City Section

CITY SECTION PLAYOFFS

Friday, June 4

Semifinals

CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION

Chatsworth 10, Granada Hills Kennedy 7
Top-seeded and defending champion Chatsworth overcame a seven-run deficit after three innings to pick up a victory over fourth-seeded Granada Hills Kennedy in a City Section baseball semifinal Friday at Lake Balboa Birmingham.The Chancellors (34-0), who will play second-seeded San Pedro on Tuesday in the Championship Division final at Dodger Stadium, completed the comeback with four runs in the sixth inning to improve their state-record winning streak to 49 games.

Senior Willie Cabrera led off the fifth inning with a home run to gave Chatsworth its second run and first hit of the game off sophomore starter Fabian Williamson of Kennedy (23-11). Chatsworth junior Thomas Cassidy delivered a three-run double and scored in the inning off junior reliever Pierre Ramirez.

Cabrera’s homer broke the state record for hits in a season. Cabrera singled to start a four-run sixth inning, giving him 70 this season to eclipse by two the 1998 mark set by Gerald Laird of Westminster La Quinta.

Freshman Matt Dominguez had a sacrifice fly in the sixth for his Southland-leading 64th run batted in and senior Jason Dominguez picked up the save with one inning of relief. Jason Dominguez doubled in the sixth, when junior J.C. Barker also had a sacrifice fly.

Chatsworth had double plays to end the sixth and seventh innings.

Freshman Mike Moustakas (2-0) relieved starter Jake Norton with no outs and a runner on in the third inning. Moustakas went four innings to pick up the victory.
--Rafer Weigel

San Pedro 7, El Camino Real 5
With tying runs on base in the top of the seventh inning, Steve Taylor got Chad Boyd to ground out, earning his sixth save and sending second-seeded San Pedro (31-3) into its first City final since 1992.

The Pirates, who have won 26 consecutive games, overcome a 4-0 deficit at El Camino College with a five-run third inning that featured a two-run single by Taylor and a two-run double by Dustin Garneau.

Eric Thacker (12-1) picked up the pitching victory, retiring nine consecutive batters between the third and sixth innings.

Boyd hit a two-run home run for El Camino Real (24-9).
--Eric Sondheimer

INVITATIONAL DIVISION

Birmingham 9, Wilmington Banning 2
Max Limonick (5-5) threw a seven-hitter with eight strikeouts and Henry Morquecho’s three-run homer in a four-run fourth inning lifted Birmingham (17-16) to the victory. Morquecho also had a double and scored in a two-run first inning for the Patriots.

Granada Hills 5, Bell 2
Senior left-hander Jeff Rodner (8-5) scattered nine hits and didn’t allow a walk for Granada Hills (18-16), which scored four runs in the fifth inning on four consecutive hits after two errors. Dan Weingart and Jordan Gold each had RBI doubles in the rally and Derek Perren and Jon Birch had run-scoring singles. Jaime Munoz had two hits and scored a run for Bell (24-9-1).

Tuesday, June 1

Quarterfinals

CHAMPIONSHIP DIVISION

Chatsworth 6, Sylmar 4
With Chatsworth’s unbeaten season in serious jeopardy, a tiring Jason Dominguez was able to get Steven Garcia of Sylmar to fly out with the bases loaded in the seventh inning, preserving the Chancellors’ victory Wednesday in a City Championship quarterfinal playoff game at Chatsworth.

Willie Cabrera, Chatsworth’s senior second baseman, went four for four with two doubles, a single and a home run, giving him 68 hits on the season, tying the state record and raising his batting average to .540.

The top-seeded Chancellors (33-0), who have won 48 consecutive games over two seasons, fell behind, 3-0, on a first-inning three-run home run by David Madrigal.

Starting pitcher Jake Norton was pulled in the third inning after giving up five hits to the Spartans (20-12). Dominguez (12-0) restored order, striking out eight in five innings of relief, but he threw 88 pitches and isn’t likely to be available for Chatsworth’s semifinal game Friday against Granada Hills Kennedy at Lake Balboa Birmingham. Fourth-ranked Kennedy (23-10) defeated Sun Valley Poly, 9-1, in another quarterfinal.

