Suspended Game Ruled a Defeat for Hart High

Foothill League officials saddled Hart High with only its fourth baseball loss in two seasons Tuesday by disallowing Hart’s bid to finish a game against Alhambra that was suspended because of darkness.

The decision was reached in an hour-long meeting of principals from the six league schools, according to league president Timothy Buchanan, who is the principal at Burroughs.

Umpires suspended the March 17 game with Hart trailing, 3-2, with two runners on base and two out in the sixth inning. Lance Migita, who has a team-high .519 batting average, was at-bat.

Hart (13-3), ranked No. 2 in the nation and No. 3 in The Times Valley poll, drops to 39-4 over two seasons.

National Federation rules stipulate that a game is official after five innings. The game was delayed an hour because the Alhambra team bus was in a minor traffic accident en route to Hart. “We didn’t need to play that damn ballgame,” Hart Coach Bud Murray said. “We didn’t need to let them have a stretching period or let them have infield or outfield (practice). We could have just started the game.”