At last (and just in time for Izzy's use in preparing for tomorrow's game against Lawndale), box scores for the two most recent games have been posted. In order to keep the season in sequence, I've post-dated the postings. You'll find last Saturday's game against Santa Monica A here and Monday's game against Santa Monica B here.
Incidentally, the batting averages and ERAs posted with each box score are season totals, not in-game averages. I'll try to post season stats soon.
The All-CIF Southern Section baseball selections were released yesterday. Daniel Williams was a first-team selection for Division V. Congratulations, DWil!
(For a complete list in all divisions, go to the CIF Southern Section web site here, click on "Student Awards" and select "2005 Baseball."
Sixty players, coaches, and family members attended the annual Malibu High Baseball banquet last night at Spruzzo's. Coach Paul Gallo awarded varsity letters to sixteen players and acknowledged the contributions of the team's ten seniors by giving all of them the Coaches' Award.
Players and coaches assembled for a group photo on the patio at the end of the evening.
In Adam Paulson's absence, Jason Cavnar recognized the players on the JV squad. Jacob Perrin was named Most Valuable Player and Sloan Campi was named Most Improved Player. Paul Gallo recognized Jason Puklus and Daniel Williams with the Captains' Award. Daniel Williams was named Most Valuable Player. All-League certificates were awarded to Brooks Fitch, Philip Johnson, Jason Puklus, Geoff Roth, Jamie Van Soelen, Brett Weinstock, and Daniel Williams. Brett Weinstock was also recognized as a member of the Frontier League All-Academic Team.
Just hours after a jury in Santa Maria, California acquitted Michael Jackson on all charges in his fourteen-week child molestation trial, all eyes were turned to the proceedings in the dugout at Jackie Robinson Stadium where, in Judge Buss's Kan-Gear-roo Court, Philip Johnson was found guilty on one count of failing to know the number of outs while running the bases. Johnson, who had three hits, two stolen bases, and six RBIs in the game against the Santa Monica B team, exploded on hearing the verdict, as the following photo shows.
In spite of his conviction, Johnson left the dugout a free man, although carrying a heavy load.
| Malibu | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | K | AVE |
| Puklus SS | 5 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .533 |
| B. Weinstock 2B | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .250 |
| D. Williams CF | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .333 |
| Johnson 3B | 3 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 | .444 |
| Fitch P | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .333 |
| S. Williams C | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .182 |
| Gwyn RF | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .250 |
| Dispenza LF | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 |
| Kernodle 1B | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .500 |
| Bell EH | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .125 |
| a-Campi | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| b-Perrin | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .667 |
| c-Semkin | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .286 |
| d-Conrad | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .0 |
a-batted for S. Williams in the sixth
b-batted for Gwyn in fifth
c-batted for Dispenza in the fifth
d-batted for Kernodle in the fifth
BATTING
2B: S. Williams (2), Semkin (1)
ROE: D. WIlliams, Gwyn, Fitch
HP: Fitch
Team LOB: 11
BASERUNNING
SB: Puklus (1), B. Weinstock (1), Johnson 2 (1,2)
| Malibu | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | ERA |
| Fitch | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2.63 |
| Semkin W (1-0) | 4.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.00 |
HBP: Semkin
Pitches-strikes: Fitch, 35-23; Semkin, 45-30
Groundouts-flyouts: Fitch, 3-2; Semkin, 2-8
| Malibu | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | K | AVE |
| Puklus SS | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .500 |
| D. Williams CF | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .444 |
| Johnson 3B | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .167 |
| Van Soelen 1B | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | .250 |
| Fitch P | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | .600 |
| B. Weinstock 2B | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .400 |
| Roth RF | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .375 |
| S. Williams C | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .125 |
| J. Weinstock LF | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 |
| a-Kernodle | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .667 |
a-batted for J. Weinstock in the fifth
BATTING
2B: D. Williams (1), Van Soelen (1), Fitch 2 (2, 3), S. Williams (1)
