La Quinta’s Kennedy May Return to Mound Next Week
Ian Kennedy, a pitcher and outfielder at Westminster La Quinta, has been cleared to begin throwing on flat ground and could play his first game in more than six weeks next week.
Kennedy, who has signed with USC and is projected as a high draft pick, has been out since March 14 because of a fractured left kneecap.
Kennedy, who was given doctor’s clearance Monday, said he might pitch in the Aztecs’ May 2 game against Garden Grove Santiago.
“Obviously this is a relief to maybe come back next week,” Kennedy said. “It’s better than sitting [around].”
Kennedy opened the season 2-0 with 23 strikeouts and a walk in 13 innings for La Quinta (17-2).
He was batting .400 with five runs batted in when the injury, which was sustained in an outfield collision during a preseason scrimmage, was diagnosed.
-- Mike Bresnahan
Chatsworth, ranked No. 2 in the Southland by The Times, defeated Reseda Cleveland, 9-8, by overcoming deficits of 6-0 and 8-3 to pull out the West Valley League victory at Cleveland.
Jordan Sisson had a three-run home run and a run-scoring single for Chatsworth (19-1, 7-0), which lost four times to Cleveland (11-10, 3-4) last season.
The Chancellors scored six runs in the fifth inning by taking advantage of three errors. Justin Cassel (8-0) went the distance despite giving up 11 hits and eight earned runs.
-- Eric Sondheimer
The Irvine Woodbridge softball team had baserunners in only one of its six innings against second-ranked Garden Grove Pacifica, but a four-run second inning gave the Warriors a 4-2 victory in the Woodbridge tournament final.
An error, a hit batter and run-scoring singles by No. 8 hitter Amy Branson and Jessica Simoncini, and a two-run double by Kendra Singley, were enough to hold off Pacifica (19-2).
Singley and winning pitcher Brittany Crouch (12-4) were co-most valuable players of the tournament.
Woodbridge (15-7), which defeated then-No. 4 Orange El Modena in the semifinals, has won 10 games in a row.
-- Martin Henderson