AMERICAN LEGION BASEBALL DISTRICT 20 PLAYOFFS : Encino-Crespi Strolls to Victory as Suppan Throws 5-Hitter, 15-0

Granada Hills West pitcher Rob Rundquist worked a near-perfect fourth inning Tuesday. A couple of fly outs, a single, and an inning-ending fielder’s choice.

He also managed to not walk a batter.

Under normal circumstances, such a feat would hardly merit attention. But considering the mess the Granada Hills staff created Tuesday, it was quite an accomplishment.

Rundquist and two other Granada Hills pitchers combined to walk 14 and allow 13 hits during a 15-0 loss to Encino-Crespi in a American Legion District 20 first-roundplayoff game that was shortened to seven innings because of the 10-run rule. Encino (19-5 overall), seeded No. 2, will meet Glendale in a second-round game Thursday at Pierce College.

Granada Hills starter Bryan Martin (6-3), who entered the game with a 2.52 earned-run average, was playing a different position after just 1 2/3 innings. He had walked six, uncorked five wild pitches, and allowed seven runs.

Third baseman Heath McElwee traded spots with Martin and, in 1 1/3 innings, walked five and hit one.

Finally, Rundquist came in from first base and earned his team’s marksmanship award by allowing just three walks and hitting one batter in three innings.

“We were all over the place,” Granada Hills Coach George Saul said. “We probably had more walks (Tuesday) than we did our last 10 games.”

“We’ve always been able to lay off tempting pitches,” Encino Coach Scott Muckey said. “They had a little trouble throwing some strikes and we were able to take advantage of it.”

Encino scored seven runs, four unearned, in the second inning.

Kyle Carden and Joe Turner hit consecutive singles and moved up on a wild pitch. Jeff Suppan followed with a ground out that scored Carden, Javier Avila walked, and Turner scored on an error.

Another error loaded the bases and Brodie VanWagenen walked, giving Encino a 3-0 lead. A wild pitch allowed another run to score and, after Victor Seper walked to reload the bases, Casey Snow scored on a balk by Martin.

Brett Farlow followed with a sacrifice fly that gave Encino a 6-0 lead and Carden followed with his second hit in the inning, a run-scoring single that gave Encino a 7-0 lead.

Encino handed Suppan a 12-0 lead after three innings, much more than enough for the talented right-hander. Suppan (6-0), who will be a junior at Crespi High in the fall, went the distance, striking out seven and limiting Granada Hills (17-7) to five hits.

Unlike his counterparts, Suppan did not walk a batter and went to a three-ball count just four times.

Carden had three hits for Encino, which won its sixth consecutive game. Suppan, Seper, Turner, and Avila each had two hits. VanWagenen drove in three runs and Carden and Turner each had two.

Scott Berger had two hits and McElwee extended his hitting streak to 17 games for Granada Hills, which will meet Sun Valley today at 4 p.m. at Pierce College.

Sepulveda 10, San Fernando 2--Sepulveda (19-5) combined nine hits with eight walks, including five walks that led to five runs in the first inning of a game at Birmingham.

Chris Portugal hit a three-run home run and Dylan Jones added a two-run double for Sepulveda, which Thursday will meet the winner of today’s game between top-seeded Chatsworth and Woodland Hills West.

Russell Ortiz (6-0), Steve Cain, and Osman Khan combined to limit San Fernando to six hits. Ortiz allowed two runs and four hits, and struck out five in five innings.

Sepulveda, a wild-card entrant, took a 5-0 lead after the first inning and extended its lead to 7-0 in the fourth. Portugal added his homer in the fifth, his first this season, and gave Sepulveda a 10-1 lead.

Portugal, Jones, and Justin Paperny each had two hits. Portugal drove in three runs and Fullmer and Jones each added two RBIs.

Six players each had one hit for San Fernando (16-8), which had won 14 of its past 15 games. San Fernando will meet the loser of today’s game between Woodland Hills West and Chatsworth.

Glendale 11, Sun Valley 1--Right-hander Jason Greenberg limited Sun Valley to nine hits in a game at Pierce College that was called after seven innings because of the 10-run rule.

Rob Walley and Greenberg each had three hits and Jon Strauss added two for Glendale (19-5). Raul Torres and Gabe Chavez each had three hits for Sun Valley (17-7).

Sun Valley committed five errors, including three in the fourth inning that led to a six-run Glendale rally.