AMERICAN LEGION: PARACLETE TRIES WINNING YOUNG.

Byline: Gerry Gittelson Staff Writer

Paraclete's longtime policy of fielding young, developing baseball players during legion season has transformed into some long summers. But not this year.

Paraclete is 6-2-1 after beating Tri-Cities Highland 8-7 on Monday in District 20 action. Jeremy Gonzales, an All-Southern Section transfer from Village Christian, paced the victory with a grand slam, his third home run of the season.

``I remember our first legion season we won four games all season, I think,'' coach Steve Hagerty said. ``Last year we were 13-13, and this year who knows?''

All-Southern Section returner Jason Brown and fellow sophomore Robby Fockaert give Paraclete a good nucleus. Otherwise, the team is comprised of players from the junior varsity.

``So far, so good,'' said co-coach Tom Lynch. ``We've got the same problems as every other team has, but so far we're playing pretty good.''

Pitcher John McMurtry and sophomore outfielder Adam Lynch are two of Paraclete's top newcomers.

Justin a zone: Justin Rethwisch leads all legion hitters with a .650 batting average, three home runs and 22 runs batted in, helping Lancaster South to an 8-2 record, tops in the District 20 Desert Division.

``Justin is just in a zone,'' coach Steve Payte Sr. said. ``He's extremely fast. Most of his hits are good hard shots, but he's beating out some ground balls too. Plus, he's an excellent center fielder.''

Steve Payte Jr., one of several starters who played for Lancaster High, is 3-0 with a 1.65 ERA, 17 strikeouts and five hits allowed in 13 innings. He recently committed to play baseball at Cal Poly Pomona.

Travis Allen (.500 batting average), Eric Sundberg (.485) and Matt Lopez (.490) are some of Lancaster South's other prominent players.

Keeping the heat off for the summer: Palmdale's Matt Harrington, whose 94 mph fastball qualified him as the hardest thrower in the Golden League this season, is not pitching this summer.

His father, Bill Harrington, is the Palmdale legion coach. As a designated hitter, Matt has five doubles and a .400 average.

The plan is for Matt to start pitching again during the Area Code games in Long Beach at the end of the summer.

Harrington hurt his arm late in the regular baseball season for Palmdale High. However, the elder Harrington said a recent examination revealed no damage.

``All the X-rays are negative,'' Bill Harrington said. ``He's throwing, he's just not pitching. Matt is getting ready for next season. I just thought it was a good idea to give him a break.''

Meanwhile, the coach said Matt Plante (two home runs) and infield prospect Art Ortiz (two home runs) are both hitting the ball well.

Still Santor: John Santor, whose 15 home runs at Highland High led all regional baseball players during the high school season, hit two homers in each of his first two games in legion. The 6-foot-2, 215-pound All-American candidate has eight in eight games.

``John Santor's still in a zone, just like he was all year,'' coach Ryan Golphenee said. ``When he gets up to bat he has a great approach, and he's mentally strong. There's really no way to pitch him because he hits home runs to all fields.''

Jason making a jump: Jason Anderson, who did not hit any home runs as a freshman on the junior varsity at Lancaster High this season, has two home runs and a .433 batting average for Lancaster North. His father, Steve Anderson, is one of the coaches.

``Jason is just really putting the bat on the ball,'' Steve Anderson said.