BALLFIELDS SUFFER DAMAGE, JEOPARDIZING OPENING DAY.

Byline: Stacy Brown Daily News Staff Writer

Tuesday's deluge washed away tons of new soil brought in to repair two previously rain-damaged ballfields at the William S. Hart Pony League Complex, jeopardizing this month's opening day for hundreds of youngsters.

Greg Pascolla, a volunteer groundskeeper, said the rainstorm caused further damage to the Mini-Minor softball field and Mustang II baseball field, which lie on the bank of the Santa Clara River. Damage was estimated in the thousands of dollars.

Pascolla and other league officials toured the storm-ravaged fields Tuesday afternoon and appeared awestruck by the severity of the rain and its ramifications.

``We were in the process of putting up a fence around both of the fields,'' Pascolla said. ``Back in December, we also put in new dirt but now all of it will be gone by the end of the week if this rain keeps up.''

More than 3,000 players, ages 5 to 18, are scheduled to begin spring season Feb. 21 on the 10 fields at the Hart complex, one of the largest private youth sports facilities in the nation. Moving the games from the two damaged fields to other diamonds isn't an option because the fields already are in use weekends and weeknights.

During the storm, river water eroded the Mustang field Pascolla has cared for over two seasons. The field is one of two used by 9- and 10-year-old baseball players. The Mini-Minor field is used by softball players, 5 to 8.

``Usually the water stays in the middle of the creek, but as you can see this storm made its way closer in and took tons of our dirt,'' Pascolla said.

As the rain continued its assault on the fields, Pascolla said the league might have to look for alternative sites when spring play begins.

The Mini-Minor and Mustang II fields hosts about 400 games a season and Pascolla said he feared another El Nino-powered storm could wipe out the two fields entirely.

``They can't take too much more,'' Pascolla said. ``If the rain stops now there is no guarantee we will have the fields ready by opening day anyway because of the work that needs to be done.''

According to the National Weather Service, a flash-flood watch was in effect along the Southern California coast throughout the day.

The main cold frontal band of the storm was expected to clear Los Angeles County on Tuesday afternoon, the NWS said.

By late Tuesday, the storm had brought more than three inches of rain to the Santa Clarita Valley. Weather service officials said that after a break Wednesday, more rain is expected to hit the area Thursday and Friday.