Four Games in Five Days

Beginning on Tuesday, June 27, Malibu plays four games in five days--including two games next Saturday. Please note the special starting times for the games on Tuesday and Friday.

TIME: Tuesday, June 27, 6:00 p.m.
PLACE: UCLA
OPPONENT: Brentwood

TIME: Friday, June 30, 2:00 p.m.
PLACE: UCLA
OPPONENT: Santa Monica A

TIME: Saturday, July 1, 11:00 a.m.
PLACE: Malibu
OPPONENT: Santa Monica A

TIME: Saturday, July 1, 2:00 p.m.
PLACE: Malibu
OPPONENT: Santa Monica B

Malibu 6, Beverly Hills 5 (Box Score)

MALIBU	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	K	AVE
Kernodle 2B/SS	4	1	0	0	0	1	.267
Puklus LF	4	1	2	1	0	0	.550
Johnson C	2	0	0	0	2	0	.500
S. Williams 1B	3	1	0	0	0	0	.333
Fitch P/EH	2	1	1	1	1	0	.300
M. Gwyn 3B	3	1	1	0	0	1	.364
Conrad RF/2B	3	0	2	2	0	0	.438
B. Weinstock SS	1	0	0	0	0	0	.400
Dispenza CF	2	0	0	0	0	0	.286
Semkin EH/P	2	0	0	0	1	2	.000
Kramer EH	2	0	0	0	0	2	.000
Van Soelen EH	3	1	1	1	0	1	.421

BATTING

3B: Conrad (1)
2B: Van Soelen (4), Puklus (5)
ROE: Fitch, Kramer, Puklus, S. Williams, Johnson
GIDP: Van Soelen
Team LOB: 11

BASERUNNING

SB: S. Williams (2), Fitch (2), Dispenza (2)

FIELDING

E: B. Weinstock
DP: Conrad-Kernodle-S. Williams

PITCHING	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	ERA
Fitch	3.0	6	5	2	2	1	2.57
Semkin W (1-0)	4.0	2	0	0	0	2	0.00

Pitches-strikes: Fitch, 60-40; Semkin, 41-29
Groundouts-flyouts: Fitch, 4-4; Semkin, 6-3
HP: Semkin

More Box Scores

Box scores for the two most recent games have now been posted. For Monday's game against Pali, go here. For Tuesday's game against Hollywood, go here.

Now that the U.S. has been eliminated from the World Cup, I expect to be able to post box scores more quickly. (It's not because I've been watching a lot of soccer. On the contrary, just flipping past a World Cup match on TV put me into a deep sleep.)

Congratulations, Grads!

Congratulations to the four Sharks baseball players who graduated from Malibu High School today:

Colbie Bell

Ross Ellis

Brooks Fitch

Michael Gwyn

Thank you for all you've done over the years for the baseball program at Malibu High. We will miss you.

USA Is Not Ghana Advance

Ghana 2, U S A 1

We now return you to your baseball season, already in progress.

[UPDATE: Apparently Ghana wanted it more than we did. You didn't see our government declare a national holiday so we could watch the match. Maybe I should have said, "We now return you to your work day, already in progress."]

[Cross-posted at Swords into Plowshares.]

Jaime!

Congratulations to Jaime Ballesteros who was named to the All-South Coast Conference first team for the second consecutive year. Ballesteros, a 2003 graduate of Malibu High, played third base for East Los Angeles College this season. He hit .346 with 3 homeruns, 13 doubles, and 29 RBIs.

From UCLA to Malibu

Saturday's game against Beverly Hills has been moved from UCLA's Jackie Robinson Stadium to Malibu High School. Game time is 10:00 a.m. The schedule--available here--has been updated.

Malibu 13, Hollywood 3 (Box Score)

MALIBU	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	K	AVE
D. Williams CF	3	2	1	1	0	0	.583
Kernodle 2B	1	1	0	0	0	1	.364
Puklus LF	3	1	2	3	0	0	.563
S. Williams C	2	1	0	0	1	1	.400
Johnson EH/3B	3	2	2	1	0	0	.583
Fitch 1B	2	1	1	2	1	1	.250
Van Soelen EH/1B	3	1	2	1	0	0	.438
M. Gwyn 3B/P	2	0	0	0	0	1	.375
Conrad EH/3B	1	1	0	0	1	0	.385
B. Weinstock EH/C	2	1	2	0	0	0	.444
Roth P	2	0	1	2	0	0	.267
Dispenza RF	1	0	0	0	1	1	.400
Perrin SS	1	1	0	0	1	0	.333
Bell EH	2	0	1	0	0	0	.600
Semkin EH	1	1	0	0	1	0	.000

