Valley North 9, Malibu 4 (Box Score)

Malibu	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	K	AVE
D. Williams CF	3	0	0	0	0	0	.125
Puklus LF	4	0	1	0	0	0	.316
Johnson P	4	0	1	0	0	1	.333
S. Williams C	4	1	1	0	0	1	.267
Fitch 3B	4	2	3	0	0	0	.412
Van Soelen 1B	4	1	2	1	0	0	.385
Weinstock SS/2B	4	0	1	1	0	0	.250
Roth RF	4	0	2	1	0	0	.500
Kernodle 2B/SS	4	0	0	0	0	0	.250

D. Williams reached on catcher's interference in the 4th inning

BATTING

GIDP: Van Soelen, Weinstock
LIDP: Johnson
Team LOB: 5

FIELDING

PO: Johnson-Van Soelen
E: Weinstock 2, Fitch 2

PITCHING	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	ERA
Johnson	8.0	8	9	4	2	6	3.86

WP: Johnson
Pitches-strikes: Johnson, 109-73
Groundouts-flyouts: Johnson, 7-10

Valley North 9, Malibu 4 (Photos)

Stephen Williams flies to center in the second inning.

Daniel Williams flies to center in the fourth inning. (Catcher's interference was called on the swing.)

Phil Johnson turns and throws to first.

Brooks Fitch tries to get into the pitcher's head.

Greg Kernodle grounds to short in the seventh inning.

Stephen Williams and Coach Buss wait out a conference on the mound.

Brett Weinstock awaits the pitch in the bottom of the eighth.

Area 6 Finals

Malibu will play Valley North at UCLA on Sunday morning at 11:00 a.m. in an elimination game. The winner will go on to play Azusa for the Area 6 championship at 2:00 p.m. Valley North handed Azusa its first loss of the tournament Saturday afternoon by the score of 10-6. Malibu eliminated Baldwin Park from the tournament with a 7-5 win Saturday evening.

Malibu 7, Baldwin Park 5 (Box Score)

Malibu	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	K	AVE
D. Williams CF	5	0	1	0	0	1	.154
Puklus LF	5	2	2	0	0	3	.333
Johnson C/RF/1B/3B	5	1	2	0	0	0	.364
S. Williams 1B/C	4	1	2	1	1	0	.273
Fitch 3B/P	5	1	2	1	0	0	.308
Van Soelen RF/P/1B	3	2	1	0	2	0	.222
M. Gwyn P	3	0	2	1	0	0	.500
Weinstock SS	4	0	2	1	0	1	.250
Kernodle 2B	4	0	1	0	0	1	.333
a-Roth PR/RF	0	0	0	0	0	0	.333

a-ran for Gwyn in the 8th inning

BATTING

2B: S. Williams (2), Puklus (2)
ROE: S. Williams
S: M. Gwyn
Team LOB: 8

BASERUNNING

CS: M. Gwyn, D. Williams
PO: S. Williams

FIELDING

DP: Fitch-S. Williams-Weinstock, Weinstock-Kernodle
E: M. Gwyn
PB: Johnson

PITCHING	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	ERA
M. Gwyn	5.0	6	3	3	1	1	5.40
Van Soelen W (1-0)	3.0	5	2	2	0	3	4.50
Fitch S (1)	1.0	2	0	0	0	1	15.00

WP: M. Gwyn
Pitches-strikes: M Gwyn, 68-39; Van Soelen, 47-33; Fitch, 15-11
Groundouts-flyouts: M. Gwyn, 11-2; Van Soelen, 2-3; Fitch, 1-1

Azusa 15, Malibu 12 (Box Score)

Malibu	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	K	AVE
D. Williams CF	5	0	1	1	1	0	.125
Puklus LF	5	1	1	1	0	1	.300
Johnson 1B/3B	4	2	1	1	1	1	.333
S. Williams C	4	0	0	0	1	0	.143
Fitch P/1B	4	2	1	0	1	0	.250
Van Soelen RF/P	3	2	1	0	2	1	.333
M. Gwyn 3B	2	2	2	2	0	0	.400
Weinstock SS	4	1	1	2	1	0	.125
Kernodle 2B	5	0	2	5	0	1	.375
a-Roth P/RF	2	2	1	0	1	0	.333

a-batted for Gwyn in the 5th inning

BATTING

HR: Puklus (1), Johnson (1)
2B: Fitch (2), Kernodle (1)
Team LOB: 7

BASERUNNING

SB: D. Williams (1), Kernodle (1)
CS: D. Williams

FIELDING

DP: Weinstock-Fitch
PO: Fitch-Gwyn
E: Weinstock, Gwyn, Puklus, Johnson, Fitch
PB: S. Williams

PITCHING	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	ERA
Fitch	2.0	5	6	5	2	1	22.50
Roth L (0-1)	5.0	11	9	8	5	5	9.00
Van Soelen	1.0	1	0	0	0	1	0.00

HB: Fitch 2, Roth 2
WP: Fitch
Pitches-strikes: Fitch, 51-25; Roth, 123-73; Van Soelen, 13-8
Groundouts-flyouts: Fitch, 1-2; Roth, 3-6; Van Soelen, 1-0

Who Struck Out?

