Agoura American Legion baseball team ends great season at regional tourney in Wyoming

Special to The Acorn


When Agoura’s baseball team returned from Sheridan, Wyo. Tues. Aug. 21, it wasn’t with the Northwest American Legion Region 7 Tournament championship trophy or a World Series title.


What the 18 years and under team (32-9) brought back was a world of summer memories from:


• Marching through the A Division National League season.


• Winning the District 16 playoffs at Camarillo High and the Area 6 playoffs at Birmingham High and UCLA.


• Finishing runnerup in the state tournament in Yountville.


• And completing the regional tourney in Wyoming.


And as summer season ends, the fall season is quickly approaching for head coach Zach Miller and many members of the Agoura High Charger baseball team.


"We start the first week in September. Even in college, baseball is year-round. If there is no passion, there is no reason for being out here," Miller said. "I’m not looking forward to the Marmonte League (spring) season right now. But after the summer Legion season, it will be good. Look at the talent. I like the situation we’re sitting in."


Brandon Canning and J.T. Trelatsky are penciled in as starters for the 2002 spring season, Miller said, and Nick Trombetta "is a legitimate closer and there’s more down there. We’ll take care of ourselves."


The American Legion season ended when Agoura lost to Lewiston, Idaho, 6-4, at Thorne-Rider Stadium on Mon., Aug. 20 despite Chris Denove’s fifth consecutive game with a home run and three RBIs. His homer and a pair of hits by Trombetta were the team’s offensive backbone.


Canning, taking the mound the second consecutive night for Agoura, gave up for four runs in 5 2/3 innings.


Lewiston’s Dustin Zager pounded four hits, Josh Burton drove in three runs, Nate Martin and Jake Rogers had two hits and starter Joe Broemeling fanned eight Agoura batters to pace their team’s trip to the Legion World Series later that week in Yakima, Wash.


Agoura beat Bellevue, Wash., 10-7, on Sun., Aug. 19 after taking a 5-0 lead in the third inning and going ahead 7-5 during the sixth in the semifinal game.


Jamie Hesslegesser was 3 for 4 including a double and a homer. Luke Riordan hit a home run and had three RBIs and Denove also hit a round-tripper. Ashley Trujillo and Jason Lefkowitz were 2 for 5 and Brian Grant garnered two hits and two RBI.


Canning was the winning pitcher of that game, pitching 6 1/3 innings.


Bellevue’s Daniel Lundeberg absorbed the loss, Jay Miller was 2 for 5 with a homer and three RBIs and Chad Nelson also hit a home run.


Earlier on Sat., Aug. 18, Agoura shut out the Helena Senators 5-0 with Chris White getting the win while pitching a three-hitter. Trujillo was 3 for 4. Denove homered and Trelatsky and Trombetta each added an RBI for Agoura.


Lewis Corpas took the loss allowing one hit between the third and seventh innings. But then in the seventh after two outs, Trombetta reached first on an error, Trujillo doubled for an RBI and scored on Trelatsky’s single and Agoura was in command on two runs that inning and one in the second.


In the Fri., Aug. 17, game, Agoura overpowered the Cheyenne team, 18-8, in a mercy-rule win over the Wyoming State champion in eight innings while banging out 21 hits and scoring nine runs during the fifth.


Riordan went 4 for 5 with a triple and a home run, scoring three times and getting a pair of RBIs.


Denove hit a home run and had three RBI, Grant was 3 for 6 with a double and a triple and Trujillo went 3 for 4 with two doubles. Hesslegesser, Adam Schneider and Lefkowitz got a pair of hits apiece.


Agoura, down 8-4, scored nine runs in the fifth inning.


In the opening game Thurs., Aug. 16, North Salem rallied for six runs during the 10th inning to top Agoura 13-12. Agoura’s day at the plate included 22 hits.


Donove was 4 for 6 and threw out Anthony Isabella who was attempting to steal during the ninth inning.


North Salem’s Jeff Farnes scored the winning run on a single after he and his teammates were close to losing in the ninth inning. The game was tied at 7 on back-to-back homers by Ryan Penn and Jed Lowrie and North Salem trailed 12-7 in the 10th before coming back to win.


Denove went 4 for 6 including a home run, Trujillo went 4 for 5, Lefkowitz was 3 for 5 and Grant was also 3 for 5 with three RBIs.


Canning held Salem scoreless into the fourth inning. But Salem erupted with three runs in the fourth and added another in the fifth. Canning allowed another run in the ninth inning and Trombetta gave up the tying run in the ninth and six more in the 10th.


For North Salem, Lowrie went 3 for 5 with five RBI. Isabella went 3 for 6 with two RBI, two runs and two stolen bases. Penn went 3 for 5 and scored four runs.





Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *