Notre Dame Left Nostalgic and Blue After Westside Win

Notre Dame High may have stepped down from the Del Rey League, a Southern Section 5-A Division league, to the 4-A San Fernando Valley League, but the Knights haven’t forgotten their old friends.

“We enjoy playing them,” Knight Coach Bob Mandeville said. “We wish we were still in the league.”

It’s no wonder. In its first game against a Del Rey team this season, Notre Dame pounced on three Alemany pitchers for 10 hits to beat the visiting Indians, 8-2, in the championship game of the Westside tournament’s Blue Division.

Notre Dame jumped to a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Bobby Hughes drilled a shot down the third-base line to drive in Chad Ratliff, advanced to third on a fly to center field by Kevin Milligan, then scored when Alemany catcher Mike Sims lost control of a pitch by Tom Daniels.

Alemany tied the score, 2-2, in the second on Leo Tejada’s two-run, bases-loaded single. Notre Dame escaped further damage in the inning when Scott Goldsmith hit into a double play with the bases loaded.

The Knights regained the lead, 4-2, in the third on RBI singles by Ratliff and Chris Lohman.

Daniels was relieved after three innings by Matt Delaviengne, who pitched only 1 1/3 innings, giving up two runs on four hits and three walks before yielding to Jon Beauchemin.

Alemany (3-2) has been hurt by injuries to pitchers Joey Rosselli and Damon Pakos. Rosselli, broke his hand in a fall in his home and Pakos has strained ligaments in his shoulder.

Notre Dame (5-0), added three runs in the fifth to take a 7-2 lead. Delaviengne walked Lohman, then hit Hughes with a pitch. After a fielder’s choice, Chris Prince walked to load the bases. After Hughes scored on a passed ball, Vinnie Orlando drove in Milligan with a single to left. Steve Martinez’s sacrifice fly capped the inning.

Kevin Crosby scored Notre Dame’s final run in the sixth when Ratliff’s grounder bounced off second baseman Van Puyvelde’s ankle into center field.