Redondo/Palos Verdes Baseball Tournament : Right Moves Help Thousand Oaks Dispatch Alemany in 10 Innings

It seemed that nothing could go wrong for Jim Hansen on Saturday. Every managerial decision he made went his way.

Not even whiffing into a triple play could keep his Thousand Oaks team from beating Alemany, 6-5, in a first-round game that lasted 10 innings.

After his Lancers were shut out Friday against Newbury Park in a Marmonte League game, the Thousand Oaks coach juggled his starting lineup for the game at Alemany. Two of the changes included moving Steve Sisco from No. 9 in the batting order to the leadoff spot and inserting Dan Chergey, the losing pitcher in Friday’s game, into the starting lineup at first base.

The two seniors didn’t take long to adjust to their new roles and combined for three home runs, including a two-run shot by Chergey in the top of the seventh inning. That tied the score, 5-5, and sent the game into extra innings.

Thousand Oaks then scored the winning run in the 10th when Mike Yanuzzi singled home Chris Grodell.

“When you take as many called third strikes as we did against Newbury Park, you got to shake some bodies up,” Hansen said about the changes. “I had to tell these guys you earn a starting spot, you just don’t get it.”

The Lancers (3-2-1) possibly could have avoided extra innings but failed to score in the sixth when they ran into a triple play with the bases loaded. Sisco struck out swinging and Alemany catcher Mike Sims threw down to third to double up a snoozing Jud Schlimgen. John Lite then flipped to Mark Scott to get Tom Brozowski, who strayed from second base.

“I guess the guy on second just got overanxious,” Hansen said.

Hansen’s calls were just as good on defense. Alemany had runners on first and third with one out in the ninth when Hansen brought in his infielders, allowing Joey Rosselli to steal second base.

The strategy worked. The next batter, Greg Biley, grounded sharply to shortstop for the second out and Hansen then elected to intentionally walk Scott to load the bases. Jon Beauchemin ended the inning by flying out to left field.

Sisco hit the first pitch of the game over the right-field fence, and his second home run, in the fifth, gave Thousand Oaks a 3-0 lead. The Lancers, however, had to make three pitching changes while the Indians sent nine batters to the plate in the bottom half of the inning to score four runs. Joe Cupo, pinch-hitting for Sean Sosa, grounded to second, scoring Biley to give Alemany a 4-3 lead. Alemany (6-3) scored another run in the sixth before Chergey’s two-run blast tied the score.

“We made some serious mistakes in the game. We’re a young ballclub,” Hansen said. “I’m glad we battled back against a good team like them.”