AMERICAN LEGION : Union City Slips Past Conejo, 7-6

To say that several key players on the Conejo American Legion baseball team had been waiting two years for another shot at Union City would be a bit of an overstatement. To state that they had been waiting two days, and anxiously at that, would not.

As 15-year-olds, several current Conejo players were defeated by Union City in a youth-league playoff game in which the victors qualified for the World Series. Two summers later, in an American Legion state playoff game with a berth in the regionals on the line, the results were identical.

In fact, the Re-Union City outcome must have been even harder to swallow.

Union City scored two runs in the top of the ninth Monday to edge Conejo, 7-6, earning a berth in the Legion regionals, which begin next week. The frustrating loss eliminated Conejo (40-6) from the tournament and ended its season.

Played out in the land of wineries and vineyards, the game was vintage Conejo. Undermining a strong performance from right-handed pitcher Bryan Corey, Conejo defenders committed four errors, allowing five unearned runs. Yet the bigger gaffes were committed by the offense.

With Conejo trailing 5-3, with two on and two out in the sixth, a single by Jeff Olin drove in Corey and moved Ryan Kritscher to second base. Up stepped red-hot Brian Sturges, who had hit three homers in as many games.

Sturges again connected and sent a high fly off the fence in left. Kritscher scored easily, but Olin, thinking the ball had cleared the fence for a home run, slowed as he approached third, then reached out and slapped palms with third-base coach Mike Herman. Olin, realizing the mistake, hurriedly crossed the plate with an awkward slide. He was safe--for the moment.

Umpires ruled that Olin and Herman made illegal contact while a ball was in play. Olin was called out and the run was disallowed, ending the rally with the score tied at 5-5.

“This was the strangest day of baseball I’ve ever seen in my life,” Conejo Coach Craig Sturges said. “Now I’ve seen every conceivable call there is.”

Craig Sturges’ running joke all week for Conejo--which committed 16 errors in four tournament games--was to pray for opponents to hit the ball in the air, where fielding errors were less likely to occur. But against Union City, even fly balls were booted. Union City (37-12) scored two unearned runs in the sixth to take a 5-3 lead, largely because the Conejo fielders dropped two routine flies.

Sparked by Olin’s three hits, Conejo advanced into its game with Union City by defeating West Sonoma County, 7-3, in a morning elimination game. Left-hander Adam West, who went the distance, threw a five-hitter, struck out six and did not allow an earned run.