DAY IN SPORTS: ECR GETS BY BIRMINGHAM.

Byline: Daily News

The El Camino Real High baseball team knows how to win close ballgames. The Conquistadores of Woodland Hills proved it once again Wednesday in a 6-5 West Valley League victory over rival Birmingham of Lake Balboa.

Jeremy Boyle's sixth-inning single scored Eric Boranian to break a 5-5 tie for ECR (24-4, 12-1).

Daniel Lee started the rally in the sixth, when he was hit by a pitch and moved to third on Boranian's double. Lee scored on Nick Eustrom's single to tie the game, setting up Boyle's game-winner.

``It was a good team effort,'' ECR coach Matt LaCour said. ``It's important for our guys to win close games like that toward the end of the season in a playoff-type atmosphere.''

Christian Hariot and Lee each hit two-run home runs for ECR, and Greg Acheatel (8-1) pitched three innings of one-hit relief with two strikeouts and no walks to earn the victory.

In other prep baseball games:

--Cleveland 4, Chatsworth 3: Robert Mandell scored the game-winning run for Cleveland (17-11, 7-6) when Justin Cassel walked Billy Spottiswood with the bases loaded.

With the West Valley League victory, the Cavaliers of Reseda swept all three games from the Chancellors (23-5, 8-5), who were ranked No. 1 in the nation earlier this season but finished third in league.

--Granada Hills 10, Taft 0: Jon Beal struck out 10 in a complete-game two-hitter, and Ryan Braun homered twice and had four RBI as visiting Granada Hills posted a five-inning mercy-rule victory in a West Valley League game.

In men's golf:

--U.S. Open qualifiers: Roger Gunn, teaching professional at Tierra Rejada GC in Moorpark, shot 1-under-par 70 at Newport Beach CC to qualify for the June 3 U.S. Open Sectional at Lake Merced GC in Daly City. Amateur Anthony Kim of La Quinta, a former area prep star at Campbell Hall of North Hollywood, qualified for the Sectional by shooting 2-under-par 70 at Ironwood CC in Palm Desert.

Also:

--Sun picks 49ers: Liz Sun, an All-City Section guard and four-time Chatsworth High MVP, has signed a letter of intent with Cal State Long Beach.

Sun, who helped Chatsworth reach the City championship final this year, will redshirt her first season with the 49ers because of a knee injury suffered in a high school all-star game.

--All-Big West softball: Cal State Northridge's Summer Richardson and Christen Bedwell were first-team all-Big West Conference softball selections for the second consecutive season.