Games Go On, on the Field

After lengthy discussion by administrators, Woodland Hills did not follow through on threats to protest the eligibility of Thousand Oaks players before Little League division play began Saturday morning.

But playing Woodland Hills two nights in a row before facing South Mission Viejo in a first-round game Saturday apparently took its toll on Thousand Oaks, which lost, 7-2, in La Puente.

All the offense Thousand Oaks could muster was home runs by Chad Lundahl and Robby Kaufman.

“We were tired and emotionally spent but I think if we had a chance to scout them we could have won,” Thousand Oaks Manager Ed Kitchen said.

Woodland Hills was bitter after losing to Thousand Oaks without Junior Garcia and Garrett Feig, who were declared ineligible before the sectional tournament by Little League officials.

Despite believing that Thousand Oaks pitcher Cody Cipriano and outfielder Bryan Huston live in an Agoura Hills neighborhood that is within the Woodland Hills boundaries, Woodland Hills did not file a protest.

“Our conclusion was that no matter how it came out, we’d look like jerks for bringing it up,” said Geri Szabo, Woodland Hills league president.

A protest would have had only a slim chance at being upheld because Carl Magee, Western Region director, stated in a February letter that any player living in the disputed area would be eligible to play in either league.

Little League administrators said they will meet during the off-season to clarify the boundaries.

To resolve still another eligibility question, Thousand Oaks dropped Luke Salas from its roster Saturday.

Salas, whose eligibility was challenged by members of the Thousand Oaks league, played in district tournament games and was in uniform during the section tournament but did not appear in any games.

Kyle Ayers replaced Salas on the roster and will be the starting pitcher against West Covina in an elimination game today at 10 a.m.