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Roosevelt's 11-run inning eliminates Taft in first round

Roughriders cruise in City Section Championship Division playoffs, 11-0.

May 22, 2008


It had been 10 years since Woodland Hills Taft last made the City Section Championship Division baseball playoffs, and that's about how long it must have felt in the second inning for pitcher Ryan Santhon as he stood on the mound during Roosevelt's two-out, 11-run outburst.

"It was a nightmare," Taft Coach Chuck Berrington said. "We couldn't get out of it."

Roosevelt (32-5-1), seeded third in the 16-team tournament, cruised to an 11-0 victory Wednesday at East Los Angeles College in a first-round playoff game that ended after 4 1/2 innings because of the mercy rule.

"It was amazing as an inning," said Roosevelt third baseman Frank Aguilar, who contributed a three-run home run. "Everything went our way."

Roosevelt sent 14 batters to the plate and took advantage of three errors, five walks, a hit batter and two wild pitches.

Santhon (6-7) was on the verge of getting out of the inning without allowing any runs when everything began to unravel.

With runners on second and third and two outs, Santhon's pitch went past catcher Danny Axelrod, allowing one baserunner to score. Then freshman third baseman Jordan Berger couldn't handle a ground ball, scoring another run. A hit batter and two walks forced in the third run. Daniel Vargas drove in two runs with an infield single.

After another walk, Jonathan Torres hit a ground ball that struck freshman shortstop Jerry Barajas in the mouth, scoring two runs. A bad throw by Axelrod on a steal attempt scored the eighth run. After a walk, Aguilar hit his three-run home run, and that was all for Santhon.

Daniel Fisher came in and held Roosevelt hitless for the final 2 1/3 innings, but the game was over. Taft hitters were limited to one hit by three Roosevelt pitchers.

"I'm frustrated," Berrington said. "We didn't show the team we really are. We got to go back to the drawing board."

Taft (12-18) had made impressive improvement this season, defeating top-seeded Chatsworth and sixth-seeded Reseda Cleveland in West Valley League play, but the Toreadors' inexperience and youth were exposed by the Roughriders.

Roosevelt, the Eastern League champion, has hopes of reaching the City Championship game on May 31 at Dodger Stadium. Coach Scott Pearson has two dependable pitchers in Martin Villanueva (10-2) and Chito Alvarez (15-1).

Villanueva, a two-time All-City left-hander, struck out five in his three hitless innings Wednesday and should be available for Friday's quarterfinal game against Cleveland, a 6-1 winner over San Fernando.

Considering that seven-time City champion Chatsworth struggled in a 1-0 opening victory over Sun Valley Poly, this year's tournament appears to be wide open.

eric.sondheimer@latimes.com