Torrance Thinks It Has Winning Formula

When a baseball team is hitting .333 like Torrance High, the construction of a batting order is neither art, nor science.

Torrance Coach Jeff Phillips isn’t likely to tamper with a proven formula in the first round of the Southern Section 5-A playoffs. Torrance meets Huntington Beach Edison in a 3:15 p.m. game today at Torrance Park.

“If it isn’t broken, you don’t have to fix it,” Phillips said.

Phillips, in his second year at the school, guided the Tartars to an 18-8 record and a share of the Bay League championship.

He made only minor adjustments, mainly because few pitchers have been able to navigate through the heart of Torrance’s batting order more than once without suffering some damage.

Torrance’s version of “Murderer’s Row” put up some impressive numbers:

--Junior third baseman Antone Williamson hit .519 with five home runs, and drove in 34 runs out of the No. 3 spot. Williamson scored 37 runs and led the team with eight stolen bases.

--Torrance’s cleanup man, right fielder Eric Gonzales, batted .500, knocked in a team-high 40 runs, hit a pair of homers and 11 doubles.

--Catcher Jason Kendall (.427, 28 RBIs) bats fifth. Only a sophomore, Kendall hit safely in every league game and struck out only twice in 85 at-bats.

--Mike Kendall, Torrance’s best pitcher and Jason’s older brother, hit .301 in the No. 6 position.

--Leadoff man Ivan Elias (.288, 24 runs) and shortstop Bryan Mullings (.289, 37 runs) frequently reached base. Center fielder Rich Camou (.309) gives the Tartars a solid bat at the bottom of the order.

Edison Coach Paul Harrell will counter with a lineup featuring several sturdy, multisport players. The Chargers (18-7), the No. 2 entry from the Sunset League, broke the school’s record for home runs.

“We may not have too many natural baseball players, but we have a lot of raw athletes,” Harrell said. “It’s a real physical group that works hard and plays hard.”

Catcher Steve Thobe, who played forward for Edison’s basketball team, smashed seven homers. Left fielder Donnie Smith, who quarterbacked Edison’s football squad, leads the Chargers with a .423 average.

Chad Ponegalek, a wide receiver in football, is Edison’s right fielder and leadoff man. He stole 18 bases and scored a team-high 24 runs. Center fielder James Eidam, bound for Santa Clara University next year, led Edison with 30 hits and 23 RBIs.

“We score enough runs that we’ve been in every game we’ve played,” Harrell said. “But I can’t say who would win if we got into an absolute hit-a-thon with Torrance.”

Phillips said today’s outcome would probably come down to defense instead of offense.

“We’re expecting a tough battle,” he said. “We know they’re gonna get their hits and we’ll get ours, so neither team can give anything away. We’ve just got to get the outs.”

Phillips has a solid defensive team, although Torrance made four errors in a 7-4 loss to Beverly Hills last week.

“We were wondering if we could make the plays instead of just making them,” Phillips said. “But we straightened it out and we have a confident mental approach right now.”

Mike Kendall (8-3, 2.68 earned-run average, 70 strikeouts), a senior right-hander, will start for Torrance. Harrell said his starting pitcher would be one of two right-handers--either Smith (5-1) or Phil Jensen (5-1).

Following is a rundown of other playoff openers involving South Bay teams. All games start at 3:15 p.m. today, except where noted.

In the 5-A Division:

Mira Costa (13-13) at Westlake (25-1)--Coach Jim Beaumont’s Mira Costa team, which tied for second place in the Ocean League, is running into one of prep baseball’s most impressive success stories.

Westlake never won a Marmonte League title until this season and didn’t even make the playoffs last year.

But the Warriors, seeded No. 1 in the 5-A playoffs, currently find themselves ranked No. 2 in the nation in USA Today’s prep baseball Top 25.

Second-year Coach Rich Herrera’s team has lost only to San Diego Montgomery in the first round of a tournament in Las Vegas.

Westlake’s senior catcher Mike Lieberthal (.500, 42 RBIs) is tied with El Segundo’s Tate Seefried and Fullerton’s D. C. Olsen for the Southern Section lead in homers with 13. Lieberthal, rated by Baseball America Magazine as the No. 3 prep prospect in the nation, has signed a letter of intent to Arizona State.

Left-hander Mike Eby (9-0, 1.10 ERA, 60 strikeouts), who will attend UCLA next season, will start for Westlake. He’ll oppose Mira Costa’s junior right-hander Jason Garner (4-6, 2.84, 72 strikeouts).

