Malibu 10, Palisades 8 (Box Score)

Malibu	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	K	AVE
Kernodle 2B	3	1	1	0	1	0	.333
D. Williams CF	3	2	1	0	1	0	.333
Johnson P	2	1	0	0	2	0	.000
S. Williams C	3	2	3	5	1	0	1.000
Puklus LF	3	1	2	0	0	0	.667
B. Weinstock SS/3B	2	0	0	0	1	0	.000
Van Soelen 1B	3	1	1	2	0	0	.333
Roth RF	3	1	1	1	0	0	.333
Conrad 3B/1B	3	1	2	1	0	0	.667
Perrin EH/SS	1	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Semkin EH/P	1	0	0	0	0	1	.000

BATTING

2B: Van Soelen (1), Roth (1), Puklus (1)
HR: S. Williams (1)
Team LOB: 5

BASERUNNING

SB: D. Williams 2 (2)

FIELDING

E: Perrin 2

PITCHING	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	ERA
Johnson W (1-0)	5.0	4	3	3	1	7	5.40
Semkin	2.0	3	5	0	0	3	0.00

HBP: Semkin 2
Pitches-strikes: Johnson, 71-47; Semkin, 44-28
Groundouts-flyouts: Johnson, 2-6; Semkin, 1-2

Malibu 10, Palisades 8 (Summary)

Malibu scored eight runs in the second inning and held off a late rally by Pacific Palisades to win the 2006 American Legion season opener by a score of 10-8.

Palisades jumped out to a 3-0 lead on three hits including a two-run homer by cleanup hitter Cole Cook before Malibu starter Phil Johnson settled into a rhythm. Johnson retired 13 of the last 15 batters he faced, seven by strikeout, in recording the win.

Malibu erased the deficit and then some in the bottom of the second. Stephen Williams led off the inning with a walk. Jason Puklus followed with an infield single that moved Williams to second. After Brett Weinstock flied to center, Jamie Van Soelen lined a double to the right field corner to drive in Williams and Puklus. Geoff Roth then doubled to right center to score Van Soelen. Sean Conrad then knocked in Roth with a single to left to give Malibu a 4-3 lead.

With one out and Conrad on second as a result of a bobble in the outfield, Greg Kernodle lined a shot to third. A diving play retired Kernodle, but Conrad advanced to third. A passed ball on the second pitch to Daniel Williams allowed Conrad to score Malibu’s fifth run.

After Williams walked and stole second, Johnson also walked. On a 1-0 count, Stephen Williams launched a three-run homer over the left field fence to make the score 8-3. Puklus followed with a double and Weinstock walked, but Van Soelen popped up to short to end the inning.

Malibu tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the third. With two outs, Kernodle singled. Daniel Williams followed with an infield hit coupled with a throwing error that advanced Kernodle to third. With Johnson at bat, Williams stole second. Johnson walked to load the bases and bring Stephen Williams to the plate. Williams singled through the left side to drive in two runs.

Johnson cruised through the middle innings before giving way to Wesley Semkin in the sixth. Semkin retired Palisades in order in the sixth, but ran into trouble in the top of the seventh. Three hits, two errors, and two hit batters produced five runs for Palisades before Semkin was able to close the door.

On the day, Stephen Williams was 3-for-3 with five RBIs and a walk. Jason Puklus and Sean Conrad were both 2-for-3.

Next up for Malibu is a game at UCLA against Brentwood on Friday. Game time is 5:00 p.m.

News and Notes

Pepperdine plays Missouri at 1:00 p.m. today in the finals of the Malibu Regional. The winner advances to the Super Regional next weekend against Cal State Fullerton.

UCLA won't be needing Jackie Robinson Stadium this week after all. Mizzou defeated the Bruins, 2-1, in yesterday's first game to eliminate UCLA from the NCAA tournament. (Malibu plays Pacific Palisades tomorrow at Malibu High in spite of the sudden availability of Jackie Robinson Stadium.)

