City Teams Hastily Assemble : Strike Compresses 4-A Playoffs Into One Weeklong Whirlwind

A matter of hours after many of his placard-toting compatriots finally finished stalking the sidewalks, Chatsworth High Coach Bob Lofrano and nine other Valley-area City Section 4-A Division baseball coaches hit the streets in search of their players.

“I can’t find some of the guys,” Lofrano said Thursday afternoon. “I’ve been calling, and some of them aren’t around.”

It was no small wonder, since most players figured that postseason play had been legislated out of existence earlier this week when the United Teachers-Los Angeles’ strike prompted the cancellation of the 4-A Division baseball playoffs. Coaches and players alike, or at least some of the players, received word late Thursday that the playoffs would resume, however.

And in the space of a few minutes, teams that Tuesday had stopped informal practices mobilized and were back on the field Thursday. It has been 14 days since players practiced under the supervision of their coaches.

Some practiced and some had team meetings. Despite the frenetic, last-minute blitz, coaches were unanimous in their expression of relief that the players would get a chance to sink or swim on their own.

“Now the kids get a chance to play,” said Poly Coach Jerry Cord, who learned Thursday at 4:30 p.m. that the playoffs had been rescheduled and spent the next 30 minutes trying to locate players via telephone. “That’s what they wanted and that’s what was important.”

In today’s first-round games:

San Fernando (16-6-1) at Monroe (10-10): Fifty-one weeks after meeting in the City championship game at Dodger Stadium, these teams meet again.

“If we could have gotten together and hand-picked who we wanted to play, we would have chosen Monroe,” San Fernando Coach Steve Marden said.

After losing to the Tigers three times in league play last season, Monroe upset San Fernando, 3-2, in the final behind left-hander Sean Henson--who struck out 10 in a complete-game effort--and Tim Costic, The Times’ Valley Player of the Year. Henson (4-5, 2.08 earned-run average) and Costic--who also pitches--return. The teams have not met this season.

Despite an 8-8 record, Monroe won the Mid-Valley League championship. San Fernando, which will use senior right-hander Frank Serna (7-4, 2.42 ERA), finished second to Kennedy in the North Valley League.

Senior shortstop Bobby Corrales (34 runs batted in) leads a contact-hitting San Fernando lineup in which five players are batting .400 or better. Fresno State-bound Costic is batting .370.

Gardena (9-11) at Chatsworth (19-6): Last season, the top-seeded Chancellors leveled Gardena, 28-4, in the first round. Once again, Chatsworth is the No. 1-seeded entry.

Chatsworth, the West Valley League champion, will face either senior right-hander Ernesto Ron (2-3, 4.53) or sophomore right-hander Dane Woolwine (3-2, 1.58). Shortstop Rex Carroll leads Gardena--the third-place team from the Pacific League--with a .470 average and seven doubles.

Lofrano is undecided whether Derek Wallace (9-2), Reed McMackin (7-2) or Jason Evans (2-1) will start.

Venice (9-7) at Kennedy (18-7): Venice defeated Kennedy in a tournament game two months ago, but the odds of a repeat performance diminished when ace Steve Campos--who beat Kennedy, 4-2, in a season opener--was kicked off the team in mid-season for disciplinary reasons.

Kennedy, the North Valley League champion, is potent offensively. Senior shortstop Gino Tagliaferri leads Valley players with 11 home runs. Six players are batting .300 or better and five have at least 20 RBIs. Kennedy, the No. 2-seeded team, will start junior left-hander Denny Sharp (6-2).

El Camino Real (9-7) at Sylmar (17-3): From strikes to streaks. One has ended, and so will another for one of these teams.

Sylmar, the East Valley League champion, has won eight in a row and 16 of 17. El Camino Real, after a 1-7 start, has won eight in a row.

Sylmar will start senior right-hander Nino Romo (8-2, 2.11), who also leads area City hitters with a .500 batting average (29 for 58).

While Sylmar wins with pitching and defense--no player has driven in more than 18 runs--the Conquistadores have merely been as hot as their starting pitching. Right-hander Patrick Treend (4-3) and left-hander Ryan McGuire (4-1) have combined for eight consecutive complete games.

El Camino Real’s Jason Cohen leads the team with a .436 average. The Conquistadores have averaged 9.1 runs during their streak.

Van Nuys (8-8) at Taft (15-10): Taft, the runner-up in the West Valley League, will start senior right-hander Chris Brown (8-3), who has 11 complete games.

Taft has beaten some of the best, including Kennedy, San Fernando and Chatsworth--its first win over the Chancellors in eight years. Taft outfielders Glenn Nahmias (.409, nine doubles) and Jason Shapiro (.333) lead the team offensively.

Keith Quigley and Mike Engler, three-year starters who both hit .400 this season, are the keys to Van Nuys, the runner-up in the Mid-Valley League.

Grant (15-4) at Banning (16-8): Banning right-hander Chico Limas (8-2, 1.30) has 83 strikeouts in 70 innings, but Grant senior right-hander Javier Delahoya (9-0) has fanned 79 in 63 innings.

Limas and Delahoya also supply offensive spark. Limas hit .342 and Delahoya batted .372 with 12 extra-base hits, four home runs and 23 RBIs. Infielder Steve Pelote has 25 RBIs for Grant.

Poly (15-8) at Palisades (22-4): Right-hander Mario Gomez (6-4) will start for Poly against hard-hitting Palisades.

Palisades, the Western League champion, averages seven runs a game. The Dolphins’ Nos. 2-5 hitters, Jason Beckerman (.333), Mike Codran (.358, 13 steals) and Barry Levine (.380, four home runs), are hard to work around.

Poly is led by leadoff man Shad Martinez (.450) and cleanup hitter Eddie Chavez (.410, six home runs, 30 RBIs).