Baseball: Birmingham tries to pull off upset

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For the first time since 1969, Lake Balboa Birmingham has reached the City Section Division I semifinals, and two unsung players have made major contributions.

Danny Gomez, a junior who started the season on the bench, has become a dependable hitter for the Patriots playing first base and second base.

And Nick Acosta has taken over at shortstop, stabilizing the Patriots’ infield.

“He’s done an unbelievable job playing short,� Coach Matt Mowry said.

Birmingham faces top-seeded Chatsworth in a 3 p.m. semifinal Wednesday at USC. Only two years ago, Birmingham was 2-24.

A big reason the Patriots have advanced this far is that pitchers Kevin Torres and Pedro Santoyo have given them an effective one-two punch.

-- Eric Sondheimer