El Camino Real slams Chatsworth

Season after season, when nine-time City Section champion Chatsworth and five-time City champion Woodland Hills El Camino Real meet in baseball, someone can be counted on to step forward at a decisive moment and earn himself a permanent place in series lore.

Mitch Bluman of El Camino Real was that player Tuesday, hitting a double, run-scoring single and grand slam to lift the Conquistadores over Chatsworth, 8-3, in a game for first place in the West Valley League.

Although the most memorable moment for many will be his sixth-inning grand slam that put the Conquistadores (15-10, 9-0 in league play) ahead, 8-1, it was his fifth-inning encounter with hard-throwing left-hander Aaron Brown of Chatsworth that changed the game’s complexion.

It was a 1-1 game with two outs and a two-strike count on Bluman. He fouled off a couple of pitches before hitting a line drive up the middle to drive in the tie-breaking run. It gave the Conquistadores the confidence to pull out a victory.

“Being a senior, I wasn’t going to let our team go down,” Bluman said. “I did everything I could to keep us alive. Thankfully, he threw one over the plate, and I was able to hit it up the middle.”

No one has been hotter at the plate than Bluman, who raised his batting average to .466. He finished with five runs batted in, giving him 37 this season and eight home runs.

“He came through big time,” Coach Josh Lienhard said.

The win gives El Camino Real a one-game lead in the loss column over Chatsworth (21-4, 7-1) going into Thursday’s league title decider at Chatsworth. The Chancellors have a rained out game to make up with Granada Hills on Saturday.

Earlier, Chris Nicholson of El Camino Real hit a home run and Brown hit a home run for Chatsworth.

Jose Cardona (8-1) went the distance on the mound for the Conquistadores, surviving some control problems.

Brown, pitching in relief of Angel Rodriguez, walked four batters in the sixth to open the way to a six-run inning.

What’s clear is that the players may change each season but the El Camino Real-Chatsworth rivalry remains the same.

“It’s so intense,” Bluman said. “There’s a lot of bad blood, but in the end, we’re still friends.”

eric.sondheimer@latimes.com