AROUND THE LEAGUES : Bushart Boosts Varsity Stock By Beating San Fernando’s Aparicio

Thousand Oaks’ 3-2 win over San Fernando last week was more than a simple nonleague victory for Thousand Oaks left-hander John Bushart. It was a chance for the sophomore to prove he could pitch at the varsity level. It was a chance to pitch against former Little League teammates and opponents. And it was a chance to pitch head to head against San Fernando left-hander Bobby Aparicio, one of the Valley’s most highly touted pitchers.

Bushart, who played in the Mission Hills Senior League with Aparicio and several other San Fernando players before moving to Thousand Oaks two years ago, allowed five hits and two runs in five innings to earn the win. Aparicio, meanwhile, allowed two runs in the second inning, another in the third and was pulled in the fourth.

“I was mostly excited because it was my first game,” said Bushart, who was promoted to varsity the day before the game. “And it was great to have it be against guys I knew.”

Bushart will remain with the varsity as long as he’s effective. “His ball really tails,” Coach Jim Hansen said. “John’s velocity isn’t as good as it will become as he gets older, but he’s got control.”

San Fernando Coach Steve Marden isn’t concerned with Aparicio’s outing. “He had a sore shoulder for a month and that was his first time out,” he said. “He’ll be fine.” . . . The game was played at Thousand Oaks and was a homecoming for San Fernando assistant Coach Garth Marcus, who played under Hansen in the early 1970s and was a Thousand Oaks assistant coach for five years. “With Garth out there it was doubly exciting to beat San Fernando,” Hansen said.

All that glitters: Reseda third baseman Donnie Grant was surprised when he was ejected during his first at-bat of the season in Tuesday’s 7-6 loss to Chatsworth. Grant was wearing two gold chains around his neck and, thus, became the first victim of a new City Section rule that prohibits players from wearing jewelry during games. The new rule mandates that umpires first warn the coach of each team. Each successive violator is automatically thrown out. “It’s my fault,” Reseda Coach Mike Stone said. “With all the other stuff I have to worry about, I just missed it.” . . . Junior Pierre Amado has emerged as the early season ace of Chatsworth’s pitching staff, but for a while he was a long shot to make the varsity. Chatsworth Coach Bob Lofrano said Amado would have to pitch for the junior varsity unless he ranked among the varsity’s top three pitchers. Amado is 2-0 with a 1.61 earned-run average and has 12 strikeouts in 13 innings. . . . Providence beat Capistrano Valley Christian and pitcher Darron Sutton, 4-1, Saturday. Sutton is the son of California Angels pitcher Don Sutton. “I didn’t even know it until the umpire came up to me after the game and said, ‘You know, you faced a legend today--that’s Don Sutton’s kid.’ ” Said Providence Coach Marc Saraceno: “I said one thing to the umpire. ‘We got a legend, too--the player of the year.’ ” Saraceno was referring to Jeff Cirillo, the 1986 Southern Section Small Schools Player of the Year. Against Capistrano Valley Christian, Cirillo threw a one-hitter and struck out 11. Sutton fanned nine and allowed five hits.

Rockin’ Royal: Before last week’s game against Calabasas, Royal played John Fogerty’s “Centerfield” during infield practice. Royal, the home team, also played music during Calabasas’ infield drill. Calabasas Coach Art Borgquist couldn’t name the tune, but it wasn’t “Talkin’ Baseball.” Said Borgquist: “I don’t know what it was but it was annoying. We were shouting and still couldn’t hear each other.” Royal won, 4-0. . . . Three-year starter Dan Presta should be Royal’s best pitcher, but he couldn’t get an out in Royal’s opener last week against Arcadia. After Presta allowed seven runs in the first inning, Royal came back to tie, 9-9. “Dan played basketball and hadn’t been out for baseball very long,” Coach Mike McCurdy said. “He’ll be all right.” Joe Summers and Jim Dollar pitched complete-game shutouts in each of Royal’s next two games. . . . Notre Dame’s Mike Peterson, who was expected to be the No. 1 starting pitcher, broke his hand chasing his dog last week and will be out four to six weeks.

Weight program lifts averages: Burroughs has seven players hitting better than .300 and five with two doubles each, but Coach Paul Heaney isn’t taking all the credit. Jay Gudzin, the junior varsity coach, supervised an off-season weight program for the first time. “That’s helped us out tremendously,” Heaney said. . . . Montclair Prep (6-1) won six straight games after opening the season with a 4-0 loss to Palisades in the Westside tournament. J.R. Smith, a three-year starter at shortstop and the team’s top relief pitcher, has pitched 10 innings, allowed 2 runs, 6 hits, 4 walks with 3 strikeouts. “I’ve seen very few kids at the high school level who have such command of their pitches,” Montclair Prep Coach Jeff Pressman said. . . . Saugus catcher Jared Snyder should be relieved that the Centurions’ basketball season has finally ended. Snyder, a three-sport junior who plays quarterback in the fall, had been juggling basketball and baseball until last week. It hasn’t been easy. Muir stole eight bases with Snyder catching in a 16-5 win. “He’s not quite ready yet,” Coach Doug Worley said.

Track and field: Crespi sophomore Russell White is best known for his running on the football field, but he also is a talented track and field athlete. White won the triple jump at the Spartan relays with a personal best of 47-4 1/2 two weeks ago and led Crespi to a 106-21 Del Rey League victory over St. John Bosco last Thursday with wins in the 100 meters (11.2) and the 220 yards (22.9).

Basketball: Gary Gray of Granada Hills is the City Section 3-A Player of the Year and is one of seven Valley players named to All-City teams by members of the First Interstate Bank-Amateur Athletic Foundation. Kevin Franklin, who averaged 34.5 points a game for Taft, El Camino Real’s Sean Davis (19.8) and Cleveland’s Michael Gray (16.3) are All-City in the 4-A Division. Birmingham’s Ennerea Maxwell (16.0), San Fernando’s Shelton Boykin (15.3), North Hollywood’s Dominic Nappi (14.8) and Poly’s Jorge Ramos (15.8) join Gray on the 3-A team.