HIGH SCHOOL HIGHLIGHTS : Chatsworth Rides Amado’s 2-Hitter to a Share of West Valley Title, 5-1

Pierre Amado struck out six and allowed two hits as Chatsworth defeated Cleveland, 5-1, to clinch a share of the West Valley League championship Thursday at Chatsworth. It marks the seventh year in a row the Chancellors have either won or shared the title.

Amado (6-2), a junior left-hander, had control problems early, walking five, but retired 12 of the last 13 batters he faced to snap a personal two-game losing streak.

Joel Wolfe and Eric Niece each had two hits to lead Chatsworth (17-5, 11-3 in league). Rex McMackin, who walked twice, had his school-record 20-game hitting streak snapped. McMackin, one of six junior starters, has 23 hits in league play, one short of the school record set last season by Robert Roseboro.

Cleveland (9-9, 6-8) took a 1-0 lead in the third when Amado walked the bases loaded before allowing an infield hit to Mike Bergen, who had both Cleveland hits. Chatsworth tied the score in the bottom of the inning when Wolfe doubled home Niece, who also had doubled. Chatsworth scored twice in both the fourth and fifth innings and stole home twice.

On Tuesday, Chatsworth will play second-place Canoga Park (14-4, 10-4), which had its 12-game winning streak broken Thursday by Reseda, to determine the league’s first-place representative in the playoffs.

BASEBALL

Poly, ranked No. 1 in The Times Valley poll, suffered an 8-4, East Valley League upset at Fairfax. Fairfax (9-7 in league) put league-champion Poly (17-4, 15-2) in a hole with five runs in the third inning--the first three scoring on a throwing error by starting pitcher Luis Gomez. Poly, which stranded 11 baserunners, got two hits each from Luis Porres and Danny Gil.

Jon Dennis was 3 for 3 to lead North Hollywood to a 6-0 win over Verdugo Hills in an East Valley League game. Steve Sobisky allowed seven hits but pitched a complete game for North Hollywood (10-6 in league). Peter Salehyar of North Hollywood was 2 for 3 and drove in one run.

Bryce Welch had two hits and an RBI as El Camino Real defeated Taft, 5-3, in a West Valley League game. Lance Gibson (2-1) of El Camino Real (10-7, 9-5) allowed five hits en route to the win. Brad Rondt homered for Taft (1-13, 1-13).

Ernie Perez had three hits, including a home run, and five RBIs to lead a 19-hit attack as Birmingham crushed Van Nuys, 22-1, in a Mid-Valley League game. Damon Buford and Larry Hill also had three hits each for Birmingham (11-7, 9-5), which trails league-leading San Fernando by one game. Mike Sulprizio (4-1) allowed three hits in a complete-game victory.

Jeff Frith-Smith allowed one hit, a bloop single, as Monroe edged Kennedy, 2-1, in a Mid-Valley League game. Jason Farrell pitched a three-hitter for Kennedy (7-7 in league), which is tied with Monroe for fourth place.

Frank Charles hit a grand slam to cap a six-run sixth inning and lead Alpha League champion Montclair Prep (20-4, 13-1) to a 9-2 win over L.A. Lutheran. Mike Howard had three hits and Wayne Nogosek added two for Montclair Prep (20-4, 13-1).

Eric Broberg pitched a two-hitter and struck out eight to lead L.A. Baptist to an 8-0 win over La Verne Lutheran in an Alpha League game. Mark Nicks had two hits, including a home run for L.A. Baptist (10-9-1, 7-7), which is fighting for the league’s last playoff berth. Steve Phillips and Lawrence Troy each had two hits for L.A. Baptist.

Oak Park overcame a three-run deficit on Gary Silverman’s three-run home run in the fourth inning to defeat Santa Ynez, 7-5, in a Tri-Valley League game. Mike Birch, who pitched a complete game for Oak Park (8-8, 6-6), broke a 5-5 tie with a run-scoring double in the sixth.

BOYS VOLLEYBALL

Harvard had no trouble sweeping Pilgrim, 15-1, 15-1, 15-3, in a first-round, Southern Section 3-A playoff match. Mike Lowe had 10 kills and 10 blocks and Peter Andersons had 8 kills and 7 blocks for Harvard (17-0).

“Peter Andersons and Mike Lowe dominated the middle,” Harvard coach Steve Berk said. “Every time Pilgrim went for a hit there were two or three Harvard blockers there.”

Mark Grondin had a career-high 19 kills and added nine blocks as Chaminade defeated Southwestern, 15-12, 15-13, 8-15, 15-7, in the first round of the 3-A playoffs at Chaminade. Rick Lewis and Doug Ingalls each had nine kills for Chaminade (16-6), which finished second in the Santa Fe League. Chaminade meets top-seeded Loyola at 2 p.m. Saturday at Loyola.

Crespi’s first season in volleyball ended in the first round of the 3-A playoffs at Windward where the Celts lost, 15-10, 9-15, 15-12, 15-7. Sophomore Ken Lynch had 21 kills and 4 blocks and Morgan John added 8 kills and 5 blocks for Crespi (15-6).

SOFTBALL

Michelle Vail pitched a perfect game and struck out 15 as Village Christian defeated Marshall Fundamental, 8-0, in an Alpha League game. Vail also had two hits, including a home run, and three RBIs. Regina Assar homered and had two RBIs for Village Christian (13-6, 7-5).

Kim Weil pitched a one-hitter and struck out seven to lead Hart to a 4-0 win at Schurr. Combined with Burroughs’ loss to Burbank, Hart (19-6, 8-2) moved into a three-way tie for first place in the Foothill League.

Rebecca Schuster and Toni Gutierrez combined for a one-hitter and 14 strikeouts as Canyon defeated Saugus, 1-0, to win the Golden League championship. Gutierrez drove in the game’s only run with a sixth-inning single.

Laura Fawcett pitched a three-hitter, striking out 11, as Verdugo Hills (15-0, 10-0) clinched the East Valley League title with a 12-0 win at Grant.

Heidi Ogawa, Stacy Tilton and Janet Jensen each had two hits and three RBIs as Oak Park (11-7, 7-7) routed Bishop Diego, 21-1, in a Tri-Valley League game.

GOLF

Westlake, the defending Southern Section champion, defeated its nearest rival by 103 strokes, setting a Marmonte League tournament record for lowest round (364) and lowest 72-hole total (1,485), to win its third straight league championship. Westlake’s Chris Zambri, a junior, finished with a 2-over 287. Zambri shot a final-round, 2-under 69 at Camarillo Springs golf course, edging his brother Mike by two shots for overall medalist honors. Charlie Wi shot 71, and Mike Zambri and Jimmy Chang each shot 74.