball Association

Bronco B All-Stars, the scoring started early for the Los Alamitos C team

and continued throughout the double-elimination District 3 All-Star

Tournament game Tuesday at Harvard Park. The result was an 18-2 Los

Alamitos victory in the contest between 11- and 12-year-olds.

Highlighted by a 10-run fourth inning, Los Alamitos scored two runs in

the other four innings of the game called after five due to the 10-run

mercy rule.

With 10 walks and 14 hits, Los Alamitos scored early and often. And

Newport Manager Chris Hone quickly gave credit where credit was due.

“(Los Alamitos) is a very good hitting team and it was hard to

overcome,” Hone said. “Hats off to them, they outplayed us.”

Los Alamitos scored its runs in a variety of different ways. They hit

the long ball, drove singles into the outfield, capitalized on errors, as

well as walks.

In the 10-run fourth, half of the six walks issued Los Al hitters

three produced RBIs. All six hitters who walked came around to score in

the inning as Los Alamitos sent 15 batters to the plate.

“The walks did us in,” Hone said.

When Hone walks to the mound to confer with his pitchers, he often

tells a joke or makes a comment to ease any stress the pitcher may be

feeling.

After speaking with starting pitcher Jerry Whitney during one timeout,

both Hone and Whitney chuckled as Hone walked back to the dugout.

“The first thing I do is ask something like, ‘Where do you guys want

to go tonight?’ or I’ll tell them to look at a cute girl in the stands,”

Hone said. “They’re nervous enough out there. My philosophy is that if

they haven’t learned it in practice, they won’t learn it in the game.”

Whitney struck out three in 3 1/3 innings before giving way to

relievers Trevor Jones and Drew Littlefair.

“Jerry pitched well,” Hone said. “Littlefair did a good job coming in,

especially for an 11-year-old. It was a tough situation for a kid to come

into.”

Littlefair, one of only two 11-year-olds on the roster, came in to

retire one hitter on a pop fly to second baseman Preston Davey. He then

struck out the final batter in the fourth.

Littlefair also pitched the fifth, striking out one and getting the

other two outs on ground balls fielded by shortstop Brandon Davis, who

threw to first both times for the out.

Unfortunately for Newport, the damage had already been done.

Two Los Alamitos hitters hit two-run home runs.

Starting pitcher Miles Cole blasted a towering drive over the

right-center-field fence in the first, and second baseman Trevor

Revtershan hit a two-run shot over the left-center-field fence.

Revtershan finished 2 for 2 with a double, home run, two walks, three

RBIs and three runs for Los Alamitos. First baseman Beau Wright went 3

for 4 with two singles, a two-run double, two runs, ending the day with

three RBIs.

Newport countered Los Alamitos’ two runs with its only two runs in the

bottom of the first.

The first two hitters, catcher John Swift and Whitney, walked and took

third and second, respectively, on passed balls.

Littlefair grounded out to the second baseman to score Swift with the

first run. The next batter, Davis, reached first after the second baseman

bobbled a ground ball, allowing Whitney to score and earn a short-lived

deadlock.

Newport tried to mount a rally in the fourth. Littlefair singled with

one out and Davis walked. Davey’s looper dropped a few feet past a

retreating first baseman into the outfield grass for a two-out single to

load the bases.

But Cole struck out the next batter to end the inning.

Cole pitched three innings, striking out seven, including the side in

the second, while allowing two hits and two runs (one unearned).

After the loss, Hone put the game in perspective.

“We played everybody and everyone is having a good time, that’s what

it’s all about,” Hone said. “If you give me 100% and try hard, I don’t

care what the score is at the end of the game, we won.”

Newport will play Saturday at 10 a.m. at the same site.