Baseball: Notre Dame’s Dugan is on fire

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Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, the defending Southern Section Division III baseball champion, has advanced to the semifinals of the Valley Invitational Baseball League playoffs behind the powerful hitting of senior outfielder Kelly Dugan.

Against Crespi this past week, he batted left-handed and sent the ball to the right-field fence. Then he batted right-handed and sent the ball to the left-field fence. ‘He’s a real tough out,’ Coach Tom Dill said.

The semifinals bring together four of the best programs in the San Fernando Valley. On Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. at Brookside Park in Pasadena, it will be Hart taking on Chatsworth. At 6:30 p.m., it will be Notre Dame playing Cleveland. The championship game is Thursday night at Birmingham.

Notre Dame also has a rising junior pitching standout in David Armendariz, who like Dugan has been invited to the Area Code games. He has been throwing close to 90 mph. Eric Walbridge, injured last season, has come on as a pitcher, and outfielder Nick LaFace is proving to be a solid hitter.

Cleveland has an improving outfielder in Jeremy Stearn, who has delivered some clutch hits in recent games. The Cavaliers will rely on their pitching trio of John Wilson, David Carver and Robert Almendarez.

Chatsworth, the defending City Section champion, went 20-1 during the regular season and probably deserves the favorite role. All-City third baseman Ryan Cooperstone and All-City catcher Carlos Escobar Jr. have been performing well, as has sophomore pitcher Christian Lopez and senior pitcher Andrew Klausmeier. Hart has a hot hitter in Adam Bouyer, who hit three home runs in the quarterfinals.

It should be a great two days of summer baseball to end the season.

-- Eric Sondheimer