Chatsworth Ends Kerber’s League Win Streak at 13

Mike Kerber on the mound used to mean an automatic West Valley League win for Canoga Park High. Kerber, a 6-foot-4, 200-pound right-hander, was 7-0 in league play last season as the Hunters won their first City Section 4-A Division championship.

Kerber’s career record was 13-0 in league play entering Wednesday’s game against first-place Chatsworth. But that changed as the Chancellors tagged Kerber for eight hits and defeated Canoga Park, 5-4, at Chatsworth to move three games ahead of the struggling Hunters.

“I was bound to lose sometime,” said Kerber, who this week made a verbal commitment to attend UCLA.

What seems to be automatic these days is a save in the books every time Chatsworth reliever Derek Wallace makes an appearance. Wallace, who relieved starter Pierre Amado (5-1) in the fifth inning, did not surrender a hit in 1 innings and retired Mike Roberts on a sharp grounder with the bases loaded to notch his fifth save and third in the past five games.

“Pierre wasn’t really sharp today and we knew that early,” Chatsworth Coach Bob Lofrano said. “Derek came in and did what he needed to do, so he gets another save.”

And Chatsworth, which returned Sunday after winning the Colonial Baseball Classic in Orlando, Fla., survived a sluggish performance. The Chancellors (11-1, 4-0 in league play) committed only five errors in four games in Florida but had three miscues against Canoga Park, including a throwing error by third baseman Joel Wolfe in the seventh that allowed Jason Sclimenti to reach base and Adam Schulhofer to score Canoga Park’s fourth run.

“I felt like slitting my wrists when I made that throw,” Wolfe said.

Two batters later, first baseman Art Lowe speared Roberts’ hopper between his legs but didn’t realize the ball was in his glove until taking a quick look around.

“It wasn’t behind me, so I thought ‘Maybe it’s in my glove,’ ” Lowe said. “I could tell our intensity wasn’t there. Not today.”

Canoga Park (2-5, 1-3) scored a run in the first inning on a triple by Schulhofer and a sacrifice fly by Kerber. Chatsworth countered with a run in the bottom of the first when John Haselbusch doubled to score Rex McMackin.

Canoga Park added a run in the third. Kerber hit a stand-up double to left and, after a walk to Sclimenti, advanced to third when Lowe bobbled a pickoff attempt. Kerber scored when Wallace, who started the game at second base, made a poor relay throw to first attempting to complete a double play.

The Chancellors, however, erupted for four runs on five hits in the third. Wolfe led off with a double that was followed by consecutive singles by Lowe and Haselbusch and later singles by David Waco and Ty Powell.

“Good thing we had the bats working today,” Wolfe said.

Sclimenti doubled to score Schulhofer with one out in the fifth before Lofrano brought in Wallace with runners at second and third. Wallace picked off pinch-runner Steven Knapton at third and struck out Del Marine to end the inning.

“The pickoff was the big play of the game,” Lofrano said.

With one out in the seventh, Wallace surrendered a single to Schulhofer and struck out Ricky Banuelos. Kerber followed with a walk and, after Wolfe’s error, Marine walked to load the bases.

But just as he did in Florida against Winter Park (Fla.) and Saugus, Wallace worked out of the jam.

“They’ve got the pitching and they’ve got the hitting,” Kerber said of the Chancellors. “They’re a great team. But we battled back.”