SUNSET LEAGUE BASEBALL ROUNDUP : Oilers’ Defense Preserves Victory
Spectacular defense has not been a characteristic of the Huntington Beach baseball team. Neither has consistent defense, for that matter.
The Oilers have continually discovered methods of eluding baseballs, a disturbing trend that has led to numerous upset stomachs for Coach Mike Dodd. However, they kept a cap on Dodd’s antacid tablets Friday.
Sparked by two key defensive plays in the ninth inning, Huntington Beach outlasted host Edison, 5-1, in a key Sunset League game that took 11 innings.
Huntington Beach (14-5, 5-2 in league play) is tied atop the league standings with Fountain Valley. The Oilers did not have an error after committing five in a 12-5 loss at Marina on Tuesday. Edison (13-6, 4-4) has lost two in a row.
Oiler second baseman Brad Lineberger nailed two runners at the plate in the tumultuous ninth. After failing to score since the third inning, Huntington Beach scored four runs on three hits in the 11th off of loser Todd Belitz (4-1).
Belitz, the second of three Charger pitchers, struck out 11 in 6 1/3 innings. Jim Brewer (6-1), the third of three Oiler pitchers, entered in the ninth and picked up the victory. Brewer struck out Belitz with runners on first and second to end the game.
Lineberger enabled the Oilers to reach that moment.
The Chargers’ Brice Keyser singled to open the ninth inning. Leadoff hitter Greg Hanoian then hit a shot down the right-field line.
Right fielder Jason Segal grabbed the ball and fired a perfect throw to Lineberger. Lineberger made an equally great throw to catcher Scott Palmer, who applied the tag to a sliding Keyser.
“That play only works with two perfect throws and that’s what we got,” Dodd said. “I thought Lineberger’s throw was great, but so was (Segal’s).”
Lineberger’s heroics, however, were not over.
With another runner on first because of a throwing error by Brewer, Hanoian was tagged out by Palmer while retreating to third on a failed squeeze attempt with Belitz at bat. But Brewer lost Belitz on a full count, and the Chargers were back in business with runners on first and second with two outs after the walk.
Enter Lineberger.
He fielded Tom Barilla’s grounder to the first base side of second and tried to outrace Belitz to second, but Belitz beat him to the bag. With his teammates shouting to throw home, Lineberger combined with Palmer to get Travis Clutter at the plate.
“I thought (Clutter) was in,” Charger Coach Paul Harrell said. “I don’t want it to sound like I’m complaining, but I thought he was there.”
In other league games:
Ocean View 4, Marina 2--Miles Hughey hit his first home run of the season in the fourth inning for Ocean View (11-8, 4-4). Jason Hoffman added a two-run double in the fifth to give the Seahawks the victory. Pat Gildea (2-0) pitched a complete game with six strikeouts and three walks. In eight league games, Ocean View has turned nine double plays.
Servite 9, Santa Ana 3--Kevin Krotz stole three bases and had two hits and an RBI for Servite (11-7-1, 5-3).