Bryce AldertonIf a director were writing a...

Bryce Alderton

If a director were writing a script for the second annual Battle of

the Bay Pony Series between Corona del Mar and Newport Harbor

Baseball Association’s 14-year-old All-Stars, he or she would have

used the eraser quite often.

In yet another dramatic ending to the third and decisive game of

the season, CdM first baseman Kelsey Chase ripped a tailing fastball

over the fence in right field for a walk-off, two-run, two-out home

run to cap a three-run inning and give the designated home team a 6-5

victory over Newport -- and the series championship -- for a second

consecutive year Friday at Eastbluff Park.

“I knew I made solid contact when I hit it,” said Chase, who had

gone 0 for 3 prior to his final at-bat. “It was my most crucial home

run.”

Chase finished the season with 15 home runs with his game-winner

Friday. The incoming Mater Dei freshman’s picture is taped to the

outside of the dugout, designating him as the league’s home run

leader.

“We had Chase’s number the previous two days,” said John Houten,

the Newport Harbor manager. “I hated walking Tyler [Brady] the other

night, so I was not going to walk [Chase]. The first four batters of

the their lineup are so good.”

CdM rallied for two runs in the bottom of the seventh to defeat

Newport, 9-8, in the series opener, when Houten decided to

intentionally walk Brady, keeping the inning alive.

Brady singled twice earlier in Friday’s game before Newport

starter Jarrett Daniel, who pitched the entire game, struck him out

for the first out of the seventh. Daniel then fanned Chris Rosen, who

had singled twice, scored and tallied one RBI, before facing Chase.

“I went out to the mound and said, ‘Man, is this great or what?’ ”

Houten said. “I asked [Daniel] if he wanted to pitch to Chase and he

said yes.”

Daniel struck out 11, allowing 10 hits and only two walks while

Brady and Kyle LeGrand, who kept the seventh inning alive with an

infield hit, led the way on the mound for CdM. Brady allowed four

runs in four innings, striking out two, while LeGrand pitched three

innings, allowing only one run and striking out two.

LeGrand came up with a key strikeout with the bases loaded to stop

a Newport threat in the fifth. Brady induced two groundouts to end

the fourth after Andrew Skjonsby’s fielder’s choice knocked in Thomas

Southern to give Newport a 4-3 lead. Southern blasted a solo home run

to lead off the second, went 3 for 3 and scored three runs.

CdM tied the game, 3-3, in the third on Conner Whalen’s two-out

double, scoring Rosen and Blaine Nielsen, who had both reached on

singles. Nielsen, whose single scored the winning run Wednesday, went

2 for 4 with two runs scored, including one in the seventh.

Michael Ford went 2 for 4 with a run scored for CdM while

Newport’s Nathan Todd scored once and had an RBI. Blake Pinto doubled

and scored in the third while Brett Houten added an RBI single in the

first. Skjonsby collected two RBIs. Newport didn’t score more than

one run in any inning, but either led or was tied until the final

batter.

“We started adjusting to Jarrett,” Nielsen said as he bit into the

last half of a hamburger, just part of the food assortment shared

between families and players of both teams afterward.

A Wiffle Ball game between players began shortly after the players

feasted on the chips and salsa, hot dogs and brownies. Coaches

laughed together.

“It is a storybook ending all will remember,” Jim Ferguson, CdM

Pony’s director of operations, said, after he presented the trophy to

CdM Manager Steve Brady. Brady gave it to Chase. Ferguson called the

game behind the plate when umpires failed to show.

“Whether we won or lost, it was good, clean baseball,” John Houten

said. “Nobody made a mistake. They beat us, we didn’t beat

ourselves.”