Sac: Johnson (1)
Team LOB: 3
FIELDING
E: 2 (Johnson, Van Soelen)
DP: 2 (Fitch-Weinstock-Van Soelen; Johnson-S. Williams-Van Soelen)
| Malibu | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | ERA |
| Fitch | 2.0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4.20 |
| Roth | 1.2 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 10.94 |
| Johnson, W (1-0) | 3.1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 0.00 |
WP: Roth (2)
HBP: Johnson (2)
Balk: Johnson
Pitches-strikes: Fitch, 42-25; Roth, 41-22; Johnson, 51-29
Groundouts-flyouts: Fitch, 3-1; Roth, 3-1; Johnson, 3-3
| Malibu | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | K | AVE |
| Puklus P | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .571 |
| D. Williams CF | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .400 |
| Johnson 3B | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Van Soelen 1B | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .200 |
| S. Williams C | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .000 |
| Bell LF | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Semkin RF | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .200 |
| Kernodle 2B | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .800 |
| Perrin SS | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .750 |
| a-Conrad LF | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .500 |
| b-Schoenbrun CF | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 |
| c-B. Weinstock P | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | .000 |
| d-Roth 1B | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | .400 |
| e-Campi | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 |
| f-Fitch 3B | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .200 |
a-batted for Puklus in the third
b-batted for D. Williams in the fourth
c-batted for Johnson in the fourth
d-batted for Van Soelen in the fourth
e-batted for S. Williams in the fourth
f-batted for Bell in the fourth
BATTING
2B: Puklus 2 (2, 3), Perrin (1), Roth (1)
3B: Roth (1)
SF: Johnson (1)
HP: D. Williams, Johnson
Team LOB: 9
BASERUNNING
SB: Williams 2 (2, 3), Kernodle (1)
FIELDING
CS: 1, Puklus-Johnson
E: 4 (B. Weinstock, Kernodle, Roth, Perrin)
PB: Johnson (1)
| Malibu | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | ERA |
| Puklus (W, 1-0) | 3.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 2.33 |
| B. Weinstock | 3.0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0.00 |
WP: B. Weinstock (1)
HBP: B. Weinstock (1)
Balk: B. Weinstock
Pitches-strikes: Puklus, 48-30; B. Weinstock, 59-35
Groundouts-flyouts: Puklus, 3-0; B.
Weinstock, 4-4
Here's one from the archives. This photo dates (I think) from December 1998. It was taken at the Big League Dreams facility in Cathedral City. (Please let me know if my memory is faulty. Also, let me know if you have old photos you would like for me to post on the blog.)
Front row (l. to r.): Jared Weinstock, Grady Berk, Travis Turek, Brett Weinstock, Jason Puklus. Second row (l. to r.): Chris Auten, Jamie Van Soelen, Daniel Williams, Colbie Bell, Matt Hale, Brooks Fitch. Third row (l. to r.): Art Hale, Steve Weinstock, John Puklus. (Photo courtesy of Anne Arvin.)
Where was Philip Johnson?
With the score tied at 0-0, the Sharks watch their teammates bat in the top of the seventh in yesterday's game against Pacific Palisades.
At the risk of being overly melodramatic, the box score (below) for yesterday's Malibu-Palisades game represents the culmination of a dream. I recall a conversation with John Puklus several months ago in which I expressed my interest in posting box scores for Malibu's games. Sadly, it didn't happen during the high school season because I never had time to learn the finer points of HTML, which is the language of web sites--one one of them, anyway.
I'm beginning to get the hang of it, though, and my more discerning readers will notice that the postings have gradually become more visually appealing over time. For example, the first photograph appeared on Sharks Baseball on March 4, over two months after the blog was born. The first photograph showing coaches up close appeared on April 25. (I don't even want to try and describe the technical challenges presented by the effort to get a picture of Dave Buss to work on the web. If you've ever read the novels of Anne Rice or Bram Stoker, you'll understand.) The first presentation of statistics in tabular form occurred on May 8 and, frankly, didn't look that great. The table published on May 11 looked a little better and the playoff roster posted on May 19 showed some further improvements in format.
If you doubt that my technique is improving, compare the format of the varsity baseball schedule back in January with that of the American Legion schedule posted a little over a week ago. (Perhaps it makes the schedule difficult to read for old folks like me, but you've got to be impressed with the Malibu M in the background.)
