In Final, Rivero Passed the Test

James Rivero must be the nicest, most humble 18-year-old on the planet. Each time one of his Notre Dame High baseball teammates received a college scholarship instead of him, he was happy.

“Congratulations,” he said when Jonathon Brewster signed with USC.

“Congratulations,” he said when Chris Dickerson signed with Nevada.

“Congratulations,” he said when Alec Moss signed with Xavier.

“Congratulations,” he said when Brendan Ryan signed with Lewis-Clark State.

“Congratulations,” he said when Matt Cunningham signed with Rice.

After three years as a varsity starter, after seemingly proving he could hit, field and run with the best, Rivero didn’t have a scholarship entering his final high school at-bat last month.

He was going to be a walk-on at Nevada.

But everything changed with one swing.

Rivero came to the plate in the seventh inning at Dodger Stadium in the Southern Section Division IV championship game. With two out and his team trailing, 4-3, he hit the first pitch over the 385-foot sign in left field for a score-tying home run against San Luis Obispo.

“It was like, ‘I can’t believe this is happening,’ ” he said. “Ever since you’re a kid, you dream about hitting a home run at Dodger Stadium. I was just living out my childhood dream.”

Notre Dame ended up losing, 5-4, but Rivero went home and the phone started ringing. Nevada called and offered financial assistance. Loyola Marymount called and set up a recruiting visit.

On the following Monday, Loyola Marymount offered him a scholarship he quickly accepted. Driving home, he used his cellular phone to contact his mother, Jami. As a single parent, she raised James through a challenging four years of high school.

“She wasn’t just my mom,” James said. “She was my best friend.”

James told her the news.

“She was in tears,” James said. “She was so happy.”

It seems cruel, even disheartening, that a high school senior who had been playing baseball since he was 5 and excelling each year was forced to wait until his final high school at-bat to convince others of his skills.

“It’s amazing what one swing of the bat could do for you,” Rivero said.

Rivero never gave up hope that his talents would be recognized, even when his friends were getting noticed ahead of him.

“I’ve known those guys through youth league,” he said. “They know how much I love baseball. I was sitting back seeing them get a scholarship. I was happy about it, but I wanted to get mine, too. I was frustrated, but I kept believing. It was almost like I knew something was going to happen.”

Coach Frank Cruz of Loyola Marymount said Rivero might have been overlooked because there were so many skilled players around him at Notre Dame.

“What I liked is that even though he was around these blue chippers, he always played so hard,” Cruz said. “When he hit that home run, you went, ‘Wow, what’s in the future for him?’ ”

Loyola Marymount is getting a 6-foot-3, 170-pound left fielder who’s just beginning to mature physically.

Rivero batted .385 with a career-high nine home runs last season. He’s batting .387 with a team-leading six home runs for the Van Nuys Show Ball American Legion team that begins the Area 6 playoffs Thursday against Ventura at Birmingham High.

“He’s a gamer,” Legion Coach Jody Breeden said. “He comes to play every out.”

This will be a summer to remember for Rivero. He’s preparing for his freshman year with the Lions by playing a final time with players who have become friends for life.

“I think I’ve played with one of the greatest group of kids in the world,” he said. “They’re all my best friends and we’re trying to ride this out as long as we can.”

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Players and coaches at North Valley PONY baseball aren’t going to forget the season of 10-year-old catcher Travis Forbes.

Following in the tradition of his favorite major leaguer, Ivan Rodriguez of the Texas Rangers, Forbes hit a league-record 19 home runs in 20 regular-season games. He finished with 31 home runs after tournaments, all-star games and invitationals. He played in the Mustang division, with the fence 187 feet from home plate.

“Nineteen home runs is incredible,” said Jeff Goodman, an opposing manager. “He’s a tremendous hitter.”

Forbes’ father, Bernie, was the third baseman on Granada Hills’ 1978 City Championship team that included John Elway.

Travis, who is entering fifth grade, also plays basketball and flag football. But he enjoys hitting home runs the best.

“It makes me feel good inside,” he said.

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Quarterback John Sciarra of St. Francis, who has looked terrific in summer passing tournaments, has been offered a scholarship to UCLA and is expected to commit.

Sciarra’s father, also named John, was quarterback for the Bruins in their 1976 Rose Bowl victory over Ohio State. The Bruins already have a commitment from 6-6 quarterback Matt Dlugolecki of Santa Margarita. . . .

Sciarra will be among eight seniors competing in a quarterback challenge at halftime of Saturday’s CaliFlorida All-Star game at the Rose Bowl. Other participants include Kyle Matter of Hart, Ricky Clausen of Taft and Matt Leinart of Mater Dei. Clausen is close to making his college choice, with Pittsburgh and LSU in the running. . . .

The best junior quarterback in Southern California this fall will be 6-5 Ben Olson of Thousand Oaks. He was most valuable player of the Brigham Young summer camp among junior quarterbacks. He makes deep throws look easy. He passed for 673 yards as a sophomore. Bet your Harry Potter books he passes for at least 2,000 yards this fall. . . .

The Soaring Eagles, a 13-and-under girls’ club basketball team based in Reseda, won the AAU National Invitational tournament in Phoenix.

The team was led by 5-8 Mariama Wrighster, 5-9 Angela Hamilton and 5-7 Briana Hight. Wrighster and Hamilton will be freshmen at Alemany and Canyon, respectively. Hight is an eighth-grader.

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Eric Sondheimer’s local column appears Wednesday and Sunday. He can be reached at (818) 772-3422 or eric.sondheimer@latimes.com