Hit parade persists for Landry’s
TUJUNGA — From top to bottom, there appear to be no easy outs in the Crescenta Valley Landry’s Major Baseball team’s lineup.
In two games of the Tri-Cities District 16 Tournament of Champions, Landry’s has shown how resourceful it can be. Whether it’s recording an infield hit or a home run, they are prepared to make things tough on their opponent.
The latest chapter came Monday night, as Landry’s pounded out 17 hits en route to a 21-3 victory against the Tujunga Red Sox in an elimination game at Tujunga Little League Field.
Landry’s scored 17 runs in the top of the second inning, sending 23 batters to the plate in a game called after four innings because of the 10-run mercy rule. Landry’s will next face the Vaquero Cougars in a winner’s-bracket contest at 5 p.m. Wednesday at Scholl Canyon Ball Fields, as the remainder of the tournament is a double-elimination format.
“Playing in the Crescenta Valley Little League prepares you a lot for Tri-Cities,” said Landry’s Coach Dan Mulcahey, whose team began tournament competition Saturday with a 17-2 victory against Foothill Two Guys at Pacific Park. “We faced very strong pitching there, so we are battle tested.
“We’ll swing the bats. It’s just about picking a strike and hitting it.”
Landry’s more than did well swinging the bats Monday, including spending nearly 35 minutes at the plate in the second inning against frustrated Tujunga, which drew a first-round bye. By the time Landry’s finished its big inning, it owned a 20-0 lead.
After Landry’s built a 3-0 lead in the first on a three-run home run by Michael Choi, it marched to the plate in the second ready to pad its lead. Robert Giese, who finished with four hits, was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to make it 4-0 before Chase Sanford came through with a two-run single to extend the lead to 6-0. JD Schaffer delivered a bases-loaded double to give Landry’s a 10-0 lead.
Giese later hit a grand slam to make it 14-0. Giese finished with three hits and scored three runs, to go along with the grand slam.
“It’s a tough lineup that we have,” said Giese, who finished with five runs batted in. “All through the lineup, everybody can make contact.
“Even with the bottom of our order, they can put the ball in play. In the second inning, everything worked in our favor. We just got the big hits at the right time. It’s cool to hit a grand slam.”
Schaffer collected a pair of hits and four runs batted in for Landry’s, which received two hits apiece from Choi, Sanford, A.J. Roa and Aidan Phillips.
Roa had a run-scoring single to make it 15-0 and Phillips then delivered a run-scoring double to give Landry’s a 16-0 advantage.
The Red Sox scored their three runs in the second to slice the deficit to 20-3.
Mulcahey said things will get tougher in the tournament, starting Wednesday.
“We just have to come back with the same attitude,” Mulcahey said. “Everything fell for us [Monday], and sometimes it’s the luck of the draw.”
