CdM comes back for win

CORONA DEL MAR — All the Sea Kings needed was a little patience and they could wait for the balls to start eating away La Habra High pitcher Ryan Tornell.

Corona del Mar had a three-run rally in the sixth to open the season with a 4-3 win against the Matadors, scoring two unearned runs after Tornell walked two consecutive batters with the bases loaded.

It was the first game of pool play for the Sea Kings in the Newport Elks tournament.

It started when La Habra first baseman Chris Morales failed to recover quickly enough from Michael Bloom’s infield single to right for the put-out. Not only did Bloom reach safely, he got the RBI for driving in junior shortstop Danny Moskovits. Moskovits scored after reaching on a single to left, then stealing second. A single by Andy Rovzar’s put him on third.

After Moskovits narrowed the Sea Kings’ deficit to 3-2, La Habra Coach Mate’ Borgogno walked to the mound for a conference with the Matadors’ reliever.

It didn’t help.

Freshman left fielder Will Morrow drew the game-tying walk when Tornell threw four straight balls.

“I just wanted to help the team,” said Morrow, whose second-inning single was his first career hit. “Sometimes you don’t have to get a hit to help the team.

“There was a single in front of me [Bloom’s] and it was a single that would tick a pitcher off because it wasn’t a great hit. I knew he was going to be a little angry so I went up there thinking — I was kind of nervous — I went up there, sat on the first pitch, and he threw a ball. He threw another ball and coach gave me the take sign, so I scooted up, stood on the plate, and he threw two more.”

Bloom, who was two for four, had his first career hit Friday as well.

Then John Doering drew a full-count walk after fouling off three balls, allowing Rovzar to score the two-out, go-ahead run. After a four-inning scoring drought, the Sea Kings went through the whole lineup in the sixth. Borgogno was yelling at the umpire because he didn’t think he was calling the strike zone fairly, until the umpire admonished Borgogno to go to the dugout and stay there.

“We’re a really young team, so we have to just take what they’re going to give us and I think they got concerned about the umpire an awful lot and kind of lost focus on the game,” said Sea Kings Coach John Emme, who has five seniors on the team this year. “We kind of just snuck it away from them.”

Sophomore catcher Beau Attyah finally ended the inning when he flied out to right. The Sea Kings held on for the win, retiring three batters in the seventh. Doering caught Christian Salinas’ fly-out to right, and recovered in time to throw to junior Steven Manning for the put-out at first. Pitcher Brent Weinberger threw to Manning for the last out of the game.

It was a welcome turnaround for the Sea Kings, who dug themselves in a bit of a hole after committing two errors in the second and another in the third.

The Matadors scored their first run in the second when Zach Esquerra stole home after reaching on a grounding error at first base. A throwing error by the Sea Kings’ shortstop on the next at bat put designated hitter Kenny Heil on first. And in the third, an error at third base allowed Matadors’ third baseman Eric Jenkins to reach. He eventually scored the second run for La Habra when Tornell singled to left.

Emme credited junior pitcher Matt Morris with saving the Sea Kings.

“When you’re a pitcher and they’re making mistakes behind you it’s easy to get rattled, and Matt Morris, who’s definitely going to be one of our top pitchers, showed composure and handled it well and kept us in the game until he exited in the sixth inning and gave us a chance to win,” Emme said. “That’s the kind of maturity we need to see.”

Morris had three consecutive strikeouts to start the game. He faced 22 batters and gave up four hits.

Newport Elks Tournament

Foothill Division

Pool Play

Corona del Mar 4, La Habra 3

Salinas, Tornell (6) and Cavazos; Morris, Weinberger (6) and Attyah. W – Morris, 1-0. L – Tornell, 0-1. Sa – Weinberger.

SORAYA NADIA McDONALD may be reached at (714) 966-4613 or at soraya.mcdonald@latimes.com.