Loyola, Miscues Trip Alemany in Del Rey Game

For a brief, bright, shining moment, it appeared as though Alemany High’s baseball team had put together a storybook, come-from-behind win Friday afternoon.

But Loyola’s two-run, controversy-filled seventh inning quickly ended that scenario, wiping out Joey Rosselli’s three-run home run in the top of the inning and giving the Cubs a 4-3 win in the Del Rey League opener for both schools.

The best way to begin sorting the many twists and turns of this game is to start with the final play.

With two outs in the bottom of the seventh, Loyola (4-3) had runners at second and third. Jason Pestano hit a grounder to shortstop Greg Biley, whose one-hop throw to first--according to umpire Mel Patterson--pulled first baseman Joe Cupo off the bag, allowing Art Saldivar to score the winning run.

The call did not please Indians Coach Jim Ozella and the sizable contingent of Alemany fans at Loyola’s Shepherd Field. Some Alemany supporters showered Patterson with insults and assorted invectives as he quickly walked away after making his game-ending call.

“I thought the guy was out. Didn’t it look like that to you?” Ozella asked reporters after the game. “He was lying on the bag. How couldn’t he be on the bag?”

Loyola’s first run of the inning scored when right fielder Bill Horvat dropped Keven Dell’Amico’s fly ball, bringing in Brian Dennis with the tying run.

“Horvat dropping that ball killed us,” Ozella said. “The runner was holding at third, because it was a short fly ball. He was not going because Bill can throw the ball.”

With two outs and the bases empty in the top of the seventh, Alemany’s Cupo singled under second baseman Troy Burnett’s glove and pinch-hitter Sean Sosa followed with an infield single.

Rosselli, a sophomore, then slammed Tom Martin’s 1-1 pitch an estimated 340 feet over the right-center-field fence, giving the Indians (6-2) a 3-2 lead.

Martin (4-0) surrendered three hits while allowing just one runner past second base through the first six innings. The senior right-hander went the distance, striking out nine and walking two.