Canoga Park Wears the Look of a Champion

Call it dressing for success. Or overdressing for the occasion since the warm temperature at Taft High on Wednesday suggested that no jacket was required.

But pitchers Mike Roberts and Adam Schulhofer proudly donned their newly acquired green jackets, which on the back proclaimed Canoga Park the defending City Section 4-A Division champion. And the Hunters played like champions, defeating Taft, 9-5, in a West Valley League finale.

“We want to win this thing again more than anything,” Roberts said. “We’re going to keep going. We won’t quit.”

Canoga Park (11-7, 10-5 in league play) already had clinched second place. But the Hunters, led by Roberts, who pitched 3 innings, and Schulhofer (4-0), who pitched the final three, maintained intensity until the final out.

“You play the best baseball you can for seven innings,” Canoga Park Coach Horace Consolo said.

Consolo paced the dugout the full seven innings, barking instructions and sparring verbally with the plate umpire. The Hunters responded with a 14-hit attack against loser Travis Arsenault (6-6) and Chris Brown.

Del Marine, who was 4 for 5, clubbed two home runs and Adrian Garcia blasted a solo homer one pitch after Marine’s solo shot in the second inning to give the Hunters a 2-0 lead.

Canoga Park led, 4-0, in the fourth, but the Toreadors (9-15, 5-10), who play El Camino Real in a tiebreaker for the league’s final playoff berth, scored two runs in the bottom of the inning.

After the runs had scored, Consolo replaced Roberts with John Medina. Dax Tobin lined a comet into Medina’s glove and Medina threw to third, catching Rich Cosentino off base for a double play.