Monrovia defeated Saint Bonaventure, 3-1, on Friday to claim the Division V CIF Southern Section championship. Two Frontier League teams--Nordhoff and Oaks Christian--advanced to the quarterfinals before being knocked out.

A Legion Schedule Change

The American Legion game originally scheduled to be played at UCLA on Tuesday, June 6, has been moved to Malibu. Malibu will play Pacific Palisades at Malibu High. Game time is 5:00 p.m. (Apparently someone at UCLA thinks the Bruins will get past this weekend's regional tournament in Malibu.)

NCAA Regional in Malibu

Pepperdine University will host an NCAA regional tournament this weekend at Eddy D. Field Stadium in Malibu. The Waves (40-19) will face Missouri (31-25) on Friday at 3:00 p.m. Earlier in the day, UCLA (32-23) will play UC Irvine (36-22).

Games on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday are scheduled for 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. If necessary, the championship game in the double-elimination tournament will be on Monday at 11:00 a.m.

Complete information regarding the regional is available here.

CIF-SS Division V Update

St. Bonaventure defeated Serrano, 3-2, on Tuesday to advance to the finals of the CIF Southern Section Division V playoffs. The Seraphs, who defeated Malibu in the first round, will face Monrovia. Monrovia reached the finals with a 9-0 victory over Nordhoff in the quarterfinals and a 3-2 win over Woodcrest Christian in the semifinals.

The championship game will be played on Friday, June 2, at UC Riverside. Game time is 7:30 p.m.

More Post-Season Honors

Last week Brooks Fitch and Stephen Williams were named to the All-Ventura County team. Fitch and Michael Gwyn, both of whom were first-team All-Frontier League selections, were also nominated to play in the senior all-star game at Moorpark College on June 11.

BP and More

Coach Gallo is providing an opportunity to get back into the swing of things with a batting practice scheduled for tomorrow (Wednesday) at 5:30 p.m. Also, Coach Buss has scheduled a mandatory practice for the American Legion team on Saturday, June 3, from 8:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at Malibu High. [Please note that this the time has been changed for the Saturday practice in order to allow players to attend the NCAA regional tournament at Pepperdine.]

Post-Season Honors

Six Malibu High players have earned All-Frontier League honors. Named to the first team were seniors Brooks Fitch and Michael Gwyn.

Brooks Fitch

Michael Gwyn

Second-team honorees were sophomores Jacob Perrin and Stephen Williams.

Jacob Perrin

Stephen Williams

Greg Kernodle and Jace Dispenza, both juniors, were named all-league honorable mention.

Greg Kernodle

Jace Dispenza

Congratulations!

Scouting Report: St. Bonaventure Seraphs

Malibu travels to Ventura tomorrow to take on the St. Bonaventure Seraphs. The Seraphs finished the regular season at the top of the CIF Division V rankings with a 20-5 record.

The Seraphs finished first in the Tri-Valley League with an 11-1 league record. Oak Park, which finished three games behind St. Bonaventure in the Tri-Valley League, handed the Seraphs a 2-1 loss on May 3.

St. Bonaventure has twelve seniors on the varsity squad. Last year, the Seraphs made it to the semi-finals of the CIF playoffs where they fell to Serrano, 3-2.

Starting on the mound for the Sharks tomorrow will be senior Brooks Fitch. Fitch pitched five shutout innings against Temple City in the playoffs one year ago before falling by a score of 5-2.

St. Bonaventure is located at 3167 Telegraph Road in Ventura (just west of Pacific Mall). For a map, go here.

[UPDATE: The game will be played at Saticoy Field. Take the 101 Freeway to the Central exit. Go right on Central to Vineyard and turn right. Take Vineyard to Wells and turn left to Henderson. The field is on the corner of Wells and Henderson.]

Sharks 11, Salesian 5

The Sharks scored nine runs in the first two innings and coasted to an 11-5 win over the Salesian Mustangs in the CIF wildcard game on Tuesday. Jace Dispenza had three hits and five RBIs to pace the offense and Michael Gwyn struck out six while earning a complete-game victory on the mound.

