Kennedy’s Victory Is Wild Thing

A new dimension was added to the baseball game between Kennedy and Chatsworth high schools Thursday at Cal State Northridge.

Besides the TV cameras. And the crowd of several hundred.

Runners were able to advance on wild pitches. And advance they did.

At both teams’ home fields, the catchers crouch in what amounts to a closet, with the backstop only a few feet behind them. But at larger Matador Field, the first four runs in Kennedy’s 4-3 Northwest Valley Conference victory scored on wild pitches and a key hit came as a result of trying to avoid a wild pitch.

With two out in the bottom of the seventh and Chatsworth leading, 3-2, Kennedy’s Jack Cassel was fed pitches low and away until Jon Garland advanced from second to third on a wild pitch that ran the count to 2-2.

With the tying run only a wild pitch away, Tom Morefield threw a high fastball that Cassel ripped to the left-field wall for a double. Tim Arroyo followed with his fourth hit, scoring Cassel and ending the game.

“Maybe [the wild pitches] just got contagious,” Chatsworth Coach Tom Muesborn said.

Morefield was more than Kennedy (15-7, 7-2 in conference play) could handle for much of the game. The seldom-used junior, whose fastball hit 85 mph, impressed scouts who brought radar guns to time Kennedy’s ace, Garland. Morefield scattered eight hits and had Chatsworth (11-7, 6-3) in a position to win.

Garland (6-1) allowed only five hits and struck out seven, but gave up two runs in the seventh after Chatsworth loaded the bases with none out on a bloop single, a walk and an infield single. Pinch-runner Scott Bennett scored on a wild pitch and Frank DiPomo’s sacrifice fly gave Chatsworth a 3-2 lead.

Arroyo had the last swing, however, and celebrated by inviting his team to his home to watch the delayed telecast on Fox Sports West 2.