Baseball: City Section playoffs opens with surprises
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San Fernando Valley teams have won 39 of the last 40 City Section Division I championships, but if Wednesday’s opening playoff games were any indication, it’s going to be an unpredictable two weeks ahead.
L.A. Marshall eliminated defending champion El Camino Real, 3-1, behind Adam Martinez, who went three for three and hit a two-run home run. Angel Lerma threw a four-hitter.
Bell knocked off Sun Valley Poly, 1-0, in nine innings on a bases loaded walk-off single Luis Flores. Gabriel Ramos threw a five-hit complete-game shutout for Bell, with zero walks.
No. 1 San Fernando defeated Verdugo Hills, 5-0. Alonzo Garcia allowed two hits and struck out five. Jose Haros had two hits. San Pedro defeated Kennedy, 5-1. Cleveland defeated Venice, 4-2, behind pitcher Steven Perez.
Narbonne, down two runs going into the bottom of the seventh, got a three-run double from Omar Avila to defeat Granada Hills, 6-5. Joe Goring had given Granada Hills a 5-3 lead with a two-run single in the top of the seventh.
Banning defeated Hamilton, 7-0. Sophomore Justin Yanez threw a one-hitter for six innings.
The shocker of the day was University defeating No. 3 Chatsworth, 11-10, in nine innings on a home run by Jordan Yrastorza in the top of the ninth.
Friday’s quarterfinals: Bell at San Fernando, Narbonne at Banning; University at Marshall; San Pedro at Cleveland.
-- Eric Sondheimer