NBLL AAA: Dream season comes to end for Newport ‘B’ team

Tony Altobelli

MISSION VIEJO - The late-inning rally giveth and the late-inning

rally taketh away for the Newport Beach Little League AAA Division “B”

All-Stars.

Two days after a six-run sixth inning helped spark a 10-9 10-inning

win, Newport saw San Clemente score 12 times in the fifth inning en route

to a 12-7 win at Wagon Wheel Sports Park.

“We simply ran out of pitching,” Manager Brian Freeman said. “But hey,

our kids have nothing to be ashamed of. They went farther than any

Newport AAA All-Star team has ever gone. They can hold their heads up

high.”

It looked like Newport was heading to the semifinals after scoring six

runs in the top of the second inning.

With a run already in courtesy of a Parker Rhodes RBI single, Nick

Freeman’s two-out, bases-loaded double scored Rhodes and Devin Kelly,

giving Newport a 3-0 lead.

Danny Moskovits followed with a single to center field, scoring Aaron

Northcraft and Freeman for a 5-0 Newport lead.

Andrew Silva capped the scoring with an RBI single, scoring Moskovits.

Austin Harms had a single and double to add to Newport’s offense,

while Freeman chipped in with three hits.

Kelly, making his first all-star appearance on the mound, threw four

shutout innings, before running into trouble in the fifth.

“Devin threw great for us,” Freeman said. “He held a great team like

San Clemente scoreless for four innings. He did a great job.”

In Wednesday’s game at the same site: Aliso Niguel was the victim by a

10-6 margin.

Thomas Koss, in his first appearance on the mound for Newport in

All-Star competition, threw a complete game and struck out five to earn

the win.

Despite his inexperience, Koss battled out of three bases-loaded jams

and kept Newport in the game.

Freeman led Newport’s offense with three hits, while Silva and Colton

each had two hits.

Austin Harms, Aaron Northcraft and Danny Moskovits each came through

with clutch hits for Newport.