Newport Harbor contained, 7-0

Barry Faulkner

If the Mustang division title game of the Dana Point All-Star

tournament was a backyard whiffle ball contest, nothing coming off

the bats of the Newport Harbor Baseball Association White team would

have landed in any neighbors’ yards.

Newport Harbor batsman, in fact, sent just three balls out of the

infield in a 7-0 loss to Fountain Valley Saturday at Del Obispo Park.

Newport Harbor did manage four hits, but one was an infield

chopper, another was a bad-hop carom off the shortstop and another

bounded untouched up the middle and into center field.

Only Max Meisenheimer’s line drive to right provided any challenge

at all for Fountain Valley outfielders.

Predictably, this did not bode well for Newport Harbor’s scoring

chances, though the designated visitors did put runners at third base

in the second, fifth and sixth innings.

Newport, which concludes its all-star campaign 5-8, loaded the

bases in the sixth. Dalton Jansen drew a one-out walk, Chris Okey’s

ground ball hit something on the infield dirt that directed it off

the shortstop’s shoulder for a single. Then, Meisenheimer forced the

right fielder several steps to his right in order to keep the

well-struck single from finding the gap.

But Fountain Valley, which improved to 10-0 in the all-star

season, maintained the shutout by getting the final two outs on a

foul pop and a strikeout.

Though it struggled offensively, including 10 strikeouts, five

groundouts and three infield pop-ups, Newport Harbor battled a strong

Fountain Valley squad nearly evenly after falling behind, 5-0, the

first two innings.

A pair of Newport errors led to Fountain Valley’s only

first-inning run and another error contributed to a four-run

second-inning rally that included four of the winners’ seven hits.

From there, Fountain Valley scored only twice: an RBI single in

the third and an errant throw to third base after a wild pitch in the

fourth.

With runners allowed to lead off, per Pony baseball rules,

Fountain Valley stole 13 bases, while Newport Harbor had five steals.

Newport finished with four errors, to Fountain Valley’s one.

Okey made a sliding catch of a sinking line drive in left field to

highlight the Newport Harbor defense, which also included a sterling

play by shortstop TK McWhertor, on a ground ball in the hole.

McWhertor ranged to his right to backhand the bounding ball and

threw accurately to first for the out.

McWhertor singled, stole second and advanced to third on a wild

pitch in the fifth. But he was stranded when the next hitter struck

out.

Shane MacGilfrey sparked a mild second-inning uprising by Newport,

when he grounded a ball up the middle for a one-out single. He then

stole second and third and Robert Lyons followed with a walk and a

steal to put two runners in scoring position.

But a strikeout, then a groundout to the second baseman squelched

the rally against Fountain Valley starter Scotty Schultz.

Schultz struck out seven in four one-hit innings, giving way to

Daniel Patzlaff, who fanned three in two relief innings.

Newport Harbor Manager Joe Kapana said his team improved during

the course of its three tournaments, which included a third-place

finish in the Placentia tournament.

Chase Kapana was the team’s leading hitter during all-star

competition.

Other contributors for Newport Harbor included Steven Duhoux,

Charlie Gels, Josh Rivera and Jason Rodriguez.

The team was comprised of three 9-year-olds and eight

10-year-olds.