High School Baseball : Poly Batters 4 Grant Pitchers in 29-14 Victory

Poly, last year’s City Section 4-A Division runner-up, answered doubts about its offensive prowess by pounding four Grant pitchers for 20 hits in recording a stunning, 29-14 East Valley League victory Wednesday at Poly.

Mark David and Adulfo Hernandez combined for nine runs batted in as Poly (7-0) scored nine runs in the first inning and had 21 after three. Poly, which added four more in each of the fourth and fifth, scored in every inning except the sixth.

David had two doubles and went 3 for 4 and Hernandez added a triple. Poly’s Luis Garcia was 3 for 4 with three RBIs and Luis Porres and Rodrigo Fuentes both hit home runs.

Grant, City titlist two years ago, fell to 2-5.

Taft 7, El Camino Real 5--Taft, one season removed from winning just one game, got home runs from Jason Shapiro and Brett Reisner to move into sole possession of second place in the West Valley League.

Shapiro hit a solo home run in the fourth to tie the score, 4-4. Reisner’s two-run blast in the sixth came amid a three-run rally that gave the host Toreadors a 7-5 lead and the victory.

Shapiro’s homer was his second. Reisner’s was his first.

Travis Arsenault had seven strikeouts in five innings for his second win. Chris Brown held El Camino Real scoreless in the final two innings for the save. Arsenault also contributed a double in three at-bats.

Taft’s Dax Tobin was 2 for 3, and shortstop Richie Shapiro made a stellar defensive play to end the game with a double play.

Taft is 3-1 overall, 2-1 in league play. El Camino Real is 1-2 in league play.

Canoga Park 5, Reseda 4--Adam Schulhofer had three hits and Mike Kerber had two for the Hunters (1-2) in the West Valley League game at Lanark Park.

Schulhofer singled, doubled, tripled and scored two runs, and Kerber doubled, tripled and drove in three runs for the defending City Section champion.

It was Ricardo Banuelos, however, who provided the winning hit with two outs in the bottom of the seventh and the bases loaded. Banuelos singled up the middle to score Jason Sclimenti from third to beat Reseda (1-2). Kerber and Mike Roberts (1-1) combined for the win.

Simi Valley 6, Camarillo 1-- Rich Langford and Mike Laker combined to hold the Scorpions to five hits, and seven Pioneers each had one hit to lead Simi Valley in a Marmonte League game at Simi Valley.

Langford pitched five innings to improve his record to 2-1. Laker picked up his second save.

Simi Valley (7-2, 2-0) scored four runs in the third on one hit and scored once in each of the fourth and sixth innings. Darren Aurand doubled for the Pioneers, who stole five bases.

Camarillo committed five errors behind starter Matt Tackett (1-1). Johnny Barroso was 2 for 3 and drove in the Scorpions’ only run in the fifth.

Simi Valley’s Scott Sharts, who is two home runs away from the Southern Section career mark of 25, was intentionally walked in the third and fourth innings, and ripped an RBI single in sixth.

Sylmar 15, Hollywood 0--Sylmar’s Art Monreal, Olonzo Woodfin and Donnie Kelley each had two hits in the East Valley League game at Sylmar.

Sylmar (6-1) ripped winless Hollywood for 15 hits, including seven extra-base hits. Monreal and Woodfin each doubled and tripled. Woodfin and Kelly each had three RBIs.

Nino Romo (3-0) and Tom Ball held Hollywood (0-7 in league play) to one hit. Romo had six strikeouts in five innings.

Kennedy 7, Monroe 0--Pat DeBoer was 2 for 4 with three RBIs and Gino Tagliaferri also had two hits as the Golden Cougars shut out Monroe in a Mid-Valley League game at Kennedy.

Senior right-hander Brian Roth (2-0), who is primarily a relief pitcher, worked five innings and picked up his second win in his first start of the season.

Roth’s brother, Scott, hit his second home run of the season to highlight a two-run fifth inning for Kennedy (4-4, 1-2). The two-run shot drove in Tagliaferri, who had led off the inning with a single.

Birmingham 2, Van Nuys 0--Pitcher Alan Sedacca had eight strikeouts and faced four batters over the minimum to earn his second win and lead the Braves (2-1) in a Mid-Valley League game at Birmingham.

Lindsay Parker’s sacrifice fly in the second drove in Birmingham’s first run and Mike Shelofsky added a sacrifice fly in the sixth.

Van Nuys is 0-3.

Crossroads 8, Montclair Prep 4--The Mounties allowed five unearned runs in the nonleague loss at Crossroads.

Montclair Prep (2-4-1 overall) suffered the loss despite a four-run first inning that was highlighted by Keyaan Cook’s two-run double. The Mounties had five hits overall.

Sophomore Scott Saklad (0-2) went 3 innings and took the loss. Saklad gave up eight runs (three earned) on nine hits and three walks.