Storm riding high

The Newport Beach Storm advanced to the American Wood Bat League

championship series against the second-seeded Costa Mesa Reds with a

recent two-game sweep of the Southern California Crush in the

semifinals.

The Storm, the 2004 Winter League Division champions, shut out the

Crush, 5-0, in the first of a three-game series Feb. 27. Jason Sena

provided strong pitching.

Andy Torres, a pitcher in the Toronto Blue Jays minor league

system, held the Crush to three hits and one earned run to help the

Storm to a 7-1 victory in the second game and the series sweept.

Costa Mesa resident Jerry Lehman went 4 for 5 and scored two runs

while Ramsey Ochoa was 2 for 4 with two RBIs and two runs scored.

Jelonic Mojorovic went 3 for 5 with two RBIs and two runs scored

while Brian Hewitt closed the game by striking out four and allowing

just one hit.

The Storm is made up of talent from Costa Mesa and Newport Beach.

Catcher Chris Miller, currently playing for the Chicago Cubs

affiliate in Daytona, Fla., is a Newport resident while Lehman is the

founder and president of the AWBL and has lived in the area for 20

years.