Prep baseball: Irvine finishes off season sweep over Newport

Joseph Boo

NEWPORT BEACH - It was a bad time for anyone to face Irvine High’s

baseball team. Unfortunately for Newport Harbor, it had to host the

Vaqueros Friday.

After the Vaqueros’ offense went shockingly numb in a 3-0 loss to

Woodbridge, their bats more than made up for it against Newport Harbor

with a 12-run explosion en route to a 12-6 win.

The first six Irvine batters started the game with hits and the Vaqueros

completed the Sea View League sweep of the Sailors.

“It’s the same old story,” Newport Harbor Coach Jim Kiefer said. “We

don’t start playing until we find ourselves way down. If we let ourselves

get down early, it’s hard to come back. And this game was over in the

first five minutes.”

After the first six batters, Irvine (11-3, 8-1 in league) had five runs

on the board. The big blow came from Terry Parker, who connected for a

two-run homer. Irvine, ranked No. 9 in CIF Southern Section Division I,

scored two more in the second inning and could have caused more damage if

not for a inning-ending double play.

Newport (2-11, 1-8) scored one in the first when Justin Jacobs singled in

Alan Lane. The Sailors made a game of it in the third inning by cutting

their deficit to 7-4. Irvine walked four batters to drive in Mike Jones.

Sean Rorden got the gift RBI with the bases-loaded free pass.

After two outs were recorded, Newport’s Garrett Brant singled off the

pitcher to score Nick Langsdorf. On the same play, Irvine’s shortstop

threw the ball away, allowing Jacobs to score.

But the Vaqueros put the game away in the fourth inning. John DeVries hit

a two-run homer to make the score 9-4. An RBI double by Travis Otott and

consecutive run-scoring singles stretched Irvine’s lead to 12-4.

“We made too many mental mistakes,” Kiefer said. “Regardless of where you

are in the standings, you have to play smart and aggressive, and we

didn’t do that. Irvine plays like that and I told our kids to take a look

at them and try to emulate that.”

Newport’s Miguel Sandoval came in as the relief pitcher in the fourth and

slowed down Irvine’s attack. He gave up one run in the 3 1/3 innings. The Sailors scored their final two runs in the seventh when a Brant double

scored Lane and Jacobs.

SEA VIEW LEAGUE

Irvine 12, Newport Harbor 6

Irvine 520 500 0 - 12 18 1

Newport Harbor 103 000 2 - 6 8 0

Bradford, Smith (3), Hazlett (7) and DeVries; Ward, Rorden (2), Sandoval

(4) and Brant. W - Smith. L - Ward. 2B - Lewis (I) 2, Otott (I), D.

Parker (I), Lane (NH), Brant (NH). HR - DeVries (I), T. Parker (I).