Conejo Valley Advances to Regional

Jeff Naster pitched four shutout innings of relief and hit a three-run double to lead Conejo Valley to a 10-4 victory over South El Monte on Saturday in the championship game of the Senior League (15-year-old) state divisional baseball tournament in Hacienda Heights.

South El Monte defeated Conejo Valley, 7-1, in an earlier contest to force the championship game. Conejo Valley advances to the Western Regional tournament, beginning Monday in Las Vegas.

Naster’s double gave Conejo Valley a 6-4 lead in the fifth inning of the second game. Adam West had given Conejo Valley a 3-0 lead with a three-run home run in the third inning. Trent Martin was three for three for Conejo Valley and Brian Capella, Jeff Olin and Ryan Kritscher each had two hits. Olin had five hits on the day.

Conejo Valley (12-2) won district and sectional championships to advance to state divisional play. This is the first Conejo Valley team in the league’s 27 years to win a state divisional title.