Chatsworth Drops Into First-Place Tie

When Chatsworth Coach Bob Lofrano made a third-inning trek to the mound to visit starting pitcher Pierre Amado, diplomacy wasn’t foremost in mind.

“Get your elbow down,” Lofrano instructed the junior left-hander. “When your arm is too high, your pitches are way up. When it’s down, the pitches are way too low.

“The elbow’s got to be down here,” Lofrano said, gesturing with his arm and wrist. “You know how, it’s simple.”

While pinpoint deployment of his more conventional weapon--the fastball--was no problem, Amado struggled with control of his curveball. And following the arms control summit with Lofrano, Amado appeared to gain command of the second pitch in his arsenal.

But after being held scoreless for 4 innings, El Camino Real finally launched some bombs off Amado, rallying from a two-run deficit to defeat Chatsworth, 5-3, in a West Valley League game Thursday at El Camino Real.

Because Amado’s arm was up, as a result, so is El Camino Real. Chatsworth (15-5, 9-3) dropped into a first-place tie with Canoga Park, and El Camino Real (9-6, 8-4) is one game back with three games remaining.

“This league race is just like everyone expected,” El Camino Real Coach Mike Maio said. “Right down to the wire.”

After scoring three runs in the fifth and two in the sixth to take a 5-2 lead, El Camino Real seemed to have a victory wired, especially after senior left-hander Mike Teich retired the first two Chatsworth batters in the seventh inning. Chatsworth, however, put together three singles and a walk for one run before Teich struck out designated-hitter Scott Harris with the bases loaded for the final out.

Teich, who threw 155 pitches, earned his fourth victory in five decisions. In 90-degree weather and stifling humidity, Teich kept Chatsworth in check with a few heat-seeking missiles on the outside part of the plate.

“That was definitely one of my better outings,” said Teich, who struck out 10 batters and allowed six hits. “And in a game like this, that only makes it feel that much better. Not just for me, but for the team.”

Discounting the location problems with the curveball, Amado (5-2) must have felt pretty good about his chances after Chatsworth expanded its lead to 2-0 in the fourth. In the fifth, however, after he struck out Carl McFadden on three pitches to lead off the inning, Amado made a fast exit.

With one out, Ryan McGuire doubled to left-center. Rob Bumgarner--who finished with three hits and three runs batted in--followed with a double down the line in left, scoring McGuire. Bumgarner scored three pitches later when Bryce Welch tripled to the identical spot. Welch scored on a sacrifice fly by Denny Vigo, giving El Camino Real a 3-2 lead.

El Camino Real added two more in the sixth off sophomore right-hander Derek Wallace when Bumgarner scored Gene Demyon and McGuire with a single to left.

And the league race, predicted to be a three-team affair, is progressing as expected. With its 14-2 win over Cleveland on Thursday, Canoga Park moved into a tie with Chatsworth. El Camino Real plays host to Canoga Park--winner of 11 straight games--Tuesday.

“It’s pretty obvious what we have to do to win the league,” Maio said. “We need three wins.”

A struggling Chatsworth faces Canoga Park in the regular-season finale May 19. Chatsworth has lost two of three, scoring just eight runs in that span.

Chatsworth scored a run in the third on a ground ball by Rex McMackin--who later extended his hitting streak to 19 games with a fifth-inning single--and added another on a ground ball by Donovan Wallace in the fourth. The team’s run in the seventh came on a bases-loaded walk by Teich to Dave Waco.