ANOTHER CONQUEST; ECR UPSETS CHATSWORTH 5-2 IN 10 TO WIN FOURTH TITLE OF '90S : ECR 5 CHATSWORTH 2.

Byline: Chris Branam Daily News Staff Writer

At 9:52 p.m. on Thursday night, unflappable Chatsworth High pitcher Mike Kunes stared at the grass in bewilderment. He knew that the magic still belonged to El Camino Real.

The sixth-seeded Conquistadores, led by the hitting and pitching of senior Kurt Birkins, won their second consecutive City 4-A championship, beating the top-seeded Chancellors 5-2 in 10 innings in a classic final enjoyed by an estimated crowd of 3,000 at Dodger Stadium.

The Conquistadores (19-9) beat Kunes and the Chancellors (29-4) for the first time this season in the teams' fourth meeting. Birkins, who doubled home two runs in the 10th and improved to 11-2, avenged his two defeats to Chatsworth this season.

The final four innings were wild and featured varying emotions for both teams.

ECR, which has won four 4-A titles in the 1990s, almost ended the game on a double play in the eighth. With runners on first and second and one out, Danny Eisenberg hit a ground ball to second baseman Brandon Kahan, who flipped to shortstop Jared Maiden for the second out.

Maiden's throw was wild to first, though, and Chad Redfern scored on the error to tie the game at two.

Chatsworth's defense also unraveled in the eighth and ECR took a 2-1 lead. With one out, Woody Cliffords singled and then stole second despite the fact Kunes threw behind him at first. Scott Sellz's throw to second was off-line and Cliffords slid in safely.

The next batter, Conor Jackson, drilled a single that got by left-fielder Bryan Gant. Cliffords scored easily.

By innings, it was the longest 4-A final in the game's 29-year history at Dodger Stadium, and the first extra-inning game since 1994, when the Conquistadores edged the Chancellors 7-6 in nine innings.

ECR tied the game at one in the sixth. Maiden and Cliffords had back-to-back singles to start the inning, but then Kunes induced Jackson to hit into a double play.

Up came Birkins, who hit a sharp grounder to the second baseman Eisenberg's right. Eisenberg, who moved from third to second two games ago in place of the injured Kevin O'Hara, fielded the ball cleanly, but his throw to Sellz was in the dirt. Sellz couldn't hold on, and Maiden scored.

Kunes had his seven-inning scoreless streak against ECR snapped on the play. He entered the game 2-0 with a 2.15 ERA against the Conquistadores this season.

Kunes had a chance to help himself in the bottom of the sixth when he came to the plate with two outs and Eisenberg at second. But Birkins struck him out on a full-count pitch to end the threat.

The Chancellors took a 1-0 lead in the second when Tom Morefield led off with a triple to the warning track in right-center field. He scored with one out on a line-drive single by Sellz that barely got over the glove of Kahan.

It was the second RBI of the season for Sellz, who was forced into a starting role at first base when O'Hara broke a finger before the quarterfinals and Chatsworth shuffled its defense. He was 5-0 as the Chancellors' No. 3 starter.

The Conquistadores got two hits in the first but couldn't score. Schwartz tried to score from second on Cliffords' single but was thrown out at home by the right fielder Redfern.

After Jackson reached on an error, Kunes retired five in a row until Schwartz's single in the third.

Birkins not only matched Kunes, but he held the area's most potent offense to just two hits over the first seven innings. He retired 12 in a row after Sellz singled in the second.

Wilson 1, South Gate 0: Cory Campos scored on a wild pitch in the second inning and then pitched the sixth-seeded Rams to the City 3-A title in the earlier game. It was Wilson's first City title since 1970.

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3 Photos

Photo: (1--Color) ECR's Matt Schwartz is tagged out at home plate by Chatsworth's Loren Devries as right fielder Chad Redfern makes a strong throw home on Woody Cliffords' single.

Tina Gerson/Daily News

(2--3) El Camino Real's Matt Schwartz, above, is safe at second base as Chatsworth shortstop Matt Fisher can't come down with a high relay, while Danny Eisenberg, below, misses a diving attempt as Chatsworth lost to ECR in extra innings in the City Section 4-A title game.

Myung J. Chun/Daily News