4 Area Teams Qualify for Berths in American Legion Playoffs

El Segundo and West Torrance, co-champions of the Bay-Pacific League, lead a group of four South Bay teams that will compete in the fourth area American Legion baseball playoffs starting Saturday at Blair Field in Long Beach.

El Segundo and West finished with 10-1 league records and will join Redondo and Peninsula, which tied for third at 7-4, in the eight-team, double-elimination tournament. Completing the field are the top four finishers from the Long Beach-area Harbor League--co-champions Gahr of Cerritos and La Mirada (both 14-2), Long Beach Jordan (12-3-1) and Lakewood (11-5).

In Saturday’s first-round games, El Segundo plays Lakewood at 10 a.m., La Mirada meets Redondo at 1 p.m., West plays Jordan at 4 p.m., and Gahr meets Peninsula at 7 p.m. Competition continues every day through Thursday, with the championship game scheduled at 5 p.m. Thursday.

The winner advances to the state tournament Aug. 8-11 in Yountville.

El Segundo, which has enjoyed great success in American Legion competition over the years, again appears to have a strong team. The pitching staff, in particular, is deep and talented.

“We have a lot of arms,” Coach John Stevenson said. “We’re not going to be caught short. That doesn’t mean anything in the first game of a tournament, but it does mean something in the fourth game.”

El Segundo’s pitching staff includes three right-handers who were named to The Times’ South Bay All-Star high school team--Matt Gangawere, Ted Silva and Frank Bignami. Gangawere was 12-0 for El Segundo High last season and Silva and Bignami were 9-3 and 6-3, respectively, for Redondo.

Shortstop Jay Uhlman, another South Bay all-star from Redondo High, also plays for El Segundo’s American Legion team. Other standouts include center fielder/pitcher Chris Feeny, the Southern Section 3-A Division player of the year; University of Texas-bound catcher Jeff Poor and first baseman/pitcher Tracy McAndrews. Feeny, Poor and McAndrews all played for El Segundo High’s 27-3 team last spring.

West Coach Harry Jenkins, whose team handed El Segundo its only loss in American Legion league play, says the Eagles are the favorites. El Segundo won a coin flip with West to gain the tournament’s No. 1 seeding.

“They’re the team to beat,” Jenkins said. “They have a very deep pitching staff. But I think we can beat anyone on a given day.”

While El Segundo has relied mostly on recent graduates, West has received outstanding efforts from three returning high school players.

Senior right-hander Mike Myro led West pitchers with a 6-1 league record, and juniors Joe Intermill and Derek Nicholson have been the team’s hottest hitters. Intermill is a first baseman and designated hitter. Nicholson plays shortstop.

Intermill and Nicholson were starters on West High’s Pioneer League co-champion team last spring, but Myro pitched sparingly because of control problems, Jenkins said.

“He’s really blossomed this summer,” Jenkins said. “He’s found his control.”

Left-hander Josh Bendik was 4-0 in league play and right-hander Ralph Martinez, a South Bay all-star from Torrance High, gives West added pitching depth. Martinez, though, has mostly played the outfield and second base in American Legion games.

Steve Sarkisian, West’s all-area shortstop, has played mostly second base and third base during the American Legion season to help prepare him for the positions is he expected to play at USC.