Fillmore 5, Sharks 3 (Photos)

Jace Dispenza delivers a pitch in the top of the second inning.

Stephen Williams doubles off the fence in center in the third inning.

Sean Conrad pitches in the top of the seventh.

On the Nose

Stephen Williams is hitting .474 with 4 homeruns and 9 RBIs since breaking his nose on April 14.

Sharks 9, Fillmore 4 (Photos)

Starting pitcher Jacob Perrin works in the sixth inning.

Stephen Williams singles in the seventh inning.

Sloan Campi steals second in the top of the seventh.

All That Jazz

We're still looking for a link to the photo online, but senior Jared Weinstock was featured with the Malibu High Jazz Quintet in last week's Malibu Times. The ensemble earned top honors at the Fullerton College Jazz Festival on March 23.

Back to Work

Practice resumes tomorrow at 1:00 p.m.

On Saturday, the Sharks will play a doubleheader at Grace Brethren beginning at 11:00 a.m. (Grace Brethren is located at 1350 Cherry Avenue in Simi Valley. For a map, go here.)

Scouting Report: Oak Park Eagles

The Sharks (3-6) play their first-ever Tri-Valley League game today at home against the Oak Park Eagles (5-2). The home-and-away series will conclude on Friday at Oak Park. Both games are scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m. (For a map to Oak Park High School, click here.)

Oak Park is coming off two shutout wins over Village Christian (13-0) and Kilpatrick (26-0). The Eagles' three other wins, all in the El Segundo Tournament, were by identical 12-4 scores over Crenshaw, Redondo, and Cathedral. The Eagles lost one-run games in the tournament to San Pedro and Whittier.

Leading the Eagles this season is senior Blair Walters, who is currently hitting .583 with 3 homeruns and 19 RBIs. Walters is also Oak Park's number one starter. Last season he posted a 6-2 record with a 1.78 ERA in 51 innings on the mound.

Also off to hot starts for the Eagles are senior catcher Ty Muller and junior pitcher and outfielder Mitchell Halpert. Muller is hitting .632 with six extra-base hits. Halpert, hitting .542, has 2 doubles, 2 triples, and a homerun.

Last year, Oak Park rode a nine-run third inning to a 14-7 win over Malibu in the only matchup between the two teams.

Pictures

Don't forget that tomorrow is picture day for the Malibu High baseball team. Sports Legends Photography will be taking team and individual photos.

Tony and Matt Berru of Digital Prospects took pictures during the first game of the doubleheader against L.A. Baptist on Saturday. (Matt, a catcher for L.A. Baptist, graduated in 2006.) To see proofs from the game, follow the instructions on the web site. My e-mail request for proofs got an almost immediate response containing seven very good shots of #44.

Scouting Report: L.A. Baptist Knights

After playing four consecutive games on the road, the Sharks return home today for the first of this season's three Saturday doubleheaders. Malibu will be looking to reverse a three-game losing streak before beginning Tri-Valley League play on Wednesday against Oak Park.

The Sharks' opponent for today's twin bill, L.A. Baptist, compiled a 10-13 record last season. In a rain-soaked game at L.A. Baptist a year ago, Malibu came away with a 4-2 win.

The Knights, who will be playing their first game of the season today, bring a team full of seniors into the 2007 campaign. Their offensive leader is expected to be senior first baseman John Balbuena. In 2006, Balbuena led the Knights in batting average (.371), homeruns (2), and RBIs (20).

On the mound last season, right-hander Tom Gilbertson had 50 strikeouts in 46.2 innings while putting together a 3-5 record. (Gilbertson was the losing pitcher against Malibu a year ago.) Lefty Jason Pratts was second on the team to Gilbertson in innings pitched in 2006. Pratts was 3-4 with a 4.72 ERA. Gilbertson and Pratts are both seniors this year.

The first game at Malibu High is scheduled for 11:00 a.m.

Campbell Hall 6, Sharks 5

The Sharks banged out 12 hits including three doubles and a homerun but fell short in a 6-5 loss to Campbell Hall. Greg Kernodle doubled twice, Jace Dispenza had two singles, Jacob Perrin had a single and a double, and Stephen Williams also had two hits including his first homerun of the year.

Freshman Matt Cathcart, making his first varsity start, pitched five innings for the Sharks. Cathcart gave up five runs, all earned, struck out two, walked three, and hit two batters. Because the homerun by Williams tied the game in the sixth inning, Cathcart was spared the loss.

