Baseball: Birmingham wins pitching duel, 26-15

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When it comes to strange baseball games, Lake Balboa Birmingham keeps participating. There was the game earlier this season against Chatsworth stopped because of bees. Then there was Wednesday’s West Valley League game against Reseda Cleveland.

Birmingham was leading, 10-5, in the fifth inning. Cleveland scored 10 runs to take a 15-10 lead. Then Birmingham scored five runs in the seventh to tie, 15-15. Then the Patriots scored 11 runs in the ninth, 10 coming with two out, to pull out a 26-15 victory at Cleveland.

‘It was a pitching duel,’ Birmingham Coach Matt Mowry joked.

There were 12 pitchers used, six for each team. Birmingham had 22 hits, Cleveland 18. Kevin Torres had four hits and four RBIs to lead Birmingham. Randy Medellin added three hits and five RBIs. Steve Rodriguez had five RBIs.

For Cleveland, Gabe Felix had three hits.

‘We’ve been part of two of the strangest games this season,’ Mowry said. ‘This game was unbelievable. Our guys didn’t give up.’

In other West Valley League games, Chatsworth (19-3, 6-0) beat Taft, 10-0, in a five innings. Steve Karkenny went three for three. Aaron Brown hit a home run and had three RBIs. El Camino Real (13-10, 7-0) defeated Granada Hills, 7-1, with Jose Cardona throwing a complete game and Mitch Bluman hitting a grand slam.

In the Valley Mission League, Ryan Cruz of Granada Hills Kennedy outdueled David Lira of San Fernando, 2-1. Cruz struck out four and allowed four hits. In the East Valley League, Verdugo Hills defeated Canoga Park, 17-4.

-- Eric Sondheimer