AMERICAN LEGION BASEBALL / STEVE ELLING : After 141 Pitches, Westlake-Royal’s Snyder Still Had More to Give

No no-hitter.

No shutout.

No decision.

These are the answers. Were the game show “Jeopardy,” the question would be, “What happened to John Snyder on Sunday?”

Snyder, a hard-throwing right-hander for the Westlake-Royal American Legion team, gave it everything he had in a District 16 game against Santa Barbara. He pitched 10 innings, struck out 12, threw a hearty 141 pitches and allowed a paltry three hits.

Snyder did not allow a hit for the first 5 2/3 innings but surrendered a hit and a run in the sixth. Trailing, 1-0, entering the ninth, Westlake-Royal scratched out a run to send the game into extra innings and Snyder trudged back out to resume his search for the elusive W.

No luck. After a scoreless 10th, Snyder--who June 1 was drafted in the 13th round by the California Angels--was removed and placed at first base.

“We figured that 141 pitches was about enough,” Coach Mike McClure said.

Westlake-Royal then made an about-face. After Santa Barbara scored once in the 11th to take a 2-1 lead, Snyder showed his mates just how easy it is to provide some offense. In his first plate appearance, (a designated-hitter had batted for him while he pitched) he walked and then scored the tying run. Westlake-Royal eventually rallied to pull out a 3-2 victory in the bottom of the inning.

All of which means that Snyder’s day pretty much ended the way it began.

No at-bat.

Add Westlake-Royal: Too early for a showdown? Hardly. Snyder will be the likely starter when Westlake-Royal (4-0) faces Newbury Oaks (3-1) in a key game Saturday at noon at Moorpark College.

Newbury Oaks is composed of players from Newbury Park High and last summer’s Conejo A Legion team that won District 16 and Area 6 titles before finishing third in the state tournament.

Last add Westlake-Royal: The team lost two players last week when Matt Goebel and Scott Singleton signed with the San Diego Padres, but two others who were drafted have promised to stick around for a while.

Rico Lagattuta, a left-handed pitcher and first baseman from Westlake High, turned down an offer from the Padres on Monday and is hoping to land a college scholarship for the fall. He will play the remainder of the season, McClure said.

Dave Landaker, drafted by the Houston Astros in the second round, said he will remain with the team at least through June 29, when Westlake-Royal will have completed play in the Reno tournament at University of Nevada.

Landaker, a senior shortstop from Royal, has signed a letter of intent with Nevada and McClure said he wants to play at the school’s baseball facility before he makes up his mind about signing.

Back in the saddle: When asked about his longevity, former major league pitcher Tommy John used to trot out a joke that ran along the lines of: “I may be 40 years old, but my arm’s only 10.”

John, the former Dodger standout, had ground-breaking reconstructive surgery performed on a damaged ligament in his left elbow in 1974 and recovered to chalk up some of his best seasons. John pitched until 1989.

Mike Krasner is hoping to get similar mileage out of his brand new right elbow. Krasner, who pitches for Woodland Hills East, appeared in 14 of East’s 22 games last summer and rolled up 68 1/3 innings, tops in District 20. Between Legion ball and his appearances for Taft last spring, Krasner pitched 115 1/3 innings in roughly five months.

“It was stupid,” said Krasner, who will graduate from Taft this month. “I wanted the ball every day.”

And he hurt almost every morning. Krasner underwent surgery Nov. 25, wherein a tendon from his right wrist was used to replace a damaged ligament in his right elbow. After months of rehabilitation, he made his first appearance last Friday against Valley North, which is composed largely of players from Chatsworth, a Taft rival.

“I was very, very nervous,” Krasner said. “Especially against Chatsworth.”

Krasner, who has been limited to 60 pitches per appearance, allowed two runs on three hits over two innings. He struck out two.

“It felt very, very good (to be back),” he said.

Higher Powers: How important is outfielder Brian Powers to the West Hills attack? Let the coach count the ways.

In Saturday’s 11-9 victory over Tujunga, Powers showed up late because he had to take college board exams in the morning. Coach Dave Desmond inserted the right-hander into the lineup.

It was like plugging in the microwave oven: instant action. Powers, who arrived in the sixth inning, promptly singled, homered and picked up a save by pitching a scoreless eighth and ninth.

“Other than that, we didn’t need him at all,” Desmond said.

Thorough bread: The football and basketball jerseys of Alex (Loafie) Estrada were retired two weeks ago at tiny Faith Baptist High, where he dominated the athletic scene for three seasons.

Estrada was named Cal-Hi Sports magazine’s state eight-man player of the year in football last fall and the Southern Section Division V-AA player of the year in basketball last winter. The Faith Baptist baseball team didn’t do quite as well this spring, though, and Estrada is trying to make amends.

The outfielder who is playing for Valley North in his first summer of Legion ball, already has impressed Coach Pete Redfern, who says that it took the fleet Estrada about an inning to prove he can compete with players from large schools.

Estrada had six stolen bases in his first two games, including five in a 16-2 pasting of Palmdale West.

All in the family: So, everything is relative? Not in this particular ballgame, and Granada Hills West might have earned a win because of it Saturday against Quartz Hill.

With one out and runners at first and second with the score tied in the bottom of the ninth, West shortstop Gary Matthews stepped to the plate. Matthews bounced the ball back to the pitcher, who wheeled and fired the ball into center trying to start a double play. Dave Cipolla scored easily from second on the error for a 7-6 victory.

Had Matthews been more like his speedster cousin, who played that very day for the opposition, odds are that Quartz Hill would not have attempted to turn two.

Matthews’ cousin, Carl Grissom of Quartz Hill, chalked up 24 stolen bases last summer to lead District 20 players. Grissom played at Pierce College this spring and has returned to Quartz Hill to defend his stolen-base title.

The Minnesota Twins, who drafted Matthews last week, are gambling that Matthews someday will take after someone else: his father. Matthews’ dad, Gary, played for the San Francisco Giants, Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs during a 16-year major league career and had a lifetime batting average of .281.