BASEBALL NOTEBOOK: SUMMER A BREEZE FOR CLEVELAND.

Byline: HEATHER GRIPP Staff Writer

Cleveland High of Reseda's baseball team began the summer without a coach. At this point, all the Cavaliers are missing as the summer season winds down are losses.

Cleveland went undefeated in the Valley Invitational Baseball League regular season and began the playoffs Tuesday with a 9-0 victory over Granada Hills, extending the Cavaliers' winning streak to 18 games.

``That was important for these kids to have success,'' said Cleveland coach Greg Venger, who joined the Cavaliers' staff as an assistant midway through the high school season and was hired as the replacement for Joe Cascione, who resigned at the end of the season. ``Because many of them were distraught when Joe resigned. They didn't know what to expect.''

Top-seeded Cleveland, aiming for a berth in Monday's championship game, plays host to Hart of Newhall in the quarterfinals at 5 p.m. today. The Cavaliers would love a chance to face West Valley League rival and defending VIBL champion El Camino Real of Woodland Hills for the title; the teams were in separate divisions and have not met this summer.

``I think we're making a statement,'' Venger said. ``When you talk about the top teams in the area, we've got to be up there, it's not just El Camino and Chatsworth anymore. ... The kids are real motivated.''

Chris Reed, an incoming junior, has emerged as one of the team's top pitchers, while ace Mickey Brodsky has had his innings on the mound limited after a busy high school season.

Reed improved to 5-0 with five innings of one-hit work Tuesday, an outing in which he had a perfect game through four innings. Teammate Cesar Luna is 3-0 with a 1.08 ERA.

Second baseman Rigo Ramirez (.473) leads a lineup that is hitting better than .400. Alex Gast, a transfer from Taft of Woodland Hills, is batting .465. Brodsky is hitting .464 with a team-high three home runs and 21 RBIs.

``We're a scrappy team that scores runs and finds ways to win,'' Venger said.

Sizzling Celts: Crespi of Encino hasn't had to look far to find a new centerpiece to its pitching staff after the graduation of All-Southern Section ace Matt Wabby. Left-hander Ryan Hawthorne, an incoming junior, has been one of the area's hottest pitchers this summer.

Hawthorne is 4-0 with 52 strikeouts in 36 innings for the Celts, who are in today's VIBL quarterfinals. He had 10 strikeouts and allowed four hits in five shutout innings during Saturday's playoff victory over Sylmar. In his final start of the regular season, Hawthorne surrendered just one hit and struck out seven of the 12 batters he faced in a victory over Taft.

More playoffs: The American Legion District 20, 17-and-under Division 2 playoffs begin today at Antelope Valley of Lancaster and Highland of Palmdale high schools. Acton (17-3-1) is the top seed, followed by Highland (17-4).

The winner of the six-team, double-elimination tournament advances to the Area 6 tournament at Pepperdine.

On the move: Lancaster High coach Matt Anderson is leaving the Eagles to become a vice principal at Palmdale. Lancaster finished third in the Golden League this year and was 49-28 in Anderson's three seasons as head coach.

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Cleveland's Mickey Brodsky has pitched little this summer, but has been great at the plate.

Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer