High School Baseball : Salkeld Opens With a One-Hitter, 13 Strikeouts in 6-0 Win Over Gahr

Roger Salkeld wasted little time in re-emphasizing his status as the premier pitcher in the Valley area.

On opening day of the high school season, the Saugus High right-hander struck out 13 Gahr batters en route to his fourth career one-hitter and a 6-0 Centurion victory in the first round of the El Segundo tournament at Gahr.

“Everything was working,” Saugus Coach Doug Worley said. “It wasn’t just the fastball. The curveball was working really well and the straight change. He was really totally in command.”

The lone hit was a ground single through the middle with none out in the seventh. Salkeld walked two, and only two Gahr baserunners reached second base.

“A no-hitter on opening day, it would almost have been too much,” Worley said.

Tom Burges provided the only support Salkeld needed when he doubled home Scott Warr, who had singled, in the third inning. Saugus scored three more runs in the inning and added a pair in the fourth. Six different Centurions had base hits.

In other El Segundo tournament games:

Westlake 8, Arroyo 4--Westlake registered three-run innings in the second and third and jumped to a 7-0 lead over Arroyo at Westlake. Chuck Foster hit a two-run home run and Westlake had six extra-base hits in a 15-hit attack.

Starter Mike Eby allowed six hits for Westlake over five innings, and reliever Scott Lerner allowed no hits in two innings of relief.

Crespi 4, Culver City 0--Chad Nichols limited Culver City to six hits and two walks and struck out nine in a complete-game win. Nichols allowed only two runners to reach second base.

Mark Kurtz drove in the first run of the game and collected two hits. The Celts took advantage of six Culver City errors.

Burroughs 6, Palos Verdes 5 (8 innings)--Brian Forth pitched a complete game for Burroughs, scattering eight hits at Palos Verdes.

Burroughs’ Rob Arroyo hit a three-run home run in the fifth.

WESTSIDE TOURNAMENT

Rio Mesa 14, Chaminade 2--Dmitri Young, David Frazier and Carlos Rios each had three hits as the Spartans shelled four Eagle pitchers for 14 hits at Chaminade.

Young, who hit .420 as a freshman last season, was three for five with four runs batted in, including a two-run home run in the third inning.

Rio Mesa sent 14 batters to the plate and scored seven runs in the fifth inning to break a 2-2 tie. Daric Dicus, who was two for three, had a two-run double with the bases loaded to key the outburst.

Senior right-hander Jon Rust earned the win, allowing six hits and striking out five in five innings.

Alemany 6, Palisades 2--Jon Beauchemin had three hits and drove in four runs to lead the Indians to the win at Palisades.

Senior right-hander Tom Daniels had a no-hitter through five innings before settling for a three-hitter. He had four strikeouts.

Huntington Park 4, Camarillo 1--Matt Tackett tripled home Vaughn Wechsberg with the Scorpions’ only run in the sixth inning at Camarillo. Wechsberg had doubled and scored on Tackett’s triple.

The Scorpions were designated the visiting team because Huntington Park’s field was unfit for play. Camarillo will continue tournament play at 11 a.m. today against Crossroads at Camarillo.

Fairfax 4, Harvard 1--Fairfax pitcher Dan Choi recorded eight strikeouts and pitched a complete game at Fairfax. Fairfax’s Earl Johnson had a triple and John Campos added a double in a game marred by 14 errors, eight of which were committed by Harvard.

Harvard pitcher Bryan Jacobsen failed to last past the second inning.

Venice 5, Kennedy 2--Steve Campos struck out 10 batters and allowed two hits for Venice.

Mitch Cizek had nine strikeouts for Kennedy.

Taft 6, Buena 5--Adam Zutler singled home Glenn Nahmias with the winning run with one out in the bottom of the seventh at Taft. Nahmias, who had two hits and scored three runs, singled to open the inning. He moved to second on a passed ball and advanced to third on Doug Kougher’s fly out.

Rich Shapiro had a three-run triple in Taft’s four-run fourth inning. Chris Brown pitched a complete game for the Toreadors, striking out five.

NONLEAGUE

Quartz Hill 5, St. Genevieve 4--Roland De La Maza struck out 13 and walked four but lost the season-opening game.

“He wasn’t particularly sharp,” St. Genevieve Coach Kevin Kane said of De La Maza, who gave up three earned runs.

St. Genevieve led twice during the game, 3-0, in the first inning, and, 4-3, in the third, but Quartz Hill retaliated in the bottom half of each inning to tie the score.

De La Maza gave St. Genevieve a 2-0 lead in the first when he doubled home Herman Merchan and Joe Cascione. De La Maza then scored when Mike Cassidy grounded to the third baseman, who overthrew first.

The Valiants broke a 3-3 tie in the third when Steve Perez walked with one out, Cassidy doubled Perez to third and Tom Nichols scored Perez on a squeeze bunt.

Merchan was two for three with a double and a single for St. Genevieve.

Village Christian 9, Grace Community 6--Scott Danielson’s three-run homer with two out in the bottom of the sixth snapped a 6-6 tie and led the Crusaders at Village Christian. Danielson was two for four with four RBIs. His double in the first drove in a run and helped Village Christian take a 6-0 lead.

Mike Curl pitched the final 2 1/3 innings for the win. Mike Heater was three for three, including two doubles for the Crusaders.

Hoover 10, St. Francis 3--The Tornadoes’ first five batters scored at Hoover. Adam Wiggins keyed the inning with a three-run homer.

Sean Regan had three hits and scored twice and Mickey Moreno and David Berkey each had two hits.