Kennedy Has Just Little Bit Moore

Two Kennedy High sophomores young enough to dream the impossible and old enough to make it happen lifted the Golden Cougars to a record-tying sixth City Championship Tuesday night with a 4-2 victory over El Camino Real before a crowd of more than 5,000 at Dodger Stadium.

Eric Moore, a 15-year-old sophomore designated hitter who started the season on the junior varsity, hit a two-run, two-out triple in the top of the seventh inning to break a 2-2 tie.

Adam Geery, a 16-year-old with ice water in his veins, scattered eight hits, struck out seven and walked none.

Kennedy (23-11-1) tied Fremont and Dorsey for the most City baseball titles in the upper division.

“This is a big one because no one on the team has won [a City title] before,” Coach Manny Alvarado said. “It’s like taking a kid to Disneyland.”

When Geery struck out Christian Hariot to end the game, it was a deeply personal moment dedicated to his father, who died when Geery was 6.

“The last pitch, when I struck out that guy, I just went on my knee and pointed to the sky because that was for him,” Geery said. “I can’t even speak. I can compare this to one thing--playing catch with my Dad.”

It was a crushing defeat for four-time champion El Camino Real (21-9), which took a 2-1 lead into the seventh, then broke down defensively three times, twice on bunts and another on a rundown to open the way for Kennedy’s comeback.

Sophomore Greg Acheatel of El Camino Real was flirting with pitching the first shutout in City final history since Bret Saberhagen’s no-hitter for Cleveland High in 1982. He retired 11 consecutive batters and allowed one hit through five innings.

But El Camino Real’s 1-0 lead vanished in the sixth. Brandon Burton led off with a single, pinch-runner Isaac Montes was sacrificed to second and scored on Jon McKim’s RBI double.

El Camino Real regained the lead in the bottom of the sixth on pinch-hitter Casey Caplan’s bases-loaded sacrifice fly.

But Acheatel was pulled after walking Phil Avlas to start the seventh. Then came the Conquistadores’ blunders with reliever Nick Teslik on the mound. First Geery hit a hard bunt up the first-base line. First baseman Jason Kort decided to let it roll, and it stayed fair for a single.

Next up was Chad Shaw, who bunted the ball back to the mound. Teslik couldn’t make the play, loading the bases with none out. Danny Mata forced Avlas at the plate, then Burton hit a sacrifice fly to score the tying run.

Teslik was on the verge of escaping when Mata broke toward second on an attempted steal. Second baseman Sean Thomas got the ball from Teslik, forced Mata back to first, then hesitated when he had a chance to tag him. Instead of a final out, Mata ended up on second, giving Moore his opportunity.

Moore hit a line drive over the head of shortstop Conor Jackson, and the ball rolled to the left-field fence for a two-run triple.

“It’s an indescribable feeling, the best feeling I’ve ever had in my life,” Moore said.

Said Jackson: “When you play a game here, it’s a game of execution. We didn’t execute.”

Geery was challenged early on, but he made good pitches with players in scoring position.

“He wanted it so bad,” Avlas said. “He was throwing everything and keeping their guys off balance.”

Center fielder Mata made a diving catch of Jackson’s fly ball in the first inning and made a running catch of Hariot’s fly ball in the fifth.

All-City catcher Avlas blocked several balls in the dirt and threw out Hariot trying to steal second.

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CITY SECTION BASEBALL CHAMPIONS

4-A Division

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Year Champion Winning Coach Runner-up 1943 Fremont Les Haserot Bell 1944 Washington Frank Darrow Los Angeles 1945 Dorsey Bud Brubaker Los Angeles 1946 Fremont Les Haserot Washington 1947 Fremont Les Haserot San Pedro 1948 Fremont Les Haserot Dorsey 1949 Fairfax Frank Shaffer North Hollywood 1950 Dorsey Bud Brubaker San Pedro 1951 Washington Bob White San Pedro 1952 Garfield Bob Holmes Manual Arts 1953 Wilson Ron Pearson Bell 1954 Dorsey Bud Brubaker Jefferson 1955 South Gate Gus Gerson Dorsey 1956 Garfield Bob Holmes South Gate 1957 North Hollywood John Trump Washington 1958 Dorsey Art Mazmanian San Fernando 1959 Van Nuys Jim McConnaughy Belmont 1960 South Gate Cliff Ditto San Fernando 1961 Banning Jim Galceran Wilson 1962 Washington Bob White San Pedro 1963 Fremont Phil Pote Banning 1964 Birmingham Bob Zuber Grant 1965 Cleveland Dave Preciado Carson 1966 Birmingham Hy Cohen Monroe 1967 Venice Bob Duron Westchester 1968 Gardena S. Loughborough Carson 1969 Birmingham Hy Cohen Monroe 1970 Wilson Augie Lambert Cleveland 1971 Monroe Denny Holt Fremont 1972 Venice Art Harris Dorsey 1973 Sylmar Fred Scott Kennedy 1974 Monroe Denny Holt Taft 1975 Granada Hills Darryl Stroh Westchester 1976 Granada Hills Darryl Stroh Monroe 1977 Cleveland Dave Preciado Carson 1978 Granada Hills Darryl Stroh Poly 1979 Granada Hills Darryl Stroh Crenshaw 1980 Sylmar Denny Thompson North Hollywood 1981 Kennedy Don Tamburro Banning 1982 Cleveland Leo Castro Palisades 1983 Chatsworth Bob Lofrano Sylmar 1984 Granada Hills Darryl Stroh El Camino Real 1985 Kennedy Dick Whitney Banning 1986 Grant Tom Lucero Granada Hills 1987 Canoga Park Doug MacKenzie Poly 1988 Monroe Kevin Campbell San Fernando 1989 Kennedy Manny Alvarado Palisades 1990 Chatsworth Tom Meusborn El Camino Real 1991 San Fernando Steve Marden Banning 1992 San Pedro Jerry Lovarov Poly 1993 El Camino Real Mike Maio Chatsworth 1994 El Camino Real Mike Maio Chatsworth 1995 Kennedy Manny Alvarado Carson 1996 Kennedy Manny Alvarado Poly 1997 El Camino Real Mike Maio Banning 1998 El Camino Real Mike Maio Chatsworth

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City Championship

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Year Champion Winning Coach Runner-up 1999 Chatsworth Tom Meusborn Poly 2000 Kennedy Manny Alvarado El Camino Real

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City Invitational

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Year Champion Winning Coach Runner-up 1999 Cleveland Steve Landress Huntington Park 2000 Venice Tim Alcantar Narbonne

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