High School Baseball : Kennedy Streak Ends at 8 as Henson Pitches Monroe to 3-2 Victory

Junior left-hander Sean Henson pitched an eight-hitter, allowed one earned run and struck out six as Monroe High defeated Kennedy, 3-2, in a second-round game in the championship bracket of the Holt-Goodman baseball tournament Saturday at Monroe.

Henson (2-2) walked one batter and escaped a jam in the ninth with a little luck. With Monroe leading, 3-1, Kennedy’s Garret Anderson led off the seventh with a double. Kennedy’s Gino Tagliaferri then drilled a line drive to center for the first out.

“He smoked one,” Monroe Coach Kevin Campbell said. “He crushed it, but right at the center fielder.”

Henson then retired Travis Bourne on a ground ball before Pat DeBoer singled home Anderson. Danny Gugler, who earlier had doubled, flied out to left to end it.

The win snapped an eight-game winning streak by Kennedy (12-3).

With two out in the fifth and men on second and third, Monroe’s Tim Costic--the 1988 City Section Player of the Year--singled in the eventual game-winning runs.

Josh Lawrence had two hits for Monroe (8-2), which will play Chatsworth in a semifinal game at Birmingham High at 2:30 on Monday. Sylmar will play Grant in the first semifinal game at Birmingham at 11 a.m.

In other Holt-Goodman games:

Monroe 3, Cleveland 2--Senior left-hander Tim Costic allowed five hits, one earned run, struck out 11 and walked two in a first-round game at Monroe.

Tony Rolando’s sacrifice fly in the fourth inning gave Monroe a 3-2 lead. John Langley and Sean Henson drove in runs in the second inning for Monroe.

Chatsworth 19, Verdugo Hills 8--Eric Johnson was three for four with three runs batted in and Derek Wallace went three for five as Chatsworth had 14 hits in a first-round game.

Chatsworth’s Kevin Chong scored four runs and had three hits and teammate Derek Wallace hit his fourth home run.

Chatsworth 9, Poly 2--Chatsworth (13-2) ran its unbeaten streak to 12 games with a second-round win as Jason Evans, in his first start, struck out 11 and allowed one earned run on five hits in a second-round game of the championship bracket.

With Chatsworth clinging to a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the fifth, Rich Aude hit a three-run home run--his fifth of the season--to give Chatsworth a 6-2 lead.

Sylmar 5, Venice 4--Senior Brad McGahan (2-0) pitched an eight-hitter and struck out 10 to lead Sylmar in a first-round game at Sylmar.

McGahan, who walked one, was also three for four and scored a run. Nino Romo added two hits and two RBIs and Dereck Ornelas had two hits--including a game-winning single in the bottom of the seventh.

Joe Contreraz also had two hits for the Spartans.

Sylmar 2, San Fernando 1--Senior right-hander Nino Romo pitched a seven-hitter, struck out two, walked one and had two hits as Sylmar upset San Fernando in a second-round championship bracket game at San Fernando.

Brad McGahan scored both runs for the Spartans (8-2). His run in the sixth came on a single to left by London Woodfin. Right-hander Frank Serna Jr. (4-2) took his second consecutive loss for the Tigers (9-3-1).

Cleveland 8, Westchester 4--Sean Burwell, James Molinelli and Tony Holiday each had two hits to lead Cleveland’s 12-hit attack in a second-round consolation game at Cleveland.

Right-hander Bobby McRae (1-1) allowed one run and three hits over four innings and struck out five. Leadoff hitter Pat Bryant scored three runs and stole three bases for Cleveland (4-5-1).

Poly 6, Birmingham 5--Eddie Chavez’s two-run single with one out in the top of the seventh gave Poly a first-round victory at Birmingham as Eddie Chavez earned the win in relief.

Shad Martinez and Gabe Chavez each had two hits for Poly and Justin Bass stroked a triple for Birmingham.

Birmingham 13, Verdugo Hills 8--Jack Moussa and Diego Arcos each had two hits to lead Birmingham in a second-round consolation game at Birmingham.

Senior left-hander David Grisar (2-2) allowed two earned runs in four innings and struck out seven for Birmingham (3-7). Danny Larson tripled for the Braves.

Grant 20, Granada Hills 8--Four Lancers had at least two hits as Grant ran away with the first-round game at Granada Hills.

Sean Goldman led the barrage with three hits, including two triples, and four RBIs. Raul Montero had two hits, including a two-run homer, and three RBIs.

Steve Pelote had a double, a single and three RBIs and Jamey Eckerling had two hits, including a three-run homer.

PALOS VERDES TOURNAMENT

Thousand Oaks 11, Torrance 9--Junior right-hander Steve Wolfe allowed only one run in 4 1/3 innings of relief at Thousand Oaks to earn his first win of the season in a second-round game.

Todd Lang hit his third home run for the Lancers (8-5) and Scott Barkman hit a run-scoring triple in a four-run fifth inning that gave Thousand Oaks the lead for good.

North Torrance 5, Alemany 2--Alemany (9-8) managed only four hits in a second-round game at North Torrance.