El Segundo Powers Way to Another League Title

Despite the absence of Coach John Stevenson, the El Segundo High baseball team clinched its fourth consecutive league title and its 20th in 32 years with a 10-3 victory over St. Francis on Wednesday night at Brookside Park in Pasadena.

The Eagles improved to 23-4 overall and 9-0 in the San Fernando Valley League, three games ahead of St. Francis (6-3) with one remaining.

Stevenson is at Daniel Freeman Memorial Hospital in Inglewood recovering from a heart attack, but he gave his team a message through interim coach Craig Cousins: “Clinch league tonight.”

And the Eagles did, powered by pitcher Matt Gangawere’s ninth victory in 10 decisions and the batting of Jeff Poor, who went two for four with two runs batted in.

“It’s no different not having coach here, we play the same, but we’re doing it for him,” Gangawere said. “That’s what he wants. He’s real close to all of us, he’s helped all of us and given so much to us, we want to give it back to him.”

Team members plan to visit Stevenson today and present him with a signed ball from Wednesday’s game.

El Segundo scored five runs in the first two innings and added five more in the sixth and seventh. Poor, the Eagle catcher, doubled in a run in the seventh off right fielder Orlando Cepeida’s glove to increase his season RBI total to 50, one short of the school record set last year by Tate Seefried.

Cousins said the Eagles approached Wednesday like any other game.

“It’s a little strange not having John here, but we’re real businesslike when we take the field,” Cousins said.