DIV. I: SYLMAR CLOSES IN ON CHAMPIONSHIP SYLMAR 7, SAN FERNANDO 1.Byline: Lee Barnathan Staff Writer None of the Sylmar baseball players was born the last time the school won a City Section baseball title. It was 1980, but no one recalls whom the Spartans Spartans residents of Greek city known for its stern dedication to militarism. [Gk. Hist.: EB, IX: 403] See : Austerity Spartans Doric people noted for bravery, frugality, and stern self-discipline. [Gk. Hist. beat. It was North Hollywood. Likewise, none of these kids was alive in 1983, the last time Sylmar reached the City final. They probably didn't know that because Chatsworth won. The lesson here is plain: Nobody remembers who finished second. So the Spartans have a new goal: win the City. As the top-seeded team, they took care of business Thursday in beating fellow Valley Mission League team and No. 12-seeded San Fernando San Fernando, city, Argentina San Fernando (săn fərnăn`dō), city (1991 pop. 144,761), Buenos Aires prov., E Argentina. It is a district administrative center in the Greater Buenos Aires area. 7-1 at Birmingham High in Lake Balboa Balboa, town (1990 pop. 2,751), Colón prov., in the former Panama Canal Zone, on the Gulf of Panama. The port for Panama City, Balboa was the administrative headquarters of the Panama Canal Zone. It was also the site of a U.S. navy base (closed 1999). . Sylmar (27-4) will play Cleveland of Reseda on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at Dodger Stadium • • [ . Cleveland hasn't reached the City final since Brett Saberhagen pitched a no-hitter in 1982. San Fernando, which lost all four times to Sylmar this season, finished 16-14-1 in being denied its first City final appearance since winning the 1991 title. It also will be Sylmar coach Gary Donatella's final game after 14 years. He has told his fellow league coaches and his seniors he is stepping down after the season. ``Look at him, he's beaming,'' senior pitcher Jamie Mah said. ``It makes it that much more special that we've taken a team the farthest.'' Of the four times these two teams met, this one was the most one-sided. Franciso Molina hit a two-run double as part of a five-run third inning in·ning n. 1. a. Baseball One of nine divisions or periods of a regulation game, in which each team has a turn at bat as limited by three outs. b. innings (used with a sing. that broke open a 2-1 game, and San Fernando contributed to that with three errors and a passed ball. ``One of those days,'' San Fernando coach Armando Gomez said. ``We didn't pick a good game to kick the ball around.'' Jamie Mah (7-0) pitched a complete-game six-hitter with three strikeouts, a walk and a hit-batter, showing no sign of the arm trouble that sidelined him early in the season. He sat out February and most of March when his right (throwing) arm swelled, apparently because swollen muscles blocked the blood flow. Mah said doctors told him rest would cure it. He began pitching during the Las Vegas Las Vegas (läs vā`gəs), city (1990 pop. 258,295), seat of Clark co., S Nev.; inc. 1911. It is the largest city in Nevada and the center of one of the fastest-growing urban areas in the United States. tournament the last week of March and hasn't had a problem since. He didn't have a problem in the fourth inning, when San Fernando got a runner to third with two outs. Mah got Bobby Esparza to fly to center. Nor was he fazed faze tr.v. fazed, faz·ing, faz·es To disrupt the composure of; disconcert. See Synonyms at embarrass. [Middle English fesen, to drive away, frighten in the sixth inning, when the Tigers got a runner to third with one out. He struck out Esparza and got Javier Loya to hit a soft liner liner /lin·er/ (lin´er) material applied to the inside of the walls of a cavity or container for protection or insulation of the surface. liner see teat cup liner. to shortstop. And he certainly wasn't bothered in the seventh inning. Two years ago, Mah wasn't pitching as he watched Sylmar blow a 6-0 lead in the seventh inning of a first-round loss to El Camino Real El Camino Real (Spanish for The Royal Road or The King's Highway) was the name of a series of pre-automobile highways linking the various New World colonies of Spain:
``Get three outs, throw strikes,'' he said. ``Three outs and we're there.'' Since the teams have played four times, San Fernando started freshman Steven Pujol (2-5) instead of junior Bobby Esparza, who had faced the Spartans three times, once striking out 12 in a 2-0 loss. Unfortunately for the Tigers, Sylmar already had faced left-handers in the first two rounds. As they have all season, the Spartans weren't satisfied with standing around waiting for someone to make the big hit. With runners at the corners in the first inning, Mah appeared to be picked off at first base, but as he ran between the bases, the throw home was too late to get Scott Cohen Scott Cohen (born December 19, 1964 in New York) is an American actor. Cohen is most widely known for his role as Wolf in the 2000 NBC mini-series The 10th Kingdom, his recurring role as Max Medina on the WB hit TV Series Gilmore Girls . That tied the game 1-1. Later that inning, Sylmar loaded the bases with a hit batsman and a walk, and David Luna drove in the game-winning run when Pujol hit him. San Fernando took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a John Sandoval walk and a Fausto Reyes Fausto Rey, Fausto Ramón Sepulveda, was born December 1, in Higuey at the east coast of Santo Domingo, the capital of Dominican Republic. Rey was the first contemporary Dominican singer to report a Full House double to deep center. With two hits, Reyes was the only batter to have any success against Mah. CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1) Sylmar players celebrate after defeating San Fernando 7-1 to put their school in the City baseball final for the first time since 1983. (2) Sylmar's Ezy Ruvalcaba beats tag by San Fernando's John Sandoval on steal of third during Sylmar's 7-1 semifinal victory. Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer |
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