Camarillo’s Bush Holds Off Westlake’s Hot Hitters, 8-6

Bushwhacking saved the day for Camarillo at Moorpark College on Saturday, propelling the team into today’s final round of the Area 6 American Legion playoffs.

Just when it appeared Westlake would cut into Camarillo’s two-run lead in the eighth inning, Scott Bush took the mound and surprised Westlake with an ambush of strikes to secure Camarillo’s 8-6 victory. Entering the game in relief of starter Mike Henry, who allowed a leadoff single to Mike Suarez, Bush had to face the third, fourth and fifth batters in the Westlake lineup.

The batting trio consisted of Jon DeGennaro, who hit a three-run home run that gave Westlake a 5-0 lead in the second; Jim Henderson, who had a 340-foot single and two runs batted in, and Greg Struhl, who had two hits. Not Murderer’s Row, but the group represented the kind of players who can produce runs in droves.

As Westlake Coach Chuck Thompson said, “When you have the meat of the order up at that particular time, you’re hoping to score some runs.”

But Bush, who said he was more pumped up for this game than any in the tournament, ended those hopes with a flourish. After DeGennaro popped out to first, the home-plate umpire was the one doing the pumping--with his right arm to signal outs. Bush struck out both Henderson and Struhl.

“That really kind of deflated us,” Thompson said.

Bush then struck out Bobby Weer and Donnie Rae in the ninth, and after walking Mike Lieberthal, he recorded the save on a fly to deep center.

Before Bush, who will attend Cal Poly-Pomona in the fall, entered the game in the eighth, he sat impatiently on the bench, imploring Camarillo Coach Rich Herrera to make a pitching change.

“From the sixth inning on I was going, ‘Rich, come on put me in; I’m ready, I’m ready.’ When I got in there I just couldn’t wait,” he said.

Camarillo (14-5), which is 3-1 in the six-team, double-elimination tournament, meets Santa Monica, which is undefeated in the tournament, today at 10 a.m. at Moorpark College. If Camarillo wins, the teams play again at 1:30 p.m. to determine the Area 6 champion, who moves to Yountville for the Legion state championships, which begin Saturday.

Henry, who allowed 11 hits and 6 runs in 7 innings, helped himself with the bat. He drove in two runs, including the game-winner in the fifth with a single off Bob Grandpre. The run put Camarillo ahead for good, 7-6. The batting success was a new twist for Henry.

“I haven’t really been hitting this year. I haven’t really been swinging the bat in a month or so,” he said.

Camarillo erased a 5-0 deficit with a five-run third inning at the expense of Westlake starter John Chiaramonte. Jeremy Sumrow tripled in one run, Henry singled home another and Art Espinoza scored two more on a single that knocked out Chiaramonte. An error by Westlake shortstop Mike Suarez, one of three Westlake errors in the inning, accounted for the fifth run.

Camarillo took a 6-5 lead in the top of the fourth when Kenny Knight singled home Sumrow, who had walked and stole second. Westlake tied the game in the bottom of the inning on Henderson’s single that scored Ed Campaniello.

Henry gave Camarillo a 7-6 lead in the fifth, and Espinoza’s sacrifice fly in the sixth drove in Knight to make it 8-6.

Westlake, the District 16 regular-season champion, finished 14-5.

Westlake and Camarillo had to win earlier games Saturday to earn the right to play each other. Camarillo beat West Covina, 5-2, and Westlake defeated Glendale, 7-5.

Chiaramonte also started Westlake’s earlier game against Glendale. He gave up three earned runs in 3 innings. Thompson said he didn’t have much choice in giving Chiaramonte both starts.

“We had gone to the well pretty much with what we had as far as tournament play is concerned,” he said.

Bush made sure they didn’t have to go any longer.