Chessani Carries Load as Hart All-Stars Win Colt World Series Title

The rains never came, so Hart’s reign continued with a win in the Colt World Series title game Thursday at Loeb Stadium.

Lightning, thunder and dark clouds loomed ominously just beyond the outfield fences, but didn’t dampen Hart’s celebration following its 6-3 win over Caguas, Puerto Rico. The win avenged a 2-0 loss to Caguas on Wednesday, Hart’s only loss this season.

The championship is the third in as many years for Hart’s six-player nucleus, which won the Pony League World Series in 1986 and helped the Sherman Oaks-Van Nuys team win the Babe Ruth championship in 1987.

But the pitcher who carried the team to victory is a newcomer to the Hart legacy. Anthony Chessani, who helped Fillmore High to the Southern Section 1-A title as a freshman this past season, hurled a seven-hitter to post a record-tying third win of the series.

“At least I know I’m in the record books,” Chessani said.

And with good company. Chessani shares the record with six pitchers, including New York Mets left-hander Sid Fernandez, who won three games for Hawaii’s 1979 championship team.

Caguas, which climbed from the elimination bracket into the title game, took a 1-0 first-inning lead when Felipe Cresto scored on a wild pitch by Chessani.

“They were a lot tougher coming out of that loser’s bracket than I expected,” Hart Coach Regis Malone said. “I was worried.”

Hart came back with two runs in the third innning. With one out, Jay Sanford singled, stole second and scored on a single by Darin Tsukashima. A double by Jason Edwards scored Tsukashima.

In the fifth inning, Hart extended its lead to 3-1 when Tsukashima led off with a walk and scored on a double by Robbie Davis, who was 2 for 4 and batted a series-high .563.

It was Edwards, however, who came through with the big blow in the sixth after Caguas tied the score with two runs in the bottom of the fifth. After Sanford scored on a bases-loaded walk, Edwards drove a double up the right-center-field alley to score Lance Migita and Davis.

“He threw me two straight sliders,” said Edwards, who was 2 for 4 and batted .533 in the series. “The first was a called strike. The second one, Robbie saw the sign and was yelling, ‘Slider, slider,’ when the guy threw it.”

Hart was scheduled to return home today before traveling to Youngstown, Ohio, to play in the Junior Olympic Super Series, which runs Tuesday through Sunday.