BATTING

2B: Puklus 2 (4), Johnson (4), Fitch (1), Bell (1)
Team LOB: 6

BASERUNNING

SB: Fitch (1), Van Soelen (2)
PO: Van Soelen

FIELDING

E: M. Gwyn, Perrin
PB: S. Williams, B. Weinstock

PITCHING	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	ERA
Roth W (1-0)	4.0	3	1	1	2	2	3.86
M. Gwyn	2.0	3	2	1	1	3	3.00

HB: Roth
Pitches-strikes: Roth, 62-36; M. Gwyn, 42-25
Groundouts-flyouts: Roth, 6-4; M. Gwyn, 2-1

Post-Pali Notes

After Colbie Bell singled in the third inning and moved to second on Jace Dispenza's walk, he began showing Jacob Perrin, who was standing in the batter's box, how to snap off a curveball. Bell's none-too-subtle sign language prompted a visit to the mound by the Pali catcher and, one inning later, a fastball in the ribs when Bell reappeared at the plate. . . . Stephen Williams apparently likes what the Pali pitchers dish up. In two games against Pali, he's 5-for-5 with 2 homeruns and 8 RBIs. . . . Malibu would have batted around in the third inning of yesterday's game if there had been 11 or fewer hitters in the lineup. Instead, there were 14, so Jamie Van Soelen, Daniel Williams, and Brett Weinstock missed out on the fun. . . . The freshman--Sean Conrad, that is--can hit. He's batting .417 after five games and is tied for fourth on the team in hits.

Malibu 12, Pacific Palisades 1 (Box Score)

Malibu	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	K	AVE
Kernodle 2B	3	2	1	2	1	0	.400
Puklus LF	3	1	2	1	0	1	.538
Johnson P/C	3	1	3	2	0	0	.556
S. Williams C	2	1	2	3	1	0	.462
Fitch EH/1B	2	0	0	0	1	0	.167
Van Soelen EH	3	1	1	0	0	1	.385
D. Williams CF	1	0	1	0	1	0	.667
B. Weinstock SS	2	0	0	0	0	1	.286
Conrad 1B/3B	2	2	1	1	0	0	.417
M. Gwyn 3B/P	1	1	1	0	1	0	.500
Bell EH/2B	1	1	1	0	0	0	.667
Roth EH/RF	2	0	0	0	0	1	.231
Dispenza RF/EH	1	1	0	1	1	0	.500
Perrin EH/SS	2	1	2	1	0	0	.364

BATTING

HR: S. Williams (2)
2B: Kernodle (3), Johnson 2 (3), Van Soelen (3), Perrin (1)
Team LOB: 7

BASERUNNING

SB: D. Williams (4)
CS: Perrin
PO: S. Williams

FIELDING

E: Kernodle
DP: Puklus-Kernodle
CS: S. Williams-Kernodle

PITCHING	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	ERA
Johnson W (3-0)	4.0	3	1	1	3	3	3.86
M. Gwyn	1.0	0	0	0	0	1	0.00

Balk: Johnson
Pitches-strikes: Johnson, 72-45; M. Gwyn, 11-8
Groundouts-flyouts: Johnson, 3-4; M. Gwyn, 0-2

Malibu 11, Beverly Hills 1 (Box Score)

MALIBU	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	K	AVE
Kernodle 2B	3	0	2	0	0	0	.375
Puklus LF	2	1	0	0	1	0	.500
Fitch P	1	2	0	0	2	0	.250
S. Williams C	3	1	0	0	0	0	.364
Van Soelen 1B	3	0	1	0	0	0	.400
D. Williams CF	3	1	3	2	0	0	.625
M. Gwyn 3B	3	0	1	0	0	1	.400
Perrin SS	3	0	0	0	0	0	.222
Dispenza RF	2	2	2	0	1	0	.667
Conrad EH/3B	3	2	2	1	0	1	.400
Bell EH/1B	1	1	1	0	1	0	.500
Kramer EH/2B	2	0	0	1	1	2	.000
Roth EH/P	3	1	0	1	0	1	.273

BATTING

HP: Bell
2B: Kernodle 2 (2)
Team LOB: 10

BASERUNNING

SB: Roth (1)

FIELDING

E: None

PITCHING	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	ERA
Fitch	3.0	0	0	0	0	1	0.00
Roth	3.0	2	1	1	1	3	1.80
Perrin	1.0	0	0	0	0	1	0.00

Pitches-strikes: Fitch, 36-22; Roth, 50-28; Perrin, 12-7
Groundouts-flyouts: Fitch, 3-5; Roth, 2-3; Perrin, 2-0
HP: Roth

The Next Four

Malibu plays Beverly Hills on Saturday at UCLA. Game time is 2:00 p.m.

Next week, Malibu plays on Monday, Tuesday, and Saturday. Monday's game is at 5:00 p.m. at Palisades High. On Tuesday, Malibu plays at UCLA against Hollywood. Saturday's game is against Beverly Hills at UCLA, beginning at 10:00 a.m.

Coach Buss has requested clean uniforms for each game.

