Newport now looks at second chance

LAGUNA NIGUEL — With Newport Beach trailing Aliso Viejo 5-0 in the top of the third inning, Jake Hastings stepped up to the plate.

Aliso Viejo hadn’t allowed a single runner in what had been a perfect game. Hastings then got plunked in the stomach. He shook it off and ran to first while fans applauded Saturday at Chapparosa Park.

Hastings then stole two bases, advancing to third. Unfortunately for Newport Beach, he was the lone player to reach base all game.

“Well, it felt good because we didn’t have a base runner yet,” Jake Hastings said. “[Today] we’re just going to try to get more base runners and get the ball in play.”

The game was called after 3 1/2 innings under the mercy rule, 12-0, in Aliso Viejo’s favor in a quarterfinal of the District 55 All-Star Tournament’s 9-10-year-old division.

“This one was tough,” Newport Beach Manager Duane Hastings said. “[The opposing pitcher] had pretty good control.”

Remy Wassierbach pitched a no-hitter for Aliso Viejo, including six strikeouts through four innings. He struck out the side to end the game.

“Instead of trying to take a pitch and hope to walk, we had to go up there and swing the bat the last inning,” Hastings said. “Great credit to [Wassierbach], he is a tough, tough pitcher.”

Aliso Viejo Manager Dave Wilkins said Wassierbach pitched a no-hitter before reaching his pitch count limit in his last outing, and hasn’t given up a hit in the tournament.

“We don’t have anybody in our Triple A that throws that hard,” Hastings said. “So it’s just an adjustment we’re not ready to make yet.”

Mason McLaughlin took the hill to start for Newport Beach. The bottom half of the first inning began with an easy fly ball to first base, but then Jake Wilkins started a one-out rally for Aliso Viejo.

Hastings went with Ryan Maister — his ace pitcher all year long with hopes that Maister could stop the rally.

But Aliso Viejo had too much firepower.

The Aliso Viejo All-Stars scored five runs in the first inning and seven runs in the third, applying pressure to Newport Beach.

By the end of the game, Newport Beach knew it had to turn its attention toward today.

“I think our pitcher was just on, [Newport Beach] had some great swings,” Wilkins said. “We watched them the other night and scouted them and we figured we were in for a great game.”

While the Newport Beach All-Stars lost in the winner’s bracket of the quarterfinals on Saturday morning, they are not eliminated. They have a chance for redemption at 10 a.m. today in an elimination game.

Hastings hopes his team will put the ball in play.

“It seemed like every ball [Aliso Viejo] hit found a hole,” Hastings said. “It wasn’t like we weren’t making plays.”

JASON KORNFELD may be reached at (714) 966-4616 or at jason.kornfeld@latimes.com.