San Fernando Steals Chatsworth Thunder in 5-2 Win

Steve Marden readily admits that his San Fernando High baseball team is not the best in the nation. The Tigers did not sweep a tournament in Florida, like Chatsworth did, were not featured on ESPN, like Chatsworth was, and are not ranked No. 1 in the nation by Collegiate Baseball--like Chatsworth is.

But the Tigers will play for the City Section 4-A Division championship--unlike Chatsworth--after bumping off the Chancellors, 5-2, in a semifinal game Tuesday at Cal State Northridge. San Fernando (14-6) plays Mid-Valley League rival Monroe, a 9-7 winner over Canoga Park, Thursday night at Dodger Stadium for the title.

It marks San Fernando’s first trip to the championship game.

“There are a lot of good teams in the nation,” Marden said. “I don’t know if we’re No. 1 or No. 95. All I know is we were better today.”

But now San Fernando, not Chatsworth, can lay unofficial claim to the title of No. 1 team in the nation, an honor bestowed upon the Chancellors all season by everyone from ESPN to Collegiate Baseball to San Fernando right-hander Frank Serna.

“Hell, yeah, we’re the best!” Serna said between bear hugs from well-wishers. “We beat the team that is the best in the nation. We beat ‘em!”

San Fernando, not Chatsworth, came through with clutch hitting--stringing four consecutive singles into three second-inning runs and adding an insurance run in the third on a solo home run by Bobby Corrales.

The Tigers completed their scoring with an unearned run in the fourth inning.

San Fernando, not Chatsworth, played near-flawless defense, turning two rally-killing double plays and shooting down two would-be base stealers to snuff two more threats.

And Serna, not Chatsworth pitcher Shawn Bowen, pitched out of several jams, including one in the seventh inning when the Chancellors scored their second run and had runners at the corners with Ty Powell at the plate. But Serna served up a ground ball to order that resulted in a force out at second base to end the game.

“My defense did it straight out,” Serna said. “I was in trouble near the end. . . . “ Serna, sweating, shouting, wrestling away from more well-wishers, beamed from ear to sweaty ear. “It feels so good, I can’t explain it.”

Chatsworth Coach Bob Lofrano, whose team had its 24-game winning streak snapped, pointed to Serna.

“Today he did a great job, tomorrow who knows?” he said. “The playoffs are like that. It’s a one-game series and he did the job. We came up short.”

Serna starved the Chancellors (25-2) with a roundhouse curve that resulted in seven strikeouts and several groundouts. The Chancellors, who entered the playoffs with a .375 batting average, did not put two hits together until the seventh inning.

“We just didn’t hit when we got men on,” left fielder Rex McMackin said. “We needed that clutch hit and we didn’t get it. I know I didn’t get it.”

McMackin struck out twice, once for the second out in the seventh after Joel Wolfe led off with a double down the left-field line.

The Chancellors had their chances in every inning. After a leadoff single by McMackin in the third, John Haselbusch grounded to third for an around-the-horn double play. With one out in the fourth and Powell on first, catcher Eric Niece bounced to first baseman Andrew Munoz, who threw to shortstop Albert Torres for one out and squeezed Torres’ return throw for the second.

“Just happened to be a good hop,” Munoz said. “But I knew what to do with it.”

Said Marden: “Boy, what a rally-killer. That was our sixth DP in the playoffs. You get a high school team that turns a couple every seven innings and that’s good.”

Chatsworth, which took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Rich Aude grounded out to score Vince Simili, was unable to score despite loading the bases in the fifth. David Waco popped to Munoz in shallow right field to end that inning.

“You don’t have to be a nuclear scientist to see who played a great game,” Lofrano said. “We had a great season. But they deserve all the glory.”