THE ‘80s A DECADE REVISITED :...

1982

Bret Saberhagen showed signs of greatness when he threw a no-hitter in Cleveland High’s 13-0 victory over Banning in the City baseball final.

He has won the American League Cy Young Award twice for the Kansas City Royals and was the Most Valuable Player in the 1985 World Series, yet some of Bret Saberhagen’s finest performances were for Cleveland High when he led the Cavaliers to the City Section baseball title.

Saberhagen, who was 24-2 during his three-year high school career and 9-0 as a senior, was 3-0 with one save in Cleveland’s four-game run through the playoffs, capped by the only no-hitter in the City title game, a 13-0, 12-strikeout gem against Palisades.

“It’s one heck of a way to end a high school career,” Saberhagen said. “I never expected a no-hitter, I was expecting a possible shutout. I started thinking about it in the fifth inning.”

Scott Clark was the only Palisades player to reach base, getting aboard on second baseman Tom Brandt’s one-out error in the first inning.

Cleveland also entered the record books for the largest margin of victory, the most runs scored, and the most hits (16) in a City title game. Third baseman Kenneth Marden had four hits and three runs batted in for the Cavaliers and first baseman Mark Markland had three hits and a pair of RBIs.

Although the no-hitter was Saberhagen’s most memorable performance, his 12-strikeout relief effort in a 7-6 semifinal victory against Banning was nearly as impressive.

“He’s not going to let anyone down,” Cleveland Coach Leo Castro said of Saberhagen, who was selected the City Player of the Year and the most valuable player in the playoffs. “He is a competitor. . . . He just peaked at the perfect time.”

Denean Howard of Kennedy and Vicki Cook of Alemany capped their high school careers with unprecedented victories in the state track and field championships.

Howard’s wins in the 200 (23.59) and 400 (52.39) made her the only girl to win those events twice and Cook’s victory in the 3,200 meters (10:16.27) gave her three consecutive titles in that race.

Howard ran a national high school record of 50.87 to win the 400 in The Athletics Congress championships later that summer and sew up her second consecutive No. 1 national ranking.

Notable: Eric Reynolds of Camarillo High won the Kinney national cross-country title after placing third in 1981. . . .

Michelle Hampton of Cal State Northridge won four individual events and anchored two victorious relay teams to lead the Lady Matadors to their first NCAA Division II swimming title. . . .

Montclair Prep, led by player of the year Rocco Buffolino, won its second consecutive Southern Section Small Schools baseball title.

Tania Fischer of Chaminade High won her second consecutive Southern Section 2-A cross-country title at Mt. San Antonio College. . . .

St. Genevieve lost to Atascadero, 21-6, in the Southern Section Desert-Mountain Conference football championship game, but Valiant quarterback Sean Serle was selected as the Division IV Player of the Year.

Erik Affholter of Oak Park High kicked a 64-yard field goal to set a national high school record for longest field goal. Affholter went on to star at USC as a wide receiver.

CITY PLAYOFFS At Dodger Stadium

Palisades Cleveland ab r h bi ab r h bi Clarke 3b 3 0 0 0 Behrnger ph 1 0 0 0 Hithe lf 3 0 0 0 Dale cf 4 3 3 0 Singer cf 3 0 0 0 Marden 3b 4 2 4 3 Guttrmn c 2 0 0 0 Newhse c 3 1 0 0 Sparrsn dh 2 0 0 0 Markind 1b 4 0 3 2 Kern ss 2 0 0 0 Tura pr 0 0 0 0 Vatcher rf 2 0 0 0 La Rosa ph 0 1 0 0 Glesner 1b 0 0 0 0 Doll rf 3 0 1 0 Logan c 2 0 0 0 Jhnstne cf 1 0 0 0 Webb ss 3 1 1 1 Campbell ss 0 0 0 0 Halen lf 1 1 0 1 JBrandt, lf 2 1 0 0 TBrandt, 2b 4 1 2 0 Total 22 0 0 0 Total 33 13 15 8

Palisades 000 000 0--0 Cleveland 250 008 x--13

E--TBrandt, Gleesnner, Clarke, Gilliam, Kim 2, Hithe. LOB--Palisades 1. Cleveland 5.

SB--Saberhagen, Dale. TBrandt.

IP H R ER BB SO Palisades Hirsch L,8-2 1 2/3 7 7 3 2 0 Kerr 4 1/3 9 6 3 1 1 Cleveland Saberhagen W,9-0 7 0 0 0 0 8

WP--Kerr 2. T--2:00. A--1,500.