Taft Ends 8 Years of Futility by Beating Chatsworth

Tempers flared long before, and immediately after, Mike Kimelman’s two-out, eighth-inning single to center field scored Doug Kougher from second base to give Taft High a 3-2 victory Tuesday over visiting Chatsworth.

Kougher, who barely beat the throw from center fielder Kevin Chong, appeared to attempt a headfirst slide between the legs of catcher Eric Johnson. When the smoke from the ensuing collision had cleared, the Toreadors swarmed jubilantly onto the field, Johnson lay injured and Taft had defeated Chatsworth for the first time since 1981, snapping a string of 24 consecutive losses.

More importantly, the win moved Taft (15-9, 11-4 in league play) into a first-place tie with the Chancellors (18-6, 11-4) in the West Valley League with two games to play. The loss was Chatsworth’s second in a row and fourth in the past five games.

Seconds after the winning run had scored, however, a brawl nearly erupted. Several Chatsworth players challenged the Toreadors, who continued to celebrate while Johnson, who eventually left the field under his own power, remained on the ground.

After a brief team meeting, an uncharacteristically silent Chatsworth Coach Bob Lofrano hurried his players onto the bus.

“No comment,” Lofrano said repeatedly.

Taft Coach Rich McKeon insisted that his players were not celebrating Johnson’s injury.

“They weren’t happy because he was hurt, I’m positive of that,” he said. “I think that we were just happy that we beat them. This is a big win for us. That’s the first time we’ve played them when it’s even been close.

“I don’t like to see a game end like that. I don’t encourage it and I know Bob doesn’t. But it was an emotional moment . . . tie game and the winning run’s coming in.”

Taft senior right-hander Chris Brown (8-3) went the distance, limiting Chatsworth to six hits and striking out five, while Chatsworth ace Derek Wallace (9-2) went the distance in defeat.

“This is the biggest win in my four years here,” Taft catcher Adam Zutler said. “We’re just so happy to have finally beaten a team that’s looked upon as the greatest one around. We feel like now we can have some respect.”

Said Brown, who recorded his 11th complete game: “I was up most of the night figuring out how to pitch to their lineup. It’s great. I finally did it.”

A turbulent stage had been set long before Kougher doubled to begin the game-winning rally. In the fifth, Zutler and Chatsworth third baseman Rich Aude went nose to nose for a brief moment after Aude slid under Zutler with the tying run.

In the seventh, Chatsworth assistant Joe Koh was ejected by the plate umpire for arguing a ball-four call with Taft’s Rich Cosentino at bat.

Earlier in the seventh, the umpire called time to warn an overzealous Taft crowd, which taunted Wallace while he was batting.

And both Lofrano and McKeon had delivered lengthy protests over calls by the umpires. In the third, Lofrano argued in vain when Cosentino advanced from second to third on a ground ball after appearing to have left the basepath to avoid a tag by Aude. Cosentino later scored on a single by Glenn Nahmias to give Taft a 2-1 lead.

In the sixth, McKeon argued that Chatsworth’s Reed McMackin had interfered with second baseman Rich Shapiro by not sliding into the base. Shapiro retired McMackin but was unable to relay to first for a double play.

While at bat in the eighth, McMackin was called for interfering with Zutler, who threw wildly into center field while Chong was attempting to steal second. That triggered another protest from the Chatsworth dugout.