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After a dreadful start that included a .197 batting average through the first month of his first minor-league baseball season, bonus baby Michael Moustakas has caught fire in a big way.

The 19-year-old third baseman from Chatsworth High leads the Single-A Midwest League with 20 home runs -- including five over a three-game span this past week -- and his raised his average to .260 with 60 RBIs in 109 games for Burlington, Iowa.

Moustakas is thrilled.

"I'm having a great time just doing what I love to do every day. You can't beat it," said Moustakas, who signed for $4.1 million. "Yes, I miss home a lot, but I'm happy to be out here pursuing my dream."

Moustakas, who finished his prep career as California's all-time career home run leader, was humbled by his slow but never lost confidence.

"I was just trying to get used to everything, and playing in cold weather every day in April didn't help," Moustakas said. "It rained all the time, and it was cold."

Moustakas was grateful that it never got to the point where fans were booing him.

"These Burlington fans are good fans. They weren't booing but you could tell they're were getting a little anxious," Moustakas said.

Minor-league baseball is a grind with 16-hours days, sometimes seven days a week. Yet Moustakas said he somehow found time to follow Chatsworth's successful drive to a second consecutive City Section championship this past spring.

"Coach (Tom) Meusborn never rebuilds, just reloads," Moustakas said. "From the very beginning, I had no doubt Chatsworth would win another championship. Meusborn could take pretty much any group of players and make them a winning team."

As for the other half of Chatsworth's former M & M boys, Matt Dominguez -- drafted later in the first round by the Florida Marlins -- Moustakas has remained close friends.

"I speak to Matt all the time -- at least once a week," Moustakas said. "I might have more home runs, but Matty has a higher average (.292, nine home runs for Single-A Greenboro, N.C.). He could always hit. I'm proud of him."

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Jonathan Meyer, a returning shortstop/pitcher for Simi Valley High and the Daily News 2008 Player of the Year, pitched one scoreless inning of relief Sunday for the USA National Team in a 7-0 world championship loss (18-under) to Korea in Edmonton, Alberta.

With the loss, the Americans (7-1) received a silver medal.

It was Meyer's first pitching appearance. He finished the tournament 2 for 3 with two doubles, three runs and two RBIs.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

The Cleveland of Reseda baseball team hasn't beaten West Valley League rival Chatsworth in the regular season since 2002.

So when the Cavaliers finally pulled off a victory against the Chancellors on June 28 in a Valley Invitational Baseball League game, they thought they had turned a corner.

Not so fast.

The Chancellors, behind a complete game effort from Michael Renner, not only avenged the defeat last month, but won the championship game of the 32 team league in a 4-1 victory at Birmingham of Lake Balboa.

Renner gave up one unearned run on eight hits with three strikeouts and no walks.

Renner had runners on base in the first five innings but got stronger as the game went on and retired the last seven batters to end the game.

"I just tried to stay focused and keep myself plugged in," Renner said. "It was all about my defense. I count on them for everything. The defense has been there all summer."

Chatsworth scored three runs off Cleveland starter John Wilson in the second inning on a double, walk, two singles and a sacrifice fly.

Kasey Toven singled and had two RBI for Chatsworth. Andy Weissberg singled, walked and scored two runs.

Cleveland scored its lone run in the fifth when leadoff hitter Juan Perez singled and came around on a Toven throwing error.

Wilson lasted only two innings yielding three runs on four hits with two walks and two wild pitches.

The performance was in stark contrast to his combined two hit effort with two other pitchers back on June 28 in a 6-0 victory.

Nik Turley, a top pitcher from Harvard Westlake, has signed with the New York Yankees as a 50th round draft choice, bypassing a BYU scholarship.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Ex-Saugus standout Tyler Brubaker hit a game-winning home run in the 10th inning Sunday in a Connie Mack League state-playoff final, propelling Playa Vista into the Western Regionals beginning Wednesday in Long Beach (also games in Huntington Beach)..

The tournament winner advances to the Connie Mack World Series in New Mexico.

Other top players for Playa Vista include Nik Turley (Harvard-Westlake), Jack Marder (Newbury Park), Bryan Berglund (Royal), Shon Roe (Quartz Hill) and Brandon Van Dam (Quartz Hill).

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Thousand Oaks' Tom Hocutt has committed to Biola after batting .363 with four home runs, 28 RBIs this past season.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

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Drew Sandler, a top returning catcher/pitcher at Simi Valley, has committed to UC Irvine.

Sandler played a key role in Simi Valley's Div. I championship run this past season, finishing with a .343 batting average, four home runs and 25 RBs, plus a 6-3 record with a 2.76 ERA.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Jim Stueve, who went 8-23 at Oaks Christian this past season, is the new baseball coach at Thousand Oaks, replacing Frank Mutz, now at Chaminade.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Northridge Little League, consistently among Southern California's top programs through the years, went 5-0 to win the District 40 baseball championship - beating host Sherman Oaks 7-3 on Wednesday in the final to qualify for the Section 2 tournament in Quartz Hill beginning on Saturday.

Nick Ortega, Nick Milone and Renee Deleon have supplied pitching and lots of home run power - Ortega hit what league rep George Frangie swears was a 300-foot home run a few games back - but the competition figures to get a lot tougher in the coming weeks.

After sectionals, there is the 10-team Southern California Divisionals, the Western Regionals, then the World Series in Williamsport, Pa.

Granada Hills remains the only San Fernando Valley-area program to win a Little League World Series, and that was back in 1963. David Sehnam, now a Crespi assistant, was the winning pitcher in the championship game, the first televised nationally by ABC.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com

Third baseman Trevor Nathanson, a graduating senior from Calabasas, has committed to Div. III Cal State East Bay in Hayward, according to the Ventura County Star.

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com