Baseball: Sailors lose close one to Mater Dei
There were six exhibition games scheduled in the Sunset League vs. Trinity League Baseball Challenge.
The fifth one between Newport Harbor High and Mater Dei appeared in jeopardy. Rain on Friday threatened Saturday afternoon’s game at Newport Harbor.
“I am always optimistic,” Newport Harbor Coach Evan Chalmers said of getting in the game, even though it rained on Friday morning.
Chalmers’ outlook was just as sunny as the weather on Saturday.
The Sailors and Monarchs played seven innings, and Chalmers liked what he saw from his team. Newport lost the hard-fought game, 2-1.
“It’s a good measuring point to see if we’re ready to play high-intensity games,” said Chalmers, whose Sailors open the season with a doubleheader at Esperanza on Feb. 25. “That was a Sunset League-type of game with good energy. We played it close.”
Hugh Gibbs threw four strong innings for the Sailors. The senior struck out five, giving up one run, four hits and two walks.
When the right-hander left the game, the Sailors and Monarchs were even at 1-1.
Mater Dei scored the go-ahead run in the top of the fifth inning. Jonathan Schiffer, a senior heading to the University of Washington, singled to center field, driving in a run. The Sailors kept it close when third baseman AJ Stefano turned a double play, catching a line drive right at him, and then stepping on the third-base bag.
Cameron Mahaffy got out of the inning by inducing a groundout. The sophomore settled down after giving up two hits and walking one in the fifth, and the Sailors stayed in it.
The hosts had a chance to tie it in the bottom of the seventh. Spiro Stameson singled toward the right-field line, and he moved to second base when the right fielder lost his footing. With one out, the Sailors had the game-tying run at second and the game-winning run at the plate.
Hunter Cranton put an end to the threat. The University of Arizona commit struck out the next two batters swinging, and the Monarchs held on. The final seven outs the sophomore recorded were via strikeout.
Cranton only allowed one hit and walked one during his three-inning stint to pick up the save. Michael Thomas, a senior, got the win after going four innings.
“It was a close game [between] good ballclubs,” said Mater Dei Coach Burt Call, whose team opens the season against La Verne Damien on March 2. “It was kind of a regular-season type atmosphere with a big crowd, and there were a little nerves going on.”
Those nerves helped the Sailors strike first, as Mater Dei committed an error early.
After Max Crabbe singled with two outs in the first inning, Newport Harbor’s big hitter, Cade Seabold, hit a fly ball toward left-center field, where the left fielder dropped the ball. The miscue allowed Juan Gomez, who was pinch-running for Crabbe, to score from first base.
In the top of the second inning, the Monarchs responded. Gibbs got the first two batters out, but he fell behind left-handed-hitting Kelley Holgate, and Holgate doubled to deep center. A walk and a throwing error loaded the bases for Mater Dei, which was only able to tie things up.
Emilio Rosas, a junior committed to Cal, got an infield single, his second hit in as many innings, to bring in a run and make it a 1-1 game. Gibbs got out of the inning after Mahaffy, playing center field at the time, chased down a ball in right-center.
Mahaffy is one of five returning starters, along with Seabold, a senior, Crabbe, a junior catcher committed to San Jose State, shortstop John Olmstead, a sophomore committed to USC, and second baseman Kyle Carmack. Seabold, who last year earned first-team All-Sunset League honors after hitting .507 with two home runs and 16 runs batted in, had a hit and walk against Mater Dei, which shared second place in the Trinity League with Orange Lutheran last year.
Chalmers believes the Sailors will again compete in the Sunset League. Last year, they placed fourth, a game away from qualifying for the CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs.
Before the season begins, the Sailors are heading to Hawaii on Wednesday for more exhibition games. Those games will be in the Maui Invitational.
Twitter: @ByDCP
