For Chatsworth, the Replay Is Even More Painful : City Baseball: The day after another one-run, title-game loss to El Camino Real, Chancellor players search for a bright side.

Another year, another heartbreaker for Chatsworth High.

While El Camino Real celebrated defeating the Chancellors, 7-6, in the City Section 4-A championship Monday for the second consecutive season--by identical scores, no less--Chatsworth players were left to cope with a loss even more painful than last year’s defeat.

Last season, the underdog Chancellors almost upset their powerful West Valley League rivals under the bright lights at Dodger Stadium. This year, the roles were reversed, and Chatsworth was top-seeded with the gaudy statistics and powerful lineup. And with their seventh-inning comeback, the Chancellors seemed to have fate on their side as well.

But El Camino Real still beat them, and one day later, the Chancellors were searching for silver linings where they could find them.

“The day after, I was pretty amazed that we even came back,” shortstop Bryan LaCour said. “We had two outs to score five runs off (El Camino Real pitcher Randy) Wolf. The thought of coming back wasn’t in my mind--the thought of losing was more in my mind. But that inning was a lot of fun.”

LaCour, the team’s senior leader who will play for Stanford next season, referred to the top of the seventh inning when the Chancellors’ previously dormant offense exploded for five runs against Wolf, the all-everything senior who had allowed only one hit to that point.

Chatsworth tied the score, 6-6, but El Camino Real won the game in the ninth when a single followed by a throwing error by Chatsworth center fielder Ray Daryabigi allowed Conquistador catcher Steve Riback to score the winning run. Fewer than 24 hours later, even Daryabigi tried to accentuate the positive.

“Last night was pretty horrible,” he said. “When it happened, I was like, ‘Why me?’ But good things happen from bad things. It’s a good learning experience for me, I guess. You just keep things in perspective.”

One perspective--the one Coach Tom Meusborn shared with his players after the disappointing defeat--is that they should take pride in their clutch play. And not just in those five runs. To wit:

* Pitcher Oscar Bocanegra relieved starter Jim DeBiase in the third inning and allowed only one hit until the ninth inning.

“He pitched a hell of a game,” LaCour said.

* Chatsworth left fielder Tony Ardito threw out Wolf at home plate when Wolf attempted to score from third on a shallow fly ball.

* In the bottom of the seventh, El Camino Real’s Craig Carlton hit a line drive down the right field line that seemed to be a sure extra-base hit, but he was robbed on a diving catch by Mike Amado.

* Chatsworth third baseman Tony Montiel made two consecutive smooth fielding plays in the eighth to end the inning.

“We showed a lot of guts,” LaCour said. “Coach told us he was really proud of us because we showed a lot of heart.”

But so did El Camino Real. Wolf and the Conquistadores endured their rough stretch without folding, and when Riback crossed the plate more than three hours after the game began, El Camino Real became the first team to win back-to-back City titles since Granada Hills did it 1978 and 1979.

Wolf finished his high school career with a 5-0 record and two saves in the playoffs the past two seasons.

“I’d say this is a little more emotional than last year,” Wolf said. “Last year from the first day, we knew we were going to win. This year there was some doubt. I don’t think we had the total talent that we had last year. But had the heart to win it this year.

“It’s kind of sad, my last game and all playing with this group of guys,” he said. “But it’s good that we went out that way.”

Chatsworth seniors LaCour, DeBiase, Montiel and Brandon Murphy finished their high school careers by coming oh-so-close two years in a row.

“It was a lot tougher this year,” LaCour said. “Partly because I was a senior. Plus, when we came back in that (seventh) inning, I was just thinking how awesome it would have been if we won the game.”