Genova twins, Sunset fall run short against Trinity

IRVINE — Having one son take part in the Ryan Lemmon Senior Showcase is special for any parents, but for Matt Genova and his wife, Suki, it was double the fun. Their fraternal twins, Jake and Luke Genova, represented the Newport Harbor High baseball team one final time on Saturday.

The Genova brothers held the distinction of being the only set of twins in the Sunset League-Trinity League game at Ryan Lemmon Stadium. They also factored into the Sunset League playing the Trinity League tough for seven innings.

Both Jake and Luke played stellar defense, Jake at catcher and Luke at first base, and for a second or two, it seemed like Jake might tie the game up in the bottom of the sixth inning.

With runners on the corners and one out, Jake, a left-handed hitter, turned on a full-count fastball and blasted it toward the gap in right-center field, but the ball stayed in the park. The ball was deep enough to drive in a run on a sacrifice fly, cutting the Trinity League’s lead to one.

The Sunset League had the game-tying run at second base in the seventh, but Servite’s Isaac Lopez came in to close things out, inducing a groundout to allow the Trinity League to hold on for a 2-1 win.

While the result didn’t go the Genovas’ way, Jake and Luke will never forget their last high school game together.

“The last four years have been amazing,” Jake said. “I’m going to cherish every single memory I’ve had [with my brother during high school]. The split is going to be rough at first, but we’ll find a way. We’ll be fine.”

Jake and Luke are heading off to different colleges after they graduate this month from Newport Harbor, Jake to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Luke to Santa Clara University. Jake said he hopes to be a walk-on player and Luke is headed up north to play third base and pitch.

Evan Chalmers, Newport Harbor’s coach, said there are many reasons why the Genovas have a bright future.

“Two great kids,” said Chalmers, who was one of six coaches involved in the event for the Sunset League, which featured players from first-place Marina, second-place Huntington Beach, third-place Edison, fourth-place teams Newport Harbor and Los Alamitos and sixth-place Fountain Valley. “They’re both three-year starters for me, and we went through some ups and downs. But the thing I take away is these are the types of guys that we want in our program, guys that are hard workers, they’re there before practice and after practice, they work their butt off in the batting cage, and they both have been athletic enough to move to several different positions. Their parents have been very supportive.”

Matt and Suki are proud of their twins.

Matt also coaches his boys outside of high school. He didn’t need to remind them that they’re coming back to Ryan Lemmon Stadium on Sunday. They both play for their dad’s under-18 Trombly Baseball team, which has a Connie Mack game at 4:30 p.m.

Matt will be able to throw Luke on Sunday. Luke didn’t get to pitch as he did in the Kiwanis Club of Greater Anaheim’s 49th Orange County All-Star Baseball Game for seniors at La Palma Park’s Dee Fee Field in Anaheim on Tuesday.

Luke, who finished 6-4 with a 4.51 earned-run average and 55 strikeouts in 662/3 innings, earning him first-team All-Sunset League honors, wanted to pitch on Saturday. He started at first base and had three plate appearances, going hitless with a walk and a strikeout.

“We all knew it was going to be close, two good leagues, good pitching,” said Luke, who was hoping for a chance to pitch, especially with his brother catching.

Jake, who played third base with the Sailors during the season, started behind the plate on Saturday. Catcher is the position he plays with his travel ball team and he showed off his skills in the fourth inning.

With a runner on second base, Los Alamitos’ Kyle Mora threw one in the dirt and Jake blocked it, keeping the ball in front of him, just to his right. Santa Margarita’s Joe Welch took off for third, but Jake threw a dart to third and threw him out.

“We were shorthanded, as far as the Sunset League guys today,” said Chalmers, who had two Sailors, Josh Spicer and Jeremiah Sheldon, not make the game because Spicer had to work and Sheldon wasn’t interested. “But [Jake’s] good enough to play [catcher] in college.”