Chatsworth Plays Favorite Role

Thirteen consecutive victories. Five players batting .407 or higher. Only 20 errors in 20 games.

Chatsworth High has thrust itself into the favorite’s role to defend its City Section baseball championship, and a 7-3 victory over West Valley League rival El Camino Real on Tuesday only reinforces that belief.

“The team is playing real well,” senior shortstop Matt Fisher said. “We’re sticking together and everyone is jelling.”

The same can’t be said of El Camino Real, which began the season with more experience and supposedly better talent. But in the biggest game of the season, the Conquistadores didn’t have two senior starters, third baseman Beau Savage and second baseman Sean Thomas, who were suspended for breaking a team rule during a tournament last week in Las Vegas.

“I’m hoping this team is starting to clear the fog out of their heads and see the importance of playing traditional El Camino Real baseball,” Coach Bob Ganssle said.

The four-time City champions (15-5, 8-1 in league play) haven’t put together a complete game in terms of hitting, fielding and pitching in weeks. They were given an early boost against Chatsworth when Conor Jackson hit a first-inning home run and charged around the bases with his teeth clenched.

If only his energy could have been passed on to some teammates.

Chatsworth (18-1-1, 9-0) quickly regained the lead in the third on a three-run double by Fisher. The Chancellors opened a 5-1 lead in the fourth on Nick Huston’s two-run bloop single.

In the fifth, Coach Tom Meusborn of Chatsworth made a critical decision. With runners on second and third, Meusborn ordered Jackson intentionally walked, allowing the tying run to come to the plate.

Meusborn decided before the game he was not going to let Jackson beat his team and stuck to the strategy. Jason Kort hit a deep fly ball to left for the third out.

“What would you do?” Meusborn said. “Second and third, All-City player at the plate? To me, that wasn’t a hard call. Conor is outstanding.”

Chatsworth added two runs in the seventh against Greg Acheatel (6-3), getting a sacrifice fly from Huston and a run-scoring single from Brian Lee.

The Conquistadores loaded the bases in the seventh, but Casey Caplan flied out to end the game.

Ganssle was encouraged that the Conquistadores collected nine hits off left-hander Joe Guntz (8-0), including three by sophomore Christian Hariot.

Hariot was moved up from junior varsity last week and is seven for nine in two games. He played shortstop, with Jackson switching to third. The question is whether El Camino Real can regroup by Thursday when it plays Chatsworth in a game that could decide the West Valley championship.

“I was more proud of this loss [Tuesday] than many of our wins because we started to play traditional baseball again,” Ganssle said.

But Chatsworth has been playing like a defending City champion all season. The biggest hit was Fisher’s double over the head of center fielder Nick Teslik. He’s a four-year starter headed to Oklahoma.

“I knew he was going to get a hit,” Jackson said. “Fisher loves pressure.”