Valley Dodgers Romp by Brea and Into Final : Win Today Sends Team to NBC World Series

Rick Torres of the Valley Dodgers played Santa Claus early, allowing a home run to the second batter of the game. But Brea more than reciprocated by committing seven errors to hand Valley a gift-wrapped, 11-1 win Saturday night in the Southern California semipro baseball tournament at Fiscalini Field in San Bernardino.

The win advances the Dodgers (24-6), who are undefeated in the double-elimination tournament, to today’s championship game at 4 p.m. at Fiscalini Field against the winner of today’s San Diego Stars-Brea game.

If the Dodgers lose, the teams play again at 6. The winner of the tournament earns an automatic berth in the National Baseball Congress World Series, Aug. 3-15, in Wichita, Kan.

Torres, a left-hander from USC, served up the solo homer to Jeff Howes in the first inning but settled down to allow just one more hit over the next six innings to extend his record to 4-1.

The game was called after seven innings because of the 10-run rule.

Torres struck out seven and retired 15 of the last 16 batters he faced.

In four tournament games, the Dodger pitching staff has been stingier than Scrooge, giving up only three earned runs in 28 innings.

The Dodgers scored all the runs they would need in the first, pushing across three runs without hitting a ball out of the infield.

Corey Aurand led off with a walk and went to third on an errant pickoff attempt. Jeff Light then slapped a line-drive single off pitcher Kurt Kindred’s right wrist, knocking him out of the game.

After Albert Kolesar’s groundout, Don Pederson walked to load the bases and Mark Gieseke was hit by a pitch, forcing in a run.

Lorenzo Lesky then hit into what appeared to be a routine 6-4-3 double play, but the relay to first ended up in the Brea dugout, allowing two more runs to score.

Aurand extended Valley’s lead to 4-1 with a solo home run in the second.

The Dodgers added two unearned runs in the fourth to extend their lead to 6-1. Nate Palmer singled with one out and was safe at second when Howes bobbled Aurand’s grounder. Light singled home Palmer and Aurand scored when Jeff Farber dropped Kolesar’s fly to right field.

Higgins singled in Gieseke, who had led off the inning with a double, to give the Dodgers a 7-1 lead in the fifth.

Valley ended the game with four runs in the seventh. Pederson drove in a run with a triple, Lesky and Ted Higgins each singled home runs and Paul Romero drove in a run when he grounded into a double play.

Palmer, Light and Higgins each had two hits.

Valley has outscored four tournament opponents, 41-4, and three of the games have been called because of the 10-run rule.

Dan Penner, a Cal State Northridge assistant coach who pitched a five-inning no-hitter in the tournament opener against San Diego Rainbow Steel, is the scheduled Dodger starter for today’s first game.