Van Nuys Loses 1st Game in Babe Ruth Tournament to Langowski of Alameda

The Van Nuys-Sherman Oaks Babe Ruth All-Star team ran into Ted Langowski on Wednesday night--and was stopped in its tracks.

Langowski pitched a two-hitter in lifting Alameda to a 4-0 victory over Van Nuys-Sherman Oaks in the winners’ bracket final of the Pacific Southwest Regional Tournament at Lawrence Park.

The hard-throwing left-hander struck out nine and walked three in leading the Northern California champions into Friday night’s championship final against the winner of tonight’s losers’ bracket final between Aloha East of Honolulu and Van Nuys-Sherman Oaks.

If Alameda loses in Friday’s 5:30 p.m. game, the two finalists will play another game immediately afterward, with the winner advancing to the Babe Ruth World Series Aug. 17-24 in Jamestown, N.Y.

Alameda would be able to start Langowski if a second game is necessary, but the way things have been going, it probably won’t need him.

Alameda has dominated this tournament with its pitching. In three games, it has yet to allow an earned run.

Langowski struck out six and gave up just two hits in a five-inning stint in Alameda’s 10-0 win over Taylorsville Utah last Saturday.

Against Van Nuys-Sherman Oaks, he had a no-hitter until J. R. Smith led off the seventh inning with a line-drive single to left field. One out later, Jeff Light blooped a single in to right field.

For Van Nuys-Sherman Oaks, that was the extent of its offense.

Langowski gave himself a 1-0 lead in the first inning when he doubled up the alley in left-center to score first baseman Scott Rapposelli, who had singled.

Losing pitcher Jeff Cirillo allowed only one other hit until the seventh inning, retiring 13 straight batters between the first and seventh.

Alameda padded its lead in the seventh, scoring three runs on an RBI single by J. R. Rider and bases-loaded walks by Steve Manzo and Sam Flores.

Langowski might have tightened up as his team batted around in the inning.

His first pitch in the seventh was lined to left by Smith. Until then, Van Nuys-Sherman Oaks had come close to getting a hit only once. Manzo chased down a drive by Gary Nudell in the sixth inning and caught it in the left-field corner.

Van Nuys-Sherman Oaks, hoping to return to the World Series for the second straight year, must beat Aloha East tonight, then sweep a doubleheader from Alameda to do so.

Manager Dave Kramer’s team beat Aloha East of Honolulu, 9-1, Monday night.

Since losing to Van Nuys-Sherman Oaks, Aloha East has scored 36 runs on 27 hits in 20-3 and 16-4 routs of Guam and San Mateo.

Even before Wednesday night, this had been a trying week for Kramer.

Vice president of finance for a small company that deals in precious metals--he declined to name the company--Kramer flew home to Van Nuys Tuesday morning so he wouldn’t miss a day of work when his team wasn’t playing.

He left for Lodi on Tuesday at 10:30 p.m., arriving at 6:30 a.m. Wednesday after making the 350-mile trip by bus.

He said he wasn’t tired.

“Whenever you’re in competition, it’s not tiring,” Kramer said of his frequent trips up and down the San Joaquin Valley. “You forget all about it once you get inside the fences.”

Besides, he said, he’s used to commuting.

Even during the World Series last year in Niles, Mich., he flew back and forth once during the tournament. During the regional in Miami, Ariz., he returned home three times.

“We’re just not a very big company and things have to get done,” Kramer said.

Coaches Ernie Nogosek and Chuck Martin handle the practices when Kramer is gone.

Until Wednesday, it had worked out fine.

Now, he and his team have their work cut out for them in Lodi.