Nightmare seventh leads to Hoover loss

NORTHWEST GLENDALE — Having played six innings of near-flawless baseball as it related to defense and Tyler Delzell’s pitching, the Hoover High baseball team had cashed in on visiting Beverly Hills’ miscues to forge ahead by two runs with just three outs separating it from a win in its home opener.

Those three outs took a long time coming, however, as a seventh inning of calamity resulted in six Normans runs and a 7-3 loss for the Tornadoes in an Arcadia Elks Tournament contest.

“The wheels kinda came off the bus,” said first-year Hoover Coach Joe Cotti, whose team slipped to 1-2 on the young season.

After falling behind, 1-0, in the top of the first inning, the Tornadoes went ahead with a pair of unearned runs in the bottom of the fifth and tacked on another unearned run in the sixth.

Delzell had run into a bit of trouble in the sixth, however, and when he returned in the seventh gave up a double and a walk to mark the end of his day.

Roberto Guerrero came in to relieve him, but on a cold and windy day, had little time to warm up and it showed as he walked the bases loaded before allowing a game-tying single to Jonas Brock. The go-ahead run then came around on an error before the lead ballooned to 6-3 on a two-run double by Charlie Bennett, who had a pair of two-baggers and three runs batted in.

“You can’t make excuses, though,” Cotti said. “The cold and the conditions, it affects us and our opponent just the same.”

Sammy Cuccinello then came on in relief and recorded the first out of the inning by way of a sacrifice bunt, which ended with Delzell, now playing first, shouldering the runner and drawing the ire of the Beverly Hills dugout and a warning from the umpire.

After a walk and an infield single, Beverly Hills (2-1) scored to make it 7-3 before Cuccinello induced a popout and a Norman runner was tossed out stealing third.