Malibu mounted a short-lived threat in the top of the first. After Kernodle grounded out to lead off the inning, Dispenza singled to center and advanced to second on a passed ball. Williams walked, but Jared Weinstock grounded into a double play to end the inning.

After Cathcart retired the Vikings in order in the bottom of the first, Malibu pushed across a run in the top of the second. Justin Hale led off with a single to right. With Jacob Perrin at the plate, Hale moved over to second on a wild pitch. Perrin hit a grounder back to pitcher Zach Kaplan. Hale broke for third and would have been thrown out, but Kaplan's throw to third baseman Ben Schwartz was high allowing Hale to slide in under Schwartz's tag. With runners on first and third, Nate Schoenbrun singled to left to drive in Hale with the first Malibu run. Schoenbrun stole second with Sean Conrad at the plate. Conrad then lined out to short for the first out of the inning. Tony Gwyn follwed with a bunt back to the pitcher who flipped the ball to catcher Aaron Hassel in plenty of time to get Perrin trying to score. The inning ended when Greg Kernodle lined out to second baseman Tyler Johnson.

Campbell Hall tied the game in the bottom of the second. After retiring the first two Vikings hitters on ground balls to Kernodle at second, Cathcart hit Johnson with a pitch. A balk moved Johnson to second and he scored when Tyler Winther singled to left center. An errant throw from the outfield allowed Winther to move to second, but Cathcart retired Paul Maler on another groundout to second to end the inning with the scored tied, 1-1.

The Sharks added three more runs and seemed poised to pull away from Campbell Hall in the third inning. Dispenza led off with his second base hit of the game. After a wild pitch advanced Dispenza to second, Williams lined a single into left field. With runners on the corners, Jared Weinstock singled to right to knock in Dispenza. Hale then bunted Williams and Weinstock over to second and third. Perrin followed with a single to left to drive in Williams and advance Weinstock to third. In a replay of the previous inning, Schoenbrun bunted back to Kaplan who tossed the ball to Hassel to nail Weinstock at the plate. With two outs and runners on first and second, Conrad singled to right to drive in Perrin. When Winther's throw from right rolled toward home plate, Schoenbrun tried to score. Hassel fielded the throw in foul territory on the first base side and raced to the plate in time to tag out Schoenbrun for the third out of the inning.

Staked to a 4-1 lead, Cathcart ran into some problems in the bottom of the third. After retiring the leadoff hitter on a grounder to Perrin at short, Cathcart walked the next two hitters. A hit batter loaded the bases with one out and a walk to Kaplan pushed across one run. Schwartz and Johnson followed with line drive singles up the middle to drive in the second and third runs of the inning. Cathcart escaped further damage by striking out Winther and inducing Maler to ground out to end the inning.

In both the fourth and fifth innings, Malibu put together a double and walk but was unable to score. Kernodle doubled deep to center with one out in the fourth. After Dispenza struck out, Kernodle stole third. Williams walked on four pitches and stole second before Weinstock flied to center to end the innings.

Perrin doubled deep to center with one out in the fifth. Schoenbrun followed with a walk, but Conrad and pinch hitter Dalton Abbott both struck out to leave Perrin and Schoenbrun stranded.

Meanwhile, the Vikings took a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the fourth on a solo homerun by leadoff hitter Greg Zebrack. Two line drives hauled in by Conrad in right prevented any further scoring in the inning.

Malibu tied the game in the sixth, but came away thinking about what might have been. Kernodle led off the inning with his second extra-base hit of the game. On a drive over the left fielder's head, Kernodle was thrown out trying to stretch his double into a three bases. The Sharks' next hitter, Jace Dispenza was hit by a pitch. With Williams at the plate and the count 2-2, Dispenza was thrown out trying to steal second. With two outs, a full count, and the bases empty, Williams drove the payoff pitch high over the left field fence for his first homerun of the season and a short-lived 5-5 score.

In the top of the sixth, Sean Conrad replaced Cathcart on the mound. Conrad struggled with his control, but struck out leadoff hitter Ted Rothenberg on a 3-2 pitch. Evan Haskell followed with a walk after Conrad ran the count to 3-2. Zebrack also walked to set the stage for Aaron Hassel. On the first pitch, Hassel singled to drive in Haskell. Zebrack moved to third, but Hassel was thrown out at second by Tony Gwyn when he tried to advance on the throw to third. With two outs, Matthew Cherry missed a squeeze attempt allowing Zebrack to be tagged out between third and home.

