Valley Dodgers to Debut Against Hometown Favorite in NBC Series

The Valley Dodgers will become the first team from the San Fernando Valley to compete in the 52-year-old National Baseball Congress World Series when they meet the Wichita Broncos tonight at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium.

Wichita (47-12) is seeded fourth in the 32-team, double-elimination tournament. Eight thousand spectators are expected for the first-round game.

The Dodgers (22-7) finished second in the Golden State League and qualified for the NBC World Series by winning the state Southern Section tournament last month.

Randy Cina (6-0), of Cal State Northridge, will be the starting pitcher for the Dodgers, who have won seven straight games. The team stopped in Las Vegas on Wednesday for a tune-up doubleheader against that city’s top amateur squad. The Dodgers won both, 28-7 and 6-1.

Mike Solomon, an All-American for Cal State Northridge’s 1984 national Division II champions, is the Dodgers’ leading hitter. He is batting .455 with eight home runs and 33 runs batted in.

The Ventura County Royals, Golden State League champions, also open NBC World Series action tonight in Liberal, Kan.

Liberal, which has former Granada Hills High and Pierce College pitcher Fred Riscen on its roster, is the defending national champion.

Former Camarillo High standouts Scott Cline and Charlie Fiacco are among Ventura’s top players.

On Monday, the Dodgers will play Liberal in a non-tournament game.