Mission Bay’s Hemmerly Keys 10th Straight Win

John Hemmerly gave up his first run of the season Friday, but the Mission Bay High School pitcher still improved his record to 6-0 by beating visiting Clairemont, 2-1, in the Western League baseball opener for both teams.

The Chieftains (0-1, 9-6) scored in the top of the first inning, breaking Hemmerly’s streak of 25 consecutive scoreless innings. But the Buccaneers (1-0, 14-2) won their 10th game in a row by answering with a pair of runs in the second.

“I thought, ‘Oh no, that’s too bad,’ when they scored,” Hemmerly said. “But I wanted to make sure I stopped it at that. I didn’t have my best stuff today. I don’t know where my fastball was.”

Hemmerly allowed only four hits while striking out five and walking three. The left-handed senior has fanned 45 in 32 innings; his earned-run average is 0.22.

Clairemont’s two pitchers, Reggie Leslie and Jeff Sturch, did almost as well. Leslie worked 3 innings, surrendering three hits and one earned run to take the loss. Sturch blanked the Bucs on three hits the rest of the way.

Mission Bay Coach Dennis Pugh said he was especially relieved to win the game between the teams that tied for the 1984 Western League crown and played in the San Diego Section 2-A finals (which Clairemont won, 11-4).

“This was the one I wanted,” he said. “Clairemont’s too good a team. I just wanted to win this one. I think they’ll be there at the end. In fact, it should be a five-team race. Our league is very tough.”

Third baseman Rich Viles, the Bucs’ leading hitter with a batting average near .500, agreed with Pugh’s assessment.

“Clairemont’s one of the tougher teams,” he said. “I feel if we keep playing this well we can win the league and have a real good shot at the CIF championship.”

Viles, who went 2 for 3, touched off Mission Bay’s two-run second inning with a leadoff triple to right-center field. One out later, Sean Rees singled, scoring Viles. Later in the inning, with the bases loaded and two out, Leslie walked Chris Butler, forcing Rees home with what proved to be the winning run.

Clairemont’s leadoff hitter, Orlando Henry, scored his team’s run after opening the game with an infield single. He took second on Andy Roberts’ sacrifice bunt and scored when Mark Wyckoff singled to right field. Wyckoff paced the Chief attack with two hits.

Hemmerly said the traditional neighborhood rivalry between Mission Bay and Clairemont, added to the result of last year’s title game, put an extra edge on the contest.

“This win was a little nicer since we lost to them in the finals last year,” he said. “It’s always a good game with Clairemont--they hate us, we hate them.”