As for Cabrera’s record-tying performance, Chatsworth Coach Tom Meusborn said, “Willie is just a tremendous player and tremendous hitter. I can’t say enough for what he’s done for our team.”
--Eric Sondheimer

El Camino Real 10, San Fernando 0 (5 innings)
Jordan Brandt pitched a two-hitter with five strikeouts and one walk to lead third-seeded El Camino Real over No. 11-seeded San Fernando (14-17-1).

The host Conquistadores (24-8) had three consecutive home runs during a seven-run fourth inning. Chad Boyd hit a three-run home run, and Sammy Donabedian and J.T. Hollywood followed with a solo homer each to claim a 9-0 advantage.

Granada Hills Kennedy 9, Sun Valley Poly 1
Richard Mestas (7-3) pitched a one-hitter with four strikeouts to lead fourth-seeded Granada Hills Kennedy (23-10) over fifth-seeded Sun Valley Poly (25-7). Mestas had a no-hitter through six innings, but gave up a bloop single to left in the seventh.

Rafael Duenas went four for four, including a double and a solo home run, and finished with three runs batted and two runs scored, and Ozzie Lewis went two for four with two RBIs and scored twice for the host Cougars, who scored five runs in the fourth to take an insurmountable 8-0 lead.

The Parrots scored their only run, which was unearned, in the top of the seventh on two errors.

San Pedro 5, Cleveland 3
Second-seeded San Pedro had back-to-back home runs in the first and third innings to build a five-run lead, then held on to beat Reseda Cleveland in a City Section Championship quarterfinal at wind-swept San Pedro.

The Pirates (30-3) will play third-seeded Woodland Hills El Camino Real (24-8), a 10-0 winner over San Fernando in five innings, in a semifinal on Friday.

San Pedro shortstop Steve Carrillo and centerfielder Grant Harper hit solo home runs in the first. Harper then slammed a two-run homer in the third and third baseman Steve Taylor followed with a solo shot over the right-field fence, which measures only 265 feet down the line.

Harper, whose uncle is former major leaguer Brian Harper, has hit all seven of his home runs in the last 11 games, including three in the playoffs.

San Pedro senior right-hander Matt Kretzschmar (11-0) pitched out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the third and needed a double play to escape the fourth before he was lifted after walking the first two batters in the fifth. Taylor, in relief, got catcher Joe Almendarez to hit into a double play, but freshman Andrew Lambo followed with a two-run homer to cut the lead to 5-2.

Lambo came to bat with the tying runs on base in the seventh, but could only manage a run-scoring ground out. Cleveland, which started only one senior, ended 19-13.
--Dan Arritt

INVITATIONAL DIVISION

Bell 16, L.A. Marshall 0 (5 innings)
Jaime Munoz went two for three with a two-run home run and a run-scoring triple, and Raul Landeros was two for four, including a two-run homer, and finished with three RBIs to lead host third-seeded Bell (24-8-1). Xavier Munoz (3-0), making his first start of the season, gave up one hit and struck out four in four innings for the Eagles. No. 11-seeded Marshall ends the season at 16-17-1.

Birmingham 13, Monroe 8 (8 innings)
Nick Carter was three for three with thee RBIs and two runs scored, and Steve McGrath went two for five with three runs scrored to lead fifth-seeded Birmingham, which tallied 16 hits. Luis Perez struck out seven in four innings of relief for the Patriots (16-16). Joey Perez went two for four with one RBI and Edgar Duenez had a double and three RBIs for host Monroe (16-16), seeded fourth.

Granada Hills 12, Locke 2 (5 innings)
Derek Perren went four for four with a double, three RBIs and two runs scored and Josh Rubin hit a three-run home run and scored twice to lead host second-seeded Granada Hills (17-16), which will face Bell in the semifinals Friday.

Wilmington Banning 18, Westchester 15
Top-seeded Wilmington Banning improves to 15-13. Visiting Westchester, seeded ninth, finishes 11-18.