A Short Hit by Landress Finishes a Long Day, 8-7 : All-star baseball: West wins Bernie Milligan game on run-scoring infield single in 12th.

When it was finally over, George Kassis of Kennedy High was presented with a clock as the most valuable player of the 19th Bernie Milligan All-Star baseball game Saturday at Cal State Northridge.

“That’s good,” Kassis said, cradling the trophy. “It will remind me that this game took so damn long.”

Jim Landress of Granada Hills beat a long throw by shortstop Mike Bench of Canyon for a run-scoring single in the bottom of the 12th inning to give the West an 8-7 victory and end the longest game in the series, which matches the best Valley-area seniors.

In the fifth inning, Kassis, who started at first base, hit a three-run home run to left field to give the West a 4-3 lead. Kassis pitched two scoreless innings to earn the victory in the 3 hour 45 minute contest.

“I’ve pitched a couple of innings this year,” said Kassis, an integral member of City Section 4-A Division champion. “I didn’t expect to pitch in this game.”

But after all four pitchers on the West roster were used, Kassis was the most-logical reliever available.

“Every game this year he’s been in the pen,” said Manny Alvarado of Kennedy, co-coach of the West. “So, he’s been throwing.”

Kassis gave up one hit and recorded two strikeouts, including one against Darrell Dent of Montclair Prep to lead off the 12th. Brandon Cohen of Calabasas, Fred Farzaneh of Chatsworth, Jared Sandler of Calabasas, Tim Baron of Thousand Oaks and Kassis combined for 13 strikeouts and did not allow an extra-base hit.

The East took a 3-0 lead against Cohen, who walked six batters before exiting after 1 1/3 innings. More telling, the East failed to win despite nine errors by the West.

“We tried to give it to them,” Alvarado said, “but they wouldn’t take it.”

The East also used five pitchers, including infielder Luis Sanchez of Hart, who took the mound in the 11th and was charged with the loss.

In the 12th, Sanchez walked Brett Niles of Calabasas and Sandler followed with an infield hit. Sanchez struck out Kassis and retired Bennie Lemos of Royal on a fly ball. But both runners advanced on a wild pitch to set the stage for Landress.

Darrell Hussman of Quartz Hill pitched three scoreless innings, but the West broke through in the fourth against Jason Robitaille of Village Christian on an infield hit by Landress that drove in Kassis.

In the fifth, Terrmel Sledge of Kennedy and Kevin Pryor of Oak Park singled with one out. Robitaille struck out Niles, then threw one pitch to Kassis, whom he had hit with a pitch an inning earlier.

“It was a curveball,” Kassis said of the home run. “Same pitch he hit me with on the head.”

In the sixth, Dent pulled the East even with a run-scoring single, but the West moved ahead, 6-4, in the bottom half on a run-scoring double by Sledge and a wild pitch by Hart’s Chris Baker that allowed Monroe’s Ray Rodriguez to score.

The East pulled even again in the seventh on a two-run double by Todd Hoover of Alemany.

The West scored in the bottom half when Sean Lavery of Granada Hills singled, stole two bases and scored on an overthrow by Bell-Jeff catcher David Quintero.

The game was tied again in the eighth on a run-scoring single by David Nichols of Antelope Valley.

Kassis’ home run was his only hit in five at-bats.

Sledge had three hits. He walked twice and scored a run.