Little League: NHBA goes down swinging

Steve Virgen

DANA POINT - The sixth inning came and the Newport Harbor Baseball

Association’s Mustang Division All-Stars had zero runs to show for

themselves. That’s when pride kicked in. That’s when NHBA Manager Chris

Hone said, “Don’t give up.”

Down 9-0, the NHBA All-Stars scored five runs, putting a scare into

Fountain Valley, but the deficit proved to be too much and Fountain

Valley won in the Dana Point Tournament at Del Obispo Park Thursday

night.

“We didn’t want to get mercied by them again,” Hone said, recalling

Fountain Valley’s 13-3 victory over NHBA two weeks ago in the Los

Alamitos Tournament. “We just wanted to win that inning. We did. And now

the kids can go home feeling good about themselves. We had the tying run

at the plate.”

The NHBA All-Stars left the bases loaded in the sixth, and the score

remained, 9-5.

Fountain Valley built a 9-0 lead with seven stolen bases that led to

runs, timely hits and a solo home run in the fifth inning.

However, the NHBA All-Stars rallied in the sixth inning. They went

through the batting order as starting third baseman Ronnie Dunmore led

off with a single. NHBA catcher Garrett Gallegos, who also made a

spectacular catch in left field in the fourth inning, reached on a

third-strike passed ball, which scored Jeff Frum.

First baseman and pitcher Chris Griffin later came up with an RBI

single and starting pitcher Nick Svendsen followed with the identical

effort, which scored Griffin. Svendsen scored on a passed ball with two

outs and the bases loaded.

“We just didn’t want to get blanked,” Hone said. “I told the kids, ‘We

have scored 10 runs (in one inning) before. We could do it again.’ ”

The NHBA All-Stars collected seven hits and left seven stranded, two

in the fourth inning when Fountain Valley completed a double play to end

the inning. A double play also ended the third after NHBA appeared to

have some life as Scott Ward led off with a single.

Gallegos, Mike Helfrich, Griffin, Svendsen, Adrian Rodriguez, Ward and

Dunmore finished with one hit each. Helfrich stole two bases, while

Rodriguez and Frum stole one each.

Svendsen, Griffin, Rodriguez and Helfrich combined for the pitching

duties. Svendsen went two innings, struck out three, scattered a hit and

allowed just one run.

Within Fountain Valley’s nine-run burst, NHBA was still able to record

some highlight defensive plays.

In the fifth inning, NHBA catcher Matt Sarvak gunned down a runner

stealing third. Also in the fifth, Frum, playing shortstop, stretched to

grab a blooper for the first out.

In the second inning, Dunmore went low to glove a grounder and threw

out the runner with a bullet to Griffin, who had to sprawl to a ballet

split to catch the ball.