Baseball: An incredible week for Chatsworth’s pitching staff
Not even during the days of Tom Meusborn when he was winning eight City Section championship as coach of the Chatsworth Chancellors did he have a pitchng staff that pulled off the feat of the Chancellors this past week.
It started on Tuesday, when sophomore Josh Garcia allowed two hits in the first inning against No. 1-ranked Harvard-Westlake, then no-hit the Wolverines over the final five innings in a 1-0 loss.
On Thursday, four Chatsworth pitchers held tough in a 3-3, 10-inning tie against another strong Mission League opponent, Alemany.
On Friday, John Cashman threw a complete game shutout in the first game of a doubleheader against Sherman Oaks Notre Dame. Then freshman Tommy Palomera shut out the Knights for six innings in a Chatsworth victory. On Saturday, Niko Switalla shut out Etiwanda for six innings in a victory.
Five games in five days against quality teams using seven pitchers. The Chancellors (6-1-1) went 3-1-1 and made it clear they deserve the favorite’s role for the City Section Division I championship under first-year Coach Curtis Scott.
Most intriguing is the freshman, Palomera, who hasn’t given up a run in 14 innings in his first season of high school baseball.
The Chancellors are looking like the Chancellors of old, relying on pitching and defense. Longtime assistant Fred Pudrith has been a big help for Scott, a former Newbury Park coach who’s made a smooth transition taking over for Meusborn.
“I’m really enjoying it,” he said. “It’s a fun place to be.”
The City Section, however, appears to be loaded with quality pitchers this season. Banning sophomore Michael Ramirez is 2-0 with a win over St. John Bosco. And he’s not even No. 1 on his staff. That belongs to Gino Brockway. San Fernando has two-time All-City selection Alonzo Garcia. Narbonne has Dalton Rocha. El Camino Real has Jeremy Polon.
But what Chatsworth showed this week is the kind of pitching depth that will leave the Chancellors tough to beat over the course of an entire season. Then it will be up to Scott to decide who’s best for the playoffs, and in Garcia and Palomera, he’s building an imposing one-two punch for the next few years.
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