Granada Hills Stays Unbeaten With 3-2 Gift Win

A handful of Granada Hills High players were sitting around dissecting their performances after Wednesday’s home game when Coach Darryl Stroh realized they were being remiss in their duties.

Namely, removing the huge tarpaulin that lines the cyclone fences behind the backstop. And since the Highlanders had hardly knocked down any fences in a 3-2 Mid-Valley League win over San Fernando, Stroh was not about to grant any work furloughs. If ever a coach had grounds to order some groundskeeping, Stroh did.

“Hey,” he barked, “you guys get on those tarps or we’re hitting the track. Anybody that was 3 for 4 can take the day off.”

Stroh’s criterion eliminated nobody. Yet, despite its own mistakes, Granada Hills (3-0) managed to outlast the Tigers (2-1) in a battle of mental bungles, scoring the winning run in the bottom of the sixth on a bases-loaded walk to catcher Rob Schultz.

It was, in Stroh’s estimation, a sorrowful sight. The Highlander rally in the sixth was started by a seeing-eye single to right by Sean Brown and a walk to Chris Murphy--who was promptly picked off first. Darryl Stephenson blooped a single to right and Jeremy Leach followed with an infield single to second.

With the bases loaded and the corners charging, Glenn Hoppe tied the score by sending a check-swing grounder to Tiger first baseman Andrew Munoz, who juggled the ball. Hoppe reached first as Brown scored from third.

“It was a mess,” Stroh said. “We score the winning run on a walk after a check-swing-error-bobble-butt play.”

Munoz was substituting for Saul Perez, who was hit in the head by a line drive at practice Tuesday.

Schultz walked on a 3-2 pitch from Tiger reliever Vince Ortega (1-1), forcing in Stephenson.

“I wish they’d have come right out and beaten us,” San Fernando Coach Steve Marden said. “We’re talking about a ground ball, a misplayed fly and a close play at second. To lose like that hurts.”

Granada Hills took a 1-0 lead in the third on Steve Kovacic’s first home run of the season. San Fernando tied the score with an unearned run in the fifth. Rudy Sanchez scored from third on a fly ball by Robert Chavez that Leach dropped in right. Richard Ortiz homered to left in the fourth, his first, to give the Tigers a 2-1 lead.

The Highlanders had several chances to take control. Granada Hills stranded Hoppe after a leadoff double in the second and blew another opportunity in the fourth when Stephenson was caught off second after a ground ball by Hoppe. Murphy, who was on third, was caught in a rundown trying to score as Stephenson scrambled back to second.

Granada Hills senior right-hander Jeff Adams (2-0) allowed one earned run and seven hits in the complete-game win, walking four and striking out three.