NEWPORT SENIORS SET SAIL

Melanie Neff

Newport Harbor High’s softball team ended its season Thursday with a

salute to the seven graduating seniors.

Senior Amanda Campbell, who hasn’t been able to play due to an

undiagnosed illness, was honored with a position as third-base coach,

while the remaining six seniors started in the field against visiting

Foothill in the Sea View League game.

Sabrina Couch, Shelby Crisp, Athena Vasquez, Kim Moore, Bailey

Bearden, Jenny Daniels and Campbell were all given gifts and posed

for pictures with family and friends. There was dancing in the dugout

and hugs all around.

It seemed a happy ending to a fairly dismal season.

The Sailors finished 9-11, 2-8 in league under first-year coach

Sharon Wolfe. Last season, the Sailors won only one league game under

Coach Jesse Martinson.

“It was a tough year,” said Athena Vasquez, who will play at the

University of Wisconsin next year. “We liked Jesse a lot, so it was a

little tough with a new coach coming in.”

Wolfe, who also coaches the Sailors’ field hockey team and coached

the softball team seven years ago, admitted it wasn’t the easiest of

seasons, but she was happy even with a 6-1 loss to Foothill on

Thursday.

“Today was great, despite the loss,” Wolfe said. “Everyone was

finally working together and seemed to gel for the first time.”

How tough the season had been for Wolfe was obvious at the end of

the game when two separate sets of parents came up to thank her for a

job well done and for dealing with all difficulties thrown in her

path.

“I appreciate everything you put up with and all the adversity you

had to deal with here,” one parent said. “I know it wasn’t easy for

you. You did a great job.”

“Thank you for everything you did for my daughter,” another said.

“She became a much better player because of you.”

Wolfe didn’t want to air any grievances, but did say it wasn’t

always easy.

“The changeover was tough,” she said. “It’s been very tough trying

to adapt. [Martinson] knew a lot of these kids from travel ball, so

it was hard for them to see him go.”

The Sailors ended the season against a tough Foothill squad that

beat them, 19-0, the first time they met. So, by all accounts,

Thursday’s loss was a small victory. Again, it was errors and lack of

offense that cost Newport the game.

The Sailors were able to muster just two hits, while committing

five infield errors that led to four unearned runs.

“We just can’t hit in league,” said Wolfe, whose team went 7-3 in

their nonleague schedule. “Errors have been killing us all season. We

had strong potential to be 10-0 at the beginning of the year, but we

lost a lot of one-run games.”

The Sailors did, however, catch a glimpse of some future stars

Thursday.

Sophomore Julianne Bass, who took over at catcher to replace

Campbell, recorded two putouts at second base and tagged out two

runners trying to score. Sophomore Ashley Gleason had several strong

assists from the third base.

However, any team that loses seven senior starters is going to

have some rebuilding to do.

“We are really going to have to step it up and work just as hard

next year,” Bass said. “We have to gel as a team and be able to pick

ourselves up after we make mistakes. We just have to learn to always

keep our heads up.”

*--*

Sea View League

Foothill 6, Newport Harbor 1

Score by Innings

Foothill 012 012 0 -- 6 10 1

Newport 000 100 0 -- 1 2 5

LaRue and Hartfiel; Moore and Bass. W --

LaRue, 13-4. L -- Moore, 6-10. 2B -- Lowe

(F), Beasley (F), Moore (NH)

*--*