AMERICAN LEGION : Sturges’ 3 Hits, 4 RBIs Help Conejo Outlast El Segundo

Inside the headband of Brian Sturges’ cap is the photograph of one of his baseball idols.

Is it Canseco? No way, Jose.

It it Ruth? Guess again, babe.

The photo is of Sturges’ American Legion teammate Ryan Kritscher, who was tossing the picture in the garbage when a slumping Sturges retrieved it and placed it in the lining of his cap for good luck. Sturges hit two home runs in his next game.

Sunday, he repeated the task.

Sturges was three for four, hit two homers and drove in four runs as Conejo defeated El Segundo, 5-4, in an elimination game of the state legion playoffs. Conejo, which is 39-5 overall and 1-1 in the double-elimination tournament, plays West Sonoma County today at 9 a.m. With a victory, Conejo will play today at 3 p.m. against the loser of today’s noon game between Escondido and Union City.

For the second time in as many days, Sturges and Kritscher were Conejo’s, well, head-liners. Sturges has hit three homers in two games and driven in six of Conejo’s seven runs. Kritscher, who doubled in Conejo’s tournament opener, had two hits against El Segundo. The pair have seven of Conejo’s 11 hits.

Conejo right-hander Mike Lee threw a five-hitter, struck out nine and walked four.

Sturges, who had a solo homer in the first inning, hit a three-run shot in the sixth to give Conejo a 4-0 lead. The Conejo defense, however, nearly gave it all back.

Sturges and first baseman Adam West each committed an error in the bottom of the sixth as El Segundo (31-6) scored three unearned runs to close to 4-3.

Conejo again used its power in the seventh--all seven of the team’s runs in the tournament have scored by virtue of the long ball--when outfielder Trent Martin hit a solo home run to left for a 5-3 lead. Martin’s insurance run didn’t last long, either.

With runners on first and second in the eighth, El Segundo cut the Conejo lead to 5-4 when catcher David Skeels’ two-out pick-off attempt at first sailed into right field, allowing a run to score from second. With the tying run at third, however, Lee fanned Lawrence Norris for the third out.

“Making errors seems to be our pattern,” said Lee, who last spring was a Times All-Ventura County selection as a senior at Thousand Oaks High. “You’ve just got to look past it and throw strikes.”

Lee retired the side in order in the ninth, two via strikeouts, to end the game.