Patriots Turn Up Ace, 5-0

Every baseball coach wants an ace pitcher, and Coach Rick Weber of Birmingham High has finally found his.

Patrick Roark, a senior right-hander who was primarily a relief pitcher last season, threw his second consecutive shutout Tuesday night, allowing six hits in a 5-0 victory over fifth-ranked San Fernando in the championship game of the Birmingham tournament at Birmingham.

Roark (5-0) struck out eight and walked one to end a nine-game winning streak by San Fernando (14-3).

Roark, who made 78 pitches, has walked only four batters in 35 1/3 innings this season. Last week in a 3-0 shutout of Cleveland, he threw 59 pitches.

“When you know a strike is coming, it lets your defense play effectively behind him,” Weber said.

Birmingham batters struck out 14 times Tuesday, but the Patriots (12-5) made the most of their five hits, none bigger than Lucio Tapia’s three-run home run off Abraham Gonzalez (7-1) in the third inning.

Gonzalez struck out 11 in five innings, but Tapia’s home run, plus Jose Carrillo’s RBI double in the first inning were big blows.

Roark was not expected to be Birmingham’s No. 1 pitcher when the season began, but an injury to left-hander Neil Morrow gave Roark the chance to show what he can do.

“It’s a matter of going out and throwing strikes,” he said. “I don’t do anything extraordinary.

“I don’t have the greatest curveball. I don’t have the greatest forkball, but I keep faith in our offense.”

San Fernando is in first place in the Valley Mission League, but Birmingham reinforced the reputation of the West Valley League as the strongest in the City Section.

Already this season, West Valley leader Chatsworth has defeated Kennedy and Sylmar, with El Camino Real defeating Kennedy and San Fernando.