Palisades Baseball at Crossroads after Defeat

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

Eight months ago the Palisades High baseball season came to an end with a gut-wrenching 1-0 extra-inning defeat to Chatsworth.

On Saturday, the Dolphins were one out away from avenging that loss and when batter Ricky Arce hit a grounder down the third base line it appeared they would get it. However, the ball took a strange hop, glanced off the glove of third baseman Jack Woods and rolled 10 feet into foul territory, allowing the tying run to score from second. After an infield single loaded the bases, a walk forced home the winning run and the host Chancellors escaped with a 2-1 victory in eight innings in the Poly Classic.

It was Palisades’ first loss of the season and dropped the Dolphins to 1-1-1 overall, coming less than 24 hours after a 4-4 tie at Sylmar.

Addressing his players afterwards, Coach Mike Voelkel said the team is at an early season crossroads— and the direction it goes from here is up to them.

“This is one we should’ve had, but the key is how much we learn from it and how well we rebound,” said Voelkel, who has yet to celebrate a victory over Chatsworth. “There’s a ton of baseball left to play and we could see them again down the road.”         

Voelkel took over the Dolphins’ program in 2008 and in 14 years his teams are 0-7 against the nine-time City champions, five of those losses coming in the City playoffs.   

Mason Edwards, who had tossed a one-hit shutout in the Dolphins’ opener with Verdugo Hills on Feb. 12, enjoyed another strong outing on the hill, matching Chatsworth ace Joseph Saenz pitch for pitch through five scoreless frames. He allowed four hits, walked two and struck out eight before being lifted for reliever Tate Foxson, who got a strikeout with two runners aboard to end the sixth inning.

With one out in the top of the eighth, Jacob Herrera reached first on an error and advanced to third on Vincent Langdon’s long single. A strikeout and walk set up a duel between Chancellors reliever Josh Pollack and Emanuel Borror, who laid off several borderline throws to induce a base on balls that sent Herrera trotting home for the first  run of the game.

Foxson began his third inning of work with a four-pitch walk. After a visit to the mound from Voelkel, he bore down and fanned the next batter. Another walk and a fly out to center brought Arce to the plate. He fouled off several nasty pitches before putting the ball in play.

Herrera, Woods, Langdon and Aiden Jbara all got singles, Zach Gresham laced a double and John Iacono smacked a triple.         

Last Friday against Sylmar, Borror hit two singles, Langdon had a two-RBI double and pitcher Ryan Higgins had six strikeouts in three innings, allowing zero hits.