Defensive Gems And A Reborn Offense Shine In Series Win vs. Newport Harbor

The Huntington Beach Oilers (20-6-1) succeed in winning every series against a Sunset League foe in 2026 and they emerge victorious, 8-1, over the Newport Harbor Sailors (19-9), Friday afternoon from Newport Harbor High School. For the second straight year, the Oilers finish 16-2 within league play and extend their winning ways versus the Sailors to 26-10 (.722) in the last 36 head-to-head matchups. 

The offense got going right out of the gates as leadoff batter Parker Leoff reached with a double, his first hit since April 17 (snapping a five-game hitless streak). He would score two batters later from third as Ely Mason out ran a would-be double play grounder to second. In the second frame with a 1-0 lead, the Oilers capitalized on numerous wild pitches by Sailors starter Ryan Williams, with the biggest scoring Sol Moriyama (leadoff double) from third with one out.

Even though Newport Harbor cut the lead in half in the bottom of the second with Henry Mann scoring on a groundout, starting pitcher Tanner Brown eliminated the tying threat by striking out designated hitter Austin Gilles with a runner in scoring position. Brown, the Wake Forest commit, would finish his 10th outing of the year on a high note, completing four innings, yielding the lone run in the second and striking out a pair too.    

With Brown helping the cause, the entire offense backed their starter as well, consistently providing insurance runs in innings three through six. A RBI double by Dane Cunningham in the third, his first run batted in since April 21 vs. Los Alamitos would be reinforced with a pair of runs in each the fourth and fifth inning. Back-to-back RBI doubles by Jason Dunham and Leoff (4th) paved the way towards a Brown sacrifice fly and Owen Bone stealing home (5th), upping the Oilers advantage to 7-1 after five innings. Mason would chip in his second RBI of the game to cap off the Oilers scoring in the sixth, for his team-leading 24th RBI.  

Relief arms would take over in a big way for the Oilers as Jared Marchbank, Steel Kurtz and Mason Tapia combined to retire nine of the final 11 batters with three strikeouts included as well. For Kurtz, who saw the sixth inning, he continues throwing up zeros with an ERA of 0.00 during nine appearances thus far in 2026. If you add into the mix his 2025 numbers where he did not allow a run in four appearances, it has been a dominating display of relief work in two years on Varsity.     

With another series win, the Oilers impressively win 16 of 18 in Sunset League play and complete four sweeps out of the six three-game series. They now hold a mini two-game winning streak heading into the regular season finale. In terms of trends, Huntington improves to 8-5-1 on the road and 5-2 on Friday's. This is also the eighth time this year the pitching staff has held the opposition to just one run.  

Oilers Scoring Plays: 

Top 1: Ely Mason Fielder's Choice, Parker Leoff Scores (1-0 HB)

Top 2: Sol Moriyama Scores on Wild Pitch (2-0 HB)

Top 3: Dane Cunningham Doubles to CF, Parker Leoff Scores (3-1 HB)

Top 4: Jason Dunham Doubles to LF, Luke Crespo Scores (4-1 HB)

Top 4: Parker Leoff Doubles to CF, Jason Dunham Scores (5-1 HB)

Top 5: Tanner Brown Sac-Fly, Ely Mason Scores (6-1 HB)

Top 5: Owen Bone Steals Home (7-1 HB)

Top 6: Ely Mason Singles to LF, Parker Leoff Scores (8-1 HB)

Stars of the Game: 

Parker Leoff: 2-2, RBI, 3 R

Ely Mason: 1-3, 2 RBI

Jason Dunham: 1-3, RBI, R

Tanner Brown: 4 IP, 1 ER, 2 K (W)

The Oilers wrap up the regular season on Tuesday, May 5th as they host the Gahr Gladiators at HBHS Stadium. This will be the final tune up before the Division 1 playoffs that begin on Tuesday, May 12. You'll be able to listen to all the action on hbhsathletics.mixlr.com with the "Voice of the Oilers" Dominick Lorenz, with the pregame show at 3:00 PM, followed by first pitch at 3:15 PM (projected times).       

LISTEN TO HUNTINGTON BEACH VS. NEWPORT HARBOR SAILORS HIGHLIGHTS HERE (CLICK IMAGE BELOW):