AMERICAN LEGION ROUNDUP : Sepulveda Rallies to Stave Off Elimination From Playoffs

Down to its final three outs of the summer, Sepulveda scored four times in the ninth inning Wednesday to beat Woodland Hills West, 14-11, in an elimination game of the American Legion District 20 playoffs at Pierce College.

Jeff Shapiro was hit by a Kevin Szymanski pitch to lead off the ninth and came home on Chris Portugal’s single to tie the score, 11-11.

Jared Sandler’s bases-loaded single drove in Portugal and Joe Eskinazi and gave Sepulveda (20-5) the lead for good in the 3-hour, 45-minute game.

Shapiro and Portugal each had three hits and Justin Paperny went two for two with two runs batted in. Sandler (2-0) picked up the win after entering in the eighth.

Sepulveda will face Woodland Hills East, a 10-6 loser to Valley North, at Burroughs High today in another losers’ bracket game of the double-elimination tournament. Woodland Hills West finished its season 17-8.

In other District 20 playoff games:

Sun Valley 7, Newhall-Saugus 5--Sun Valley’s Jake Loveridge was nursing a two-hit shutout entering the ninth inning at College of the Canyons before Newhall-Saugus scored five times on four hits, a walk and an error to make things close.

With a runner at third and the potential tying run at the plate, Loveridge (3-4) got Kyle Lonsberry to ground out to end the game.

Valley North 10, Woodland Hills East 6--Valley North (20-3-1) rallied for six runs in the sixth to pull out the victory in a four-hour marathon at Burroughs High.

Valley North took advantage of a pair of errors by Woodland Hills East (16-8-1) in the inning and winning pitcher Doug Dean had a key two-run double to give Valley North a 9-6 lead.

DISTRICT 16

Newbury Oaks 14, Conejo B 0--Newbury Oaks notched it 21st consecutive victory to clinch the District 16 championship and a spot in the Area 6 playoffs, which begin July 30 at UCLA’s Jackie Robinson Stadium.

Newbury Oaks (21-1) pushed across seven runs in the first inning of a game shortened to five innings by the 10-run rule.