Turning the Final Inside Out

At the start of the seventh inning of last Saturday’s Southern Section 3-A championship game, members of the Rio Mesa High baseball team turned their hats inside out. The Spartans hoped the “rally caps” would help them break a 3-3 tie with Western.

Darren Romano didn’t have the chance to adjust his hat, mainly because he was getting ready to hit. But even if Romano had been on the bench, he still wouldn’t have been able to reshape his hat.

“Darren was so nervous before the game that he forgot his hat and his shoes,” Rio Mesa Coach Pat Machado said.

Romano’s mother brought his shoes to Dodger Stadium, while he ended up using a hat of one of the coaches.

Machado discussed the situation with Romano before the team went onto the field.

“I raised my voice a few octaves,” Machado said.

Even in his anger, Machado knew something was up.

“I was walking down the tunnel with my brother,” Machado said, “and I said, ‘This is the kind of kid who’ll win it for us in the seventh inning.’ ”

Sure enough, Romano led off the inning with a triple, then scored the winning run as Rio Mesa won the championship, 5-3.

Add Rio Mesa: Machado has been bothered by the flu for two weeks, but that mattered little when he visited his doctor Monday.

“He told me I’ll live,” Machado said, “but he was more interested in the game than me.”

4-A City semifinal showdowns: Canoga Park’s softball team plays Banning today at South Gate Park. At the same time, 2:30 p.m., three-time defending City champion El Camino Real takes on Sylmar.

Canoga Park is looking forward to another shot at El Camino Real. The Hunters have lost twice in the West Valley League season to the Conquistadores.

Depth charge: Providence, which won the Small Schools Division championship last Friday, had only nine players much of the season and 13 during the playoffs. None of the four reserves had more than four at-bats all season.

“We were fortunate not to have any injuries,” Coach Marc Saraceno said after the Pioneers had whipped Linfield Christian, 13-2, for the title. “We only had nine, but they are nine good ones.”

Perhaps more remarkable than the lack of depth is the fact that the nine regulars fit so well together. Providence (23-3) had just the right blend of pitching, power, speed and defense.

“No one played out of position,” Saraceno said. “That’s pretty amazing when you have nine guys.”

Eight of the nine regulars hit .300 or better and the one who didn’t, junior Steve Ross, hit .277 and led the team with 22 walks and 29 stolen bases.

Pioneer Spirit: Simi Valley’s baseball team may have been eliminated in the semifinals by Esperanza, but at least one Pioneer made it to the Southern Section championships Saturday. Gracing the cover of the program for sale at Dodger Stadium was pitcher Scott Radinsky.

Big league blast: One shining moment for Saugus in its 9-4 loss to Artesia in the Southern Section 2-A title game Saturday at Dodger Stadium came in the sixth inning, when Don Pedersen hit a solo home run over the 395-foot sign in center field.

As Pedersen rounded first after hitting the ball, he thrust his right fist into the air.

“Yeah, that’s something I dreamed of,” Pedersen said of hitting a home run at Dodger Stadium. “It felt really good. But I wanted to win the game more than anything.”

Mission accomplished: Rich Remkus, who was the baseball coach at Mission College two seasons ago, led Gladstone of Covina to the 1-A title on Saturday, as the Gladiators defeated Montview League rival Baldwin Park, 7-6, in eight innings.

Oops Dept.: It was incorrectly reported Sunday that Rio Mesa, by winning the 3-A title, became the first Southern Section team since the 1981 Rio Mesa team to repeat as champions. The Spartans won the 1-A title in 1980 and 1981. Montclair Prep actually was the last team to repeat, winning the Small Schools Division championship in 1981 and 1982.