Surging Canoga Park Flattens Kennedy, 12-5

Nearly twelve months ago, Canoga Park High won its first City Section 4-A Division baseball title with a thrilling, one-run decision over Poly. At the time, two Hunters with small parts in the championship drive were infielder Ricky Banuelos and reliever Mike Roberts, who played about as often as Canoga Park makes it to Dodger Stadium.

In fact, Banuelos defined banjo--he had only one hit all season. Roberts was the team’s No. 3 pitcher, which meant he did not play much because of staff aces Adam Schulhofer and Mike Kerber, who were both eventually named All-City.

This time around, however, bit players like Banuelos and Roberts are keying the Canoga Park run for Title II. In Friday’s quarterfinal win over Kennedy, Banuelos was 4 for 5 and knocked in three runs and Roberts (6-3) picked up a complete-game victory as the Hunters advanced to within one victory of another shot at the title with a 12-5 win at Kennedy. Canoga Park will play Monroe in the semifinals Tuesday.

When Roberts allowed two hits in the seventh before recording a gut-wrenching save in last year’s 5-4 win in the championship game, his coach said he was throwing batting-practice speed, not good news in that the coach normally pitched batting practice.

“He worked real hard over the summer, and now he’s just throwing the hell out of the ball,” said Kerber, the Canoga Park catcher Friday. “The difference between last year and this year is unreal. He’s throwing much, much harder.”

But old habits are hard to kick. Even though he recorded eight strikeouts, Roberts was in and out of trouble throughout as the Golden Cougars pounded out 13 hits--but stranded 10 runners.

“It seemed like we tried to nickle-and-dime them,” Kennedy Coach Dick Whitney said. “We just couldn’t get the big hit when we needed it.”

Canoga Park (13-7) scored four runs in the third inning to break a 1-1 tie and take a lead it never relinquished. Schulhofer gave the Hunters a 3-1 lead when he touched right-hander Arnie Aguinaga (0-1) for his second home run of the year. Aguinaga was a last-second replacement for Brian Roth, who was scheduled to start but was scratched moments before the game because of recurring arm stiffness.

Canoga Park scored two more runs in the fourth on sacrifice flies by Kerber and Adrian Garcia to take a 5-1 lead. Kennedy (19-10) squandered numerous chances, stranding two runners in each of the second, third and fourth innings as Roberts was continually one pitch away from disaster.

“I just kept telling him to keep the ball down,” Kerber said. “Because if he did that, I knew he would keep them from a big inning. That’s how they’ve been winning all year, with the big numbers.”

Robert’s numbers were particularly numbing for Kennedy’s Shawn Madden, who was 0 for 3. Leading, 5-2, in the fourth, Roberts struck out Madden with runners on first and third to end one threat. In the fifth, after one run had scored on an RBI-single by Scott Roth, Roberts retired Madden on a shallow fly to center with runners on second and third with one out. V. P. Pajcin’s fly out to center ended the inning.

Canoga Park scored three more in the sixth, keyed by Banuelos’ RBI-single. The Hunters then blasted reliever Colin Hines in the seventh for four runs, two of which came on a two-run single by Banuelos--all 5-feet, 8-inches and 140 pounds of him.

“I want this team to return to Dodger Stadium, because I want to play this time,” said Banuelos, who watched from the sidelines in 1987. “This year, I want to be the one out there.”

Banuelos had a pair of doubles in Canoga Park’s 9-5 win over Granada Hills on Wednesday to give him six hits in two playoff games. Kerber said players like Banuelos give the Hunters the edge they need.

“That’s what I mean,” Kerber said, pointing at the diminutive second baseman. “Everybody is hitting right now. The bottom of the order picks up the top. Nobody is screwing up out there.”