Newport Harbor Bronco in final

DANA POINT — The Newport Harbor Baseball Assn. Mustang A Division All-Stars experienced two different versions of Murphy’s law at the same time Thursday night at Del Obispo Park.

First, there was the cultural adage that anything that can go wrong, will. This manifested itself in what Newport Harbor Coach Jeff Lewis called sloppy play late in the contest, allowing St. Hedwig to wriggle out of an early 10-run mercy-rule stoppage in what turned out to be a regulation 13-5 Newport Harbor win.

The second form of Murphy’s law was the type administered from the mound by Newport Harbor relief pitcher Dylan Murphy, who made plenty go wrong for opposing hitters.

Murphy, the last of three Newport Harbor hurlers, struck out eight, including four in the sixth inning, to close out the victory and help the locals advance to Saturday’s championship game of the Dana Point Summer Classic.

The win improved Newport Harbor’s record to 3-1 in the round-robin portion of the tournament. Newport will square off against budding rival Dana Point (3-0 in the tournament with one round-robin game remaining today) at 5 p.m.

Dana Point, blanked by Newport Harbor in the St. Hedwig Tournament in Los Alamitos, defeated Newport Harbor, 7-4, in a round-robin meeting Saturday.

“We have good games against those guys,” said Lewis, who received production from all 10 players in his lineup.

Nine Newport Harbor players had at least one hit of the team’s 13 hits as the winners scored in five of six innings.

Teddy Stuka led the offensive barrage, going three for four with his ninth home run of the season, a towering solo blast that landed high up in a tree behind the left-field fence to cap the scoring in the sixth. The lanky Stuka, who stood out defensively behind the plate and at shortstop, doubled in a run in the first inning to open the scoring.

Jeremiah Sheldon went two for three with two runs and three runs batted in for Newport Harbor. He doubled in a run in the first and drove home two with a triple that caromed off three converging fielders in shallow right field in Newport Harbor’s five-run third inning.

Sheldon also pitched one inning in relief of starter Shane Mitchell, striking out one.

Mitchell fanned three in two scoreless innings, allowing just one of the designated home team’s six hits. Mitchell also had two hits in three official at-bats and scored twice.

Carson Poivre scored twice, singled and drove in one run, while Coletrane Tait was one for three with an RBI for the winners.

Poivre made the outstanding defensive play for Newport Harbor, throwing a strike to the plate from center field to nail a St. Hedwig runner trying to score from second on a single in the third inning.

The most noteworthy defensive play was at the expense of Newport Harbor, as St. Hedwig turned a triple play to work out of jam in the fifth, the only inning Newport did not score. The play occurred after Mitchell and Coby Benter singled to open the inning. The next hitter roped a line drive to the first baseman, who caught it on the fly while falling to his knees. The St. Hedwig fielder then got to his feet, tagged first base for the second out and relayed to second base, from which the runner had also strayed.

For the most part, the Newport Harbor defense was untested, as 11 of the 18 St. Hedwig outs came via strikeout. One St. Hedwig hitter reached after a third strike got past the catcher, hence giving Newport Harbor pitchers 12 strikeouts in the game.

Newport also had hits from Josh Lewis (two runs), Murphy and David Fisher.

Both teams were charged with two errors, one of which led to an unearned run for St. Hedwig in its three-run third. The three runs cut into a 9-0 deficit, but Newport Harbor extended its lead to 11-3 with two runs in the fourth. A 10-run cushion after at least four innings, however, never materialized for Newport Harbor.

“I think the kids have a tendency to get a little lax when they get a big lead,” Scott Lewis said, “and there were some plays at the end of the game that proved that. It has happened to us before.”

BARRY FAULKNER may be reached at (714) 966-4615 or at barry.faulkner@latimes.com.