Trailing 6-5 in the top of the seventh, the Sharks threatened but failed to score. Hale grounded out to short to start the inning. Perrin followed with a walk and moved to second when Schoenbrun grounded out on a dribbler in front of the plate. With two outs and first base open, the Vikings intentionally walked Conrad. Gwyn then grounded to short for the final out of the game.

Overall, Malibu left ten runners on base. Five others were thrown out on the bases, three of them at home.

Scouting Report: Montclair Prep Mounties

The Sharks travel to the Mid-Valley baseball complex tomorrow to take on Cher's alma mater, Montclair Prep. The Mounties, currently 3-1-1, have wins against North Hollywood, Monroe, and Poly so far this season.

Montclair Prep is led by senior pitcher/third baseman Naveed Rezvani. Last year, Rezvani led the Mounties in batting average (.447), hits (34), wins (9), and ERA (2.26).

Sophomore shortstop Matt Hartunian put up impressive numbers as a freshman with a .425 batting average, 6 homeruns, and 20 RBIs. Joining Hartunian up the middle is sophomore second baseman Ray Palafox who hit .330 last season.

Malibu and Montclair Prep have traded wins over the last two seasons. The Mounties won last year's matchup, 3-0, behind the pitching of Enrique Zenon. (Nate Schoenbrun threw two runners out at home in a game noteworthy for great defensive plays.) In 2005, Malibu won, 5-4, on a three-run homer by Daniel Williams.

Incidentally, Michael Jackson is also an alumnus of Montclair Prep.

Walking Shoes

Forget about new spikes. What Stephen Williams needs is a pair of good walking shoes.

Through the first five games of the season, Williams has been walked six times and has been hit by a pitch four times. On Saturday, Palisades High pitchers walked Williams three times (twice in the sixth inning) and hit him once.

For his troubles, Williams has a .611 on-base percentage.

HBP number 2 vs. Saint Monica on March 2.

HBP number 3 vs. Culver City on March 6.

The Week Ahead

After going 3-2 in the Royal Invitational Tournament, Malibu heads into a week of tough non-league competition before beginning Tri-Valley League play against Oak Park on March 21.

The Sharks travel to the Mid-Valley baseball complex on Tuesday to take on Montclair Prep. On Wednesday, the Sharks hit the road again for a game at Campbell Hall. The week ends with a doubleheader at home against LA Baptist on Saturday.

Both mid-week games begin at 3:15 p.m. Start time for the first game of Saturday's doubleheader is 11:00 a.m.

March 10: The Schedule

The Sharks, coming off a 7-4 win over Huntington Park, play Pali High at their yard at 2:00 p.m. in the final game of the Royal Invitational Tournament.

Palisades High School is located at 15777 Bowdoin Street in Pacific Palisades (at the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Temescal Canyon Road). The baseball field is situated at the north end of the school property with Sunset Boulevard above and beyond the outfield fence. For a map, click here.

The JV squad has the day off.

Frosh at SV

The Sharks' freshman team plays tomorrow at Simi Valley in a game set to begin at 3:00 p.m. The SVHS Pioneers lost to Crespi's freshmen, 14-2, last Friday and rebounded to beat Burroughs, 12-6, on Wednesday.

Malibu and Simi Valley play at Simi Valley again on Monday.

Scouting Report: Huntington Park Spartans

Huntington Park enters tomorrow's game against the Sharks with a 1-2 record. The Spartans started the Royal Invitational Tournament with a 2-1 win over Lawndale before dropping a 3-2 decision to Mary Star of the Sea and being routed, 20-4, by Birmingham on Monday.

Huntington Park starter Mauricio Sanchez gave up ten hits and eight earned runs in just 2 2/3 innings against Birmingham. Meanwhile, Huntington Park hitters could manage only four hits in the game.

Danny Hernandez and Gustavo Corona lead the Spartans offensively. Hernandez is hitting .500 over the first three games of the 2007 season with a double and two stolen bases. Corona has a .333 average and two stolen bases. Each of his three hits thus far has been a double.

Randy Matos, who pitched eight innings to earn the win in extra innings against Lawndale a week ago, is the probable starter for the Spartans against Malibu. The senior hurler struck out seven without walking a batter in that outing.

Last season, Huntington Park finished with a 12-15 record. Matos was the leading hitter with a .356 average. Overall, the Spartans hit .239 over the course of the 2006 season.

