Reseda Hoists the Flag With 11-2 Victory

RESEDA — Call it a watershed season for the Reseda High baseball team.

The Regents ended a 33-year drought with an 11-2 Mid-Valley League victory over Monroe on Tuesday that gave the Regents their first league title since 1963.

“I’m just so happy for the kids,” Reseda Coach Mike Stone said. “They worked hard and they deserved it.”

Stone, in his 18th season, labored himself for two days just to render the Reseda diamond playable.

Stone arrived at school Monday to discover a malfunction in the campus’ automatic-sprinkler system had resulted in the field being watered continuously for more than 54 hours.

“It was pretty bad,” Stone said. “I had water over my shoes.”

There was no ebb in the Regents’ offense.

Reseda (13-8, 11-6 in conference play) pounded out 15 hits against sophomore right-handers John Ennis (5-7) and Adam Kaplan--including doubles by Frank Casaccia, Isaac Lopez, Bobby Carrara and Travis Rutter.

Casaccia had three hits in five at-bats, including a run-scoring triple to highlight a six-run fifth inning that blew the game open, 11-1.

Senior right-hander Brian Menkin went the distance for the Regents, pitching a four-hitter and limiting the Vikings (11-13, 10-7) to single runs in the fourth and fifth.

Menkin (11-5) struck out nine and walked two. He also walked three times and added a run-scoring single.

“This year, we set out to win a league title,” said Menkin, who has played four years on the varsity. “Nobody really gave us a real shot. All the newspapers picked us to finish third. For myself, personally, I took that as a cold slap in the face.”

Said Stone: “He’s been awesome. His whole thing is his work ethic.”

Monroe Coach Jeff Brand said Menkin was more effective in a 2-0 victory over the Vikings earlier this season. But Monroe managed only four singles Tuesday and did not have more than one hit in an inning. Menkin ended three of the final four innings with a strikeout.

“We were swinging the bats but it wasn’t dropping,” Brand said. “It was tough getting hits.”

Reseda scored twice in the first inning on singles by Casaccia, Carrara, Oscar Cardona and Jason Woolman, who drove in three runs.

Carrara’s double to drive in Lopez in the second inning gave the Regents a 3-0 lead and chased Ennis.

Kaplan gave up nine hits and allowed eight runs.

Cardona of Reseda had three hits and Lopez added two hits and scored two runs.

Carrara was two for three and scored three runs.