Fillmore scored two runs in the top of the tenth inning and held on to defeat Malibu, 5-3, in a key Tri-Valley League game at Malibu High on Friday. The victory moved Fillmore into sole possession of fourth place with a league record of five wins and five losses. Malibu (4-6) is a game behind Fillmore with two games left to play against first-place St. Bonaventure.
The Sharks jumped out to an early lead, but were unable to hold off the Flashes. After Jace Dispenza, making his first start on the mound, retired Fillmore in order in the top of the first inning, Greg Kernodle led off the bottom half of the inning with a four-pitch walk. Sean Conrad popped up a bunt attempt for the first out of the inning. Stephen Williams followed with a single that moved Kernodle into scoring position at second base. Jared Weinstock popped to short for the second out. Dispenza then turned on a 3-1 pitch and drilled a double down the third base line. Kernodle scored the first Malibu run on the hit and Williams advanced to third. A few pitches later, with Jacob Perrin at the plate, Williams scored the Sharks’ second run on a passed ball.
Dispenza did not allow a baserunner until the third inning when designated hitter Raul Ramirez lined a one-out single to left. Anthony Flores struck out looking for the second out of the inning. With Jonathan Avila at the plate, Ramirez advanced to second on wild pitch but was thrown out trying to steal third for the final out of the inning.
After going quietly in the bottom of the second, Malibu added another run in the third. Williams led off the inning with a double off the centerfield fence. He then moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Weinstock and, on a 1-1 pitch to Dispenza, scored on a wild pitch to make the score 3-0.
It appeared that three runs would be more than enough for Dispenza, who threw 40 strikes in 53 pitches while striking out four through the first four innings. In the fifth inning, however, Dispenza began to struggle. Eric Galvan led off with a four-pitch walk, but Dispenza got some help from his defense as Williams threw out Galvan trying to steal. Dispenza hit the next batter, centerfielder Sean Conaway, and walked Justin Liu before getting the second out of the inning via a fielder’s choice on a ground ball off the bat of Ramirez to Perrin at short. After a stolen base by Ramirez put two runners in scoring position, Dispenza battled back to get his fifth strikeout of the game to end the inning.
After Williams doubled in the third inning, Fillmore senior pitcher Jonathan Avila retired 17 of the next 18 Sharks batters. In fact, from the second inning through the tenth, Malibu never had more than one baserunner in an inning.
Meanwhile, Fillmore took advantage of walks and errors to tie the score in the top of the sixth. Following a lead-off walk, Sal Ibarra lined a pitch just out of the reach of Kernodle at second. An alert play by centerfielder Nate Schoenbrun turned the apparent hit into a fielder’s choice as Avila was forced out at second base. An infield error and a walk loaded the bases and ended Dispenza’s work on the mound.
Sean Conrad entered the game and struggled with his control. A walk to Galvan forced in Ibarra with Fillmore’s first run. A 1-2 curveball hit Conaway in the back to force in another run and leave the bases loaded. Liu followed with a grounder to Perrin at short. Conaway was forced at second, but Kernodle’s relay to Weinstock at first was not in time to complete the double play. Ralph Meza scored on the play to tie the score, 3-3. Conrad got Ramirez to fly out to Dispenza in center for the third out of the inning.
The Sharks went in order in both the sixth and seventh innings. Fillmore had an opportunity to take the lead in the top of the seventh. Jason Hurtado, pinch-hitting for Flores, ran the count full before walking to lead off the inning. However, on the first pitch to Avila, Hurtado was thrown out stealing. Avila singled to left but was left stranded on first as both Ibarra and Larry Tovar popped out.
Except for a hit batter, Conrad breezed through the eighth inning. In the bottom of the eighth, Williams made a bid for a walkoff homerun but came up inches short. On a 1-2 pitch from Avila, Williams drove a ball to the fence in straightaway center, but Conaway was there to make the catch. Weinstock followed with a two-out single to left, but Dispenza flied to center to send the game into the ninth inning.
Conrad retired Fillmore in order in the ninth. Malibu got a two-out single from Tony Gwyn in the bottom of the inning but Gwyn was left on first when Schoenbrun popped out to second.
In the top of the tenth, Tovar doubled into the left-center gap with one out. A pop foul caught by Weinstock at first left the Flashes with just one out to go. Conrad walked Galvan intentionally after falling behind, 3-0, and then hit Conaway to load the bases. On a 2-1 pitch, Liu singled to center to drive in Tovar and Galvan with the go-ahead runs. Alex Becerra struck out to end the inning with the score 5-3.
With the pitch count at 117 entering the bottom of the tenth inning, Jonathan Avila appeared stronger than at the start of the game. Kernodle grounded out to first on a 1-0 pitch. Conrad struck out swinging for the second out of the inning. Williams hit a routine fly ball to center to end the game.
Game Notes: Fillmore center fielder Sean Conaway was hit by a pitch four times in the game–once by Dispenza in the fifth inning and three times by Conrad (in the sixth, eighth, and tenth innings). . . . Only one Malibu runner reached second base after the third inning. . . . Stephen Williams was 6-for-9 with a homerun and a double in the two games against Fillmore. Two of the three outs he made were fly balls caught up against the fence. . . . Fillmore scored three runs in the top of the sixth without a base hit. . . . Dispenza struck out five and gave up just two hits in 5.1 innings of work.
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