Kennedy Bats Sound Alarm, 6-5

If only prom night were every night for Kennedy High.

Less than 48 hours after 12 Kennedy baseball players attended their senior prom, an event that lasted well into Sunday morning for most of them, the Golden Cougars wiped the sleep out of their eyes and defeated Cleveland, 6-5, in a North Valley League game Monday at Cleveland.

Kennedy pounded 12 hits and catcher Aron Rofer, a prom-goer who was battling stomach flu a few hours before the game, came up with a key defensive play in the seventh inning. The Golden Cougars (20-7, 9-5 in league play) took a one-game lead over Cleveland (15-7, 8-6).

Kennedy’s step toward a fourth consecutive league title was determined but not definitive--the teams play again next Tuesday in a regular-season finale.

The Golden Cougars might have been weary but Rofer was alert enough to nab Eliseo Delgado with Kennedy holding a 6-5 lead.

Delgado opened the seventh with a single, but Rofer picked him off after the next pitch.

“You’ve always got to be aware of where the runners are,” said Rofer, a converted second baseman who hit two singles and scored a run.

Cleveland made it a game in the fifth when Kennedy left-hander Wes Crown (4-3), who had six strikeouts in the first four innings, began to tire. Crown, in only his second appearance since getting hit near the left eye with a fungo bat three weeks ago, hit three batters in the inning and issued a walk.

Cleveland only had one hit in the fifth, a single by Eric Aguiar, but scored four runs and took a 4-3 lead.

Kennedy rallied in the top of the sixth with four consecutive singles that led to three runs and a 6-4 edge.

“This is spring training for the playoffs,” Kennedy Coach Manny Alvarado said.