Baseball: Lira pitches San Fernando to a share of league title

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Showing toughness and durability, All-City pitcher David Lira allowed six hits, struck out six and walked two to lead San Fernando to a 4-2 victory over Granada Hills Kennedy, giving the Tigers a share of the Valley Mission League championship.

San Fernando (24-6, 11-1) jumped on Kennedy pitcher Ryan Cruz for 10 hits and opened a 4-0 lead after four innings, taking advantage of three Kennedy errors. Then Lira took over. He picked off three Kennedy baserunners and stayed focus throughout despite suffering leg cramps in the fourth inning and cutting his hand in the seventh from his many curveballs.

‘He’s a competitor,’ San Fernando Coach Armando Gomez said. ‘I love the kid because he competes.’

Now it will be up to the City Section seeding committee on Wednesday to separate the two. A 20-team Division I tournament will be seeded. Four wild-card games will be played on Friday, followed by the opening round a week from Tuesday.

Kennedy will be without first-base Coach Marcus Alvarado for its first playoff game. He was ejected after disputing a call.

-- Eric Sondheimer