Granada Hills Abuzz After Lopsided Win

Granada Hills High right-hander Eric Harris tossed a 6-hitter while striking out 6 as the Highlanders demolished Birmingham, 16-2, in a Mid-Valley League game Wednesday at Birmingham.

The score, however, was not nearly as close as the haircut of shortstop Charlie Fowlks, who complied with an order from Coach Darryl Stroh and went for a new haircut. Teammates Sean Brown and Steve Kovacic did the honors Sunday night, lopping locks off the sides of Fowlks’ head.

“We had a fashion show last week and I dyed spots in my hair,” Fowlks said. “Coach Stroh saw my hair and told me to get rid of the spots.”

Fowlks had 2 doubles and 3 teammates--Kevin Carmichael, Chris Murphy and Glenn Hoppe--also had 2 hits as Granada Hills (2-0) racked 4 Birmingham pitchers for 14 hits.

On a sunny day, the Highlanders, ranked No. 1 in the Valley by The Times, seemed only to have trouble with the sun--specifically in the eyes of right fielder Jeremy Leach.

Leach, who quarterbacked the Highlander football team to a City Section 4-A Division championship, was a picture of exasperation before the start of the fifth inning, desperately yelling to Granada Hills’ dugout for help.

“My sunglasses fell apart,” he said. “Someone gave me an old pair, but I couldn’t see anything with them the rest of the game. Luckily, only a tinkler came my way.”

The perplexing moments were few for the Highlanders, who opened with a 4-run first inning and ended with 3 runs in both the sixth and seventh.

“Was I impressed with Granada Hills?” Birmingham Coach Wayne Sink said. “Coach Stroh always has had the talent, but I can’t remember seeing a better Granada team in my 10 years at Birmingham. They’ve got some big, strong kids who look like real athletes.”

Six of those athletes are the same ones who led Stroh’s football team to the championship last fall. That experience can only help the baseball team as well, the players said. Granada Hills lost to Canoga Park, the eventual 4-A champion, in the semifinals last year.

“We went through some battles and hope to carry our winning attitude from the football team over to the baseball team,” Leach said. “I think the only ones who will beat us is ourselves.”