Michael Gwyn delivers to a Salesian hitter.

After Gwyn set down the Mustangs in order in the top of the first, Jared Weinstock started things offensively with a one-out single. Brooks Fitch grounded to third, but a throwing error allowed him to reach safely and while moving Weinstock to third. Stephen Williams’ flyout to center scored Weinstock with the Sharks’ first run. Gwyn and Jacob Perrin followed with walks to load the bases. A base hit by Colbie Bell brought in Fitch. Dispenza then hit a flare down the rightfield line for a base-clearing triple to conclude a five-run first inning for Malibu.

Jared Weinstock fouls off a pitch.

In the top of the second, Eric Galdamez led off with a single for Salesian. Firstbaseman Colbie Bell turned a hit-and-run play into an unassisted double play as Gus Garcia popped out near the bag. Gwyn struck out Geovanni Alvarez to end the top of the second.

The bottom of the second started much like the first had as Weinstock singled with one out. An errant pickoff attempt moved Weinstock to second. Fitch flied to right for the second out of the inning, but Weinstock tagged and moved to third on the play. Williams then singled up the middle to knock in Weinstock for the second time in as many innings. After Gwyn was hit by a pitch, Perrin singled to drive in Williams from second. Bell walked to load the bases for Dispenza, who delivered a single to knock in two more runs.

Gwyn retired the Mustangs in order in the third and fourth innings. Except for a single by Greg Kernodle to lead off the third inning, the Sharks also went down in order in the third and fourth innings.

Salesian broke through for two runs in the top of the fifth. Galdamez led off with a walk. After Galdamez stole second, Garcia singled to move him to third. Galdamez scored and Garcia advanced to second on a wild pitch. Consecutive groundouts by Alvarez and Tommy Sotello moved Garcia to third and home. Chris Castillo and Chris Vanacore followed with base hits, but Gwyn got Martinez to ground to Kernodle at second for the final out of the inning.

Greg Kernodle waits for a pitch.

The Sharks had a two-out single by Kernodle in the bottom of the fifth, but the inning ended when Sean Conrad, hitting for Weinstock, flied to left.

In the top of the sixth, Francisco Alvarez led of with a double. After Bryant walked, Galdamez singled to left to load the bases. An error by Fitch at third allowed Francisco Alvarez to score. After Geovanni Alvarez popped out to Bell at first, Sotello hit a sacrifice fly to center to drive in Bryant. Galdamez stole third and promptly scored on Castillo's basehit. Gwyn struck out Vanacore to end the inning.

Stephen Williams scores on a wild pitch in the sixth inning.

Malibu got two runs back in the bottom of the sixth. Fitch walked to start the inning. Williams grounded to third but avoided a double play by beating the relay from second. Gwyn’s grounder to the left side on a hit-and-run advanced Williams all the way to third. As Perrin took ball four, the ball skipped all the way to the backstop allowing Williams to score. Perrin stole second and Bell walked to bring up Dispenza with another run-scoring opportunity. Dispenza responded again, but Perrin was held at third to leave the bases loaded for Nate Schoenbrun. Schoenbrun walked on four pitches to force in Perrin with the Sharks’ eleventh run.

Up by six runs, Gwyn breezed through the top of the seventh, striking out the first two hitters he faced and getting Bryant out on a grounder to third.

Malibu’s win sets up a game against the top-ranked St. Bonaventure Seraphs tomorrow in Ventura at 3:15.

Wild Card

Malibu will host Salesian in a wild card playoff game tomorrow. Salesian finished third in the Santa Fe League with an overall record of 10-13. The only common opponent for Malibu and Salesian during the 2006 season was Montclair Prep. The Mounties defeated Salesian 14-1 on March 24 and defeated Malibu 3-0 one week later.

[UPDATE: Please note that tomorrow's game is scheduled for 3:15 p.m. rather than the usual 3:30 p.m.]

Gwyn, Ellis, Bell, and Fitch

Prior to yesterday's game against Santa Clara, the Sharks honored the four seniors on the squad. Pictured below (from left to right) are Michael Gwyn, Ross Ellis, Colbie Bell, and Brooks Fitch.

