Valley North Answers Palmdale With Power

With its firepower, Valley North had no reason to panic after giving up five runs in the first inning.

Valley North answered Palmdale’s early outburst with eight runs in the third and cruised to a 16-5 victory that was shortened to eight innings because of the 10-run rule in the first round of the American Legion District 20 playoffs Wednesday at Birmingham High.

Seventh-seeded Valley North (21-6) will play Central Valley tonight at 7 at Burroughs High. Second-seeded Palmdale (21-6) will play Woodland Hills East in an elimination game at 4 p.m. at Valley College.

Leadoff hitter Bryan Gant reached base six times for Valley North. He had a single, two doubles and a triple along with two walks and drove in three runs.

Valley North had 15 hits. Second baseman Joe Tillmon had three hits and scored three runs.

Mike Kunes (8-0) shook off the first-inning outburst, scattering six hits over the next seven innings.

Palmdale first baseman Cory Briggs left the game in the fifth inning after he was hit in the face by a ball that bounced off the helmet of Valley North baserunner Tim Weigand.

Newhall Saugus 12, Woodland Hills West 2--No. 8 batter Travis Richardson had four hits and four RBIs, and Newhall Saugus collected 18 hits at Valley College.

Newhall Saugus, two-time defending District 20 champion, broke open a 1-1 game with three runs in the fourth inning.

The game was called after eight innings because of the 10-run rule.

“I was just seeing the ball really well,” said Richardson, who had run-scoring triples in the fourth and eighth innings. “It was coming in like a basketball today.”

Every batter in the lineup got at least one hit as Newhall Saugus (21-6) scored nine runs with two out.

Jason Willis and Steve Lombardi each had three hits for Newhall Saugus. Willis hit his fifth home run.

Newhall Saugus plays Van Nuys East in a winners’ bracket game at 4 p.m. today at Birmingham High. Woodland Hills West (21-6) plays Antelope Valley North in an elimination game at 1 p.m. at Birmingham.

Van Nuys East 14, Antelope Valley North 1--Kevin Jerkens (2-0) pitched a four-hitter, striking out six in a game called after seven innings at Burroughs High.

Van Nuys East (23-4) chased Zack Barlow (3-2) three batters into the second inning.

Matt Cunningham had a two-run home run and John Puccinelli hit a three-run home run.