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

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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.”

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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

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