El Camino Real Bashes Cleveland Staff, 15-0

The Cleveland High pitching staff, which had cast the Cavaliers as the surprise team in the West Valley League this season, unraveled Thursday in an important league game at El Camino Real.

The Conquistadores erupted for nine runs in the bottom of the sixth inning off three Cleveland pitchers to score a 15-0 victory. The win comes just two weeks after Cleveland pitchers shackled El Camino, 3-1.

With Thursday’s victory, El Camino Real (5-1) remains tied with Chatsworth for first place. Cleveland (3-3) drops to third.

“We played sloppy the first couple of innings but then our hitting came around and we got some good pitching,” El Camino Real Coach Mike Maio said.

After scoring two runs in the first, second and fourth innings for a 6-0 lead, El Camino Real sent 14 batters to the plate in the sixth inning, 11 of those after two were out.

Cleveland pitcher Kirk Surabian was yanked after he hit Mike Stephenson with a pitch to start the inning. El Camino Real then chased George Mencia, who retired the first two batters he faced but then allowed five runs on four hits and a walk. Right fielder Mario Valencia, who made his pitching debut, replaced Mencia and gave up another three runs on two hits and three walks.

Designated-hitter Steve Smith tripled and singled and drove in three runs in the inning.

Maio got strong pitching performances from starter Craig Ruble and reliever Lance Gibson. Getting his first win of the season, Ruble allowed four hits in 3 innings, before going out with a four-run lead. Gibson pitched 3 innings and allowed only one walk.

“They’re both coming around,” Maio said of his pitchers. “They realize they have to do the job coming off the bench.”

With Surabian not 100% with a cold and Henry Schelb with a sore arm, Cleveland Coach Ray Todd started sophomore Tony Holiday, who was making only his second appearance. Holiday did not get out of the second inning, allowing three earned runs, before being replaced by Surabian, who lasted four-plus innings and gave up three runs.

Carl McFadden homered to left field off Surabian with one man on in the fourth for El Camino Real’s fifth and sixth runs. McFadden, a junior, finished 2 for 3 with 4 RBIs.

The closest Cleveland came to scoring came in the fourth, when Jimmy Doushgounian and Mike Bergen led off the inning with walks. Matt Hedding lined out to first baseman Ryan McGuire, who then doubled Doushgounian off second. Despite having a four-run lead, Maio replaced Ruble with Gibson, after the next batter, Ron Conway, walked.

“Ruble’s breaking ball wasn’t coming across and I was charting his pitches. They weren’t hitting the strike zone,” Maio said.

Gibson came in and finished the inning on one pitch and allowed only one runner in the final three innings.

“I think I pitched well. I was getting my fastball over for strikes and I was hitting the corners,” said Gibson, who picked up his second save.

So what happened to Cleveland?

“It might be different next round,” Todd said. “When we dip down into our reserves, we’re not too strong.”