High School Playoffs : Verdugo Hills Makes Another Early Exit

Masaaki Yamashita of Verdugo Hills High allowed just four hits, but Washington made the most of them Wednesday to post a 6-1 victory in the first round of the City Section 3-A Division baseball playoffs at Washington.

The Dons (12-12) had six hits and scored their lone run on an inside-the-park home run by Rob Schellenberg in the seventh.

Schellenberg’s shot bounced off the left-field fence and landed in a bush, but, according to Verdugo Hills Coach Curt Yarrington, it was still playable.

“When (the left fielder) saw the umpire wasn’t going to kill it, the kid pulled it out of the bush,” Yarrington said. “It was sitting right there.”

Later in the seventh, Verdugo Hills had runners at second and third with two out, but Bob Yerby, who already had two hits, struck out to end the game.

Washington scored four runs in the third, aided by three walks and a hit batter. The Generals added two runs in the fifth.

Yamashita (7-5) struck out seven and walked five.

Postseason play for the Dons has been infrequent and brief. Verdugo Hills made its last appearence in the playoffs as a fourth-place team in 1984 and lost in the first round.

SOUTHERN SECTION SOFTBALL

Garden Grove 2, Crescenta Valley 1--Jennifer Berry had six strikeouts, but an unearned run in the fourth inning eliminated the Falcons in a second-round 4-A Division playoff game at Crescenta Valley.

Berry finished the season 20-3 with an 0.21 earned-run average for Crescenta Valley (20-4).

The Falcons scored in the first inning on Christine Plasch’s run-scoring single. Garden Grove came back to score one run in the third and another in the fourth.

Gena Moe, who will play for Cal State Northridge next season, had two hits for the Falcons, who won their seventh consecutive Pacific League title.

Stephanie Smith fired a two-hitter and recorded 12 strikeouts for Garden Grove (21-6).

Sunny Hills 5, Glendale 2--Glendale was eliminated from the 4-A playoffs in the second-round game at Glendale.

Glendale’s Jenny Dalton knocked in the Dynamiters’ only runs with a sixth-inning home run. Sunny Hills scored three runs in the fourth inning and added two more in the sixth.

Glendale finished the season 20-9.

Agoura 8, Bassett 0--Melissa Thatcher gave up two hits and struck out seven as the Chargers scored early and cruised to a 1-A Division playoff win at Bassett.

Agoura (20-2) parlayed five singles into five runs in the second and added three runs in the seventh. Lisa Little had three hits and scored two runs.

Jill Hartwig drove in three runs with a double and a single.

Agoura will play Notre Dame Academy in a third-round game Friday.

Bassett finished 12-7.

La Reina 4, Village Christian 1--After falling behind by a run, the Regents rallied for three in the second and one in the fourth in a 1-A Division playoff game at La Reina.

Valerie Serpico hit a two-run double in the second and Keri Sweeney tripled in a run in the fourth.

In the first inning, Village Christian’s Penny Bailey singled home Heather Hepburn, who had walked and advanced on a wild pitch.

The Crusaders finished 16-3. La Reina (16-7) will play Paraclete on Friday.

Notre Dame Academy 5, Oak Park 0--The Reagles scored four times in the third inning on only one hit in the second-round 1-A Division playoff game at Notre Dame Academy.

Oak Park (14-8) had five hits, including Lisa Obedincio’s double in the sixth, but failed to push a run across.

Avalon 5, Campbell Hall 2--The Vikings were eliminated in the second round of the Small School Division playoffs at Avalon.

CITY SECTION

San Pedro 9, San Fernando 1--The Tigers were eliminated in the 4-A Division semifinal game at South Gate Park.

San Pedro will meet El Camino Real in the title game Wednesday at CSUN.

South Gate 14, Poly 5--The Parrots could not get past South Gate in the 3-A Division playoff game at Poly.