Anyway, this is the first--but hopefully not the last--box score. I think I can do a better job on the spacing between lines in the boxes to give it a tighter appearance. I can also add more data, such as game time temperature, wind speed and direction, attendance, bunt attempts missed, ATBPWNROB (average time between pitches with no runners on base), etc. (Your suggestions are welcome.) While I could post the boxes for the other teams, I doubt that I will because I'm not sure that any of my regular readers--Hi, Mom!--really care about those.
The box score, incidentally, is not intended to replace the narrative description of each game. (I'll get to that soon for yesterday's game.) If the blog were just like I'd like for it to be, for each game there would be a box score, a newspaper-length article, a set of pre-game and post-game notes, the pre-game Vegas line (just kidding), and a detailed post-game critique of each player and coach's performance. (Since I've got to live with two of the players, I'm really just kidding about that last one.)
Anyway, the blog has been fun for me and, from what I hear, for a few of you as well. Thanks for the feedback. To the players and coaches, thanks for the inspiration.
Perhaps thanks should also go to George W. Bush. If he hadn't made international politics so depressing, I would probably be spending more time on my other blog.
| Malibu | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | K | AVE |
| Puklus SS | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .250 |
| Williams CF | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .333 |
| Johnson P, 3B | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .000 |
| Van Soelen 1B | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .000 |
| Roth RF, P | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Gwyn C | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 |
| S. Williams DH, C | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 |
| Bell 3B, 1B | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 |
| Kernodle 2B | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Fitch EH, P | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .333 |
| a-Semkin | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 |
| b-Dispenza | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 |
a - batted for Gwyn in the 8th
b - batted for Kernodle in the 5th
BATTING
2B: Puklus (1), Fitch (1)
HP: Kernodle
GIDP: D. Williams, Roth
Team LOB: 5
BASERUNNING
SB: D. Williams (1)
PO: Kernodle
FIELDING
DP: 1, Puklus-Bell
CS: 1, S. Williams-Kernodle
PB: Gwyn (1)
Pickoffs: Johnson
| Malibu | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | ERA |
| Johnson | 3.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Fitch | 3.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0.00 |
| Roth | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.00 |
WP: None
HBP: Johnson, 2
Pitches-strikes: Johnson, 56-30; Fitch, 46-30; Roth, 24-14
Groundout-flyouts: Johnson, 4-2; Fitch, 2-4; Roth, 1-3
. . . that Malibu got a bad break in the first-round playoff seedings: Ryan Tucker of Temple City was the 34th pick in the Major League Baseball draft today. He was the sixteenth pitcher selected, the fifth high school pitcher, and the first high school pitcher from Southern California.
Malibu opens the American Legion season tonight with a 5:00 game at UCLA against Palisades.
UCLA's Jackie Robinson Stadium is located near the intersection of Bonsall Avenue and Pershing Drive on the grounds of the Los Angeles Veterans Administration Medical Center. (Click here for a map.)
For the second consecutive year, the Pepperdine Waves made it to the championship game of the NCAA Regional only to fall short. Last night, USC defeated Pepperdine, 5-2, to advance to the Super Regional next weekend against Oregon State in Corvallis.
Pepperdine's loss came just one day after one of the most memorable days in Pepperdine's baseball history (at least since the 1992 College World Series title) when, facing elimination after an opening-round loss on Friday, the Waves defeated both Long Beach State and USC to earn the right to play in Monday night's championship game.
Five Sharks players were in attendance at the game last night at Blair Field in Long Beach: Colbie Bell, Wesley Semkin, Jacob Perrin, Stephen Williams, and Daniel Williams.
Congratulations to the Malibu Little League Dodgers on winning the Majors Division with a 2-1 victory over the Giants earlier today. Michael Ciniglio pitched a complete game and hit a homerun for the Dodgers.
Pepperdine plays USC in the first round of the NCAA Regional at Long Beach State tomorrow afternoon at 3:00 p.m. West Coast Conference Pitcher of the Year Paul Coleman will start for the Waves. The Trojans are expected to start PAC-10 Pitcher of the Year Ian Kennedy.
Kennedy earned a save against Malibu in a second-round CIF playoff game two years ago when Jamie van Soelen, then a sophomore, held the La Quinta Aztecs to two earned runs in a game that the Sharks ultimately lost 3-0.
In two seasons with USC, Kennedy has compiled a K/IP ratio higher than former USC standouts Mark Prior and Randy Johnson.
