Mah Is Hoping Sylmar Beats First-Round Jinx

Everyone knows about March Madness and the strange happenings associated with college basketball.

Jamie Mah of Sylmar High has gone through May Madness, courtesy of the City Section baseball playoffs.

For three consecutive seasons, Mah has seen his team eliminated in the opening round of the playoffs. Nothing hurt more than the Spartans’ bizarre demise during his sophomore season.

Sylmar was leading Woodland Hills El Camino Real, 6-0, going into the bottom of the seventh inning. Pitcher Ivan Lopez was working on a no-hitter.

Then came the madness. A two-out, two-strike, three-run double by Jason Kort gave El Camino Real a 7-6 victory. The Conquistadores went on to reach the City final at Dodger Stadium. Sylmar players went home dejected.

“It stung,” Mah said. “I kept playing it over and over in my mind through the summer and starting into my junior year. I was in disbelief on the bus. Our whole team was in shock. We were so sure we were going to the next round and they just rallied, getting clutch hit after clutch hit.”

It took months before Mah figured out the lesson of May Madness.

“It definitely taught me and reinforced the idea the game isn’t over until the 21st out is recorded,” he said. “It goes to show you baseball is pretty unpredictable.”

Mah begins the City playoffs today as one of the few players capable of putting his team on his back and carrying it to Dodger Stadium.

He has been a four-year starter at shortstop for Sylmar (24-4), which is seeded No. 1 in the 16-team tournament and plays host to South Gate in its opener. In the last two years, Mah also has distinguished himself as a right-handed pitcher with a college-level curveball.

There are people who doubt Sylmar, even though the Spartans finished 13-0 in Valley Mission League play. It is the first time in Coach Gary Donatella’s 14 years that one of his teams has made it through league play unbeaten.

“It seems a lot of people don’t give us the credit we’re due, but I think we like being labeled underdogs,” Mah said. “They’re not real sure who we are and don’t expect anything out of us.”

It’s true the Valley Mission League was weaker this season, with six-time City champion Granada Hills Kennedy and San Fernando hurt by graduation, but Sylmar developed the kind of pitching depth coaches hope to have.

Early season injuries to seniors Mah and Mike Garcia forced Donatella to turn to unsung pitchers Chris Palma (7-1) and Francisco Molina (5-3), who kept the Spartans winning. Palma, a junior, wasn’t even supposed to play varsity.

“He was a bubble guy coming out of winter league,” Donatella said. “We didn’t know what to do with him. Because we had people hurt, he had to pitch.”

Mah returned at the end of March after swelling from a blocked vein in his right shoulder was resolved. He has become the dominant pitcher Sylmar fans always envisioned, going 5-0 with a 0.37 earned-run average. As a hitter, he’s batting .408 and has 122 career hits.

Mah, 5 feet 10, 175 pounds, plays with passion.

“Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve been the loud one on the team,” he said. “I always like to play with intensity and enthusiasm.”

Mah was home-schooled until fourth grade and didn’t attend his first public school until Sylmar as a ninth-grader. He used to get into trouble for talking too much in class, but it didn’t hurt his grades. He has a 3.6 grade-point average, scored 1,260 on the SAT and could end up at Loyola Marymount.

He was encouraged from an early age by his parents to be adventurous, speak his mind and develop independence.

“I definitely want to go on and make this season last all the way, baby,” he said. Getting to Dodger Stadium would wipe out the bad memories from Mah’s sophomore season and also be a parting gift to Donatella, who is stepping down as coach to spend more time with his children, ages 7 and 4.

“We all understand,” Mah said. “We know it’s his last year and we’re trying to make it special.” Mah has been around so long at Sylmar that his nickname could be Yoda. He has become the wise senior undeterred by playoff disappointments.

“We have our doubters, but we believe in ourselves,” he said. “We’ve measured ourselves against some pretty quality teams. We know what we can do. The secret of being a successful team is a lot of determination, skill and a tiny bit of luck.”

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Eric Sondheimer can be reached at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.