ATHLETE OF THE WEEK : Wallace Shows, Earns Respect in No-Hitter Against Kennedy

It figured in the game’s outcome not one iota, but Derek Wallace’s fifth-inning strikeout of Gino Tagliaferri certainly was the most--perhaps the only-- impressive moment of the Chatsworth High senior’s 6-0 no-hitter against visiting Kennedy last week.

Call it the imperfect game. Wallace (9-2) has been sharper. Normally a study in control, the lanky right-hander walked a career-high five batters and hit a career-high three others.

Wallace conceded afterward that the performance was far from a gem. Nevertheless, like a diamond, a no-hitter is forever.

“I was a little wild,” he said. “But I like the no-hitter.”

Thanks to his teammates, Wallace was coasting with a 5-0 lead when Tagliaferri dug into the batter’s box with two out and the bases empty in the fifth.

In Tagliaferri’s two previous plate appearances, Wallace had given the dangerous slugger nothing he could shake a 33-inch aluminum stick at--and with just cause.

Entering the game, Tagliaferri had hit eight home runs and twice had hit two in one game. Two days after Wallace’s no-hitter, Tagliaferri again hit two home runs as Kennedy defeated Chatsworth, 15-12.

Twice Tagliaferri had come to the plate with a runner on base. Twice Wallace decided it best to defuse the threat by pitching around him. Wallace walked Tagliaferri both times.

“I was trying to avoid him as much as I could so he wouldn’t hurt us,” Wallace said. “He’s such an awesome hitter.”

But with the bases clean in the fifth, Wallace decided to challenge Tagliaferri with high hard stuff. The Kennedy shortstop worked the count full, then fouled off two more offerings.

“I’m thinking, ‘Slider, here it comes!’ ” Tagliaferri said. “But he came with a fastball in on me.”

Swung on an missed, strike three.

And with the strikeout, Wallace, for the most part, brought down the show’s curtain. He worked through the bottom half of the Kennedy lineup while Chatsworth added an insurance run in the sixth.

For Wallace, who is 16-2 over a two-year span at Chatsworth, it was an unimpressive high point of an impressive high school career. Last season, Wallace was 7-0 with eight saves and was selected the most valuable player after Chatsworth swept to the title of the Colonial Baseball Classic in Orlando, Fla.

This season, Wallace had committed to Pepperdine before the season’s first pitch. He flirted with a no-hitter against Canoga Park (five innings) and Taft (six), and didn’t suffer his first career defeat until losing to San Fernando, 3-1, April 25.

“He’s just blossomed,” Chatsworth Coach Bob Lofrano said. “He’s pitched low-hit games all year. I think the best thing about Derek is that he throws strikes. Of course, he didn’t against Kennedy, but the bottom line is that he pitched a no-hitter.”

And the feat came against one of the Valley-area’s best hitting teams. Six Kennedy starters entered the game batting .300 or better. Not surprisingly, Tagliaferri noted the worth of Wallace’s work. But he added a warning in parting.

“He did a job on us,” Tagliaferri said. “I give him credit. It wasn’t that ugly of a no-hitter.

“But the next time, I guarantee he won’t no-hit us. I almost guarantee he would not pitch a shutout.”

Wallace would almost agree.