Boch Sparks Camarillo to Legion Title

On a day when most everything else was in disarray at the Area 6 championship game at UCLA, Charlie Boch was a steady performer for the Camarillo American Legion team.

Boch drilled a two-run double to right in the seventh inning and had a two-run home run in the second to propel Camarillo to a 9-5 victory over Claremont and a berth in the Legion state championships in Yountville this week.

Boch’s heroics came on the heels of his game-winning run against Arcadia on Friday. He was two for five with four runs driven in on Sunday.

Camarillo (33-5) finished the four-day, double-elimination tournament undefeated.

“I just wanted to hit a strike,” Boch said of his key hit in the seventh. “Last year our season ended here, so it’s nice to advance from here.

“Anything we win from here on out is fine with us,” the outfielder added.

Claremont (34-22) rallied to tie the score, 5-5, in the fifth.

But it was in the fourth when the game started to get out of hand.

On Joe Borchard’s routine ground ball, Camarillo catcher Mike Muller slid hard into second, taking out Claremont’s Dave Riffle.

Umpire Kim Koch originally ruled Muller out at second and Borchard safe at first.

But after a heated argument with Claremont Coach Jack Helber, the umpires conferred with Area 6 Commissioner Julio Yniguez and changed the call to a double play, saying that Muller had interfered with Riffle.

At one point during the 12-minute delay, Helber paraded around the infield area with the Legion rules held high above his head.

Muller was involved in another incident in the fifth.

After Adrian Stewart, son of former major league pitcher Dave Stewart, struck out, he and Muller glared at each other and exchanged words. Stewart, who had retreated to the dugout, was ejected by the plate umpire and had to be restrained by several players and coaches when he tried to make a run at Muller and the umpire.

Camarillo’s strength during the tournament was its deep pitching staff. One ot its top pitchers, Aaron Henal, missed the tournament because of a work commitment.

“We were able to use four different starters in four days and that’s a big advantage,” said Camarillo Coach David Soliz.

Camarillo left-hander Mike Corral (5-1) replaced starter Dan Martinez in the fifth and held Claremont to an infield single.

“Corral had seen enough,” Soliz said. “His attitude was they weren’t going to get any more and that’s how he pitched.”

Meanwhile, Camarillo rocked Claremont ace Greg Shepherd (10-4), scoring eight runs in seven innings.

Camarillo will face El Segundo in an opening-round game Saturday at 9 a.m.