Fowlks, Granada Hills Come From Behind for Win Over Kennedy

Charlie Fowlks was the big winner at Granada Hills High on Wednesday.

First, his classmates voted him as having the best derriere of the boys on campus. Later in the afternoon, Fowlks--who has been the butt of many a joke because of his lackluster performance at the plate this season--settled Wednesday’s Mid-Valley League game with a boot to Kennedy’s collective pants by doubling home Chris Murphy with no outs in the bottom of the seventh to give Granada Hills a 7-6 win. It was the second time the Highlanders (9-1, 5-1 in league play) have rallied in the bottom of the seventh this week.

Fowlks’ blast, which bounced over the left-field wall on one hop, broke a 6-6 tie and capped a comeback by Granada Hills, which trailed, 6-3, after three innings.

“I guess we love the close ones,” said Murphy, who scored three runs and was 3 for 3 with a solo home run and two doubles. “This was definitely the best game we played all year.”

For three innings, however, Kennedy (9-8, 3-3) looked poised to kick the Highlanders out of first place. Kennedy designated-hitter V. P. Pajcin looked like an MVP early when he sent a Jeff Adams pitch over the fence in left, giving the Golden Cougars a 3-2 lead in the second. Kennedy added three more in the third when Scott Roth, the starting pitcher, singled in two runs. One out later, Shawn Madden’s sacrifice fly knocked in Gino Tagliaferri with what would be Kennedy’s final run.

Adams (6-1), a right-hander who won Monday’s 9-8 decision over Van Nuys in a relief role, settled down in the middle innings and Granada Hills started its climb back. Adams also started reclaiming what was left of his battered pride.

“I’d been working on a new pitch,” said Adams, who was voted the senior with the biggest ego. “And I just said to heck with it. If they’re going to beat me, it’s going to be with my best stuff. We knew if we stayed close, we could catch them.

“This was a great win--we’ve played some lousy ones lately.”

Adams faced only 11 batters in innings four through six. Granada Hills pulled to within 6-5 on Murphy’s home run to left in the fifth, which chased Roth. Roth’s twin, Scott, relieved.

The Highlanders tied the score in the sixth when Kevin Carmichael doubled to lead off the inning and scored on Rob Schultz’s one-out single to right. Adams survived a two-on, one-out jam in the top of the seventh.

Murphy doubled off Scott Roth (1-1) to open the seventh and Fowlks followed by drilling a fastball over the fence in left for a ground-rule double. Murphy jogged home with the winning run, enjoying every moment of it.

“I love these kinds of games,” Granada Hills Coach Darryl Stroh said. “These are the ones that show what you’re made of.”