Poly Power Source Short-Circuits in First-Round Loss

Everyone knew that the Poly High baseball team’s offense was questionable before the season began. After all, four players who last spring hit a combined .428 and drove in 117 runs had graduated.

But when the Parrots fattened up their statistics against East Valley League opponents this year, most people assumed that the offense had turned around. A team that averaged 9.23 runs cannot have a weak offense, they insisted.

Or can it?

Poly, which compiled the second-best record in the City Section this season and was the second-seeded team in the 4-A Division playoffs, managed only four hits in a 4-2, eight-inning loss to Monroe on Wednesday in a first-round playoff game at Poly. In Friday’s quarterfinals, Monroe plays at Banning, a 7-5 winner Wednesday over Grant.

“We couldn’t get anything going,” Poly Coach Jerry Cord said. “The guys that were carrying us all year long didn’t do it.”

That is because those players--Eddie Chavez, Luis Porres, Mark David and Luis Garcia, who bat first through fourth for Poly--had not seen a pitcher as tough as Monroe sophomore Sean Henson since April 18, when the Parrots beat Sylmar and All-City pitcher Olonzo Woodfin, 1-0.

Against Henson, whose only resemblance to Woodfin is that he pitches left-handed and throws strikes, Poly’s first four were 1 for 15.

“We didn’t have the right guys at the plate at the right time,” Cord said. “We didn’t match up like we had earlier in the season.”

Henson (3-3), who missed the first half of the season because he was academically ineligible, retired the first eight batters and 13 of the first 14. “He really came out and challenged them all day,” Monroe Coach Kevin Campbell said.

Monroe (10-16) mounted an offensive challenge in the eighth, scored three runs on two walks, a single and a three-base error to take a 4-1 lead.

Poly pitcher Greg Nealon got two quick outs, but walked Joey Marquis and Brian Eldridge on nine pitches. Nealon got Tim Costic to pop to short left field but Chavez, Poly’s left fielder, dropped the ball in foul territory near the left-field fence. One pitch later, Costic singled to right. Harold Whiteside charged the ball but let it bounce under his glove and all three runners scored.

The rally in the eighth for Poly (19-4) was consistent with its performance in the first seven innings--not much of anything.

Porres singled to open the inning and Campbell replaced Henson with Costic. Gabe Chavez singled with two out to score Porres, but Nick Lymberopoulos popped out to second to end the game.