Kennedy, on Wild Side, Loses Final

Redondo High, the recipient of six wild pitches and eight walks in Wednesday night’s championship game of the Babe Herman tournament, used the gifts to defeat Kennedy, 5-4, at Stengel Field in Glendale.

The Seahawks managed only four hits against three Kennedy pitchers, but had men in scoring position in all but two innings.

Starting Kennedy pitcher Al Mayhew uncorked four wild pitches and walked two batters in the bottom of the first inning alone. Sophomore Scott Davison ripped a two-out single to drive in two runs, and Redondo immediately erased the Golden Cougars’ early 1-0 lead.

“He is on and off,” Kennedy Coach Scott Drootin said of Mayhew. “When he throws strikes, he’s tough. It’s just concentration.”

Redondo pitcher Damon Salisbury, the tournament’s most valuable player, struggled through the first few innings as well.

Kennedy (4-1) sent eight men to the plate in the third and scored three runs. The Golden Cougars pounded out three singles and walked twice to go ahead, 4-2.

Salisbury settled down after that and, after a lead-off double by Jason Farrell in the fourth, retired 11 consecutive batters to end the game.

Redondo’s winning run came in the third inning. With two outs and runners on first and third, Dan Campbell got caught in a rundown between first and second. Davison scored from third before the tag was made on Campbell.

“It was a designed play,” Redondo Coach Harry Jenkins said. “They should have read the scouting report on us.”

Salisbury pitched a complete game to improve his record to 5-1. Mayhew (1-1) was the loser.

Redondo is 11-2.

Rio Mesa 6, Buena 0--Phil Maquinalez fired a five-hitter and Mike Runge was 2 for 2 as the Spartans claimed third place in the tournament.

After being shut out in Tuesday’s semifinal against Redondo, Rio Mesa’s offense came alive again, scoring four runs in the top of the fourth. Singles by Sean Luft and Runge fueled the rally.

Runge doubled in the sixth inning to drive in Todd Gamboa, completing the Spartans’ scoring.

Rio Mesa is 9-2. Fourth-place Buena is 6-4.

St. Francis 9, Saugus 8--The Golden Knights jumped out to a 9-0 lead after two innings, but had to struggle to win in the loser’s bracket final.

St. Francis scored seven runs in the bottom of the second, stringing together six hits and two walks, to take the nine-run lead. The big blow was a bases-loaded double by Enrique Martinez that cleared the base paths.