Baseball: Sailors drop 9-3 decision to Vaqueros

Tony Altobelli

IRVINE - This time, a 4-0 first-inning hole was too much for

Newport Harbor High’s baseball team to overcome in a 9-3 Sea View League

loss to host Irvine Monday.

Unlike their clash with Woodbridge, when they rallied from a 4-0 deficit

to win, 6-5, the Sailors’ first-inning catnap set the tone for the

afternoon and it was not music to Coach Jim Kiefer’s ears.

“When you aren’t doing any of the three components of baseball well

(hitting, pitching, defense), any one or two mistakes can really be

costly,” Kiefer said. “We threw a couple of balls away in the first

inning and it really hurt us.”

Irvine (8-2, 5-0 in league) took advantage of an errant Newport throw to

first on a sacrifice and another errant throw on a dropped strikeout and

turned those mistakes into a four-run first inning.

Newport’s hard-luck pitcher Justin Jacobs tried to keep the Sailors (2-7,

1-4 in league) in the game, limiting the Vaqueros to only one run on two

hits over the next three innings.

“Justin threw the ball real well today,” Kiefer said. “He kept it close

for us and that’s all I ask of our pitchers.”

Newport cut the lead to 4-1 in the fourth when senior Nick Langsdorf

doubled and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Jacobs.

Irvine answered right back with a solo home run by David Parker.

After Jacobs was relieved, the Vaqueros expanded the lead in the sixth.

Three walks and two hit batsmen, combined with a double and single,

turned into four more runs, blowing the game wide open.

Irvine starter Chad Hazlett improved his record to 7-1 with his

six-inning performance, striking out seven.

Newport tried a late comeback with two runs in the sixth. Alan Lane and

Miguel Sandoval each had RBI singles, scoring Jacobs and Garrett Brant,

who were each hit by a pitch.

The Sailors will try again on Wednesday when they host Laguna Hills at

3:15 p.m.

SEA VIEW LEAGUE

Irvine 9, Newport Harbor 3

Newport Harbor 000 100 2 - 3 6 2

Irvine 400 104 x - 9 6 1

Jacobs, Rorden (5) and Brant; Hazlett, Bradford (7) and DeVries. W -

Hazlett, 7-1. L - Jacobs, 2-3. 2B - Langsdorf (NH), West (I) 2. HR -

Parker (I).