Chatsworth Makes a Belated Point : Legion Team Romps in Title Match-Up That Never Materialized

In terms of the City Section playoffs, Wednesday’s American Legion game between Chatsworth and Sepulveda can go down as a told-you-so battle for the Chatsworth High title that never was.

As far as Chatsworth was concerned, team names were changed somewhat to protect those who felt guilty--themselves--but an 11-5 win over Sepulveda proved to some that, had Chatsworth advanced to the final, the outcome would have been very different.

Chatsworth High, at the time ranked No. 1 in the nation, lost last Tuesday in the City semifinals to San Fernando. San Fernando lost to Monroe, 3-2, in the championship game at Dodger Stadium last Thursday.

At Monroe High on Wednesday, a Chatsworth legion team--composed almost entirely of players from the high school club--had a chance to make a point against Sepulveda, which counts nine Monroe players on its roster.

“We all thought about it today before we came out here,” Chatsworth shortstop David Waco said. “It went through all our minds to beat the City champions. We had a letdown against San Fernando, and we wanted to show what we had.”

Chatsworth (3-0) showed plenty to Sean Henson and Tim Costic, who played crucial roles in Monroe’s drive to the title. Henson, a sophomore left-hander who struck out 10 and earned player-of-the-game honors in the win over San Fernando, surrendered five runs in five innings, including a two-run home run by Waco. Costic, a junior left-hander who won two playoff games and saved another, was bombed for four runs in the seventh--including consecutive line-drive triples by Eric Niece and Ty Powell.

“Geez, what a difference a week makes,” muttered Monroe Coach Kevin Campbell, who dropped by in time to watch the players who took him to the title get taken apart by Chatsworth.

Sepulveda (1-2) helped put Henson in a hole with spotty defense. With Chatsworth leading, 2-0, in the second and a runner on second, Waco sent a liner to left that Mike Enriquez lost in the glare of the sun. The ball rolled to the outfield fence for an inside-the-park home run.

Chatsworth finished with 13 hits--four for extra bases--in seven innings. It was show-me time for Sepulveda.

“We had to do something,” Waco said. “A couple of us went to Dodger Stadium to watch the game, and that was hard to do. This was like our last chance.”