Highland Hall Evens Score With 10-0 Rout

The fate of Tuesday’s game between Highland Hall High and South Bay Lutheran was decided long before the teams took the field at Petit Park in Granada Hills.

To Highland Hall Coach Dave Desmond, the game’s outcome was determined during the third quarter of a basketball game between the two Westside League schools at South Bay Lutheran, which Highland Hall lost, 112-45. After that game Desmond, who doubles as Highland Hall’s assistant basketball coach, claimed that the Waves intentionally padded the score.

“Our basketball coach, who is our athletic director, leaned over to me and said to me, ‘Boy, you better blow them out in baseball,’ ” Desmond said.

And Desmond fulfilled that desire with a 10-0 victory that was called after 4 1/2 innings because of rain.

“We’re running on the first pitch the whole game,” he said before the game. “We don’t believe in running up scores but we want them to feel like our kids felt in basketball.”

Seven of the 11 Highland Hall baseball players were also on the basketball team, so the win served as revenge. But despite the lopsided score, Desmond was not completely satisfied.

“We felt a good one-sided game would teach them a lesson,” he said. “But a 10-0 ballgame is nothing for them. Playing them is a waste of two games on our schedule. They just stick nine warm bodies out there.”

South Bay Lutheran Coach Jim Hammack, took no offense at Desmond’s tactics, however, even though the Hawks continued to steal bases with a nine-run lead.

“We weren’t holding them on close. It was just our inexperience showing,” Hammack said.

While the outcome was never in doubt, Aaron Rudelson (7-3) lost a bid for what would have been the second consecutive no-hitter for Highland Hall pitchers. Jakob Jensen tossed a no-hitter for Highland Hall (9-5, 3-0 in league play) Friday against Newbridge.

With two out in the top of the fifth, Derek Ehinger doubled to right for the Waves (1-7, 0-2) but was picked off second for the game’s last out. Mark Medina was the only other baserunner for South Bay Lutheran, and he, too, was picked off after walking in the third.

“He was disappointed about losing the no-hitter and we gave him a little bit about gagging. But he takes that in stride,” Desmond said of Rudelson.

The Hawks scored four runs in the first, five in the third and one in the fourth on seven hits, nine stolen bases, seven errors, six walks and a hit batter.