Game time is 3:00 p.m. for the game, which is being played at South East High School.

South East New What?

Tomorrow's game against Huntington Park will be played at a nearby high school, South East High in South Gate. South East High is the newest high school in the LA Unified School District. It is located on the grounds of the former General Motors plant in South Gate at 2720 Tweedy Boulevard (just off of South Alameda Street north of the 105). Click here for a map.

(Please note: Because South East High sits on 26 acres, the baseball field could be anywhere. Plan to get there early.)

From Thursday to Friday

Game 4 for Malibu in the Royal Invitational Tournament has been rescheduled from Thursday to Friday. The Sharks will play the Huntington Park Spartans on Friday at 3:00 p.m.

(Please check back for information on getting to Huntington Park's home field.)

Culver City 7, Sharks 1 (Photos)

Sean Conrad bats in the first inning.

Dalton Abbott bats in the third inning.

Greg Kernodle flies to left in the third inning.

Stephen Williams launches a long foul ball in the fourth inning.

Wilder Philipson delivers in the fourth inning.

Jace Dispenza pitches in the sixth inning.

Stephen Williams trots home as the sixth inning ends on a fly out.

Andrew Kramer bats in the seventh inning.

Culver City 7, Sharks 1

Culver City took advantage of a shaky Malibu defense to score six runs in the first three innings in the course of handing the Sharks their first loss of the season, 7-1.

The defensive problems started quickly for Malibu. Culver City leadoff hitter Patrick Cousineau turned an infield hit into an extra base when Sean Conrad's throw got past first baseman Dalton Abbott. Michael Lee then dribbled a ground ball toward first and reached safely as pitcher Wilder Philipson was unable to find the handle on the ball. With runners on first and third, Kevin Ozaki grounded back to Philipson who threw to Stephen Williams at the plate to get Cousineau trying to score. The third Malibu error of the inning, on a groundball hit by MacArrin Tucker, scored Lee and moved Ozaki to third. After Adrian Campos popped out to Jacob Perrin at shortstop, Philipson hit James Seay to load the bases and then hit Jacob Blodgett to drive in another run.

Malibu put two runners on in the bottom of the first with a base hit by Jace Dispenza and a walk to Williams, but the Sharks were retired in order in the second and third innings while Culver City was tacking on four more runs.

In the top of the second, Andrew Connolly bunted and ended up on second as Philipson's throw was wild. Connolly moved to third on Cousineau's groundout to Greg Kernodle at second and scored two batters later when Kevin Ozaki beat the relay as the Sharks tried to execute an inning-ending double play.

In the third, Adrian Campos led off with a bunt single, assisted by a mental error by third baseman Sean Conrad who touched the ball in fair territory even as it seemed to be heading foul. After Seay walked and moved Campos to second, Williams picked Campos off of second. When the rundown ended, Campos was out and Seay had moved to second. A walk to Blodgett and a wild pitch that advanced both runners set the stage for a sacrifice fly by Kevin Cohen. Connolly followed with a double that scored Blodgett. Cousineau's single down the left field line drove in Connolly with the third run of the inning.

The Centaurs increased their lead to 7-0 in the fifth inning. Connolly started things off with a one-out single to left. Cousineau and Lee both followed with walks. With the bases loaded, Coach Paul Gallo called on Jace Dispenza to pitch in relief of Philipson. Ozaki, the first batter to face Dispenza, lined out to Nate Schoenbrun in center to score Connolly, who tagged from third. Tucker then lined out to Kernodle for the final out of the inning.

Malibu finally got on the board in the sixth inning. Kernodle, leading off, lined the first pitch he saw into left field for a single. Dispenza traded places with Kernodle on a fielder's choice. After Perrin flied to left for the second out of the inning, Conrad singled to right to drive in Dispenza.

On the day, Sean Conrad was 2-for-3. Jace Dispenza and Greg Kernodle had Malibu's two other hits.

The Sharks play again on Thursday, but their opponent and the location have not yet been determined.

Wilder!

Congratulations to Wilder Philipson who was listed in the Los Angeles Times on Saturday, March 3, as a "Top Performer." Here's the citation:

Wilder Philipson, Malibu: Singled in the winning run in the sixth inning and threw two innings of scoreless relief to get the win as the Sharks defeated St. Monica, 3-2, in modified round-robin play at the Royal tournament.

For the link, go here.