HIGH SCHOOLS:

Spring break wasn’t really much of a break for most of the local baseball teams.

Two teams almost enjoyed the rest of their break until they dropped their final games in the Beach Pit Classic Wednesday.

Newport Harbor High lost to Fountain Valley, 7-4, in the championship game after taking a 4-2 lead in the sixth inning.

Corona del Mar appeared to be headed to the final for the third time in three seasons until Fountain Valley rallied late for a 9-8 semifinal win.

Each suffered tough losses, the Sea Kings on back-to-back days to finish in fourth place after losing, 17-3, to South Hills of West Covina.

Each coach gave their takes on why they lost the momentum late.

“Any time you give up more than four runs in an inning, 85% of the time you’re going to lose the game,” said Newport Harbor’s Evan Chalmers, who saw the Barons score five runs in the top of the seventh inning.

As for the Sea Kings, their coach was blunt.

“We played horrible defense,” said John Emme, whose team committed eight errors, four in the last three innings, aiding Fountain Valley’s comeback.

Both Newport Harbor (6-9) and Corona del Mar (8-7) return to league action this week.

The Sailors are 2-3 in the Sunset League, tied for third place with defending champion Los Alamitos. Newport Harbor plays host to the Griffins Wednesday at 3:15 p.m.

The two met in the league opener and the Sailors got hammered, 13-2. Newport Harbor’s two league victories are against Esperanza and Fountain Valley.

“We’d be ready to go play those guys again,” Chalmers said of the Barons. “The most important thing is to try to get to the playoffs.”

The Sea Kings appear to be on track to return to the postseason after missing it last season for the first time under Emme, who’s in his 12th year.

CdM is 4-1 in the Pacific Coast League, currently in second place and one game behind Beckman. The two go at it again today at 3:15 p.m.

Beckman handed CdM a 4-3 loss in the league opener. Since then, the Sea Kings won four straight league contests. Danny Moskovits said the Sea Kings are looking forward to returning to league.

“We’ve been playing really good defense and we have been really hitting the ball,” Moskovits said of CdM, which has come out on top in three close league games, two decided by one run and one by two runs.

“We’re going to keep the train rolling in league.”

 Rivals Costa Mesa (10-5) and Estancia (5-11) were supposed to meet in the Beach Pit Classic consolation championship game Wednesday.

Costa Mesa Coach Jim Kiefer said he and Estancia Coach Matt Sorensen decided against having their teams face each other because the two will meet two more times in Orange Coast League play.

The Mustangs are in first place at 4-0 and the Eagles are near the bottom at 1-4.

Costa Mesa returns to league action at home against Godinez today at 3:15 p.m. Godinez, a first-year varsity program, is the one team Estancia beat, earning its first league victory after going winless last season in league.

Estancia plays host to Sage Hill School (6-4) in a nonleague game Friday at 3:15 p.m.

Out of the five local teams, Sage Hill has played the least amount of baseball games. Coach Andy Berglund blames himself for the hiccup.

“We tried to get in a couple of [nonleague] games before the season and we struggled to get a couple of games,” said Berglund, whose team’s nonleague games have been against Liberty Christian, Saddleback Valley Christian and Gladstone of Oregon.

“What happens with the baseball season is, you’ve got to start scheduling games like right now for next year.”

Having played only twice during spring break, compared to the four games the other locals played, you can say Sage Hill enjoyed most of its break.

 Senior safety Jason Jacobi will play football at Chapman University, an NCAA Division III program, Newport Harbor High Coach Jeff Brinkley said.

“He had contemplated walking on at Oregon and Arizona State,” Brinkley said of the second-team All-Sunset League selection. “He wanted to stay closer to home and play at a smaller school.”

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