Late Lightning Lifts Verdugo Hills to Victory, Eastern Division Lead : Legion baseball: Three-run sixth inning ends pitchers’ duel in a rain-spattered showdown for first place.

Through five innings of Wednesday’s battle for first place in the American Legion District 20’s Eastern Division standings, all was quiet at Notre Dame High. Van Nuys-Notre Dame pitcher Rich Igou was twirling a one-hit shutout. His Verdugo Hills counterpart, John Workman, had strung together five goose eggs of his own.

Peace reigned. Serenity was the order of the day.

But in the final two innings, Verdugo Hills banged out plenty of hits en route to a 5-1 victory.

The win boosted Verdugo Hills’ record to 15-2. Van Nuys-Notre Dame fell into second place at 14-2, a half-game back.

“It took a while to get the thunder going,” Verdugo Hills Coach Kelly Magee said. “But in the sixth inning, it started raining gappers.”

The weather metaphors made sense, considering that Mother Nature provided most of the early-inning excitement. An overcast sky gave way to a drizzle in the second inning, followed by showers in the fourth.

Otherwise, not much happened. Igou, a left-hander, baffled Verdugo Hills with his off-speed stuff, surrendering only a David Fielder single through five inning. Meanwhile, the tall, right-handed Workman was scattering four hits and two walks, escaping a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the third.

In the top of the sixth, the rain stopped, the sun emerged, and Verdugo Hills’ bats began making noise. First baseman Robb Turner led off with a double down the left-field line, the first extra-base hit for either team.

Kirk Hagge followed with a single to left, moving Turner to third before Josh Canale singled to center, scoring Turner with the game’s first run. Igou struck out Brendon Cowsill, but Fielder whacked a double into the right-center-field gap, giving Verdugo Hills a 3-0 advantage and ending the evening for Igou (2-1).

Workman encountered some late difficulties as well, walking six batters in the final two innings. But he avoided major damage, thanks in part to a questionable call in the bottom of the sixth.

After first baseman Glen Carson led off with a triple to right and Lou Tapia walked, Workman bounced a curve to the backstop. Carson sprinted home and appeared to arrive before Workman’s sweep tag. But the umpire called Carson out, then threw him out of the game a few seconds later.

“That was a terrible call,” Van Nuys Coach Jody Breeden said. “That took us right out of the inning. And I have no idea why he threw him out of the game.”

In the top of the seventh, Verdugo Hills added two insurance runs off reliever Chris Leveque on doubles by Workman and Murphy and an RBI single by Canale.

In the bottom of the seventh, Van Nuys left the bases loaded again, and Workman (4-1) had his hard-fought victory.

“Their pitcher got the big outs when he needed them,” Breeden said. “They got the clutch hits. We left the bases loaded three times. That’s the ballgame right there.”