AMERICAN LEGION BASEBALL PLAYOFFS : North Unheralded, Undefeated

So much for seedings.

Valley North, the 10th-seeded team in the American Legion District 20 baseball playoffs, beat Van Nuys East, 15-9, Friday at Burroughs High in Burbank, becoming the only unbeaten team left in the tournament.

“Seedings don’t mean anything,” Valley North Coach Pete Redfern said. “As far as I’m concerned, it’s a 10-team season and you get two losses and it’s over.”

The highest-seeded team still playing is No. 4 Encino.

Valley North (17-8), which is guaranteed a spot in Sunday’s final, will play Encino (19-6) at 4 p.m. today at Birmingham High in Van Nuys. Sun Valley (17-6-1) plays Van Nuys East (17-6-1) in an elimination game at 1 p.m. at Birmingham.

Much of the credit for Valley North’s surprising run has to go to first baseman Tony Montiel, who had his second consecutive three-hit game Friday. He also pitched, recording the final two outs of the game with the bases loaded.

“He’s doing a heck of a job and he came in and shut them down,” Redfern said.

Montiel was three for six with a home run and two runs batted in. On Thursday, he was three for four with a home run and five RBIs.

“I’m feeling really confident at the plate now,” Montiel said.

Montiel’s heroics notwithstanding, Van Nuys East did plenty to lose the game on its own.

Van Nuys East’s pitchers--starter Andy Lutz (2-2), Matt Egan, Chris Cross and Francisco Dongo--walked 14 batters and threw seven wild pitches. Van Nuys East also made seven errors.

“You can’t walk a good team like Valley North and expect to win,” Van Nuys East Coach Jody Breeden said. “We didn’t play catch either. If we pitch and play catch, we win the game.”

Van Nuys East didn’t execute on offense, either. A potential rally was snuffed in the fifth when Jabbar Craigwell was called out on appeal for leaving second base early on a fly-ball out.

Van Nuys East loaded the bases with none out in the seventh and scored only one run. The team stranded 15 runners, leaving the bases loaded three times.

All the threats kept Redfern uneasy, even though his team led by at least six runs from the fifth inning.

“I don’t even know how to describe that game,” Redfern said. “There were mistakes on both sides. With a six-run lead in the ninth I still didn’t feel comfortable.”

Valley North spent most of the game taking advantage of mistakes, scoring nine runs as a result of errors and wild pitches.

Chad Evanson (2-0) picked up the victory for Valley North, pitching 5 1/3 innings and giving up eight runs. Dan Martin, making only his second pitching appearance of the season, gave up one run in three innings before yielding to Montiel for the final two outs.

Chris Crowley had three hits for Van Nuys East. Dongo, Rich Igou, Wes Klain, Allen Jerkens and Lutz each had two hits, contributing to Van Nuys East’s 16-hit attack.

Encino 18, Woodland Hills West 7--Encino racked up 17 hits while Woodland Hills West (17-8) committed 11 errors, giving starter Gret Kmet little chance at Birmingham. He was replaced in the fourth inning, as was winning pitcher Brad Farlow (5-2), who allowed five runs in four innings.

Farlow, who drove in three runs, was one of three Encino players with three hits. John Campanella went three for five and knocked in two runs. Brian Luderer was three for four and scored four runs.

Sun Valley 4, Newhall-Santa Clarita 3--Javier Sanchez’s two-out single in the seventh inning scored Sam Vizcarra from second base as Sun Valley stayed alive at Birmingham. Sanchez pitched a two-hitter and did not allow an earned run.