Newport puts up the numbers

Bryce Alderton

Numbers, as in the case of the Newport Harbor Baseball Association’s

Bronco A All-Star team, and the lack thereof for the Tustin B team

spoke louder than any detailed description could afford a first-round

matchup in District 2 play Thursday afternoon at Westhaven Park.

The Newport line: 24 runs -- 16 in the fourth inning -- on 21

hits. For Tustin: no runs and no hits.

Three players (Nick Svendsen, Ryan Albert and Austin Wobrock) had

two hits in the fourth inning, while six batters crossed the plate

twice during the frame. Albert batted three times in the inning. Each

of Newport’s 12 players scored at least once, with Svendsen touching

the plate four times and Wobrock crossing three times.

Starting pitcher Adrian Rodriguez and Albert, who came on in

relief to begin the fourth inning, combined to face the minimum 15

batters in the mercy-shortened, five-inning game. Rodriguez struck

out seven, twice fanning the side, while Albert tallied four K’s.

Rodriguez walked Cole Ambrose, the first batter of the game, but

was helped with an inning-ending double play later in the first.

First baseman Danny Moskovits knocked down a hard-hit grounder as he

fell to his knees, touched the bag, and fired to third baseman

Michael Helfrich, who made the tag on the sliding runner. Tustin

didn’t get a baserunner after that play.

Albert said he wasn’t aware of the impending no-hitter when he was

on the mound.

“We were just thinking of winning,” he said. “I try to do the best

I can with every opportunity I get. We played good as a team today.”

Newport, which improved to 10-5 in the all-star season, relies on

a balanced attack, which could explain the success, especially on

Thursday, Manager Rich Hogan said.

“We have good balance,” Hogan said. “All 12 have been playing a

lot and battling hard for [playing time]. Some teams rely on four or

five guys, we don’t.”

Svendsen went 5 for 5 with four singles and a triple, scored four

runs and knocked in two runs while Moskovits went 2 for 2 with two

walks, a single and triple, while tallying a game-high six RBIs.

Following Svendsen and Moskovits in the order was the cleanup hitter,

Rodriguez. The starting pitcher went 3 for 3 with two runs scored and

three RBIs, including a mammoth two-run blast -- his fourth home run

of the all-star season -- that cleared the left-field fence in the

fourth.

A Newport coach said the fence measures 280 feet from home plate,

some 70 feet longer than the structures at the fields Newport plays

on during the regular season.

“If anyone hits it over that, they are a stud,” Newport Coach Len

Moskovits said before Thursday’s game.

Once Rodriguez touched home plate, where he was mobbed by

teammates, Len Moskovits told the slugger, “That is major league.”

Hogan estimated the ball traveled 300 feet and was the farthest

home run he has seen Rodriguez hit this season.

Wobrock knocked in three, scored three times and went 3 for 3

while Albert tripled, singled, had two RBIs and scored twice.

Jacob McCann knocked in three while also tripling and scoring

twice.

Alex Maddox walked, singled, tallied one RBI and scored twice.

Jack Grace went 1 for 4 with a walk, single, two runs scored and

an RBI along with a single and a run by Blake Davey.

Austin Deyan had an RBI single and a run scored while Scott Ward

walked and crossed the plate once.

The 24 runs Thursday was not the most Newport has scored this

season.

In a pre-district game, they scored 38 runs.

“The kids hit really well today,” Hogan said. “We’ve just been

playing a lot, with two tournaments and a bunch of practice games.”

Newport’s next matchup in the nine-team double-elimination

tournament is today at 5 p.m. at the same field against the winner of

Anaheim A and Dana Point B, which played each other Friday night.