Crespi Upset Holds Surprise Ending, 10-4

In the Crespi High dugout Friday, a visitor gave the scoop to Scott Muckey, who passed the news to Pat Bennett, who had no one to relay it to.

A hitherto struggling Crespi team had just defeated Redondo, 10-4, in a nonleague game. And every Celt fan and player--except Bennett--had left the Valley College field unaware that this was a victory over the No. 1-ranked team in the Southern Section 4-A Division, a team that had gone unbeaten in nine previous games.

When informed of the news, the normally aloof Muckey looked as though he had stopped to take a whiff of a boutonniere and had been squirted in the face. It was a shock, it was a surprise, and it was all left for the Crespi coach to consider in the empty dugout.

“I can’t figure it out,” he said, deadpan. “We beat Simi Valley, 9-2, and they are highly touted, too. But we lost to some average teams like Bosco Tech, St. John Bosco, Alhambra and North Torrance.”

Crespi (4-6 overall, 0-2 in Del Rey League play) changed from an average to a superior team against Redondo. Dan Carroll pitched a seven-hit complete game and the Celts unleashed a six-run avalanche in the fifth inning. Crespi banged out 10 hits against Seahawk pitching, while Carroll’s performance bordered on the surreal, considering his past history and new delivery.

“Coach Muckey suggested I try throwing sidearm three days ago,” Carroll said. “I didn’t know what to expect. The last time I pitched, I hit three batters, walked two, and every guy I hit or walked seemed to score.”

Carroll (2-2) did walk four batters, including three in Redondo’s three-run second inning in which he overthrew a pickoff attempt to first baseman Eric Berg, allowing two runners to score. However, Carroll did take care of Redondo slugger Scott Davison, who broke the Southern Section single-season run batted in record last year and entered the game batting .480. Carroll limited Davison to three popups.

“If Carroll can resemble something like he was today, we can become a pretty good team,” Muckey said.

On the offensive side, the Celts reduced a 4-0 deficit with a run in the third and two in the fourth. Greg Barton, Eric Berg, and Kurt D’Antonia each had RBI hits.

Then, there was the fifth inning.

Crespi loaded the bases as Ken Franco and John Dempsey singled and Mark Cavaretta was hit by a pitch. Redondo starter Scott Taylor walked the next two batters before Don Calabria hit a pinch-hit double that emptied the bases. Chad Nichols, who was 4 for 4, drove in Calabria for the sixth run.

“It was a lazy, tired effort by us, by far the worst we’ve played this season,” Redondo Coach Henry Jenkins said. “We were completely lifeless at the plate. Maybe it was the weather. It’s a lot cooler along the beach when we play at home.”