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Baseball: El Camino Real earns trip to Dodger Stadium

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Top-seeded Woodland Hills El Camino Real got RBI singles from Hayden Rappoport and Mason Novak in the second and third innings and made those two runs hold up in a 2-1 victory over San Pedro in a City Section Division 1 semifinal game at USC.

San Pedro had won 19 consecutive games and was the last non-San Fernando Valley team to win a City title in 1992.

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Left-hander Luke Laurita held off San Pedro’s Jesse Betancourt in a pitcher’s duel that was worthy of a game where the winner advances to the City championship game.

Betancourt, who beat Kennedy, 1-0, last week, retired nine consecutive El Camino Real batters between the third and sixth innings. He struck out six, walked none and gave up four hits.

Laurita struck out pinch hitter John Iacono with the tying run at first in the seventh to end the game. He struck out four, walked two and gave up five hits. On the season, Laurita is 7-1 with a 1.30 ERA.

El Camino Real catcher Michael Pope made a huge defensive play in the sixth, throwing out Armando Hernandez trying to steal second after the ball was in the dirt. First baseman Rappoport also had a big play in the seventh, scooping up a throw from third.

El Camino Real (21-12) will face West Valley League rival Chatsworth in Saturday’s 1 p.m. final at Dodger Stadium. The two schools have split their two meetings this season.

-- Eric Sondheimer

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