Roosevelt makes it a rough ride for Eastern League opponents

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We’re over halfway through the baseball season and the City Section race seems as wide open as it’s been in years. A half dozen teams, maybe more, have a realistic shot of reaching the finals at Dodger Stadium, and you can count Roosevelt among them.

After a rocky start the Rough Riders are rounding into postseason form behind the arms of Martin Villanueva and Chito Alvarez and the bats of Eddie Almeda and Joey Calderon. Almeda had two home runs and four RBIs and Calderon added three hits as the host Rough Riders mercied Downey Calvary Chapel, 10-0, in their tournament Saturday.

Roosevelt is closing in on its third straight Eastern League crown and eighth in the last 10 years. Pitching and defense are the staples of Coach Scott Pearson’s program and one reason the Riders have won 42 straight league games and are 46-0-1 in their last 47.

Villanueva (a lefty) and Alvarez (a righty) have combined to go 17-2 this spring and are the primary reasons why Roosevelt has a three-game lead over second-place South Gate with eight left.

Pearson thinks his team has as good a shot as any to win the section title, especially when catcher and top hitter Jose Serna, who has been out since March 27, returns to the lineup.

‘Everyone knows about Martin [Villanueva] but with Chito [Alvarez] pitching as well as he has, it’s like having two No. 1 starters,’ Pearson said. ‘That’s a major advantage in the playoffs. We beat Taft, 6-1, and they’ve beaten Cleveland and Chatsworth, so I like our chances.’

-- Steve Galluzzo

-- Image from http://www.rooseveltlausd.org