Luke Beck and Jaime Ballesteros have both garnered post-season honors from the California Community College Baseball Coaches Association. Beck was named a Southern California All-American and Ballesteros was named to the All-Southern California Team. The complete list of those honored is available here (.pdf file). Beck and Ballesteros are both expecting to play for Cal State Northridge next year.
After hitting .351 with 20 stolen bases for the Clinton LumberKings, Cameron Coughlan was promoted to the AA Frisco Roughriders, a Texas Rangers farm club in the Texas League. Thus far he's 4-for-12 with two RBIs in five games with the RoughRiders. Coughlan played left field yesterday behind Steve Karsay who started the season with the New York Yankees.
Congratulations to each of these players. (And thanks to Coach Gallo for the tip.)
The American Legion Schedule posted below is the revised version. If there are further updates, you can be assured that I'll have them posted here quicker than you can open the attachment from Coach Buss.
| Date | Day | Time | Visitor | Home | Location |
| June 7 | Tuesday | 5:00pm | Malibu | Palisades | UCLA |
| June 10 | Friday | 5:00pm | Fairfax | Malibu | UCLA |
| June 11 | Saturday | 11:00am | SaMo A | Malibu | Malibu |
| June 13 | Monday | 5:00pm | Malibu | SaMo B | UCLA |
| June 18 | Saturday | 2:00pm | Lawndale | Malibu | UCLA |
| June 20 | Monday | 5:00pm | Malibu | Palisades | Malibu |
| June 21 | Tuesday | 5:00pm | Malibu | Hollywood | UCLA |
| June 25 | Saturday | 10:00am | Malibu | University | UCLA |
| June 28 | Tuesday | 2:00pm | Brentwood | Malibu | UCLA |
| July 1 | Friday | 2:00pm | Malibu | Fairfax | UCLA |
| July 2 | Saturday | 11:00am | Malibu | SaMo A | Malibu |
| July 2 | Saturday | 2:00pm | SaMo B | Malibu | Malibu |
| July 8 | Friday | 5:00pm | Malibu | Lawndale | UCLA |
| July 9 | Saturday | 2:00pm | Palisades | Malibu | UCLA |
| July 11 | Monday | 11:00am | University | Malibu | Malibu |
| July 12 | Tuesday | 5:00pm | Hollywood | Malibu | UCLA |
| July 16 | Saturday | 2:00pm | Malibu | Brentwood | UCLA |
At Oaks Christian, St. Paul and Oaks Christian are tied, 3-3, in the top of the fourth inning. Serrano leads St. Bonaventure, 3-1, in the other semifinal game being played today. Final scores will be posted here when both games have been completed.
No one asked, but I've decided to do the blogging equivalent of standing up and taking a bow. (Actually, it's more like keeping my seat and giving a little wave.) Here I am, doing what I do at games: keeping score and getting as close to the action as I can. (Thanks to Art Hale for the photo taken at the Oaks Christian game on May 10.)
Oaks Christian, which finished third in the Frontier League with a 6-6 record, defeated Woodcrest Christian today, 3-2, to advance to the semifinals of the CIF Division V playoffs. The Lions will face St. Paul, which defeated Temple City this afternoon by a score of 6-1.
In today's other games, Serrano defeated Cathedral, 3-1, and St. Bonaventure downed Calvary Chapel, 3-2.
Semifinal games will be played on Tuesday.
The Malibu Times has come through once again with great coverage of Sharks Baseball. Kevin Connelly's story about Friday's game against Temple City is in today's paper and is available on-line here.
I think I can speak for all of the Sharks fans in thanking Kevin and the Malibu Times for bringing some attention to the Sharks this season.
Yesterday, in the second round of the CIF Division V Playoffs, Temple City knocked out Oak Park while Oaks Christian advanced with a victory over Fillmore. Here is a complete list of yesterday's Division V scores:
St. Paul 20, Ontario Christian 3
Temple City 9, Oak Park 3
Woodcrest Christian 3, Monrovia 2
Oaks Christian 9, Fillmore 2
Serrano 11, Valley Christian 1
Cathedral 6, La Canada 3
Calvary Chapel 5, Paraclete 4 (9 innings)
St. Bonaventure 13, Santa Paula 2
Former Malibu stars Jaime Ballesteros and Luke Beck are having standout seasons at the junior college level. Ballesteros finished the regular season with a .403 batting average (tied for 24th in the state among junior college players) for Compton College. He also had five homeruns and 33 RBIs.
