Salkeld’s Wild Pitch in 9th Gives Kennedy 1-0 Victory

He lived by the strikeout--404 of them in his magnificent three-year high school career--but he died by the wild pitch.

After pitching a shutout into the ninth inning, Roger Salkeld suffered the only loss of his senior year Saturday when his 1-1 offering to Don Cochran of La Palma Kennedy High skidded to the right of catcher J. B. Johnson and rolled 90 feet to the backstop at Dodger Stadium.

With it rolled Saugus’ chance to win its first baseball title in the school’s 14-year history as Greg Hansell raced home from third base to give Kennedy a 1-0 victory and the Southern Section 3-A Division championship.

“That’s not exactly the way I want to lose,” Saugus Coach Doug Worley said. “They did not get a hit to win that game. God works in mysterious ways--I’m totally serious.”

Hansell, who led off the bottom of the ninth, reached second base on a throwing error by third baseman Trevor Rice. He advanced to third on Scott Wood’s bunt single, the result of miscommunication between Salkeld and Rice.

Three pitches later, Salkeld and the Centurions were finished.

Salkeld and Johnson, who along with the rest of the team remained locked in a closed-door postgame meeting for 15 minutes, each accepted blame for the wild pitch.

“It was my fault,” Salkeld said. “J. B. has done a great job blocking the plate all year.”

Said Johnson: “I didn’t get out in front of it. I got lazy. It was a fastball going for the outside corner and it just got past me.”

Salkeld (13-1), who was locked with Hansell in a thrilling pitchers’ duel for 2 hours and 25 minutes, pitched valiantly. He logged his 14th complete game--his second in five days--and pitched 27 of the Centurions’ 37 innings in postseason play.

The 6-foot-5, 210-pound right-hander, projected to be one of the nation’s top selections in Monday’s amateur draft, struck out nine and scattered six hits.

Saugus committed an error in each of the eighth and ninth innings, tarnishing what was, up to that point, an exciting, error-free contest.

Hansell (6-5, 210), who will attend Nevada Reno in the fall, struck out 10, scattered five hits and stifled Saugus threats in the fourth, sixth, seventh and ninth innings.

“I just figured if our pitching did the job, then things were bound to go our way,” Hansell said. “You can’t say that I beat (Salkeld). It was our team that beat their team.”

Kennedy (26-5) advanced a runner to second base four times and to third twice and loaded the bases in the eighth. But Salkeld escaped each threat, striking out two with runners at first and second in the fourth and retiring Scott Ethington on a foul fly ball to deep right field in the eighth.

“The great thing was our kids were making contact,” said Kennedy Coach Chris Pascal, whose team managed singles off Salkeld in the first, third and fourth innings. “They were coming back to the dugout, saying, ‘He’s good, but it’s not like he’s unhitable.’ He didn’t do what Hansell did.”

Saugus (23-5-2), which had its nine-game winning streak snapped, mounted its most serious threat in the seventh when George Lopata stroked a leadoff single to center and Johnson drew a walk after working the count full.

Scott Warr lifted a fly ball into foul territory toward the left-field corner, but left fielder Todd Murakami made a spectacular one-handed grab, slamming into the blue railing and falling into the empty seats.

Murakami had to be helped to the dugout with a bruised rib cage.

Designated-hitter Glenn Terry then lined to shortstop Steve Rath, who relayed to second to trap pinch-runner Jayme Riggio for an inning-ending double play.

“That kid makes the play of the absolute century,” Worley said of Murakami’s catch. “I don’t want to sound like sour grapes, but Jiminy Christmas, we had a couple of chances but we just couldn’t get a hit. They made some big plays. It’s just ‘what if’ time. It’s ugly to have ‘what if’ games.”

In the top of ninth, Darrell Davis led off with a single and advanced to second on a sacrifice. But Hansell struck out Lopata and retired Johnson on a deep fly to right.

Hansell struck out the first six batters he faced, using only 24 pitches en route to a perfect first two innings. His sharp-breaking curve left the Centurions swinging at pitches in the dirt.

Salkeld struck out designated-hitter Ernie Franco to end the first inning, then struck out the side on 13 pitches in the second.

Singles by Matt Tull and Johnson gave Saugus runners at the corners in the third, but Hansell struck out Warr on a called third strike.

“He’ll be here again someday,” Hansell said of Salkeld and his prospects for a major league career. “Definitely.”