On Second Day, It’s Chatsworth

Mike Kunes took the mound with a sense of urgency in the bottom of the fourth inning as raindrops began to fall during Chatsworth High’s 14-4 victory over Kennedy on Friday.

The Chancellors held an 8-2 lead and needed five complete innings to make it an official game if rain stopped play in the Northwest Valley Conference game at Kennedy High.

So Kunes, Chatsworth’s junior left-hander, rushed through his warm-up tosses. He needn’t have bothered. The potential downpour tapered to a sprinkle as the Chancellors completed a 24-hour turnaround.

On Thursday, the Golden Cougars (8-3, 5-1 in conference play) handed top-ranked Chatsworth its first loss of the season, 11-8.

“We weren’t talking much after the game,” Chatsworth shortstop Matt Fisher said. “But once we got in the locker room we started opening up again. Maybe it was good to let the first loss get out of the way.”

Fisher did most of the talking for Chatsworth (10-1, 5-1) with his mouth and bat. He kept a running dialogue with several Kennedy supporters as he ran on the field each inning.

“Apparently I’ve got several friends out there,” he said.

The sophomore also broke out of a slump with three hits, including a two-run home run in the fourth inning, and six runs batted in. Fisher started the season batting second but was dropped to sixth after batting .227 the first seven games of the season.

“Matt had been pressing,” Chatsworth Coach Tom Muesborn said. “But he’s getting back into it.”

Kunes (5-0) walked the first two batters and gave up two runs in the first inning but scattered eight hits over the next six innings.

He also had four hits and drove in four runs from the cleanup spot. His sacrifice fly in the seventh inning broke a string of six consecutive hits. Kunes had home runs in his last two at-bats on Thursday.

“I guess I’m just in the right place [in the lineup] right now,” Kunes said.

Kennedy senior Wes Crown (3-1) had allowed two earned runs in 19 innings, but gave up eight earned runs in five-plus innings, raising his earned-run average from 0.74 to 2.62.

After going hitless against older brother Jack Cassel the day before, Matt Cassel had two singles and scored three runs for the Chancellors. Jack Cassel doubled home two runs in the first to give Kennedy a 2-1 lead.

But Chatsworth came right back, taking the lead on a two-run home run by Chad Redfern in the second.