Pictured below are Colbie Bell (with his parents Ed and Connie Bell); Ross Ellis (with his parents John and Fredda Ellis); Michael Gwyn (with his parents Lee and Melinda Gwyn); and Brooks Fitch (with his mother Pam Fitch). (Not pictured is Rob Fitch, who was stuck in traffic.)

Thanks, guys, for all you've done to put Malibu baseball on the map. We wish you the best for the future.

[Photos courtesy of Dave Buss.]

On to the Playoffs

In the wake of a 16-1 win over Santa Clara, the Sharks got the help they needed from Nordhoff in order to make the CIF Southern Section Division V playoffs. Nordhoff defeated Santa Paula today, 11-10.

Here are the final standings in the Frontier League:

1. Oaks Christian (12-0)
2. Nordhoff (7-5)
3. Malibu (5-7)
4. Santa Paula (4-8)
5. Santa Clara (2-10)

Playoffs begin on Tuesday.

Tomorrow's practice will begin at 1:00 p.m.--as usual.

Senior Day 2006

Be sure to come early for tomorrow's final regular-season game. The Malibu High baseball program will be honoring seniors Colbie Bell, Ross Ellis, Brooks Fitch, Michael Gwyn, and Wesley Semkin prior to the 3:30 game against the Santa Clara Saints.

2006 American Legion Schedule

Date	Day	Time	Visitor	Home	Location
June 6	Tuesday	5:00pm	Malibu	Palisades	Malibu
June 9	Friday	5:00pm	Brentwood	Malibu	UCLA
June 10	Saturday	2:00pm	SaMo A	Malibu	Malibu
June 12	Monday	5:00pm	Malibu	SaMo B	UCLA
June 17	Saturday	2:00pm	Beverly Hills	Malibu	UCLA
June 19	Monday	5:00pm	Malibu	Palisades	Palisades
June 20	Tuesday	5:00pm	Malibu	Hollywood	UCLA
June 24	Saturday	10:00am	Malibu	Beverly Hills	Malibu
June 27	Tuesday	6:00pm	Brentwood	Malibu	UCLA
June 30	Friday	2:00pm	Malibu	SaMo A	UCLA
July 1	Saturday	11:00am	Malibu	SaMo A	Malibu
July 1	Saturday	2:00pm	SaMo B	Malibu	Malibu
July 7	Friday	5:00pm	Malibu	Beverly Hills	UCLA
July 8	Saturday	2:00pm	Palisades	Malibu	UCLA
July 10	Monday	11:00am	University	Malibu	Malibu
July 11	Tuesday	6:00pm	Hollywood	Malibu	UCLA
July 15	Saturday	2:00pm	Malibu	Brentwood	UCLA

The Home Stretch

The Sharks have five games left in the 2006 regular season, including two against the Nordhoff Rangers this week. Malibu plays Nordhoff at home today and travels to Ojai on Friday.

Frontier League play concludes next week with a game at Oaks Christian on Monday, May 8, a game against Santa Clara in Oxnard on Tuesday, May 9, and a game against Santa Clara at home on Thursday, May 11. The final regular-season home game on May 11 will be Senior Day.

Oaks Christian sits atop the Frontier League standings with a 9-0 record. Nordhoff, at 4-4, is in second. Malibu is in third place with a 3-4 league record.

Bring Your Checkbook

Coach Dave Buss reports that some of the bills for the upcoming American Legion season are coming due. The cost per player is, as always, $100. That’s less than the registration fee for Malibu Little League, less than the transportation fee for sports at Malibu High, and quite possibly less than your next tank of gas will cost.

Checks should be made payable to Dave Buss and may be given directly to Dave or to Robert Williams.

The first American Legion game will be on Tuesday, June 6, against Pacific Palisades at UCLA's Jackie Robinson Stadium.

[Update: As Coach Buss notes in the comment below, you may also mail your check to him at 2601 Huntington Lane, Redondo Beach, CA 90278.]

