City Section Baseball : El Camino Real Reaches .500 Mark

It took three weeks and six consecutive victories, but El Camino Real High finally evened its record with an eight-inning, 8-7 win Friday over San Fernando in a Northwest Valley Conference game at El Camino Real.

The Conquistadores (7-7) handed San Fernando left-hander Hector De La Cruz (6-1) his first career loss and completed a two-game sweep of the Tigers. El Camino Real loaded the bases against De La Cruz in the eighth before junior catcher Bobby Kim singled off reliever Frank Serna to drive in Paul Geller with the winning run.

“It’s been a long mountain to climb,” El Camino Real Coach Mike Maio said. “And we’re still climbing it.”

Junior left-hander Ryan McGuire (3-1) survived a four-run first inning by San Fernando (15-5-1, 9-4-1) to post his third complete-game victory. McGuire struck out six and walked six. He also walked three times in four plate appearances.

Richard Sanchez had a run-scoring single as the Tigers capitalized on two El Camino Real errors in the first inning.

In the bottom of the first, the Conquistadores scored five times with two out. Steve Smith and Patrick Treend each delivered two-run singles, and Donny Chelius added a run-scoring double.

El Camino Real added two runs in the second and took a 7-6 lead into the fourth before San Fernando’s Andrew Munoz lofted a sacrifice fly to score Richard Ortiz.

In another Northwest Valley Conference game:

Taft 5, Cleveland 3--Cleveland led, 3-0, in the first inning and chased starter Scott Tiano before an out had been recorded. But the Toreadors rallied to clinch second place and move to within a game of first-place Chatsworth in the West Valley League.

The win earned Taft (14-9, 10-4) its first playoff berth since 1980.

Junior Benji Belfield (5-2) replaced Tiano and pitched the remainder of the game, striking out four and walking three.

Glenn Nahmias, who was two for three, had run-scoring singles in the second and third innings. Belfield was one for three with two runs batted in.

VALLEY PAC-8 CONFERENCE

Poly 4, Monroe 1--Poly (15-6, 11-3) scored four times in the first inning and thwarted a seventh-inning Monroe rally to complete a two-game sweep of the visiting Vikings.

Junior Eduardo Castellanos (1-0) struck out two and yielded seven hits before Monroe (9-9, 7-7) scored an unearned run in the seventh. Reliever Eddie Chavez, who entered with one out and runners at first and third, struck out John Langley, then induced Tim Costic to ground to second baseman Adulfo Hernandez, who threw out Ernie Echeveste, trying to score from third.

Grant 11, Van Nuys 3--Javier Delahoya was five for five with two triples, four RBIs and two runs scored to lead Grant (13-4, 10-3). Grant’s Hugo Valenzuela pitched a four-hitter, striking out six and walking four.

Carlos Bejines drove in two runs for Van Nuys (6-8) with a sixth-inning single.

Sylmar 7, Reseda 6--Despite outhitting Sylmar 17-5, the host Regents lost for the 10th consecutive time. Reseda (4-13, 1-12) made five errors, and pitcher Joey Arnold walked 11.

Sylmar (15-3, 12-2) took a 6-5 lead in the sixth when shortstop Ron Stricklin’s error allowed Dereck Ornelas to score.

Stricklin had four hits, and Tuti Rodriguez and Louis Vanacore each had three.

Birmingham 15, North Hollywood 6--The Braves’ Danny Larson tripled and doubled, drove in four runs and scored three as Birmingham (7-11, 5-9) had 13 hits at North Hollywood (3-15, 3-11). Birmingham’s Ernesto Alvarez had three hits and two RBIs.