Tars start slow, rally for tourney win

NEWPORT BEACH — Blake Davey almost took the Newport Harbor High first base coach’s head off.

Near the batter’s box, Davey adjusted, going through his routine, winding his bat up like he was going to release a bowling ball before the bottom of the fourth inning.

One practice hack later, the barrel of the bat nearly found a sweet spot — Brad Stanfield’s head.

Stanfield avoided a beating. San Juan Hills wasn’t so fortunate Saturday afternoon.

The Sailors came back from four runs down and won their first game in the Beach Pit Classic, 11-6, at home.

Davey started the rally, reaching first on a walk. The Sailors scored five times in the fourth to take a 7-4 lead.

The public address announcer said Davey’s birthday is today. Pitcher Nick Vlahakis might want to take out his catcher because Davey called a good game.

Vlahakis turned in a solid performance for Newport Harbor (4-8), which has won three of its last four games. The right-hander threw 50 pitches, 37 for strikes, in five innings in relief to improve to 2-1.

When the senior entered in the third, the more experienced Sailors trailed a team with no seniors or juniors. San Juan Hills (5-7), playing a varsity schedule for the first time, took a 4-0 lead in the second inning.

“They had a lot more patience than I did,” Coach Evan Chalmers said of his Sailors. “I get nervous real fast.”

Chalmers settled down and he goes into Monday, when Newport Harbor resumes the 16-team, four-day tournament at home against Ventura at 11 a.m., feeling good.

Seeing Vlahakis challenge the Stallions and his players take his advice, and that of Stanfield, the almost headless first base coach, helped calm Chalmers down.

Dan Hurley led the charge, a role unfamiliar to him during games. The junior usually sits because Dillan Freiberg patrols center field. Freiberg received a day off.

Chalmers rewarded Hurley with a start for his tireless effort during practice. Hard work creates opportunities and Hurley capitalized on his, going three for four.

The only thing Hurley missed out on was hitting for the cycle. He singled, doubled and tripled. All hits the other way, to right field.

“I’ve started before,” Hurley said, “but this was my major debut.”

Hurley knocked in the Sailors’ first run in grand fashion, legging out a triple in the second.

In the fourth, he drove in two runs to tie the game at 4-4. What led to the fourth-inning surge was simple to Hurley.

“At the beginning [of the season], it was always individual,” said Hurley of the Sailors’ hitting plan. “We always thought about ourselves, getting on base. Then coach … teaching us, ‘Let’s think about the counts, hit the fastballs, put the ball in play, and see if we could move guys over.’”

The Sailors followed through with an aggressive brand of baseball. Double steals led to a run in the fourth.

In the same inning, Jacob McCann delivered in the clutch for the Sailors. With the bases loaded, he recorded his lone hit, picking up two runners to push the advantage to three runs.

The following inning offered three straight extra-base hits for Newport Harbor. Hurley drove in a run with a double. Matt Carpenter brought in Hurley with a blast off the center-field fence, good for a double, but Carpenter tried to stretch it into a triple and was thrown out at third.

Another player resting Saturday got a chance to swing away. Ryan Albert belted a shot to straightaway center for his first home run of the season.

“We gave him a pinch-hit shot,” Chalmers said, “and he tagged it.”

Better the ball than his first base coach’s head.

Beach Pit Classic

Newport Harbor 11, San Juan Hills 6

SCORE BY INNINGS

Reisman, Baker (4) and Smith; Grace, Vlahakis (3) and Davey. W – Vlahakis, 2-1. L – Reisman, 1-1. 2B – Schmitz (SJH), Smith (SJH), Carpenter (NH), Hurley (NH). 3B – Hurley (NH). HR – Albert (NH).

DAVID CARRILLO PEÑALOZA may be reached at (714) 966-4612 or at [email protected].