It’s Alive!

Well, barely alive.

After several weeks of end-of-the-semester grading hell, I’ve emerged to revive Sharks Baseball. There’s some catching up to do (going all the way back to the Oaks Christian game on April 7), so be on the lookout for some posts directing you back in time to some long lost game summaries.

A Visit to the Valley

The Sharks (7-7) take on Harvard Westlake (5-9) tomorrow in a doubleheader. The first game begins at 11:00 a.m.

Practice Resumes

Practice resumes this week with voluntary workouts today and tomorrow from 1:30 to 3:30 and mandatory practices on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 1:30 to 4:30.

The Sharks go on the road Saturday for a doubleheader against Harvard Westlake.

Pregame Notes

The Sharks take on the Oaks Christian Lions at home today. Game time is 3:30 p.m. . . . Oaks enters the game with a 5-0 Frontier League record, two games ahead of Malibu at 2-1. . . . Coach Ari Jacobs will manage the varsity team today in Paul Gallo's absence. Gallo was ejected from last Saturday's game against Grace Brethren and, in accordance with CIF rules, must sit out the next game.

Sophomore Jacob Perrin will be on the mound today for Malibu. Perrin pitched four innings in relief against Grace Brethren last Saturday to pick up his second win of the season.

Oaks senior Tim Johnston leads the Frontier League with three homeruns. Brent Keys of Oaks leads the league in stolen bases with 13. Malibu sophomore Stephen Williams leads the Frontier League with 17 RBIs.

Last Tuesday's rainout at Oaks Christian has been rescheduled for Monday, May 8.

The Sharks will make up the rainout on March 11 against St. Monica tomorrow at 11:00 a.m.

[UPDATE: The starting pitcher in today's game was Michael Gwyn, not Jacob Perrin.]

Eric Buss

On behalf of everyone associated with the baseball program at Malibu High School, we extend our deepest sympathy to Dave Buss and his family on the passing of Eric Buss this morning. Eric--Dave's "kid brother"--battled a rare form of brain tumor (Glioblastoma Multiforme) for almost two years. He died just two days after his thirty-first birthday.

Update: Donations in Eric's honor may be sent to the hospital where he received much of his treatment:

University of Chicago Hospitals
Office of Development
5841 S. Maryland Avenue, MC 1115
Chicago, IL 60637
Phone: (773) 702-6565
Email: development@ mcdmail.uchicago.edu

"Rain"

"If the rain comes, they run and hide their heads . . ."

Name that group.

There must be a million songs about rain.

Both the varsity and JV games against Oaks Christian have been rained out today. No makeup date has been scheduled.

Sharks 7, Grace Brethren 5

In a game that saw the return of senior Brooks Fitch to the pitcher's mound and the departure of Coach Gallo from the third base coach's box, Malibu defeated Grace Brethren, 7-5, on Saturday.

Fitch, making his first varsity start since last May, threw 48 pitches (including 32 strikes) in three innings of work. Although he recorded no strikeouts, only one ball was hit hard off of him. As a measure of his effectiveness, Fitch recorded five assists while on the mound.

Grace Brethren jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first on a hit batter, an error on a pickoff attempt, a base hit, a balk, and a run-scoring groundout. The Sharks answered quickly, though, with three runs in the bottom of the first.

Greg Kernodle led off with a single up the middle. Jacob Perrin followed with a single through the left side of the infield. Fitch walked to load the bases and Stephen Williams notched his seventeenth RBI of the season when he was hit with a pitch. Michael Gwyn followed with a base hit that scored Perrin and Fitch. Two controversial plays followed that set the tone for the rest of the game.

With Gwyn on first and Williams on second, Jace Dispenza attempted to bunt. After fouling a bunt attempt, Dispenza missed on the second pitch. Gwyn was picked off first, touching off a furor in the Malibu stands. Dispenza was called out on strikes on the next pitch, which was a high fastball. Nate Schoenbrun then flied to center for what appeared to be the thrid out of the inning. The home plate umpire ruled that catcher's interference hahd occurred on the swing, so Schoenbrun was awarded first base. Jake Jesson walked to load the bases, but Dusty Kramer grounded to third to end the inning.

