BASEBALL: C.V.'s Murray gets SGV Babe Ruth all-stars off to good start

Crescenta Valley pitcher Kyle Murray threw five innings of one-hit ball with six strikeouts, helping the San Gabriel Valley Babe Ruth 18-under all-star baseball team post a 6-0 victory over San Benito in its Pacific Southwest Regional tournament opener Friday at Modesto Christian High.

Alhambra's Gary Acuna pitched a hitless sixth and Arcadia's K.J. Edson threw a hitless seventh -- both striking out two -- for San Gabriel Valley, which plays at 8 p.m. Saturday in the winner's-bracket semifinals of the seven-team, double-elimination tournament.

John Alexander, a Glendora High graduate who has signed with UC Irvine but was also drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays, hit a first-inning home run and added a run-scoring single in the fifth for San Gabriel Valley, which is coached by Crescenta Valley's Phil Torres.

Crescenta Valley's Troy Mulcahey, Troy Prasertsit and Elliott Surrey are also members of the San Gabriel Valley roster, along with St. Francis graduate Mark Saatzer, who plays at Chapman.