In a well-pitched game by Los Alamitos Varsity Baseball’s Jared Owen, whose excellent control kept the ball low and on the knees, Los Al prevailed 4 to 1 over Huntington Beach.
It became apparent the umpire was not giving this lower pitch to Owen. I noticed that the umpire was not crouching low behind #25 Catcher Brad Hartong.
Brad Hartong stands 6 feet 5 inches tall and is an imposing player behind the plate and up to the plate. Hard throws to second base from the knees illustrated a gun for a throwing arm. At bat, Brad Hartong stroked a line drive home run clearing the 8-foot height fence at a distance of 285-foot.
Potential big leaguers, it is well worth the drive to a Los Alamitos baseball game to see the future line-up of pro or college teams.
Freshman sensation # 2 Frankie Padulo is playing shortstop and continues to play good defense and is hitting the ball well.
Padulo’s earnest energy on the field is reflected by the way he manages to dirty up his uniform by his efforts. At first base, # 23 Joey Wright shows outstanding leadership in the infield with his strong articulating voice directing cut-offs and positioning.
First base coach Greg Harris knows when to stretch a single into a double and pushes this hard to the batter-runner. What is impressive at this time is that the Los Alamitos runners have been well coached in running situations that are critical in basic baseball.
Coach Aaron Moore is continuously pacing the dugout frontage and his head is very much into the game. Knowing when a left-hander is necessary on the mound is an easy decision and he is very quick to help the umpires in ruling decisions. Tom Lasorda would be proud of his coaching methods.
In the grandstands
At a Los Alamitos game, you will find a very friendly and a baseball chatty crowd attending the games. Conversations range from trying to steal the opposing team’s signals, good food and that hair curling irons have less use in the beach air living area.
Supportive parents and alumni are in a continuous chatter about baseball. Need to get a schedule? You can go online to www griffinbaseball.org.
There is a big league game coming up on March 19 against the #1 ranked team in the State.
The Edison game starts at 3 p.m. at Huntington Beach’s Edison High School campus. Comments/advice, e-mail dutchsemisports@yahoo.com.
Behind the scenes with boosters and new coach
No wonder America is having business difficulties: It seems like key personnel are on the sidelines.
Some of the finest were at the Los Alamitos High School Baseball Booster Club meeting last month, raising funds for their baseball team.
It looks like a well-organized Los Al booster club, headed by Booster President Joann Springer, who ran the meeting agenda in a timely and well-directed effort.
Los Alamitos’ Coach Moore was asked: “Coach Moore is it OK for my son to take private hitting instruction?”
Coach Moore was now back in the game. With authority his reply was, “Yes, as long as he is instructed to hit off the back foot. At Los Alamitos we instruct to hit off the back foot. There will be no deviation.”
Seal Beach businesses owners should contact this booster club for a way to invest in their community. To make a comment on this story at the Sun Newspapers’ Web site, go to Sunnews.org.