Garner also leads the Mustangs with 18 RBIs. Beaumont will also look to third baseman Bobby Dominguez (.300), shortstop Andy Owens (.300, three HRs), and catcher B. J. Allen (four HRs) for punch.

St. Paul (17-9) at Rolling Hills (12-11)--This matchup will feature a pair of youthful teams. Coach Garry Poe of Rolling Hills has only five seniors on his roster and St. Paul’s Leo Gutierrez starts only two seniors.

The Bay League tri-champion Titans got the league’s No. 1 entry by virtue of a coin flip.

As junior pitcher Kirt Kishita goes, so goes Rolling Hills. The hard-throwing right-hander (8-4, 3.22 ERA, 79 strikeouts) beat every team in the league at least once. He’s also one of Rolling Hills’ best hitters (.403).

Shortstop Tristan Paul (.408), third baseman Steve Archibald (.400, three HRs) and first baseman Stefan Wahlstrom (.343) are the Titans’ best hitters. Leadoff man Bill DeMucci leads the South Bay area in triples with three.

St. Paul, the Angelus League runner-up, batted .290, but had only one starter, shortstop Tommy Robledo (.370) over .300.

The Swordsmen, who won four league games by a run, might need to keep the score down to win. Right-hander Sonny Guzman (9-2), an off-speed pitcher, will start for St. Paul.

Redondo (16-11) vs. Lakewood (18-4) at Blair Field, Long Beach, 7:30 p.m.--Redondo, which plays most of its home games at night, gets a night game in the first round.

The game could turn into a pitching duel. Redondo will start either Brian Fitzgerald, who struck out 10 in a one-hitter in the Sea Hawks’ Ocean League finale, a 1-0 victory over Mira Costa, or right-hander Artie Scarpino (5-4, 2.64 ERA).

Lakewood right-hander Chris Miller (10-2), bound for Loyola Marymount, has thrown four shutouts this year. Junior left-hander David Reeser is 9-1.

Redondo’s leading hitters are center fielder Brett Tyrrell (.375) and pitcher-first baseman Frank Bignami (.338, 18 RBIs).

In the 2-A Division:

Temple City (13-9) at St. Bernard (17-6)--This game could turn into a slugfest. Temple City, which lost to El Segundo in the 2-A semifinals last year, has six starters batting over .300, including shortstop Dan O’Leary (.481), catcher Brian Sulpizio and 6-4 first baseman Matt Gilmour.

St. Bernard Coach Bob Yarnall has seven starters hitting above .300. Third baseman Jeff Richardson (.478, 29 RBIs, 22 stolen bases), second baseman Sean Dunbar (.418, seven homers, 31 SB) and shortstop Grant Hohman (.393, eight HRs) lead the Vikings.

Viking center fielder John Coleman (.350) leads the South Bay area in stolen bases with 39.

Veteran Coach Dennis Marquardt’s Rams, the No. 3 entry from the Rio Hondo League, will start left-hander Jon Dekarr. St. Bernard, the Camino Real League runner-up, will counter will Andy Diver (9-1, 2.71).

Pomona (10-12) at Miraleste (19-5)--A young Pomona team, which tied for third with San Dimas in the Montview League, will visit offense-minded Miraleste, co-champion of the Santa Fe League.

Pomona’s best hitter is 6-foot-5 junior Johnny McWilliams, a basketball standout playing his first year of high school baseball. McWilliams is hitting .540 with six homers and 32 RBIs.

Miraleste has two of the South Bay’s top hitters in shortstop Mike Ryan (.526, six HRs, 35 RBIs) and catcher Mike Cooper (.525, five HRs, 39 RBIs). Marauder second baseman Paul Lemire is hitting .461.

Miraleste right-hander Jason Mavar (11-2, 1.09) will oppose the Red Devils’ Robert Navarro (4-6, 2.70, 94 strikeouts).

In the Small Schools Division:

Chadwick School (10-5) at Queen of Angels (14-3)--Liberty League champ Queen of Angels, located next to the San Fernando Mission, is the largest Catholic high school seminary west of the Mississippi River.

Queen of Angels went undefeated in league play. It is led by first baseman Eric Montijo (.417), and outfielders Rolando Natareno (.431) and Bernie Osuna (.415).

Chadwick, the Prep League runner-up, is led by catcher Todd Seneker (.524, 22 RBIs), first baseman Mike Harris (.400, five HRs) and shortstop Chris Gordon (.357, 14 SB).

Queen of Angels right-hander Danny Herold (7-2, 2.13) will face the Dolphins’ Mac McKinnie (4-2, 1.14).