Grace Brethren scored a single run in the top of the third on a single, a sacrifice bunt, an infield groundout, and a wild pitch.

Malibu answered with two runs in the bottom of the third to go up 5-3. Gwyn led off with a double to center. After Dispenza flied to center, Schoenbrun singled Gwyn to third. Gwyn scored when Jesson reached on an error. Kramer's single then drove in Schoenbrun.

More controversy erupted in the bottom of the fourth inning. Williams led off with a single. He moved to second and Gwyn reached first when the Grace Brethren second baseman booted a double play ball. Dispenza singled to load the bases and set up one of the more bizarre plays of the season thus far.

On an 0-1 pitch, Nate Schoenbrun executed a perfect bunt on a ball that bounced five feet in front of home plate. The plate umpire called the ball dead, indicating that the ball could not be struck after hitting the ground. As Gallo argued the call, the ruling became that Schoenbrun was out for contacting the ball with one foot completely out of the batter's box.. After more argument, Gallo was ejected from the game, leaving Coach Bobby Lehmkuhl and Coach Jeff Drobman to manage the rest of the game for Malibu. The inning ended with the bases loaded and no runs in for the Sharks.

With Perrin on in relief of Fitch, Grace Brethren went down in order in its half of the fourth inning. However, two base hits and two errors led to two runs for Grace Brethren in the fifth inning.

The Sharks went quietly in the fifth. After Perrin got out of a first-and-third jam in the sixth, Malibu scored two runs in the bottom half of the inning.

With one out, Dispenza picked up his second hit of the game, a single to right center. Schoenbrun walked. Sean Conrad traded places with Schoenbrun on a fielder's choice as Dispenza moved to third. With the game in the balance, freshman Tony Gwyn stepped in for his first at bat at the varsity level. After running the count to 2-2, Gwyn fouled off a pitch. He then beat out a slow roller up the third base line that scored Dispenza with the go-ahead run. Kernodle followed with a single that scored Conrad to make the score 7-5.

In the top of the seventh, Perrin surrendered a two-out single. Appropriately, the game ended with additional controversy as a ball hit off the batter's foot rolled to Gwyn at third who threw to first for the final out of the game.

On the day, Kernodle, Gwyn, Dispenza, and Schoenbrun had two hits apiece. Perrin picked up the win with four solid innings of relief.

Felicitaciones!

Word circulated through the stands at today's game against Grace Brethren that Colbie Bell has been admitted to the Universidad de Colombia. Felicitaciones y buena suerte, Colbie.

Check that. The guy looking over my shoulder says Colbie was accepted to Columbia University.

I'll check my Spanish-English dictionary, but I'm pretty sure Columbia University is the Universidad de Colombia.

Drobman-san

It took some investigative work worthy of Bill James and the folks at SABR, but Sharks Baseball has discovered that Malibu Coach Jeff Drobman spent four seasons playing pro baseball in Japan during the early 1970s. Coach Drobman hit .286 in 374 games with the Hanshin Tigers and the Yomiuri Giants of Japan's Central League.

Ask Coach Drobman what it was like to play with the great Sadaharu Oh.

Montclair Prep 3, Sharks 0

Montclair Prep sophomore Enrique Zenon held the Sharks to two hits in a complete-game shutout at Malibu High on Friday. The 3-0 loss dropped Malibu’s record on the season to 5-6 going into today’s game against Grace Brethren.

For four innings, senior Colbie Bell, aided by the outstanding defensive play of Michael Gwyn at third base and Nate Schoenbrun in centerfield, kept the Mounties off the scoreboard. Two walks and a single in the top of the fifth inning gave Montclair Prep a 2-0 lead. An unearned run in the sixth completed the scoring.