Beck, named Co-Player of the Year in the Orange Empire Conference, hit .373 with five homeruns and 34 RBIs for Orange Coast College during the regular season. A starter in the outfield all season, Beck has also been a very effective closer for the Pirates. Through May 22 (including playoff games), he has compiled a 2-1 won-loss record with nine saves in 16 appearances. Opponents are hitting just .176 against him.
Beck will be playing with Orange Coast College for the state title next weekend (May 28-30) in Fresno.
As promised, here are some photos of some of the Sharks at the prom. (To those of you seeing this who aren't related to him, I apologize for the fact that Daniel is in every one of the photos. Blame it on favoritism if you must, but the fact is that neither Daniel nor his date took any pictures that didn't have him in them and he was standing so close to the other person in each picture that I was unable to crop him out.)
Brett Weinstock and DWil
DWil and Jason Puklus
Jamie Van Soelen and DWil
One of the conventions of the blogosphere is what is called the "open thread" in which the blogger (that's me) writes a post specifically inviting readers to comment on a particular topic. I'd like to try it and offer you the opportunity to share your thoughts about the 2005 season.
If you haven't posted a comment before, it's simple. Click on "Comments" at the end of this post. You'll see the comments that have already been left (if you're not the first). At the end of the comments, click on "Post a Comment." You'll be taken to a page where you can write a comment, preview it, and then post it either anonymously or by your Blogger account (if you have one or choose to create one). If you write something and wish you hadn't said what you said, you can remove the comment. If you write something and I wish you hadn't said what you said, I can remove the comment.
So, how about those Sharks?
Although the Sharks' 2005 season has ended, there's more to come on the blog. I'll be posting a recap of yesterday's playoff game along with one of the Santa Paula game on May 12. (I'm sorry it has taken me so long to get back to recapping that game.) There will also be more photos--both game photos that were not previously posted and a variety of others (including Sharks in tuxes from the prom last night).
At some point this summer I'm hoping to post a collection of photos of the seniors taken during their earlier baseball days. (Please let me know if you have photos from Little League or T-ball that you would be willing to scan and contribute for this project.)
The statistics from the 2005 season have scarcely been mined at all. With the scorebook in front of me, I'll be digging for--and occasionally writing about--interesting facts about the team that may have gone unnoticed during the season.
More baseball is just around the corner. The American Legion season begins in mid-June. Look for information about that--including the schedule--in the next few days. And once the Legion season begins, I'll be posting scores, recaps, and statistics.
What about the long-term future of the blog? This has been a labor of love, inspired by the knowledge that one of my sons, whose teams I have enjoyed watching since the days of the Malibu T-ball Reds, was a senior, as were many of his teammates whom I have also enjoyed watching for a long time. Since I also have a son who is a freshman, I suspect the labor of love will continue for a few more seasons before I pass Sharks Baseball off to a new blogger.
The Sharks were bounced from the CIF playoffs in the first round on Friday as the Temple City Rams scored five runs in the top of the sixth inning en route to a 5-2 victory in Malibu. Brooks Fitch dueled Temple City ace Ryan Tucker to a scoreless draw through four-and-a-half innings before Malibu scored two runs to take a short-lived lead. In the end, however, Tucker's fastball, clocked at 96 MPH early in the game, kept Malibu's bats uncharacteristically quiet.
Although Temple City had runners in scoring position in each of the first three innings, Fitch kept coming up with the big pitch necessary to keep the Rams from scoring. After a one-out walk and a stolen base put Sheehan Casey on second, Fitch struck out Tucker and cleanup hitter Chris Almacellas. In the second inning, a leadoff walk to Devin Dearth and a sacrifice bunt by Patrick Huls again put a runner on second with only one out. Fitch subsequently retired Brian Dearth on a fly to shallow left field and Kyle MacDonald on a grounder to short.
