Baseball: Chatsworth is top seeded for City playoffs

For the sixth consecutive season, Chatsworth has been seeded No. 1 for the City Section Championship Division playoffs that begin on Wednesday. But the Chancellors (25-5) don't have an easy road after an interesting seeding meeting on Saturday.

The Chancellors were put in the same bracket as No. 4 Kennedy and face a challenging second-round game against the winner of the Palisades-Banning game. Chatsworth will open at home against No. 16 Poly.

The best first-round matchup figures to be No. 14 Taft (12-17) and its ace pitcher, Ryan Santhon, facing No. 3 Roosevelt (31-5-1) and its ace pitcher, Martin Villanueva, at East L.A. College.

I like the draw for No. 6 Cleveland (24-7-1), which is out of Chatsworth's bracket and opens against No. 11 San Fernando (16-14). And No. 10 El Camino Real is my clear favorite to pull off the first upset of the tournament against No. 7 Verdugo Hills.

Here are the first-round pairings:

No. 16 Poly (18-12) at No. 1 Chatsworth (25-5); No. 9 Banning (20-10-1) at No. 8 Palisades (19-11-1); No. 12 San Pedro (13-15) at No. 5 Marshall (26-4); No. 13 Grant (17-9) at No. 4 Kennedy (20-10).

No. 14 Taft (12-17) at No. 3 Roosevelt (31-5-1); No. 11 San Fernando (16-14) at No. 6 Cleveland (24-7-1); No. 10 El Camino Real (18-13) at No. 7 Verdugo Hills (22-10); No. 15 Sylmar (13-12) at No. 2 Narbonne (24-6).

The final is set for noon on May 31 at Dodger Stadium.

-- Eric Sondheimer






Baseball: Los Angeles is seeded No. 1 for City Invitational playoffs

Los Angeles (19-6), the Southern League champion, is seeded No. 1 for the City Invitational tournament.

Pairings for the first-round games on Wednesday:

No. 16 Fremont (19-5) at No. 1 Los Angeles (19-6); No. 9 Franklin (15-10) at No. 8 Granada Hills (9-21); No. 12 Wilson (12-9) at No. 5 Carson (9-22); No. 13 North Hollywood (13-15) at No. 4 South Gate (13-10); No. 14 Bell (17-8) at No. 3 Arleta (20-6); No. 11 Reseda (5-12) at No. 6 South East (20-12); No. 10 Westchester (13-12) at No. 7 Crenshaw (16-8); No. 15 Gardena (6-17) at No. 2 Birmingham (10-16).

-- Eric Sondheimer