HIGH SCHOOL HIGHLIGHTS : Canoga Park Rally Comes Up Short as Chatsworth Holds On for 8-6 Win

His baseball team almost staged a successful last-inning comeback Tuesday, but Canoga Park High Coach Doug MacKenzie wasn’t about to praise the effort after an 8-6 loss to Chatsworth in a West Valley League game at Lanark Park.

MacKenzie’s Hunters trailed, 8-3, going into the bottom of the seventh inning, but rallied for three runs and had runners on second and third with two out before Aaron Marks grounded out to end the game.

Canoga Park led, 3-1, entering the third inning, despite having a runner thrown out at third in each of the first two inings. Canoga Park (2-3) had Chatsworth right-hander Shawn Bowen on the ropes after loading the bases with one out. But Bowen escaped by striking out Kasey Fink and Alan Paar.

“I told the team they didn’t lose it in the seventh,” MacKenzie said. “We lost it in the first two innings. We were really lousy.”

Chatsworth (7-2, 4-1 in league) rallied for four runs in the fifth to take a 5-3 lead against Marks (0-1), who was making his first career start. John Haselbusch keyed the inning with a two-out, three-run double.