Sylmar High is emerging as the favorite in Valley Mission League baseball behind rookie pitcher Alex Martinez, who struck out 10 Monday in an eight-inning 3-2 win over rival Granada Hills Kennedy.
Sylmar (7-3, 2-0) received a big diving catch in the eighth from outfielder Alonso Pedron that resulted in a double play.
Victor Carrera had the game-winning RBI in the eighth. Sophomore Mike Andrade went three for three.
As soon as Martinez arrived in the summer, coach Ray Rivera said he knew he would make a difference. He throws strikes and is cool under pressure.
It could be the final game for a while for both teams with rain and a three-day strike by the Los Angeles Unified School District beginning Tuesday.
Trabuco Hills 2, Reno 0: Trevor Kazahaya homered for Trabuco Hills.
Los Alamitos 8, Marina 1: Derek Valdez hit a three-run homer and Wyatt Madison struck out 13 in six innings for Los Alamitos.
La Mirada 9, Minden (Nev.) Douglas 4: Benjamin Kim had four hits in La Mirada’s win.
Capistrano Valley 5, Mission Viejo 4: Owen Geiss struck out nine in a complete game for Capistrano Valley.
Newbury Park 6, Calabasas 1: Cole Miller struck out seven in five scoreless innings for Newbury Park. Tyler Field had two hits.
Thousand Oaks 2, Westlake 0: Steve Gormley pitched the shutout, striking out eight and walking one.
Look Coast 5, Peninsula 4: Amari Hackett had two hits and three RBIs from Mira Costa.
Long Beach Poly 3, Long Beach Millikan 0: The Jackrabbits won the Moore League game.
Crespi 8, Bishop Alemany 4: Isaiah Magdaleno had two hits and two RBIs in the Mission League victory.
Centennial Crown 3, Norco 2: The Huskies earned a walk-off in the eighth to improve to 10-0.
Huntington Beach 3, Laguna Beach 2: It took nine innings to decide this with the winning run scoring on a passed ball.
Softball
JSerra 10, Mater Dei 2: Reese Ferrel went three for four with three RBIs for JSerra.
Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 9, Chaminade 5: Ella Parker and Charley Tapia each had three hits and three RBIs for Notre Dame. Parker hit his seventh home run of the season.
