Stroh Uses Swing Instead of Squeeze to Direct Granada Hills Over Kennedy, 3-2

The squeeze bunt is as much a part of Darryl Stroh’s arsenal as the steal or the hit and run. The Granada Hills High baseball coach does more squeezing than the lady in the Charmin commercial.

Thursday afternoon at Granada Hills, Stroh’s opportunity to squeeze presented itself and, departing from form, he ignored it.

The Highlanders trailed Kennedy, 2-1, with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning, when Stroh summoned pinch-hitter George DeMarios from the bench. With Sean Brown standing at third, Stroh reasoned that DeMarios was a good enough bunter to bring him home.

When DeMarios stepped up to the plate, Stroh changed his mind and let him swing away. The senior came through with a run-scoring single and Granada Hills went on to post a 3-2 victory.

“I really sent him up there on the idea that we’d probably squeeze, but I talked myself out of it,” Stroh said.

Mr. Whipple would have been proud. So was DeMarios, for that matter.

“That was the happiest moment of my life,” he said. “I’ve had a lot of chances to produce this season and I haven’t come through. This is just great.”

DeMarios’ hit was only part of an unexpected Highlander seventh that began with Kennedy leading, 2-0.

Kennedy pitcher Eric Evans had cruised through the first six innings, allowing only four hits.

But he walked Danny Ginetti to open the seventh and, one out later, Brown tripled to right center to cut Kennedy’s lead in half. DeMarios then followed with the single up the middle to tie the game.

After inducing shortstop Greg Fowble to fly out to left field, Evans walked Danny Takahashi and Bob Allen to load the bases.

Kennedy Coach Dick Whitney lifted Evans in favor of reliever Brian Roth. Sean Casey greeted Roth with an infield single that scored DeMarios with the winning run.

Kennedy shortstop Kevin Farlow made a good play in the hole to stop the ball, but Allen beat his throw to second.

Whitney thought that Farlow’s best chance for an out may have been at third.

“We had a chance to get the out at third, but we went in the wrong direction,” he said. “I think Kevin was probably surprised that he made the play to start with. I can’t fault him, though. Kevin made a great play just to get to the ball.”

Farlow said that he thought of throwing to third, but third baseman Todd Davis talked him out of it.

“As I was coming up, he told me to go to second,” said Farlow, the City player of the year last season. “I don’t know exactly why. Maybe he wasn’t close enough to the base to get there in time.”

The only thing Kennedy is now near is extinction.

The loss dropped the Golden Cougars to 5-7 overall and 2-6 in the Mid-Valley League, six games behind Granada Hills (11-1 and 8-0). Kennedy still has eight league games left, but it is one game behind Monroe (3-5) for the fourth and final playoff spot.

The win was the seventh straight for Granada Hills, The Times’ No. 1-ranked team in the Valley. A good share of the credit can be directed toward Casey. The senior transfer from Alemany gave up only four hits Thursday and improved his record to 7-1. Two of his wins have been against the defending City champion Golden Cougars.

Although Casey has had success since transferring to Granada Hills, Stroh has repeatedly said he has been frustrated by the pitcher’s inconsistency and lack of concentration on the mound. Not Thursday.

“That’s the best he’s thrown for us by far,” he said.

Perhaps Stroh was never really upset with Casey. Maybe he was just putting the squeeze on his star.

KENNEDY--Evans, Roth (7) and Trujillo.

GRANADA HILLS--Casey and Olsen.

WP--Casey (7-1); LP--Evans (2-2).