Youth Scene: Lifestyle Caddy rallies for victory

•?Submitted by Greg Reposa

Colin Brandenberg’s two-out, walk-off RBI single capped a five-run rally in the bottom of the sixth that gave Lifestyle Caddy a 6-5 win over Irell & Manella in the Newport Beach Little League Majors Division semifinals Tuesday.

With Irell leading, 5-1, and Lifestyle Caddy coming to bat in the bottom of the sixth, Cole Collins hit a one-out single sharply to center. Brady Shockey followed by ripping a line drive off the wall that moved Collins to third. Justin Hess then singled and moved to third on a throwing error that allowed both runners to score, making it 5-3. Then Cameron Hook, on a 2-2 count, took a high fastball out deep to center for his second home run of the year to knot the score at 5.

With two outs, Clayton Johnston singled, followed by Andrew Wysopal, who walked. After the runners moved up to second and third on a wild pitch, Brandenberg hit a hard grounder up the middle that Irell shortstop Jake Hastings was able to knock down. But Brandenberg was able to leg it out, allowing the winning run to score.

Irell was led by Nick Ontiveros, who pitched five strong innings, scattering five hits and allowing just one run. Austin Garrett tripled, singled and scored three runs, while Trevor Schwartz threw out a runner at first from right field as well as having two solid plays at third.

For LC, Johnston did a solid job on the mound for 3?2/3? innings, and Hess pitched well for 2?1/3?. Offensively, Shockey led LC by going three for three with a double and two singles, while Hook had the key homer and two RBIs.

The Lifestyle Caddy win came on the heels of its dramatic eight-inning battle that it won, 10-9, Saturday against Irell.

LC advances to Saturday, when Hook is slated to start. The team will face tonight’s winner between Bandera and Chamberlain.

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Fountain Valley nips Newport Harbor

•?Submitted by Caitlin Adams

It was a beautiful day for a ball game at Mariners Park Saturday, where Fountain Valley and Newport Harbor met in the Newport Harbor Baseball Assn. Tournament.

The first two innings passed pretty quietly, with only a couple of singles, but it seemed like the home team, Fountain Valley, was taking the time to size Newport Harbor up. In the bottom of the second inning, Gabriel Ledzema, Daniel Rosica and Jerry Allison, all singled to load the bases with nobody out, then went on to produce three runs before the end of the inning.

Not to be caught napping, Newport Harbor rallied in the third with Keaton Cablay scoring a run to put his team on the scoreboard. Newport played tight defense in the bottom of the third, with pitcher Garrett Davis holding Fountain Valley back from scoring any more runs, ending the inning with the bases loaded.

Newport started its comeback in the top of the fourth when Ryan McCully singled, moved to second on a high fly ball and then reached third after a Fountain Valley error. A little flustered, Fountain Valley then gave up a crucial opportunity with a wild pitch which allowed McCully to score to bring Newport within 3-2.

Fountain Valley quickly made up the lost ground, however, and at the end of the fourth inning, had brought the score to 5-2, with Jerry Allison and Daniel Rosica each scoring another run.

The fifth inning proved to be mostly a waiting game, with both teams playing hard defense and neither allowing a single run. The top of the sixth was beginning to look just the same, but Ryan McCully hit a strong fly to center-field for a double, then stole third on the next pitch. Fountain Valley pitcher Gabriel Ledzema was called for a balk on his next pitch and McCully advanced home to bring the score to 5-3.

Rigsby Duncan was Newport’s next at-bat and laid into Ledzema’s strong fastball for a long fly to right field that rattled the signs posted on the fence for a double. He was followed closely by Teddy Stuka and both were able to score to bring the game even at 5-5.

With one out in the seventh, Fountain Valley’s Zack Morgan singled then took second on a walk. One out later, and with runners at second and third, Jake Shubin hit a solid fly ball along the first base line that just barely eluded the right-fielder’s glove. Morgan scored the winning run on the play and Fountain Valley emerged with a 6-5 victory.

Newport Coach Martin Stuka said he’d expected a fight going in.

“Fountain Valley always has a strong reputation,” he said. “We were down 5-2, but we rallied. It really came right down to a strike blooper to the right field.”

Fountain Valley’s Manager Dan Rosica said it had been a very close game.

“They’re a tough team, though, they battled back,” Rosica said.

The win was the first in the tournament for Fountain Valley which played Irvine later Saturday.

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Newport Lightning boys 14U Basketball Club Takes Second

•?Submitted by Scott Stucki

The Newport Lightning Basketball Club’s Boys 14U team finished as runner-up in the Swoosh May Hoops Rule Basketball Tournament in its division last weekend in Santa Ana.

The Lightning beat the Tri-City Tribe, 43-9, and the Corona Cannons, 49-36, before losing to the OC Rattlers, 30-40. The 2-1 finish placed the Lighting in the championship game facing the Henderson Heat, who knocked off Valley X-Treme, a team previously unbeaten for the past two years.

The Lightning came out on fire defensively holding the high-octane Heat offense to 12 points in the first half leading by nine at the break. The second half was a different story with the Heat outscoring the Lighting by 17 en route to a 48-40 win.

The club was led by the strong inside game of Luke Marchiorlatti (11.0 points and 6.3 rebounds), Drew Olson (5.75 points and 3.75 assists), John Harzan (7.25 points and 4 rebounds), Blake Grable (3.75 steals and 3.5 assists), Blake Motal (6.2 rebounds) and Reid Chase (4.1 points and 4.5 rebounds).

Rob Rosenast, Creagan Lydon, Jeff Lloyd, Nick Hanna and Andrew Mooreall played key roles in the weekend’s tournament.

The Lightning Boys 14U will play next in the 10th Annual Big City Sports So. Cal Championships Tournament Saturday and Sunday.