NHBA Mustangs just miss at the wire, 15-14

Steve Virgen

The two teams in the District 2 All-Star Mustang Championship

game, Newport Harbor Baseball Association A and Dana Point A, lived

up to the billing and then some Sunday at Harvard Park.

The NHBA All-Stars scored 14 runs, put up 18 hits and lost. That’s

not a misprint.

Dana Point, for the second time in two weeks, defeated NHBA in a

title game, after its 15-14 victory Sunday. Trailing 15-10, in the

top of the sixth, the final inning, NHBA scored four runs on two out,

but Dana Point ended the rally and advanced to the Mustang Section

Tournament.

Dana Point also defeated NHBA, 6-4, in the final of the Dana Point

Classic Tournament, a practice tourney for the District 2

competition. Earlier in the Dana Point tournament, NHBA scored a 10-7

victory over Dana Point.

“These are the two best teams (in District 2),” NHBA Manager Rich

Hogan said. “We could probably end up seeing them again in the

sectional tournament. We want that.”

The NHBA All-Stars still have to win one more game to advance to

the Section Tournament. They play Tuesday at 5 p.m. against the

winner of the second-chance bracket. NHBA expects to advance and its

All-Stars are more motivated because of the loss to Dana Point and

because of their high-powered offense.

NHBA scored at least one run in each of the six innings, starting

off with four runs in the top of the first. Austin Deyan and Chad

Seeber led with back-to-back doubles, the latter an RBI-double. Blake

Davey came up with a single, then Justin Todd hammered a two-run home

run. Alex Maddox also singled, and Connor Curry collected an RBI

double, as the NHBA All-Stars displayed their power.

Davey finished 3 for 5 with a walk a double and two run scored.

Deyan had two doubles, three RBIs and three runs scored, contributing

another 3 for 5 performance. Ryan Albert collected two hits, as did

Todd.

Todd was injured after he was hit by a pitch in the fourth. It was

his third at-bat. He homered and doubled to the right-centerfield

fence before being hit by the pitch. He tried to pitch in the bottom

of the fourth after being hit but the pain intensified in his right

throwing shoulder. He was hit by the pitch on his shoulder blade.

“That threw off our rotation,” Hogan said. “And, then we missed

his hitting in the lineup. But, that’s baseball. and that’s the way

it goes.

“(The NHBA All-Stars) had an awesome effort,” Hogan continued. “We

started out strong and we never gave up. All the kids played well. We

had only one strikeout.”

Albert also had an extra base hit for NHBA. He almost came up with

a home run, after his towering fly ball hit the left-centerfield

fence.