YOUTH BASEBALL: HART'S MUSTANG TEAM OUT OF CONTENTION.

Byline: Gerry Gittelson Staff Writer

For more than a month, Hart's Mustang baseball team was nearly unbeatable. The 9- and 10-year-olds won 18 of 19 games - many by the 10-run mercy rule - through four tournaments, including a 12-1 victory Monday over host Chino Hills in the West Zone finale to qualify for the annual World Series in Irving, Texas.

Then Murphy's Law caught up with the boys.

Traveling to Texas became a nightmare Tuesday. Many of the youngsters didn't get any sleep before their departure because they left Santa Clarita at 4 a.m. to make a 6:45 a.m. flight from Irvine. Then a mix-up at the ticket counter, combined with unusually long lines, caused all players and coaches to miss the flight, forcing them to separate into different groups as they scrambled to book different flights later in the day.

When the kids finally reconvened in Texas, they were greeted by a record heat wave, with temperatures in the 106-degree range.

When competition started Wednesday, several controversial calls went against Hart in an exhausting 9-8 eight-inning opening loss to Tamiami, Fla., in the first round of pool competition, followed by a 3-hour, 45-minute 13-9 loss to host Irving in Thursday's second round.

The loss to Irving eliminated Hart from championship contention because the top two teams in each four-team pool qualify for the semifinals - but Hart was 0-2 while two others were 2-0 with one game remaining for all.

``We just never recovered from the first loss, and I think we hit a wall and ran out of gas,'' assistant coach Adam Bratt said. ``The heat index during the day was 111 degrees, and it was about 90 at night. We didn't have anything left in the tank.

``I think in that second game we got homered a little bit by the local umpire crew, but we don't want to make excuses. I'm not sure what really happened to us.''

Bratt said all three of Hart's coaches, including head coach Jeff Valaika, argued with umpires in Thursday's loss.

``They were like Leo Durocher and Billy Martin. All the arguing is why the game took so long,'' tournament director Gene Ellis said, noting the game wasn't finished until midnight.

Four Hart pitchers walked a combined 15 batters against Irving, a shocking total for a team that had held nearly all of its California opponents to five runs or fewer.

``Our pitchers were getting squeezed. There were a lot of close calls,'' Bratt said.

Hart played a final game against a team from Joliet, Ill., late Friday.

The locals were hoping to make a more significant impact after finishing second in the World Series last year and winning the title in 1998.

Nevertheless, Hart's participation has been quite an experience for the youngsters. The opening ceremony was a big deal; they toured the Ballpark at Arlington - including the clubhouse and the locker room - and Texas Stadium (home of the Cowboys); and they visited a sports museum and the site where John F. Kennedy was killed.

Also, some of the players participated in a skills contest Friday morning.

Alex Bishop had two doubles and James Bonds was 3 for 5 in the first game, and Christian Lopes and Patrick Valaika hit home runs in the second game.

Bonds finished third in Friday's home run contest, which also included Lopes and Cody Howard.

Gerry Gittelson, [phone]

gerry.gittelson(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

Patrick Valaika, right, homered in Hart's 13-9 loss to host Irving, Texas, at the Mustang World Series.

Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News