Final Leaves Them Scratching Their Heads

Fountain Valley’s Steve Schenewerk and Eric Valenzuela of La Puente Bishop Amat didn’t figure it would work out this way.

Neither did either coach or nearly anyone else who had studied the teams that met Saturday in the Southern Section Division I baseball championship game at Blair Field.

Both senior right-handers had dominated all season that the final figured to be a low-scoring affair.

Schenewerk, who has signed with Pepperdine, started the day with a 15-2 record and needed one more victory to set the Orange County single-season mark.

Valenzuela, who has signed with Arizona State, had a 7-1 record and four saves.

“I expected a 3-2 game,” said La Quinta Coach Dave Demarest, who was in the stands.

But fatigue and defensive breakdowns took a toll on each starter and Bishop Amat scored three times in the bottom of the seventh to win, 10-9.

“No,” Fountain Valley Coach Ron La Ruffa said, “No, it wasn’t the kind of game I was expecting.”

Schenewerk lasted 4 1/3 innings, giving up six hits and six runs, three of which were earned.

He gave up three earned runs in the third but got the side in order in the fourth, including two strikeouts, and looked ready to take over.

Then came the fifth inning, and the Fountain Valley defense came up lame.

The Barons led, 4-3, at the start of the inning but trailed, 6-4, afterward.

Two singles and a throwing error by Schenewerk on a pickoff attempt at second put runners on second and third with no outs.

Schenewerk then got a shallow fly to left for the first out, but Abel Montanez lined a ball toward second baseman Matt Fox, but it went off his glove for his first error of the season.

Roger Pachuls then made consecutive throwing errors on grounders to third. Joe Hurka followed with an RBI single and Schenewerk was replaced.

Pachuls, normally the catcher, was able to make up for it with a two-run double in the sixth to put Fountain Valley ahead, 9-6.

Valenzuela, despite being given a 6-4 lead, couldn’t hold it.

He gave up consecutive doubles to Chad Gonzalez and Ryan Clark to start the sixth. An error, a single and a walk later, he was replaced.

He gave up eight hits and nine runs, three of which were earned, in 5 1/3 innings. He walked three and struck out four.

“I worked as hard as I could,” he said. “I’ve never worked so hard in all my life. I just got tired. But I have no excuses. [Fountain Valley] is a great team.”