Hamlet Nalbandyan
Name the brand of mouthwash, and the Hoover High baseball team will
likely try it.
Anything to get rid of the disgusting taste of one-run losses.
For the third time this season, the Tornadoes were on the wrong
end of a 2-1 decision, this time to archrival Glendale in a Pacific
League game at Harvey Field on the campus of Glendale High.
*--*
BOX SCORE
*--*
*--*
Hoover 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 -- 1 9 4
Glendale 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 -- 2 3 0
*--*
*--*
Hoover IP H R ER BB K
Kwon 6 3 2 2 1 8
*--*
*--*
Glendale IP H R ER BB K
Perez 7 9 1 1 2 5
*--*
*--*
WP-- Perez (3-2).
LP-- Kwon (3-3).
2B: H-La, Snyder.
SB: H-Fung; G-Kim, Cardenas, Sohbatian.
*--*
Hoover (6-4, 2-3 in league) has lost all of its games by one run,
including every league contest by a 2-1 margin.
"It's getting frustrating," said Hoover Coach Jim Delzell, whose
squad has also lost to South Pasadena (3-2), Arcadia (2-1) and
Crescenta Valley (2-1 in eight innings) this season.
"We're not executing when we have to. Our situational hitting is
horrible right now.
"In tight games, you have to execute."
A big reason why the Tornadoes failed to deliver in the clutch was
Glendale pitcher Raul Perez.
Hoover had a hit in every inning but the first against the
6-foot-1 righty, collecting nine in total. But when push came to
shove, Perez came out on top.
The senior threw 93 pitches -- 66 for strikes -- and struck out
five. He also got Hoover to hit into two double plays, the second of
which came as a result of a phenomenal defensive play by first
baseman Jorge Leon.
Hoover's John La had opened the top of the sixth with a single to
center, and Larry Hernandez followed by hitting a smash down the
right field line.
But Leon, a lefty, made a diving catch before the ball hit the
ground and touched first base to double off a stunned La.
"Everything seemed to fall in place for us," Glendale Coach Jay
Chadwick said. "It took a great pitching performance from Raul and a
lucky play on defense, but we did enough to get the win."
The Nitros (7-5, 2-3) managed just three hits against Tornado ace
Tae Kwon, but two came in the third inning, resulting in both
Glendale runs.
After Hoover went ahead, 1-0, in the top of the inning thanks to a
run-scoring double by Matt Snyder, the Nitros answered by doing the
little things.
With one out, No. 9-hitter Patrick Lam walked -- the only base on
balls Kwon allowed -- and catcher Eric Cardenas followed with a
single to center.
On the hit, the Tornado centerfielder bobbled the ball slightly,