Phil Johnson was ejected from last night's game against Valley North while batting in the seventh inning after expressing dissatisfaction with the home plate umpire's strike zone. Geoff Roth came to the plate with an 0-2 count and swung and missed on the next pitch. He did not, however, strike out. Johnson did. (Sorry, Phil.)

Here's Rule 10.17 (b) of The Official Baseball Rules:

When the batter leaves the game with two strikes against him, and the substitute batter completes a strikeout, charge the strikeout and the time at bat to the first batter. If the substitute batter completes the turn at bat in any other manner, including a base on balls, score the action as having been that of the substitute batter.

This is just in case anyone had any questions about the box score below.

Malibu 4, Valley North 3 (Box Score)

Malibu	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	K	AVE
D. Williams CF	3	0	0	0	1	0	.000
Puklus LF	5	1	2	0	0	2	.400
Johnson P	2	1	1	1	2	1	.500
S. Williams C	3	1	1	2	0	0	.333
Fitch 1B	4	0	1	1	0	0	.250
Van Soelen RF	3	0	1	0	1	2	.333
M. Gwyn 3B	3	0	0	0	0	2	.000
Weinstock SS	4	0	0	0	0	1	.000
Kernodle 2B	3	1	1	0	1	0	.333
a-Roth PH/P	1	0	0	0	0	1	.000

a-batted for Johnson with two strikes in the 7th inning

Johnson ejected in the 7th inning

BATTING

2B: Puklus (1), S. Williams (1), Fitch (1)
S: D. Williams, M. Gwyn
HP: S. Williams
Team LOB: 8

BASERUNNING

CS: D. Williams

FIELDING

DP: Fitch-Weinstock-Fitch
PO: Johnson-Kernodle
E: Johnson, Weinstock, Roth

PITCHING	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	ERA
Johnson W (1-0)	6.0	3	3	2	5	6	3.00
Roth S (1)	3.0	2	0	0	4	3	0.00

Pitches-strikes: Johnson, 112-69; Roth, 52-27
Groundouts-flyouts: Johnson, 5-6; Roth, 5-0
HB: Johnson 2

Malibu 4, Valley North 3 (Photos)

Jamie Van Soelen takes a cut in the third inning.

Phil Johnson, who held Valley North to three runs and earned the win, waits on deck in the fourth.

Daniel Williams bats in the seventh inning.

Jason Puklus hits in the top of the seventh.

Geoff Roth pitched three shutout innings to earn a save.

Roth points to Phil Johnson up in the press box after preserving the win.

Malibu leaves the field with a win over Valley North, 4-3.

Regular Season Batting Leaders

PLAYER	AB	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	AVE
1. P. Johnson	31	16	5	1	0	8	.516
2. D. Williams	30	15	1	0	0	4	.500
3. J Puklus	38	18	7	2	0	8	.474
4. B. Weinstock	16	7	1	0	1	4	.438
T-5. B. Fitch	29	11	4	0	0	11	.379
T-5. S. Williams	29	11	3	0	2	17	.379
7. J. Van Soelen	38	14	5	1	0	11	.368
8. S. Conrad	29	10	1	1	0	8	.345
9. G. Roth	28	9	2	0	0	4	.321
10. C. Bell	13	4	1	0	0	2	.308
11. G. Kernodle	35	10	3	0	0	4	.286
12. J. Perrin	18	5	1	0	0	3	.278
13. M. Gwyn	27	7	0	0	0	2	.259

(Based on minimum of 10 at bats.)

Thursday's Schedule

Malibu plays Chatsworth in the first round of the Area 6 American Legion tournament at UCLA's Jackie Robinson Stadium on Thursday. Game time is 7:30 p.m.

Here's the complete schedule for the first day of the double-elimination tournament:

Game 1
Thursday, July 27, 4:30 p.m.
Panorama City vs. Baldwin Park
Charter Oaks High, Covina

Game 2
Thursday, July 27, 4:30 p.m.
Azusa vs. Santa Monica
UCLA

Game 3
Thursday, 27, 7:30 p.m.
Malibu vs. Chatsworth
UCLA

All games on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday will be played at UCLA.

