Newport Beach PONY throws combined no-hitter

The Newport Beach Baseball Assn. waited as long as a band of 11-year-old kids can be asked to before playing their game on Thursday night.

Half an hour after the originally scheduled start time of their game, the preceding game ended. First pitch of Newport Beach’s game against Tustin was delayed by 50 minutes.

Newport Beach took to the field at last, turning in plays that signaled that it had long been ready to take center stage.

It was about the fourth inning when Newport Beach’s Matthew Melton called the attention of anyone who would listen, pointing out a rising full moon.

Minds did not have to wonder much at that point to figure out what oddities were in play. Two Newport Beach pitchers had not allowed a hit through four innings.

As it turned out, just three more outs were needed, as Newport Beach came away with a mercy-rule victory over Tustin in the teams’ opener of the PONY Bronco 11-and-under Section tournament.

Jamey Ott, Brady Gadol and Will Chavez combined to throw a no-hitter, and Newport Beach defeated Tustin 10-0 at Fountain Valley Sports Park.

“I’m just happy and excited that we won the game, threw a no-hitter, and it was just fun,” Ott said.

Newport Beach will face Fountain Valley on Friday at 7 p.m.

Ott, the Newport Beach starting pitcher, got two outstanding plays from his corner outfielders in the first two innings. In the first, Melton, the right fielder slid in on his knees to rob Daniel Benally of a run-scoring single.

Andrew Niccol got in on the act in the second inning, using a shoe-string catch to take a hit away from Anthony Herrera.

Newport Beach took the lead in the bottom of the second. Brady Annett and Niccol worked back-to-back walks, and Annett came around to score on a passed ball.

Newport Beach seemed to feed off of defense and hustle plays. It got both on one play when shortstop Ganon Overfelt retrieved a ball behind the mound that had been deflected by Gadol, who had taken over as a relief pitcher. Overfelt charged in and threw in time to get Gregory Fernandez at first base.

Two more runs came across for Newport Beach in the next half inning. Newport Beach stole four bases in the third, and Melton lined a run-scoring single up the middle to record the first hit. The lead grew to 3-0.

Melton doubled down on his defensive prowess, throwing out Adrian Vargas from right field to preserve his team’s no-hit bid in the fourth.

Gadol, who normally plays center field when he is not pitching, had high praise for his teammates in the outfield.

“That was definitely very epic,” Gadol said. “[Melton had a] big diving play, threw a guy out at first. Andrew Niccol in left field, made a diving play, showed him the ball. He was out by a mile.

“Matthew Melton, he has a cannon of an arm in right field.”

Chavez struck out one in the fifth, and he said he was well aware of the no-hitter when he finished the frame.

“It was nice to know that we only needed six more outs for a no-hitter stepping up to the plate,” Chavez said.

As it turned out, Chavez had thrown his last pitch. Newport Beach erupted for six runs in the bottom of the fifth, putting the mercy rule into effect. Gadol, Overfelt, and Chavez drove in runs with singles in the inning, and Brady Andrews’ bases-loaded walk scored Keegan DeMots to end the game.

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