Monroe’s Zamudio Stops El Camino Real

When asked why he didn’t start Joel Zamudio last week in Monroe High’s first two San Fernando tournament games, Kevin Campbell had a tongue-in-cheek response ready.

“We’ve got to give a shot to the other guys,” the Vikings’ baseball coach said Tuesday with a wink. “It’s a tournament.

“Besides, (Zamudio) is just a runny-nosed 11th grader.”

Closer to a no-runned 11th-grader.

Zamudio kept high-rolling El Camino Real in check and Monroe rolled to a 7-2 victory as the tournament resumed Tuesday afternoon at El Camino Real.

El Camino Real (3-1) scored 46 runs in three lopsided tournament victories last week, but Zamudio had the Conquistadores pretty much under his thumb throughout.

Zamudio, making his first start, came with the hard stuff. The right-hander said he threw “maybe 11” curveballs, which could have proved disastrous in light of the opposition’s track record.

“I wasn’t worried,” Zamudio said. “I was confident.”

So were his teammates--after the third inning. El Camino Real pitcher Kevin Szymanski didn’t allow a hit over the first 2 2/3 innings. Szymanski, a right-hander with a sidearm delivery similar to that of Kennedy’s Miguel Diaz, didn’t allow a hit over the first 2 2/3 innings. Diaz tossed a no-hitter against Monroe (2-1) last week.

An error by All-City Section shortstop Dan Cey opened the door with two out in the third, however, and Monroe scored three unearned runs. As things turned out, that was enough for Zamudio (1-0), who struck out five, walked three and allowed eight hits.

“I think we took them too lightly,” Szymanski said. “We knew (Zamudio) was a good pitcher, but we thought we’d still score runs off him.”

They might have, if not for a key blunder.

El Camino Real had scored once in the sixth to close within 4-2 when a one-out baserunning error killed a rally.

After Chris Seal doubled home a run, he was replaced by pinch-runner Joey Maiden. Pinch-hitter Billy Burnette sent a grounder up the middle that was headed for center field, but second baseman Jose Chavez saved a run--and perhaps the game--with a headlong dive.

Chavez flipped the ball to shortstop Jorge Dorado, who found, to everyone’s surprise, that Burnette had run through a stop sign at third. Dorado threw to the plate to shoot down Maiden, chugging along with his head down, as the Monroe bench breathed a collective sigh of relief.

“Was I surprised? Yeah, I was surprised,” Campbell said. “Down, 4-2, and a guy gets tossed out at home on an infield hit?”

It was just one of El Camino Real’s self-inflicted wounds. The Conquistadores committed four errors and stranded 10 baserunners.

Monroe catcher John Shellabarger (three runs batted in) singled home a run to key a three-run seventh that iced the game for Monroe.