Baseball Notebook: Apache Invitational Features Area's Best

For baseball fans in the San Gabriel Valley, the 2011 Apache Invitational is the gift that keeps on giving.

The eight-team tournament that begins Saturday morning and runs until Wednesday night, features some of the top squads in the area, all but one of the teams in the tournament boasts a winning record. 

The field is divided into two pools of four teams. Pool A includes Arcadia (7-2), Monrovia (7-4-1), Nogales (8-3) and West Covina (3-8).

Glendora (7-2), San Dimas (7-4), Temple City (7-3) and Bonita (8-2) make up Pool B.

On Saturday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, fans will be treated to a day packed with four games — all at Arcadia’s Giambrone Field. The tournament’s championship game between the top finishers from each pool is scheduled for Wednesday at 7 p.m.

The schedule is bliss for any high school baseball enthusiast, but for Arcadia coach Nick Lemas it’s a lot of work. 

“I get to the field at 8 a.m. and leave at 10 p.m. — it’s a 14-hour day” he said.

But the exhausting schedule for Lemas — this will be his fifth Apache Inviational – is well worth it.

“The level of play is always really good — definitely fun to watch,” Lemas said. “I love baseball so four good games four days in a row (is great), just watching good competition.”

The Apaches play Nogales on Saturday at 7 p.m. and then face West Covina on Monday and Monrovia on Tuesday.

Lemas said one of the advantages of the tournament is that it allows him to experiment with different lineups against tough competition before his team resumes Pacific League play April 15 at Crescenta Valley.

“You always want to catch a game against one of the better teams in the area to see where you stand,” Lemas said.

For the Wildcats, who play West Covina at 10 a.m. on Saturday, the tournament was a necessary move in order to fill a quirky regular season schedule. Monrovia potentially could have gone close to three weeks in between games had it not elected to participate in the Apache Invitational.

The Wildcats also scheduled a non-league game at Poly on April 14 before Rio Hondo League play restarts April 20 against La Canada. 

“I think it’s just a matter of a couple of things: seeing different competition, which is always fun, and a lot of our guys get a chance to play who might not have had a lot of opportunities yet,” Monrovia co-coach Dave Moore said of the benefits the tournament provides.

“We’re going to end up pitching a couple of kids on the mound that haven’t gotten a lot of work.”

Monrovia is in need a few extra arms because of the 25 innings the Wildcats played this week thanks to an 11-inning marathon win over Temple City on Tuesday. In that game Kevin Shue threw more than 100 piches in six-plus innings, and Carl Daniels threw five innings.

“25 innings of baseball, which has been a hectic 25 innings, it’s tough,” Moore said.

Moore said the Wildcats called up sophomore James Tubbs from the junior varsity squad for the tournament. 

Below is the complete schedule for the 2011 Apache Invitational:

Saturday

West Covina vs. Monrovia, 10 a.m. (Pool A)

Bonita vs. Temple City, 1 p.m. (Pool B)

San Dimas vs. Glendora, 4 p.m. (Pool B)

Nogales vs. Arcadia, 7 p.m. (Pool A)

Monday

Glendora vs. Bonita, 10 a.m. (Pool B)

Temple City vs. San Dimas, 1 p.m. (Pool B)

Nogales vs. Monrovia, 4 p.m. (Pool A)

Arcadia vs. West Covina, 7 p.m. (Pool A) 

Tuesday

San Dimas vs. Bonita, 10 a.m. (Pool B)

Glendora vs. Temple City, 1 p.m. (Pool B)

West Covina vs. Nogales, 4 p.m. (Pool A)

Monrovia vs. Arcadia, 7 p.m. (Pool A) 

Wednesday

Pool A No. 4 vs. Pool B No. 4, 10 am.

Pool A No. 3 vs. Pool B No. 3, 1 p.m.

Pool A No. 2 vs. Pool B No. 2, 4 p.m.

Pool A No. 1 vs. Pool B No. 1, 7 p.m.

All games will be played at Arcadia’s Giambrone Field

Crescenta Valley Set to Host Babe Herman Tournament

The Arcadia Invitational isn’t the only local tournament set to begin Saturday. Crescenta Valley is the host school for the 2011 Babe Herman Tournament, which features 10 teams and will run from Saturday to Wednesday.

The tournament is divided two pools of five teams. Crescenta Valley, North Torrance, Oak Park, Santa Monica and South Torrance make up the National pool, while the American pool features Covina, El Segundo, Pasadena, South Pasadena and West Torrance.

Pasadena and South Pasadena will square off on Saturday at 12:05 p.m at Pasadena High, while Crescenta Valley takes on Santa Monica at 7 p.m. at Stengel Field in Glendale.

Below is the complete schedule for the 2011 Babe Herman Tournament:

Saturday

West Torrance vs. El Segundo, 10 a.m. (Stengel Field)

Pasadena vs. South Pasadena, 12:05 p.m. (Pasadena High)

Oak Park vs. South Torrance, 1 p.m. (Stengel Field)

North Torrance vs. Covina, 4 p.m. (Stengel Field)

Crescenta Valley vs. Santa Monica, 7 p.m. (Stengel Field) 

Monday

South Pasadena vs. El Segundo, 11 a.m. (Stengel Field)

Covina vs. Pasadena, 3:15 p.m. (Covina High)

Santa Monica vs. North Torrance, 3:15 p.m. (Santa Monica High)

West Torrance vs. South Torrance, 3:30 p.m. (Stengel Field)

Crescenta Valley vs. Oak Park, 7 p.m. (Stengel Field) 

Tuesday

South Torrance vs. South Pasadena, 10 a.m. (Stengel Field)

El Segundo vs. Covina, 1 p.m. (Stengel Field)

Santa Monica vs. Oak Park, 3:15 p.m. (Santa Monica High)

Pasadena vs. West Torrance, 4 p.m. (Stengel Field)

Crescenta Valley vs. North Torrance, 7 p.m. (Stengel Field) 

Wednesday

National vs. American, 11 a.m. (Stengel Field)

National vs. American, 3:15 p.m. (Pasadena High)

National vs. American, 3:15p.m. (Santa Monica High)

National vs. American, 3:30 p.m. (Stengel Field)

National No. 1 vs. American No. 1, 7 p.m. (Stengel Field)