Inspired, Mait Helps Chaminade Win, 8-5

The season has been frustrating and the past week has been perhaps the most difficult of his life, but Keith Mait eased his burden while lifting the Chaminade High baseball team to victory Friday.

The senior outfielder had three singles, scored twice and drove in a run as the Eagles, ranked No. 1 in The Times’ regional poll, beat Alemany, 8-5, to sweep a two-game, Mission League series with the Indians.

Chaminade (17-1, 3-1 in league play) trailed, 5-3, after five innings.

Afterward, Mait spoke of his love for Shannon Simons, a sophomore cheerleader at Chaminade who was killed in an automobile accident on April 11, Mait’s 18th birthday.

Simons’ sister, Courtney, is Mait’s girlfriend.

More than 1,000 attended Shannon’s funeral services Friday. Mait was exhausted and he expected to sit out the Alemany game.

Mait has been benched regularly in recent weeks because he wasn’t hitting.

But when left fielder Bryan Palmer broke his nose when hit by ball in warmups, Mait was inserted into the lineup.

“It took a lot for me to come out here today,” Mait said. “I’m working on about five hours sleep. But I felt like Shannon was with me, like an angel on my shoulder.”

Mait drove in the game’s first run with a single in the first inning, and he singled and scored in the fourth and seventh.

Mait was the only Chaminade player not to bat in the sixth, when the Eagles scored four runs, three unearned, to turn a 5-3 deficit into a 7-5 lead.

Alemany pitcher Joe Melaragno robbed Dan Dworski of a hit but threw wildly to second base on what should have been a double play. Chaminade, which had only one hit in the inning, scored on a sacrifice fly by Chris Martinez, a bases-loaded balk by Melaragno and an error by third baseman Jason Westemeir that sent home the final two runs.

Each Chaminade starter reached base. Martinez had two doubles.

Tyler Dersom (2-0) pitched the final 2 1/3 innings for the Eagles, allowing three hits and no runs while striking out four and walking none.

Alemany (8-9, 1-5) is in danger of falling out of contention in the league race.

“We’re better than 1-5,” Alemany Coach Tim Browne said.

“But in this league, one bad inning will kill you.”

Melaragno (4-3) hit a two-out, two-run single in fourth to give the Indians their 5-3 lead.

Robert Torres hit his second home run for Alemany.