A Year Later, Result Is the Same for West

A year made little difference for the West Torrance all-star baseball team in a 11-1 loss to Van Nuys-Sherman Oaks in the Babe Ruth state age 14 tournament Wednesday at Hoover High in Glendale. The game was called in the bottom of the sixth inning because of the 10-run rule.

Van Nuys defeated West in last year’s state age 13 tournament, rallying for two runs in the bottom of the seventh to win, 8-7, and knock West out of the tournament.

Van Nuys lost to Pasadena in the championship but was awarded the title after it was discovered that Pasadena used over-age players.

West (2-1), however, is still alive in this year’s double-elimination tournament. The District 2 champions will play the winner of today’s semifinal between Westchester (1-1) and Glendale (1-1). That game will be at 5 p.m. Friday, and the winner of Friday’s game will meet Van Nuys (3-0) in the championship at 10 a.m. Saturday.

Peter Lee and Ryan Ziello opened the second inning with consecutive singles to help load the bases, and West took a 1-0 lead with a two-out bases-loaded walk to Shane Schumaker.

West, however, left the bases loaded and was held hitless the rest of the way by starter Chris Cervantes and Juan Montes, who pitched four innings of relief.

“(Van Nuys) isn’t much different than last year’s team, but we couldn’t capitalize,� said Lee, a member of last year’s West team. “We are the top two teams and if we played our best game, I still think we can beat them.�

West, which had eight hits in an 8-1 first-round victory over Imperial Valley and seven hits in a 5-3 victory against Escondido, advanced one runner past first base after the second inning.

Van Nuys scored four runs in the second, two coming on a two-run triple by Edgar Nava, and added three more in the third with the aid of doubles by Adrian Perez and Montes to take a 7-1 lead.