Canoga Park Gets by Fairfax, 8-4, in 1st Round

Even Doug MacKenzie, a reluctant participant in the spotlight, begrudgingly admits that 1987 is a special year for his Canoga Park High baseball team.

MacKenzie has fought attention at every turn after he announced his retirement from teaching this season to conclude a 37-year career. His approach this year, he claims, is no different from previous seasons and at times he even sounds convincing.

Much seemed routine Wednesday as MacKenzie watched Canoga Park defeat Fairfax, 8-4, at Lanark Park in the first round of the City Section 4-A playoffs. In Friday’s second round, Canoga Park plays at home against Granada Hills, an 8-1 winner Wednesday over Banning.

Adorned in his game-day “uniform” of khaki trousers, a green-and-white polo shirt and a Canoga Park cap, MacKenzie greeted old friends and former players, many of them middle-aged men themselves.

He peppered his team with a steady stream of encouragement and voiced his displeasure with such gentle outbursts as “Jiminy Christmas, guys.” When a group of Little Leaguers on an adjoining diamond at the park threatened to interfere with play, it was MacKenzie who shooed the youngsters to the sidelines.

MacKenzie’s protestations aside, his players recognize that this is a special season. The 61-year-old coach, who has never won a City title, enters the tournament not only with with the top-seeded team but as the sentimental favorite.

Others have noticed, too. A crowd of more than 400 attended Wednesday’s game and a Los Angeles television station sent out a film crew that conducted postgame interviews with MacKenzie and his players.

“There’s a little extra incentive this year to win it for him,” first baseman Mike Kerber said. “We might not want to admit it, but we want to do it for him.”

Can MacKenzie feel the excitement? “It’s been great. I love to see the big crowds and I enjoy seeing my old friends. But it’s always been exciting for me. I wouldn’t be doing it this long if it wasn’t.”

Canoga Park (16-4) played a flawed game Wednesday, stranding nine runners and committing two errors but still eased past Fairfax (11-11), which committed four errors and handed over six unearned runs to make a loser of Sky Lasowitz (6-7). Adam Schulhofer (8-2) picked up the win but struggled throughout, allowing eight hits, five walks and four runs through 4 innings. He stranded 11 runners and was in trouble every inning.

But at the game’s crucial juncture, Canoga Park responded. With the Hunters clinging to a 6-4 lead in the fifth, Fairfax’s David Kushan brought his .500 batting average to the plate with two on and two out. MacKenzie replaced Schulhofer with Mike Roberts, who induced Kushan to ground out to first. Roberts pitched 2 innings of hitless relief to gain his first save.

Canoga Park had trailed 2-0 before putting together back-to-back, three-run innings in the second and third. Schulhofer, who had two hits and three runs batted in, singled home two runs to key the second-inning outburst. Canoga Park used two walks, an error, a bunt single and a groundout to score three times in the third.

Run-scoring singles in the fifth by Schulhofer and Scott Strickland, who had three hits and three RBIs, completed the scoring.

“We didn’t play that well but it wasn’t nervousness,” MacKenzie said. “We’ll play better Friday. There’s not one bit of panic in these guys.”