Betts Shakes Off Rust, Pitches Van Nuys East to 11-2 Victory

John Betts was a pitcher for Notre Dame High this past season. Really, he was.

In case you missed the 10 1/3 innings he pitched during his senior season, pay attention to him in American Legion baseball.

He held Glendale to four hits in five innings Wednesday at Notre Dame, leading Van Nuys East to an 11-2 District 20 victory.

“He did a great job,” Van Nuys East Coach Jody Breeden said. “He was a little shaky at the beginning, but then he settled down. . . . He froze a guy on a 3-2 changeup. You just don’t throw 3-2 changeups.”

This was an important outing for Betts (1-0) because the Van Nuys East staff is shorthanded. Ace left-hander Chris Leveque told Breeden he wanted a week or so off to rest his arm from the 89 2/3 innings he pitched for Notre Dame.

Betts, who struck out five, allowed two runs and two hits in the first, but clamped down from there and his teammates picked him up with seven runs in the third.

Van Nuys East (6-0) got a break when Glendale left fielder Juan Hernandez misplayed a one-out fly ball into a double. After a walk and a fielder’s choice put runners at first and third with two out, Van Nuys East had five consecutive hits, scoring five runs. Two more runs scored when second baseman Mike Farver booted a ground ball.

Designated hitter Chris Garza, who was two for three with two runs batted in, said Van Nuys East adjusted to Glendale right-hander Young Park after he held them to nothing but weak ground balls in the first two innings.

Van Nuys East left-hander Jason Litt struck out five and gave up one hit over the final two innings.

Glendale, which had won four in a row, is 5-3, 1 1/2 games behind first-place Van Nuys East in the Eastern Division.