Torrance Gets a Boost From Martinez, a Save From Kendall : Prep baseball: Right-hander, who has been injured, returns to earn victory in his first start. Catcher Kendall takes to mound to stop West Torrance in 3-2 win.

The rest of the Pioneer League’s coaches cannot be very thrilled about what transpired at West High’s baseball field Thursday afternoon.

Torrance scored two runs in the top of the seventh inning for a come-from-behind 3-2 victory over West, improving their Pioneer record to 3-1.

But that’s not the bad news.

The bad news for the rest of the league comes in two parts: Ralph Martinez is back and Jason Kendall can pitch.

Martinez, a right-hander, was 7-1 for the Tartars last year but had pitched only one inning this year as the result of stiffness in his arm. But against West he scattered five hits in six-plus innings in his first start of 1992.

Kendall took the mound for the first time in his Torrance career, relieving Martinez with the tying run at first and no outs in the seventh. Although he gave up a walk, he didn’t allow a run and earned the save.

Other than his surprise appearance on the mound, it was a routine day for Kendall, a 6-foot-1 senior who, when not moonlighting as a pitcher, plays catcher for the Tartars. All he did was:

* Extend his state-record hitting streak to 41 games with a fifth-inning double.

* Drive in the tying run in the top of the seventh with a line-drive single to center, scoring Todd Reinert from second and moving to second on the throw home.

* Steal third base.

* Score the winning run a batter later, as Oliver Turner’s soft liner to right brought him home.

Kendall, who popped to first and was intentionally walked in his first two plate appearances, has nine hits in his last 12 at bats.

“What can I say? The kid’s a natural,” Torrance Coach Jeff Phillips said of Kendall. Phillips is used to seeing Kendall dominate games. What had him really excited was the inspiring performance from Martinez.

“That was the gutsiest performance I’ve ever seen from a starting pitcher,” Phillips said. “He’s Mr. Clutch. We’ve brought him back (from his arm trouble) slowly and now it’s paying off.”

The game ended on an unfortunate note of controversy, when West’s Jason Orpe attempted to call time and step out of the batter’s box as Kendall was going into his motion with two outs and two strikes in the bottom of the seventh.

The plate umpire disallowed Orpe’s request for time out, and Kendall struck out Orpe, who tried in vain to get back into the batter’s box, on a called third strike.

The umpire, who refused to give his name afterward, said Kendall “had already gone into his motion.”

The explanation was insufficient for West Coach Harry Jenkins, who lambasted the umpire.

“I thought (the umpire) had plenty of time to make the call and not let the game end like that,” Jenkins said. “(Kendall) was not on his way to the plate. I was watching him.

“If you’re going to err, err on the side of caution. The pitcher would have gotten another chance, but our batter didn’t.”

Phillips refused to comment on the final-pitch controversy, preferring instead to talk about the victory.

“We knew we were playing the best team we’d play all year, and we came out and played our best game of the year,” he said. “This was a championship-atmosphere game.”

At 3-1, the Tartars (4-5 overall) have positioned themselves to win the league, although South Torrance, with a 1-0 league record, is technically in first. What makes the Tartars so fearsome is the ramifications of Martinez’s return and Kendall’s impressive debut as a pitcher.

West dropped to 6-3 and 2-1.

Redondo 2, Mira Costa 0--Ted Silva pitched a two-hitter in an Ocean League game at Mira Costa.

Silva struck out 12 and gave up only two walks to improve to 4-1. He also went 2-for-4 at the plate.

Mira Costa got seven strong innings from Joel Garber, who gave up only five hits. The Sea Hawks scored their two runs on a throwing error and a bases-loaded walk.

Redondo improved to 7-5 and 2-1. Mira Costa fell to 6-5 and 1-1.