Bell Pitcher Suspended Over Grades : Baseball: The ruling on senior Yamel Delgado may lead to a forfeiture of the games in which he played. The Eagle staff has appealed.

Before the start of the 1993-94 high school baseball season, Bell’s pitching staff appeared invincible. But now the Untouchables, as they have been called, have become quite vulnerable.

The Eagle pitching staff was dealt a serious blow when senior Yamel Delgado was placed on academic suspension April 18 for failing to meet the 2.0 grade-point average required to compete in high school athletics.

Before transferring from Huntington Park at the beginning of this school year, Delgado was carrying seven classes. However, a normal high school load at Bell consists of only six.

Delgado’s seventh class at Huntington Park last school year was work experience, an elective taken for extra credit. When Bell calculated Delgado’s GPA using six classes, his average came out to a C, which would make him eligible.

However, the Los Angeles Unified School District’s Senior High School Division, which handles matters of academic eligibility, required that the seventh class be used in determining Delgado’s GPA. This placed his average below a C.

Bell (14-3, 8-1) now may be forced to forfeit the games in which Delgado played.

“We are appealing the class because it was an optional way of getting credit,” Bell athletic director Sue Kamiyama said.

Barbara Fiege, City Section Athletic Commissioner, said the administrators in the Senior High School Division made the correct decision.

“Any class taken for credit and shows on the computer must be used in determining GPA,” she said. “The (work experience) class showed up on the report card and was taken for credit. Therefore, it must be used to determine eligibility.”

A decision on Bell’s appeal is expected Thursday.

If not allowed to return, Delgado would be the second pitcher to be suspended from the team this season. Senior Manuel Armenderiz was suspended for administrative disciplinary actions a month ago.

Armenderiz and Delgado were both 2-0 with a 0.00 earned-run average.

Bell Coach Henry Santiago declined to comment.