City Baseball Playoffs : Gil Has Three Hits as Poly Wins; Canoga Park Advances

For Sun Valley Poly High School, shortstop Danny Gil, the toughest part of the Parrots’ 6-4 victory over Chatsworth Tuesday was not the heat or the Chatsworth pitching, but the rush of well-wishers headed his way at the end of the game.

“I saw them all coming,” Gil said, “and I knew I was in trouble.”

Gil survived the pile, brushing it off as he had brushed off the Chatsworth pitching. The senior had 3 hits and 5 runs batted in to help Poly advance to Thursday’s City 4-A championship game at Dodger Stadium against No. 1-seeded Canoga Park, a 5-1 winner over Sylmar.

And Gil, who was hitting .554 going into Tuesday’s game at Birmingham High, said he wants to play Canoga Park.

“I think they’re overrated,” he said.

Gil went 3 for 4, including a game-winning, 2-run double in the seventh inning and a 2-run home run in the third inning. His RBI single in the first inning gave Poly (21-4) its first lead, 1-0.

Poly led, 4-1, after three innings. Chatsworth got one run in the third inning on Rex McMackin’s sacrifice fly to right-center field. Chatsworth had loaded the bases on three straight singles off Poly starter Greg Nealon.

Chatsworth (19-7) tied the score, 4-4, in the fifth inning on McMackin’s second sacrifice fly and a two-run double by Jeff Rubenstein.

But Rubenstein, who relieved starter Pierre Amado in the third inning, could not hold off Poly in the seventh. He walked Hans Hekking, allowed a single to Joey Speakes, and then gave up Gil’s two-run double to left that proved to be the game-winner.

Canoga Park 5, Sylmar 1--Adam Schulhofer hit a two-run home run and Mike Kerber (7-0) limited Sylmar to four hits as Canoga Park won the other 4-A semifinal at Cal State Northridge. The victory was the 299th in the 37-year career of Canoga Park Coach Doug MacKenzie. Olonzo Woodfin (11-4) took the loss.

Venice 12, Belmont 4--Venice scored seven times in the third inning to break open a scoreless 3-A semifinal game at West Los Angeles College.