Chatsworth wins another title

For those who thought Chatsworth’s baseball team might have trouble adjusting to life without first-round draft picks Mike Moustakas and Matt Dominguez, the Chancellors offered a resounding response Saturday, winning a record eighth City Section Championship Division title with a 7-2 victory over Harbor City Narbonne at Dodger Stadium.

“This one is special,” Chatsworth Coach Tom Meusborn said. “We were pretty flawless. We hit well, we pitched well, we played defense well. We played one of our best games in this ballpark.”

Trevor Takeyama (14-1) pitched a five-hitter, striking out seven and walking three. The top-seeded Chancellors (29-5) finished with nine hits, stole six bases and came up with big defensive plays, the most notable by junior shortstop Kasey Toven.

Toven twice threw out Narbonne runners at home plate in the first inning. The first came on a ground ball with the infield drawn in. The second came when Toven left his feet to grab a ground ball going up the middle and saw that Kahana Fitisemanu was trying to score from second. He got up and fired the ball to catcher Carlos Escobar Jr., who tagged out a sliding Fitisemanu at the plate.

“It was a big momentum changer,” Toven said.

Chatsworth came back to score two runs in the second inning and three in the fourth to open a 6-1 lead. Among the big hits were RBI singles by Matt Moreno and James Wharton.

Toven and junior third basemen Ryan Cooperstone have been standout players defensively all season after taking over for bonus babies Moustakas and Dominguez.

“Those guys were gods in baseball,” Toven said. “Me and Cooperstone made the routine plays. We don’t hit bombs like they do, but next year we’ll get better.”

Added Meusborn: “They did a tremendous job today and all year long.”

The scary part about a Chatsworth team that won its sixth City title in the last 10 seasons and second in a row is that seven starters return next year. Narbonne, seeded No. 2, finished 27-7. It’s the 35th time in 36 years that a San Fernando Valley school has won the title.

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eric.sondheimer@latimes.com