Sea Kings feast on Newport

IRVINE — It’s still early in the season, but first-year Corona del Mar High softball coach Laura Mayberry thinks she may be onto something.

For the past two Saturdays, the Sea Kings have come out flat in their first game at the Northwood Tournament. But, after eating a big meal, they have played a lot better in the nightcap.

“You guys are like gremlins,” Mayberry told her team after CdM’s 8-0 six-inning win over Back Bay rival Newport Harbor in a Northwood Tournament consolation game at Bill Barber Park. “I feed you, you eat like monsters and you play well. We have to organize some sort of team feeding.”

In the early innings against Newport Harbor, Corona del Mar (3-6) showed that it wasn’t yet full. On the game’s very first pitch from the Sailors’ Jane Messersmith, the Sea Kings’ Katrina Gaar bunted for a base hit.

Allie Duernberger followed with a single to center, and both runners advanced on a passed ball. Leslee Kaczmarek struck out but reached base as the ball went to the backstop, scoring Gaar for a 1-0 CdM lead.

Michelle Tolfa and Karissa Dempsey added RBI groundouts, helping the Sea Kings to a 3-0 advantage after half an inning.

The Sea Kings had been shut out in three of their previous four games, so Tolfa, CdM’s senior pitcher who is Princeton-bound, appreciated the run support.

“Definitely,” said Tolfa, who struck out eight and walked just one. “That gave me a lot of confidence. Our bats have been pretty quiet for the past couple of games, so that was a good start. It’s definitely fun to play a rival; we were all pumped up for it.”

Newport Harbor (1-8) attempted to answer in the bottom of the inning. With one out, Casey Lucas and Lauren Talbott both singled. But Tolfa induced a flyout and groundout to escape without any runs scoring.

Messersmith singled in the third and drew a walk in the sixth, but no other Tars batters got on base the rest of the game.

“It took me about an inning to warm up,” Tolfa said. “The first inning was just OK, but after that I felt pretty good.”

The Sea Kings added a run in the third when Holly Van Hiel singled in Kaczmarek, and two more in the fourth when Baylee Robertson and Gaar were both hit by pitches and eventually scored.

Gaar, who scored three times, walked in the sixth and scored home on Kaczmarek’s first-pitch triple to deep right. Tolfa’s RBI single then gave the Sea Kings the 8-0 margin of victory.

The game was called after six innings because it had reached the 90-minute time allotment.

Gaar, Duernberger and Kaczmarek, the first three hitters in the CdM lineup, were six for nine with seven runs scored.

“That was big,” Kaczmarek said. “We haven’t really had everyone cycle through the lineup and hit like that. It was great. It pumped up our dugout so much.”

Messersmith went the full game for Newport Harbor, striking out seven — all of them swinging.

For the Sea Kings, Mayberry said the win was another step in the right direction after an encouraging 1-0 Pacific Coast League loss on Friday against Laguna Hills.

The Hawks, who advanced to the CIF Southern Section Division I quarterfinals last season, are ranked No. 6 in the current Division III poll.

“It was nice that we were making good contact tonight,” Mayberry said after dispatching CdM’s Back Bay rival. “Some of the hitters who have kind of been in a slump were getting on base, which has been what’s been holding us back a little bit.

“Maybe food is fuel or something. We might have to have group lunches in my room on each game day now.”

Gaar had a triple to pace the Sea Kings’ three-hit attack.

Tolfa limited the winners to three hits, striking out five in a complete-game effort.

Northwood Tournament

Consolation Game

Corona del Mar 8,

Newport Harbor 0

Score by Innings

Tolfa and Gaar; Messersmith and Knight. W -- Tolfa, 3-6. L -- Messersmith, 1-5. 3B -- Kaczmarek (CdM).

Cathedral Catholic 3,

Corona del Mar 0

Score by Innings

Tolfa and Gaar; Goccia and Rosales. W -- Goccia. L -- Tolfa, 2-6. 3B -- Gaar (CdM). HR -- Rosales (CC).