Newhall-Saugus Clinches Share of Title With Sweep

One way or another, there were plenty of baseballs flying out of Saugus High on Wednesday.

So many, in fact, that there was a bonafide horsehide shortage in the second game, forcing the Palmdale East coaching staff to dig through a bucket of practice balls to find a few in serviceable shape.

Newhall-Saugus planted two homers over the fence in the second game of an American Legion District 20 Northern Division doubleheader to help pull off a sweep and clinch a share of the division title.

Newhall-Saugus bounced Palmdale East, 6-1, in the opener and came back with 14 hits in the second game to win, 14-7.

Between lost foul balls and those deposited over the outfield barrier, there was a pronounced baseball brownout. Newhall-Saugus (17-4) put some dents in those that remained in play too.

In the first game, left-hander Chris Hernandez (5-1) gave up one run and seven hits. To set the tone in the second game, Hernandez, who started in left field, slammed a second-inning solo homer to center that set off an extra-base bonanza.

Teammate Mike Hogen hit a two-run homer later in the inning as Newhall-Saugus took a 4-2 lead. Palmdale East, joining the long-ball derby, received homers from Frank Stanley in the first and Eric Dombroski in the fourth.

Palmdale East (12-6) rallied in the second game off reliever Jamie Ray, scoring three times in the fourth and twice in the fifth to move within 9-7. Newhall-Saugus, however, put the game away on the basepaths in the sixth.

With a run across and two out, Hogen and Scott Himes executed a double steal and both scored on a single by Steve Bench to expand the lead to 12-7. Newhall-Saugus right-hander John Maggiora (6-1) earned the win in the second game.