Brooks!

Congratulations to Brooks Fitch who was a second-team all-CIF selection. For a complete list of the all-CIF teams in each division, go here.

Malibu 6, Santa Monica B 3 (Box Score)

MALIBU	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	K	AVE
Kernodle 2B	2	0	0	0	1	0	.200
Puklus LF	2	1	2	0	1	0	.625
Johnson P	2	0	1	0	1	0	.333
Fitch 3B	3	1	1	0	0	0	.333
S. Williams EH/C	3	1	1	2	0	0	.500
Van Soelen 1B/P	2	1	1	1	1	0	.389
B. Weinstock C/RF	3	1	2	0	0	0	.400
Roth RF	3	0	2	0	0	0	.375
M. Gwyn 3B	2	0	1	2	0	0	.500
Perrin SS	2	0	0	0	0	0	.333
Dispenza CF	1	1	0	0	1	0	.000
Bell 1B	1	0	0	0	1	1	.000
Conrad 2B	1	0	0	1	0	0	.246

BATTING

2B: S. Williams (1)
Team LOB: 9

BASERUNNING

SB: Puklus (2), Kernodle (1), Dispenza (1), Bell (1), Van Soelen (1)

FIELDING

E: Roth
PB: B. Weinstock

PITCHING	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	ERA
Johnson W (2-0)	6.0	4	2	2	2	7	4.09
Van Soelen	1.0	1	1	1	1	1	9.00

Pitches-strikes: Johnson, 89-50; Van Soelen, 17-9
Groundouts-flyouts: Johnson, 7-4; Van Soelen, 2-0

June 12: Today's Game

Malibu plays the Santa Monica "B" team today at UCLA. Game time is 5:00 p.m.

Duke's on Wednesday

The annual Malibu High baseball banquet gets nicer every year. This year's banquet will be held at Duke's on Wednesday, June 14, at 6:00 p.m. If you haven't already done so, please RSVP ASAP to Coach Gallo.

Malibu 6, Brentwood 4 (Box Score)

Malibu	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	K	AVE
D. Williams CF	2	0	1	0	1	0	.400
Roth RF/P	2	1	0	0	1	0	.200
Johnson C	2	2	1	0	0	0	.250
S. Williams EH	2	2	0	0	1	0	.600
Puklus P/3B	3	0	1	0	0	2	.500
Van Soelen 1B/RF	2	1	1	3	1	0	.400
Perrin SS	3	0	2	2	0	0	.500
Conrad 3B/P/1B	3	0	0	0	0	0	.333
Schoenbrun LF	3	0	0	0	0	3	.000
T. Gwyn 2B/EH	1	0	0	0	2	0	.000
Vititoe EH/2B	1	0	1	0	1	0	1.000

BATTING

2B: Van Soelen (2), Johnson (1), Puklus (2)
ROE: S. Williams
Team LOB: 8

BASERUNNING

SB: T. Gwyn 2 (2), D. Williams (3), S. Williams (1), Perrin (1), Van Soelen (1)
CS: Vititoe
PO: T. Gwyn

FIELDING

DP: Perrin-T. Gwyn-Van Soelen

PITCHING	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	ERA
Puklus W (1-0)	4.0	6	3	3	0	2	6.75
Conrad	1.0	1	1	1	1	0	9.00
Roth	2.0	1	0	0	1	3	0.00

Pitches-strikes: Puklus, 62-42; Conrad, 17-10; Roth, 29-18
Groundouts-flyouts: Puklus, 3-5; Conrad, 2-1; Roth, 1-2

Under the Lights

Tomorrow's game has been moved. Malibu will play at UCLA under the lights. Game time is 6:00 p.m.

Finding the Schedule

For your convenience, I've added a link in the right-hand column (where it says "LINKS") to the American Legion Schedule. This should be easier than having to find the monthly archive where the schedule is located.

To make it even easier, I can tell you that Malibu plays Brentwood tomorrow at UCLA beginning at 5:00 p.m. On Saturday, Malibu plays Santa Monica A at MHS beginning at 2:00 p.m. After that, you're on your own.

MLB Draft Notes

The Major League Baseball draft concluded today after 1,502 players had been selected. Just over 34 percent of the draft selections were high school players.

Hank Conger of Huntington Beach High School was the 25th pick in the draft. Conger, a switch-hitting catcher, hit .449 this season with 11 home runs. Mike Gwyn gave up a homer to Conger at the Big League Dreams facility in Cathedral City about five years ago.

Also selected in the draft was Devin Shepard of Oxnard High. Shepard was taken in the fifth round by the Minnesota Twins. On March 7, 2006, Shepard had two triples and a double in four at-bats against the Sharks.

Ian Kennedy of USC was the 21st player taken in the draft. Kennedy was a member of the La Quinta High team that defeated Malibu in the first round of the CIF playoffs in 2003.