Brooks Fitch
The jam Fitch had to work out of in the third inning was more serious. After Ricky Arredondo grounded to second to lead off the inning, Fitch hit Mike Mendoza. Mendoza stole second before Casey reached on an infield single that moved Mendoza to third. Fitch then hit Tucker to load the bases with one out. Almacellas lined to center and Dearth struck out to end the inning. Although Temple City had baserunners in the fourth and fifth innings, including a leadoff single by Mendoza in the fifth, Fitch kept his shutout intact through five innings.
Meanwhile, the Sharks found themselves struggling to generate any offense against Tucker in spite of the fact that, for the twenty-first time in twenty-three games, the leadoff hitter reached base in the first inning.
Brett Weinstock struck out swinging to lead off for Malibu, but still managed to reach first on a passed ball. With a 2-1 count on Daniel Williams, hitting in the second spot for the first time since the first game of the season, Weinstock was caught stealing as Williams took a ball on what was supposed to have been a bunt-and-run play. After fouling off the 3-1 pitch, Williams hit a slow roller to short that was bobbled, allowing him to reach first safely. With Philip Johnson at the plate, Williams was picked off first before Johnson struck out to end the inning.
Although Jason Puklus had a two-out single in the second inning and Williams led off with a line-drive single to center in the third, the Sharks were unable to advance a runner to second until the fifth inning. Overall, Malibu hit only five balls out of the infield against Tucker.
With Fitch pitching effectively, it appeared that the Sharks might get all the runs they needed in the fifth. Fitch led off with a towering fly ball that the Rams' left fielder lost in the sun to give Fitch the third hit of the game off of Tucker. Greg Kernodle entered to run for Fitch. When Puklus followed with a bunt, Tucker threw wildly to second leaving the Sharks with runners on first and second and no outs. Stephen Williams entered the game and, on the first pitch, fouled off a bunt attempt. After taking a strike and fouling off a two-strike pitch, he showed bunt again on a ball wide of the strike zone before popping out to first for the first out of the inning. Geoff Roth followed with an infield groundout that moved the runners to second and third. After Mike Gwyn walked to load the bases, Jace Dispenza entered to run for him. With Brett Weinstock at the plate, Kernodle scored the Sharks' first run of the game on a wild pitch. Weinstock walked to reload the bases for Daniel Williams. A second wild pitch by Tucker allowed Puklus to score. With runners on second and third, Williams fouled off three pitches before running the count full. On a high fastball, Williams attempted to check his swing, but as the Rams came off the field and Williams headed to first base, the umpires convened and ruled that Williams had swung.
Jason Puklus
Fitch started strong in the top of sixth, striking out Devin Dearth for the second time. However, Huls followed with a double deep to center and Brenton Wunner reached on a ball hit up the middle that Jason Puklus fielded but threw past Jamie Van Soelen at first. Kyle MacDonald then tripled to right center to drive in Huls and Wunner with the tying runs. One batter later, Ricky Arredondo singled to score MacDonald with the third run of the inning. Fitch got Mendoza to fly to right for the second out, but Casey followed with a single to right center. After Tucker walked to load the bases, Almacellas singled up the middle to knock in Arredondo and Casey and end Fitch's day on the mound. Philip Johnson, on in relief, picked off Almacellas to end the inning.
The Sharks were unable to get anything else going against Tucker in the sixth and seventh innings in spite of a leadoff walk to Johnson in the sixth. In fact, Tucker, still throwing in the low 90s at the end of the game, struck out four of the last six Malibu hitters he faced. The only well hit ball for Malibu after the fifth inning was a fly out to center by Puklus to end the sixth inning.
Philip Johnson
In the end, Fitch and Tucker both had one weak inning in an otherwise classic pitchers' duel, but Temple City did more with its opportunity than Malibu could do. In a single-elimination playoff format, that was all it took to end the Sharks' historic season.
Temple City defeated Malibu, 5-2, to end the Sharks' hope for a CIF title.
Thanks, guys, for a great season.
(Game details to follow.)
The Sharks gather at the end of practice on Thursday for some final comments from Coach Gallo.
Coach Adam Paulson pitches BP on Thursday afternoon as the Sharks tune up for Friday's first-round CIF playoff game against Temple City.
Seniors Geoff Roth and Duncan Daw model the new T-shirts celebrating the Sharks' Frontier League championship. The T-shirts were provided by Coach Jeff Solny.
