AROUND THE LEAGUES : It’s Accurate, Yet Somehow Inappropriate, to Call Chatsworth Stars Juniors

Midway through the West Valley League schedule, Chatsworth is in first place. Not bad for a team that starts seven juniors. Pierre Amado is 5-0 with a 1.62 earned-run average, Rex McMackin has a 15-game hitting streak and is batting .549, and Joel Wolfe is batting .528. All are juniors.

But Coach Bob Lofrano says two other juniors, John Haselbusch and Dave Waco, are most responsible for the team’s success. Haselbusch didn’t start until the fourth league game but is 14 for 30 with 16 runs batted in. Waco won the starting shortstop position midway through the season and has helped steady the defense.

“I expected Rex and Joel to do the things they’ve done,” Lofrano said. “But the other two have been a real surprise. They’ve come out of nowhere to solidify the team.”

Plastic protest: The race heating up in the Mid-Valley League likely will get even hotter if San Fernando and Kennedy have to replay part of a game played last month, which San Fernando won, 18-0. The City’s Interscholastic Athletic Committee upheld a protest Monday by Kennedy Coach Dick Whitney. If the outcome of the league race is dependent upon the result of the game, it will be replayed from the point of the protest.

San Fernando was leading, 5-0, in the fourth inning when Kennedy designated-hitter Gino Tagliaferri was ejected because one of the metal spikes on his shoe was missing the necessary plastic covering. Whitney said that Tagliaferri should have been warned first and given the opportunity to bring his equipment up to standard rather than being ejected. The IAC agreed. “The umpire erred and didn’t give the youngster a warning,” City Commissioner Hal Harkness said. “The rule book is very explicit. You have to give a violator a warning.”

San Fernando Coach Steve Marden was upset when informed of the IAC’s decision. “That’s ridiculous,” Marden said. “For them to uphold the protest is absurd. It takes a hell of a lot of guts to protest an 18-0 game. If it were me, I wouldn’t have the audacity to try and win a game on some kind of situation like that.” . . . Marden wasn’t surprised that Kennedy played with emotion in last week’s 10-1 win over his team. “I’m sure a lot of their players looked at that game as a question of their manhood,” Marden said. “They were an emotionally intense team.”

An abrupt end: Newbury Park’s Wally Thornhill, a four-year varsity player, was kicked off the team last week after a series of discipline problems. Thornhill, who was batting .410 with 5 home runs and 25 RBIs, was pulled out against Simi Valley last Wednesday after allowing a fly ball to land in front of him. . . . Alemany Coach Jim Ozella had his hands full during his team’s six-run, sixth-inning rally in Saturday’s 16-7 victory over North Torrance. In between flashing signs to his players from the dugout, he gave his 2-year-old son, Ryan, a diaper change, outfitting his youngster with a fresh pair of pants. Said Ozella afterward: “You must do many jobs when you’re a coach at Alemany High.”

Cramping his style: After Sylmar left-hander Olonzo Woodfin (8-1) cruised through a hitless 5 innings during last week’s 4-0 win over Poly, Sylmar Coach John Klitsner visited the mound--and it wasn’t to chat about the next batter. Klitsner had Woodfin lie on his back behind the mound to help relieve a cramp in Woodfin’s left leg. “He just wasn’t getting enough water, nothing serious,” Klitsner said. The therapy, however, was a washout. After Klitsner gave the leg a few twists and turns, Woodfin allowed hits to Luis Porres and Danny Gil but finished with a two-hit shutout. . . . Whoever said it couldn’t hurt just to watch never met Gary Morgan of Canyon. Morgan injured his neck while watching a Dodgers-Padres game on television last week and had to sit out the Cowboys’ game with Golden League rival Saugus. “Tony Gwynn made a great catch and my girlfriend said, ‘Hey, look!’ ” Morgan said. “I jerked my neck and sprained the muscles.” Morgan was back in the lineup three days later and got three hits against Antelope Valley. . . . Saugus pitcher Steve Risinger (5-1) suffered a more serious injury when he slid too late into second base against Burroughs of Ridgecrest. Risinger sprained ligaments in his ankle and will be out for two weeks.