Newport Harbor High baseball coach Josh Lee has been splitting time lately, taking care of his wife and looking over scouting reports.
Lee missed the Sailors’ win at Great Oak in the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division 2 playoffs on Tuesday, and for good reason. A day later, the family welcomed its first child, with the birth of Layla.
On Friday, Lee was back out there coaching as the Sailors hosted San Bernardino Aquinas in the quarterfinals of the CIF Southern Section Division 2 playoffs, trying to extend their season.
Newport Harbor’s Grant Horsely (30) far left, celebrates with teammates after a home run against San Bernardino Aquinas on Friday.
(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)
“Hospital to the ball field,” Lee said, adding that the birth was a Caesarean section and his wife and daughter were still recovering in the hospital as of Friday night. “You just put trust in your assistant [coaches] and trust in the kids. We’ve been training for so long. I’ve known Keaton [Anderson] since he was in seventh grade, so it’s just a lot of faith in all of the kids. That’s how you do it, you lean on others.”
The Sailors leaned on a dominant pitching performance from Anderson and a big inning with the bats, and that turned out to be more than enough. They blanked Aquinas 8-0 on Friday afternoon, advancing to the CIF semifinals for the first time since 2022.
Newport Harbor (22-9) will play at Pomona Ganesa (25-3-1) on Tuesday, a win away from its first section title game appearance in program history.
Newport Harbor’s Cameron Hatfield (33) slides into home for a run against San Bernardino Aquinas on Friday.
(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)
Anderson, a junior right-handed pitcher, hurled a three-hit shutout against Aquinas. He faced just two batters more than the minimum of 21, his jersey number, using his change-up effectively to keep the Falcons off-balance.
Anderson didn’t allow his first hit until the fifth inning. He walked one and struck out five.
“Pressure is a privilege,” said Anderson, who improved to 6-0 this season, when asked about taking the ball in a pressure situation. “I think that working under it makes you better overall. It gives you the chance to grow … I wanted to do my best to give us the best chance possible to play more.”
The Sailors got all the runs they would need in an eight-run second inning. Grant Horsley led off and was hit by a pitch.
Newport Harbor’s Oren Damush (22) dives for a hard-hit ball against San Bernardino Aquinas on Friday.
(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)
An out later, Cameron Hatfield reached on an error as the outfielder dropped the ball. Aquinas starting pitcher Hayden Vanderhoof recorded a strikeout for the second out, but then the magic started.
No. 9 hitter Noah Whittaker legged out an infield single, scoring a run, before Hatfield came home on a wild pitch. Leadoff hitter Keoni Wun was hit by a pitch, leading Aquinas to go to relief pitcher Eli Martinez before Ryan Williams drew a full-count walk, loading the bases.
Gavin Guy unloaded them, smacking the first pitch he saw for a double to right-center. After Henry Mann reached on another error, Horsley came up again.
Newport Harbor’s Henry Mann (18) trots to home for a run after a homer by teammate Grant Horsely against San Bernardino Aquinas on Friday.
(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)
This time, he launched a three-run home run, giving the Sunset League runner-up Sailors the 8-0 advantage.
Every run scored with two outs, which Lee said has been a familiar sight in this postseason run.
“I think it’s just that fighter mentality, right, and I think you guys probably saw it today,” he said. “We had a lot of hits with two strikes. We would get to two strikes, the kids bought into the approach. They turn it into a battle and make pitchers uncomfortable, and that’s how you extend innings with two outs. They did a great job. I’m just really proud to be their coach.”
Newport Harbor infielder Grant Horsley (30) completes a double play to get out of the inning against San Bernardino Aquinas on Friday.
(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)
Williams and Whittaker both had a pair of hits for the Sailors, while Lior Rochverger smacked a pinch-hit single in the sixth.
It all added up to a big win for the Sailors. Lee said he sees similarities between the 2022 team, which advanced to the section semifinals and won a regional title, and what the current group has accomplished over the last couple of seasons.
“I think the one through line is just how much they care about the game, about building the program,” Lee said. “That 2022 team was trying to build something new, and these guys are trying to continue something built and to prove to people that it’s not a fluke. They have an immense pride in the game of baseball, and they have an immense pride in the program here and the culture that we’ve built.”
Newport Harbor pitcher Keaton Anderson (21) celebrates going the distance for the win with catcher Brooks Francis against San Bernardino Aquinas on Friday.
(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)
In other CIF quarterfinal baseball games involving local teams Friday:
Laguna Beach 6, Moorpark 4: The Breakers upset the No. 2-seeded Musketeers on the road Friday in the Division 4 quarterfinals.
Jacob Wicker and Parker Moore were each two for three for Laguna Beach (19-11), combining for two runs scored and three RBIs. Jackson Arrasin drove in two for the Breakers on a sacrifice fly and single.
Dylan Yencho earned the win for Laguna Beach, pitching three shutout innings in relief. The Breakers trailed 4-2 after the fourth inning, but scored twice in the fifth and twice more in the sixth as part of a 10-hit attack.
Laguna Beach hosts Grand Terrace in the Division 4 semifinals on Tuesday. The Breakers will be trying to make their first CIF title game since 2016, when they won their only section title.
Grand Terrace 4, Marina 1: The Vikings were eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Division 4 playoffs on the road Friday.
Max Conde was two for three with an RBI for Marina. His hit in the top of the first inning scored Jaxon Vilardi, giving the Vikings the early lead.
But Grand Terrace scored a run in the bottom of the third to tie the score, and three more in the bottom of the fourth.
Dylan DiBenedetto and Elijah Herald added hits for Marina, which finished its season 15-16.