Redondo Hurler Davison Wins Game and More Admirers

Valencia High School baseball Coach Kevin McConnell was asked how a team prepares to face Scott Davison, Redondo’s prolific pitcher.

“You can’t prepare,” he said, after his team’s 4-2 loss at Redondo in the second round of the CIF Southern Section 4-A playoffs Tuesday. “You just tell your players to go up and compete.”

Valencia found out the hard way that it’s difficult to compete against a confirmed competitor.

In this, his senior season, Davison seems determined to do all he can to help Redondo reach the CIF finals for the first time in school history.

Although he threw more than 100 pitches in his three-hit, 13-strikeout effort against Valencia, Davison said he’ll be ready to pitch again at 3:15 p.m. Friday when the Sea Hawks (29-2) play host to Cerritos (21-6-1) in the quarterfinals.

“I’m going again Friday,” said Davison, who shut out Cerritos, 6-0, on two hits in the Redondo-Palos Verdes Tournament on April 30. “Throwing on two days’ rest hasn’t been a problem for me. This is the playoffs. You have to give it all you’ve got.”

Davison (17-0) has been nothing less than sensational through two rounds of the playoffs. His two solo home runs sparked Redondo to a 12-4 win over Lompoc last Friday, and his pitching and three-run homer were the difference against Valencia.

Redondo was trailing, 2-0, until Davison homered over the short right-field wall with runners on first and third in the fifth inning. Two outs later, Henry Schelb parked the ball over the wall in right-center to make it 4-2.

“The home runs got me pumped up,” Davison said. “I knew as soon as we got the lead, I wasn’t going to give it up.”

The right-hander retired nine of the last 12 batters. He pitched out of a bases-loaded situation in the sixth by striking out two batters.

“He’s a great pitcher,” said McConnell, the Valencia coach. “He went out and did what he had to do to win. You’re not going to face too many guys better than him. That’s why he’s got a college scholarship (to USC).”

Valencia pitcher Robert Navarrette, who limited Redondo to five hits with an assortment of blooping curves and sliders, was equally impressed with Davison.

“I thought I pitched well enough to win,” he said. “You have to give him all the credit. He’s really good.”

Davison’s performance also left an impression on the record books:

* His 17-0 record tied the Southern Section record for best perfect season by a pitcher. Rick Stewart of Fillmore went 17-0 in 1977. Davison’s 17th win also tied him for third for most wins in a season. Dan Tippitt of Antelope Valley holds the record with 19 in 1971.

* His 23rd career home run moved him into fifth on the Southern Section list. With nine home runs, Davison and Schelb are both one home run away from the Redondo single-season record of 10 held by Steve Swain.

* His 201 strikeouts this year is the eighth-best mark ever in the Southern Section. He can move into second place with 16 more.

Davison’s two hits and three RBIs on Tuesday increased his Southern Section career records to 148 and 141.

If nothing else, Tuesday’s baseball game between El Segundo and Hueneme proved that previous meetings have little bearing in the playoffs.

Although El Segundo had routed the Oxnard school, 11-1, this year in the San Luis Obispo Tournament, Hueneme turned the tables with a 7-5 upset in the second round of the 4-A playoffs at Recreation Park.

Second-seeded El Segundo (22-9) was one of three seeded 4-A teams that lost Tuesday. Top-seeded and previously unbeaten Hart of Newhall had its 26-game victory streak ended by Fullerton, 12-7, and third-seeded Upland was beaten by Canyon of Anaheim, 2-1.

That leaves Redondo as the division’s only seeded survivor. The Sea Hawks, St. Bernard and Chadwick are the only South Bay teams left in the playoffs.

Top-seeded St. Bernard, which drew a bye in the first round, opened the 2-A playoffs with an 8-2 win over Chaminade at home Tuesday. Dan Melendez led the way for the Vikings, going 4 for 4, including his 14th homer of the season, and driving in four runs. He also pitched a two-hitter to run his record to 7-1.

St. Bernard (21-3) will play host to Gladstone of Covina (18-8) on Friday at 3:15 p.m. in the quarterfinals.

Chadwick (15-8) will travel to Woodcrest Christian in Riverside for a quarterfinal game in the Small Schools playoffs on Friday. Chadwick advanced with a 5-2 win over Claremont of Garden Grove as Greg O’Riordan pitched a two-hitter and struck out 10.

You can bet Leuzinger will be counting on pitcher Candy Carrico again when the Olympians travel to L. A. Baptist today for a 3 p.m. quarterfinal game in the Southern Section 1-A softball playoffs.

Carrico was on her game Tuesday, pitching a one-hitter and striking out 10 to lead Leuzinger (18-6) over Baldwin Park, 3-0. The senior right-hander has given up two hits and struck out 20 in two playoffs games, both shutouts.

Palos Verdes junior Danielle Leone captured the all-around title at the Southern Section individual gymnastics finals Saturday at Westlake High in Los Angeles.

Leone won with an overall mark of 36.45. She placed first in the uneven bars (9.35) and also scored high in the floor exercise (9.35), vault (8.9) and balance beam (8.9).

Althea Moses of Morningside became the first girl in Southern Section history to triple jump over 40 feet on Saturday, winning the 2-A title with a mark of 40-1 1/2. She broke her own CIF record of 39-9.

Moses, who also won the 800 meters in 2:16.62, is one of several area athletes competing in the CIF Masters Meet starting at 6:30 Friday night at Cerritos College. It is a qualifying meet for the state finals.

PREP NOTES--Eight area players were named to the All-Ocean League baseball squad. Catcher Greg Anderson of Mira Costa and infielders Ken Alexander of Hawthorne and Jason Thompson of Inglewood were first-team selections. Named to the second team were Hawthorne pitcher Tom Jess, Hawthorne catcher Everardo Duran, Mira Costa first baseman David Jund, Inglewood outfielder Corey Theus and Hawthorne utility player Steve Miller. Santa Monica outfielder Anthony Tarasco was named the league’s most valuable player and Santa Monica infielder Tim McCaffrey was chosen most outstanding player . . . North Torrance pitcher-first baseman Greg Davis, who finished the season with an 8-5 record and a .300-plus batting average, was named the most valuable player in the Bay League. Davis was co-MVP last season.