Prep Baseball Playoffs : Southern Section 2-A : Newport Harbor Catches El Toro by Surprise, 7-4

There was plenty of second-guessing in the El Toro High School dugout Friday after the Chargers were upset by Newport Harbor, 7-4, in the opening round of the Southern Section 2-A baseball playoffs at El Toro.

But Charger Coach Dan DeLeon was sure of at least one thing.

Asked if he thought the Sailors might last in the playoffs, DeLeon sternly replied, “No. Absolutely not. Their pitching is just OK. They’re going to get hit hard. We just didn’t do it today.”

So much for graciousness in defeat.

“Without lashing back, all I can say is it’s a sweet victory for us,” said Newport Harbor Coach Wayne Heck, whose Sailors hit four home runs Friday. “They beat us twice last year. I have to believe they took us lightly today, and we really put it to them.”

There was speculation surrounding DeLeon’s decision to start left-hander Nick Adams, who was shelled for three home runs--Manny Adams’ solo shot in the first inning, Jon Dishon’s solo blast in the second and Joey James two-run shot in the third--instead of ace Richard Faulks.

DeLeon pulled Adams in favor of right-hander Scott Perkins, who yielded a two-run homer to Mike Jarboe in the fourth inning but gave up just one run and two hits the rest of the way.

The El Toro coach insisted he went with his best pitcher, but it didn’t look like it Friday. The Sailors, who finished third in the Sea View League, pounded Adams.

The odd man out was Faulks, who watched from the bench as the Chargers, South Coast League champions, let what they thought would be a sure victory slip away.

“I was the No. 1 pitcher last year and this year,” said Faulks, a junior left-hander. “Maybe he (DeLeon) was saving me for the second round to pitch against a tougher opponent. I thought we would get by Newport pretty easily, but they were tough.

“I wish I could have pitched against them today. This is the year we should have gone all the way.”

Instead, it will be Newport Harbor, thanks to its first playoff victory since 1974, which will advance to Tuesday’s second round.

The Sailors are a rejuvenated team under Heck, the third-year coach. The year before Heck’s arrival, Newport Harbor went 1-13, but the Sailors won a combined 15 games in his first two seasons. This year, they’re 15-10 with a .320 team batting average.

“I don’t think they’re laughing at us anymore,” Heck said.

Newport Harbor’s pitching isn’t that much of a joke, either. Dishon, a tall, thin left-hander, had the Chargers in a trance for three innings Friday, as he retired the first nine batters.

When it was over, DeLeon was still shaking his head.

“I’m in a state of shock because my kids didn’t play the game,” he said. “They scored seven runs, but we should have scored eight.”

The Chargers should have and they could have, but they didn’t.