THE HIGH SCHOOLS : Second Solid Pitcher Gives Birmingham Shot in Arm

Birmingham High has won 10 consecutive baseball games, clinched a share of the title in the Mid-Valley League with four games left and established itself as a team to watch in the playoffs.

So wherefore the success? The bat of slugger Danny Larson? The glove of shortstop Justin Bass? The savvy of veteran Coach Wayne Sink?

Certainly, all have been factors, but, in terms of importance, count the development of the 1-2 pitching punch of Josh Brown and Jason Mansfield. Brown (10-2), a sidearmer, has pitched with success all season.

Mansfield, however, struggled early as Birmingham went 5-5-1. Now, the left-hander has won three consecutive starts and is 4-3. In Wednesday’s 5-3 win over Van Nuys, Brown saved Mansfield’s fourth win, shutting down a Van Nuys rally in the top of the seventh. To Sink, the value of Mansfield cannot be underestimated.

“The development of the second pitcher is key in this league,” Sink said. “He’s got a ball that moves for him naturally and a nice slider that goes the other way.”

Sink’s new-found key could unlock a door previously unopened: Birmingham has not won a league title outright in Sink’s 12 years.

Balanced attack: Looking for someone to walk in the middle of the El Camino Real lineup? Think again. Don’t want to face Ryan McGuire? Want to walk Jason Cohen and take your chances with Bobby Kim or Greg Lederman?

The Conquistadores’ Nos. 2, 3, 4, and 5 hitters are within an eyelash of each other in runs batted in. McGuire, who batted second Thursday, has 20, followed by Cohen (23), Kim (19) and Lederman (19).

Sweet sweep: Canyon’s distance runners were perfect in Golden League track and field meets this season, outscoring their opponents, 135-0. The Cowboys swept all three middle-distance and distance events in five league meets as Canyon won its second consecutive league title.

“They were the dominating force in the league,” Coach Gary Lindberg said.

But don’t expect Canyon to sweep the 800, 1,600 and 3,200 in the league finals next week. Distance coach Dave DeLong prefers that his runners concentrate on their main events.

“We really think we could (sweep the distances) if that was our objective,” DeLong said. “What we really wanted to do was outscore them (in the dual meets).”

Canyon’s depth stems from one of the state’s most powerful cross-country teams. Last fall, the Cowboys were ranked fourth in Division I.

Dan Berkeland, Dave Hartman, Lee Cohen and Wes Hinson have all run under 10 minutes for 3,200 meters this season. Berkeland clocked 9 minutes 7.52 seconds at the Arcadia Invitational on April 7.

Berkeland, a senior, has been the most versatile. He has run 2:02.2 and 4:23.84 for the 800 and 1,600, respectively. Hartman, the 4-A cross-country champion last fall as a junior, has been slowed by injuries but still managed to produce a 9:25.0 mark in the 3,200.

Add Cohen: Because of Canyon’s depth in the 3,200, Cohen might step down to the 800 in an attempt to win the league title.

DeLong said he hoped Berkeland, Hartman and Cohen would finish 1-2-3 in the 3,200 but added that a possible league championship in the 800 appealed to Cohen.

Cohen has run 9:46.0 in the 3,200 this season.

“Poor Lee. Last year he had to compete with Dan, Dave and (1989 graduate) Mike Rattary,” DeLong said. “Now he has to compete with Dan and Dave.”

Cohen still will receive a challenge from his own team in the 800. Teammate Manny DeLeon is the league’s only sub-two-minute 800 runner at 1:59.68.

Award pace: Tommy Tominaga of Highland Hall is having a Small Schools’ player-of-the-year-type season. He is batting .556 (30 for 54) with team-high totals of six home runs, six doubles, three triples and 34 RBIs. Tominaga has hit safely in 15 of his past 18 at-bats with four home runs and 17 RBIs.

Mike Glaze and staff writers Steve Elling, Vince Kowalick and Brian Murphy contributed to this notebook.