BABE RUTH WORLD SERIES: DIFFERENT YEAR, SAME RESULT FOR SGV TEAM 18-UNDER SQUAD WINS BASEBALL TITLE.

Byline: ERIK BOAL

Special to the Daily News

They had a run taken off the scoreboard after Maverick Olivares missed stepping on home plate following a home run.

They committed as many errors (five) as they had in their previous five games combined.

And they needed to cut down the tying run on the back end of a double steal in the sixth inning to preserve a one-run lead.

But despite several anxious moments Friday, the San Gabriel Valley Babe Ruth All-Stars -- featuring six players from Crescenta Valley of La Crescenta -- concluded their run in Newark, Ohio, the same way they did last year: as world champions.

Behind stellar pitching efforts from Chris Eusebio and reliever Nick Kennedy and clutch hitting from Olivares and Antonio Andrade, San Gabriel Valley recorded a 2-1 victory over Denham Springs, La., to defend its 18-under World Series title.

"It was the craziest game we've ever been a part of," said San Gabriel Valley coach Phil Torres -- also head coach at C.V. -- who led his team to a third championship in four years. "The kids did a great job. It was fun for us as coaches to see them win."

Eusebio, who helped Bishop Amat of La Puente capture the Southern Section Div. V title in June, had a no-hitter through 5 1/3 innings, before series MVP Toddrick Stevenson -- signed with LSU -- hit a solo home run.

Brent Courville followed with a single, forcing Torres to replace all- tournament honoree Eusebio with East L.A. College's Kennedy, who was making his fifth relief appearance in eight days.

But after Trey Rountree singled to put runners at the corners with one out, Denham Springs -- which ran off five consecutive victories following a 13-0 loss to San Gabriel Valley in its opener -- couldn't produce the tying run.

C.V.'s Kris Kauppila, a member of the all-defensive team, threw to former CSUN catcher David Carrillo -- now at Mount San Antonio College -- to cut down Courville on a close play at home and Kennedy struck out Chet Henderson to end the threat.

"Chris Eusebio pitched his butt off and Kennedy came in and did a great job," Torres said. "You have a junior college pitcher and a JC catcher who know how to handle that (double steal) situation. And Kris did a great job of getting the ball to David and he was able to hold on."

Denham Springs' Blake Wascom reached second on an error with one out in the seventh, but Kennedy -- an all-tournament selection -- induced a pop out to second and struck out James Morgan to secure his second save and San Gabriel Valley's 10th title in the series' 40-year history.

"Their last hitter didn't even come close," Torres said. "The place was rocking and that was a great moment. Kennedy is a guy that starts in college, but I told him that I'm going to need to use him four or five times this week and he was just awesome."

San Gabriel Valley (12-2), which extended its World Series winning streak to 13 in a row, appeared to have taken a two-run lead in the third, but Olivares -- who hit the ball over the left-field fence -- was called out after failing to touch home plate.

Andrade increased the lead to 2-0 in the fifth, doubling and scoring when Kauppila reached base on an error. Denham Springs escaped further damage by inducing an inning-ending double play.

Daniel Park was an all-tournament selection, C.V. teammate Dustin Emmons received the sportsmanship award and UCLA signee Rob Rasmussen, a Pasadena Poly graduate, was a member of the all-defensive team.

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