New Champions Are the Rule

New baseball champions in at least five of six divisions will emerge Friday and Saturday when the Southern Section finals are played at Blair Field in Long Beach and Dodger Stadium.

Simi Valley Grace Brethren, the two-time defending Division VI champion, is the only team that could defend its title.

All championship games were originally scheduled to be played at Blair Field because Edison Field and Dodger Stadium were unavailable. But a concert at Dodger Stadium was canceled on the eve of the playoffs, paving the way for the the I, II, III and IV finals to be played there.

City Section semifinal games will be played today. The finals are Tuesday at Dodger Stadium.

Here is a look at each division:

SOUTHERN SECTION

DIVISION I

MISSION VIEJO CAPISTRANO VALLEY (22-8) vs. LONG BEACH WILSON (23-9), Saturday, Dodger Stadium, 7:30 p.m.--Long Beach Wilson returns to the final for the second year in a row seeking its first title since 1950. The Bruins, who lost to Riverside Arlington last year, began the playoffs as a wild card and advanced to the championship game with a 6-5 semifinal victory over Temecula Valley. Todd Marshall’s eighth-inning double scored David Burcham with the winning run. Capistrano Valley last won a section title in 1991. The Cougars took advantage of two fifth-inning errors by Los Alamitos in their 3-1 semifinal victory. Kellan McConnal has a school-record six saves for Capistrano Valley.

DIVISION II

WHITTIER CALIFORNIA (25-3-1) vs. SANTA BARBARA (25-3), Saturday, Dodger Stadium, 4:30 p.m.--California advanced to the final with a 3-1 semifinal victory over La Mirada. The Condors are led by pitcher Vince Cordova (14-2), who had 13 strikeouts against La Mirada and is 30-3 in his career. Brett LeVier drove in two runs for California in the semifinal victory. Santa Barbara advanced to the championship with a 3-2 victory over Corona Centennial. Sam Campa homered and Raul Estrada scored what proved to be the winning run in the fifth inning on a pop-fly that Centennial players lost in the sun. Santa Barbara pitcher Matt Vasquez struck out probable first-round draft pick Mike Stodolka with the bases loaded in the second inning after Stodolka hit his Southern Section-record 36th homer in the first.

DIVISION III

WEST TORRANCE (29-1) vs. VILLA PARK (28-2), Saturday, Dodger Stadium, 10 a.m.--Top-seeded West Torrance’s only loss came in a Bay League game against Mira Costa, making the Warriors a favorite to win the title. Junior Nelson Caraballo and senior Justin Su’a have led West Torrance throughout the season. West Torrance defeated Riverside Norte Vista, 14-4, in six innings to reach the final. Second-seeded Villa Park earned its first appearance in the finals by defeating Covina Charter Oak, 10-5, Wednesday. Villa Park had lost to Tustin, 7-1, in the quarterfinals, but earned the opportunity to play in the semifinals when Tustin was disqualified for using an ineligible player shortly before taking the field against Charter Oak Tuesday.

DIVISION IV

SAN LUIS OBISPO (22-7) vs. SHERMAN OAKS NOTRE DAME (19-9), Saturday, Dodger Stadium, 1 p.m.--San Luis Obispo last won a title in 1990 and lost in the finals in 1995 and ’97. The Tigers advanced to the championship game with a 7-5 semifinal victory over San Dimas. Chalon Tietje hit a three-run homer in the sixth inning to give San Luis Obispo the victory. Notre Dame needed eight innings to beat Ridgecrest Burroughs. Matt Cunningham’s two-run double in the eighth was the difference for the Knights, who also got a home run from James Rivero.

DIVISION V

RIVERSIDE WOODCREST CHRISTIAN (21-6-1) vs. CARPINTERIA (17-6), Friday, Blair Field, 7:30 p.m.--Garry Gallegos went three for three with two doubles and gave up two hits in 6 1/3 innings as Woodcrest Christian advanced to the finals for the first time since 1996 with a 2-0 semifinal victory over top-seeded Ventura St. Bonaventure. Carpinteria took advantage of two errors to take a 7-0 lead en route to a 7-6 semifinal victory over Sun Valley Village Christian.

DIVISION VI

SIMI VALLEY GRACE BRETHREN (22-4) vs. BLOOMINGTON CHRISTIAN (23-0), Saturday, Blair Field, 4:30 p.m.--Two-time defending champion Grace Brethren is led by pitcher Tim Thompson (16-2). Thompson, Chris Beatty and Shaun McLain homered in Grace Brethren’s 11-3 semifinal victory over Arcadia Rio Hondo Prep. Bloomington Christian, the state’s only undefeated team, is in the final for the first time. The Ravens beat La Verne Lutheran, 6-4, in the semifinals. Pat Osborne homered for Bloomington Christian.

CITY SECTION

CHAMPIONSHIP SEMIFINALS

GRANADA HILLS KENNEDY (21-11-1) vs. WILMINGTON BANNING (27-6), today at El Camino College, 3 p.m.--Kennedy defeated defending champion Chatsworth, 11-4, in the quarterfinals behind Adam Geery, who had a single, two doubles and a home run. The Golden Cougars have won five City titles. Banning used a three-run seventh inning to beat San Fernando in the quarterfinals. Rafael Sixtos (13-1) is the Pilots’ ace.

ROOSEVELT (28-5) vs. WOODLAND HILLS EL CAMINO REAL (20-8), today at Pote Field, Griffith Park, 3 p.m.--Roosevelt beat Sun Valley Poly, 7-2, in the quarterfinals behind pitcher Eddie Baeza (10-2), who pitched five innings for the victory. The Roughriders will be tested by an El Camino Real team that defeated San Pedro, 8-2, in the quarterfinals on two-run homers by Conor Jackson, Sean McElroy, Jason Kort and Mike Leduc.