Baseball: El Camino Real wins West Valley League title

A team that started the season 3-5 is ending it as one of the hottest in the City Section. El Camino Real won the West Valley League title on Thursday and pretty much wrapped up the No. 1 seed for the Division I playoffs by defeating Cleveland, 7-3.

The Conquistadores finished the regular season at 23-7 overall and 9-1 in league. Kyle Granillo, getting the start because of an injury, contributed two hits and four RBI. Jordan Berg picked up the pitching victory and Matt Malconian got the save with two strikeouts in the seventh.

“It feels good, but we know we have a lot of work to do,” Coach Josh Lienhard said.

The playoff pairings come out on Monday, and action doesn’t begin until May 19.

Chatsworth finished second after a 3-2 win over Granada Hills. Tyger Goslin had the game-winning RBI in the eighth inning. Adrian Acosta had two hits. Chris Murphy struck out eight in seven innings for Granada Hills.

Birmingham defeated Taft, 8-7, rallying from a 7-0 deficit. Edgar Rivas had three RBIs and Adrian Rodriguez picked up his second win of the week with two shutout innings of relief.

Norco took another step toward winning the Big VIII League title with a 6-2 win over Corona Santiago. Kyle Hatton threw a four-hitter.

Temescal Canyon (20-4, 12-1) continued its domination in the Sunbelt League with a 9-5 win over Elsinore. Dylan Alhanati threw a complete game and went four for four.

Culver City defeated Hawthorne, 2-1. Jay Sterner hit a home run and Nolan Martinez threw a four-hitter.

Murrieta Mesa defeated Great Oak, 3-1. Andy Thomas had a home run.

Lawndale defeated El Segundo, 1-0. Tyler Bonsky threw the shutout.

In the Montview League, Baldwin Park defeated Gladstone, 6-3. Tito Acevedo threw a complete game. Anthony Franco was three for three with four RBIs.

Twitter:@LATSondheimer