After a Little Give-and-Take, L.A. Baptist Gets 6-5 Victory

Brett Emma doesn’t need to take a class on the L.A. Baptist-Village Christian rivalry.

A dual-sport athlete and a three-year starter on the L.A. Baptist High baseball team, Emma is well versed in the competitive but friendly rivalry.

Emma’s run-scoring double with two out in the seventh inning Tuesday gave the Knights a 6-5 victory over Village Christian in an Alpha League game at Tujunga Little League complex.

Emma’s effort capped a game-long rally by the Knights (16-5, 5-0 in league play), who overcame a 5-1 first-inning deficit, with a run here, a stolen base there, and, when it mattered most, two runs in the seventh.

“We spotted them five and had to chip away the whole time,” Coach Mark Hubbard said. “[Emma’s hit] was very big for us. He lives and dies with this game.”

Village Christian (14-6, 2-1) scored five runs in the first on four hits and three errors.

“I thought things looked pretty good for us,” Crusaders Coach Brian Gibson said.

L.A. Baptist regained its composure and Ryan Rycroft (6-1) allowed one hit the rest of the way.

The teams meet Friday at L.A. Baptist.