6 Errors Cost City All-Stars in 8-2 Defeat

For the City Section All-Star baseball team, the humor in Thursday night’s game against the Orange County All-Stars could not have been accurately measured by a laugh-o-meter.

The number of errors committed gave a much more precise gauge.

The City team made six miscues in an 8-2 loss to Orange County at USC’s Dedeaux Field. All the Orange County runs were unearned.

“Does that say six or eight?,” City 4-A Player of the Year Gino Tagliaferri of Kennedy High said as he looked at the right-field score board.

Tagliaferri, normally a shortstop, played third base and started the comedy of errors in the second inning when a throw from Chatsworth catcher Eric Johnson bounced off his glove and into left field, allowing Laguna Hills’ Rob Milo to score.

The City added three errors in the third, giving Orange County five unearned runs and a 6-0 advantage.

“Take those errors away and we’re better,” Tagliaferri said. “We’re just out here for fun anyway.”

The City pushed across its first run in the fifth when Taft’s Jason Shapiro, who singled and stole second base, scored on Damian Valdivia’s bloop single to left.

Orange County added two more runs on two City errors in the sixth to take an 8-1 lead.

Westchester’s Victor Darenzbourg, pinch-running for Adam Zutler of Taft in the seventh, scored on a two-out single by University’s Eric Alexander to account for the final City run.

Six Orange County pitchers combined for a five-hitter and struck out 10 in the nine-inning game.

In addition to the hits by Shapiro, Valdivia and Alexander, Mark Flores of Fremont and Jesse Espinoza of Banning each singled for the City.

Chatsworth’s Derek Wallace pitched the fourth and fifth innings for the City, allowing no runs.