Chatsworth Guns Down Granada Hills

Jimmy Landress takes pride in his throwing arm. The Granada Hills High center fielder demonstrated his prowess by gunning down Chatsworth’s Mike Amado in the sixth inning of a Northwest Valley Conference baseball game with a perfect strike to the plate.

But later, Landress was dealt some of his own medicine. Trying to score the winning run from second base on a single in the bottom of the ninth, he was thrown out at the plate on a nearly identical throw from Chancellor center fielder Brian Wittman.

Chatsworth escaped the inning without allowing a run, then scored twice in the top of the 10th to beat the Highlanders, 8-6, Thursday.

It was the second consecutive extra-inning game between the teams. Chatsworth won in eight innings, 3-2, on Tuesday.

Chatsworth (17-3, 8-0 in league play) was in danger several times before Wittman’s ninth-inning throw. The Chancellors held a one-run lead after six, but reliever Tony Montiel hit three batters in the seventh inning and loaded the bases with nobody out. Helped by a botched squeeze play, Montiel got out of the jam after surrendering the tying run.

“That’s just the way he is,” Chatsworth Coach Tony Meusborn said. “He comes out and does great, or he doesn’t. We had a little of both and he came through.”

Montiel (4-1) struck out four batters--one reached first on a dropped third strike--in his first inning of work in the sixth, and pitched well after the seventh. He retired the side in order in the bottom of the 10th.

The Chancellors scored their two runs in the final inning without a hit, taking advantage of two Highlander errors.

Amado, aboard on a fielder’s choice, stole second. Pitcher Mark Mandell (2-1) fielded Wittman’s grounder cleanly but in an attempt to nail Amado threw the ball over the head of third baseman Eddie Kinzler.

“After what happened last time (when Landress threw him out at the plate), I had to make sure, so I just slid even though the ball wasn’t there,” Amado said. “That’s what we’re taught to do.” He then loped home with what proved to be the winning run.

Granada Hills (8-5, 4-4) scored three times in the first inning, taking advantage of control problems by starter Ray Daryabagi. Daryabagi lasted only 1 2/3 innings before being replaced by Oscar Bocanegra. Bocanegra allowed three hits and one run over 3 1/3 innings.

Granada Hills starter Josh Goldberg kept the Chancellors in check until the top of the sixth, when Chatsworth rallied from a 5-2 deficit.

Pinch-hitter Danny Phillips’ ground-rule double into the bushes at the foot of the left-field fence led to a three-run rally that tied the game.