New Box Scores

Box scores for games on July 1 (two games), July 7, and July 8 have been posted. Scroll back to the beginning of July or jump to the individual games:

• July 1 vs. Santa Monica A
• July 1 vs. Santa Monica B
• July 7 vs. Beverly Hills
• July 8 vs. Palisades

Look for more on Monday.

Practice on Monday

The next practice is on Monday at 12:30 p.m. at Malibu High.

Birth Certificates!!!

Birth certificates for players participating in the American Legion tournament next weekend must be presented to league officials on Monday. Please bring your birth certificate to practice on Monday--or risk not being eligible to play in the tournament.

On to the Playoffs

Malibu finished the regular season schedule with a record of 11 wins and 3 losses following today's 9-3 victory over Brentwood. Along with Santa Monica, Malibu will advance to the American Legion 6th Area playoffs beginning on July 27. (NOTE: Birth certificates will be needed prior to the playoffs. Please locate yours now and make plans to bring it to the workout on Thursday.)

Box scores and stats (along with a few photos like the ones here) are coming. Thanks for your patience.

Malibu 9, Brentwood 3 (Photos)

Brooks Fitch holds a Brentwood runner.

Geoff Roth delivers.

Daniel Williams hits in the fifth inning.

Cancelled

Tomorrow's game against University has been cancelled.

Next up: Malibu vs. Hollywood at UCLA on Tuesday. Game time: 6:00 p.m. (Don't forget to Tivo the MLB All-Star Game.)

Palisades 8, Malibu 6 (Box Score)

Malibu	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	K	AVE
D Williams CF	5	1	1	0	0	3	.500
Puklus LF	2	3	1	1	2	0	.441
Johnson P	4	1	2	2	1	0	.519
Van Soelen 1B	4	0	1	0	1	1	.344
S. Williams C	3	0	1	1	1	2	.360
Fitch DH	3	0	1	0	1	1	.375
Kernodle SS	3	0	1	0	0	1	.267
M Gwyn 3B	3	0	0	0	1	1	.292
Roth RF	4	1	2	0	0	1	.381

BATTING

2B: Roth (2)
3B: Johnson (1)
S: Kernodle
HP: Puklus 2
ROE: Puklus
Team LOB: 13

BASERUNNING

SB: D. Williams (5), Fitch (4)

FIELDING

E: Puklus, Johnson, Bell
DP: Johnson-Kernodle-Van Soelen

PITCHING	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	ERA
Johnson	6.0	7	2	2	1	11	2.57
Roth L (1-1)	1.0	3	4	4	2	2	4.91

Pitches-strikes: Johnson, 90-61, Roth 24-11
Groundouts-flyouts: Johnson, 4-2, Roth 1-0

Malibu 11, Beverly Hills 4 (Box Score)

Malibu	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	K	AVE
D. Williams CF	5	2	3	1	0	0	.588
Puklus LF	5	2	3	2	0	0	.438
Johnson 3B	3	0	2	1	2	0	.478
Van Soelen EH	3	2	1	1	2	0	.357
S. Williams C	4	1	2	1	0	0	.364
Fitch P	3	1	1	2	1	0	.381
Kernodle 2B	2	1	1	1	1	0	.259
Roth RF	2	0	2	0	2	0	.353
M. Gwyn 1B	3	0	1	0	0	1	.333
Bell SS	1	0	0	0	0	1	.300
Kramer-a PH	1	1	0	0	0	1	.000
Weinstock-b SS	3	1	1	0	0	1	.385

a-batted for S. Williams in the 7th
b-batted for Bell in the 6th

BATTING

3B: Puklus (1)
2B: Puklus (6), S. Williams 2 (3), D. Williams (1), Fitch (3)
S: M. Gwyn
ROE: Puklus
GIDP: Fitch
Team LOB: 13

BASERUNNING

SB: Fitch (3), Johnson (1)
CS: Kernodle, D. Williams

FIELDING

E: Johnson 2, Bell, Kernodle
CS: Williams-Kernodle

PITCHING	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	ERA
Fitch W (2-0)	6.0	7	4	2	1	4	3.00
Roth	1.0	0	0	0	0	2	1.80

Pitches-strikes: Fitch, 90-59; Roth, 9-7
Groundouts-flyouts: Fitch, 6-4; Roth, 0-1
PO: Fitch 2

The Schedule (Revised Again)

Over the next ten days, Malibu plays

• tomorrow (Friday) at 5:00 p.m. at UCLA vs. Beverly Hills;
• Saturday at 2:00 p.m. at UCLA vs. Palisades;
• Monday at 11:00 a.m. at Malibu High vs. University;
• Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. at UCLA vs. Hollywood (note the time change); and
• Saturday at 2:00 p.m. at UCLA vs. Brentwood.

The complete schedule, as always, is available here.

One more thing: Box scores from last Saturday's games will be posted soon.