Defense was the name of the game for the Sharks on the day. After a one-out single by Ray Palafox in the top of the first, Bell snagged a ball hit hard back up the middle off the bat of Naveed Rezvani to start a 1-6-3 double play. In the top of the second, Matt Hirsch singled and stole second with one out. When Patrick Jameson singled to center, Schoenbrun fired a perfect throw to Stephen Williams at the plate to nail Hirsch trying to score.

Gwyn, meanwhile, made outstanding defensive plays in the second, sixth, and seventh innings to take away base hits.

In the top of the third, Bell hit leadoff hitter Marc Sweet. After Sweet moved up on Ranny Lowe’s bunt, Bell picked Sweet off second. Palafox walked to set up the second double play of the game for Malibu. With Lowe running on the pitch, Rezvani hit a line drive that Greg Kernodle speared near the bag for an easy unassisted double play.

Bell worked out of his own jam in the fourth inning. Two hit batters, a fielder’s choice, and a single loaded the bases for the Mounties with one out in the inning. Bell got Zenon to foul out to Brooks Fitch at first and Sweet to ground out to Kernodle at second to end the inning unscathed.

Meanwhile, the Sharks were unable to put any offense together. Kernodle reached first on an error in the bottom of the first, advanced to second on Jared Weinstock’s groundout, and moved to third on a passed ball, but was unable to score. Fitch walked to bring Williams, the Sharks’ RBI leader, to the plate. Williams fouled out on the first pitch. Gwyn then hit a 1-0 pitch deep to left, but Sweet gathered it in for the third out.

Malibu went in order in the second inning. In the third, Weinstock hit a two-out double to the base of the fence in right. He advanced to third on a passed ball, but was stranded when Fitch grounded to second to end the inning.

The only other hit off Zenon came with two outs in the fourth when Jacob Perrin hit a liner to center. Perrin, however, was caught at second on a delayed steal attempt.

In spite of the absence of hits, the Sharks, down 3-0, had an opportunity to get back in the game in the bottom of the sixth. Kernodle and Weinstock both walked. Fitch hit an 0-2 pitch hard down the third base line. Rezvani fielded it, stepped on third to get Kernodle and threw to second to get Weinstock. Lowe attempted to complete the triple play, but his relay to first was wild, allowing Fitch to move up to second. The inning ended on Williams’ groundout to second.

It was a day of missed opportunities. The Sharks left five runners in scoring position. Montclair, however, had seven runners left in scoring position and two runners thrown out at the plate by Schoenbrun.

Scouting Report: Montclair Prep Mounties

The Sharks take on the Montclair Prep Mounties in a non-league game today at Malibu High beginning at 3:15 p.m. The Mounties are 5-4-1 so far with wins over Hueneme, Pacifica, Calabasas, Salesian, and Monroe.

Montclair Prep's manager Matt Whisenant is fielding a young team this season with one senior, three juniors, six sophomores, and four freshmen on the roster.

In their only meeting in 2005, Malibu defeated Montclair Prep, 5-4, on a three-run homerun in the sixth inning by Daniel Williams off Michael Trump. (Colbie Bell and Stephen Williams scored on the round-tripper, which saw the Mounties' center fielder tumble over the fence in pursuit of the ball.)

"Ain't No Sunshine When She's Gone"

Nor, apparently, when the Fillmore Flashes are scheduled to visit Malibu.

Today's game is rained out.

The Three-Four Punch

The Brooks Fitch-Stephen Williams combination in the middle of the Sharks' lineup is proving to be one of the most productive ever for the Sharks. Through ten games, Fitch is hitting .520 and has scored nine runs. Williams is hitting .484 and has driven in sixteen runs.

Oak Park 14, Sharks 7

The Oak Park Eagles scored nine runs in the third inning and defeated Malibu by a score of 14-7 in a non-league game on Saturday. The Sharks dropped to 5-5 on the season as the Eagles ran their winning streak to six games.

Malibu got on the scoreboard early as Brooks Fitch hit a two-out solo homer to left in the top of the first. Stephen Williams followed with a double, the first of three on the day for the sophomore catcher, but was left on base as Mike Gwyn grounded out to end the inning.

Oak Park countered with an unearned run in the bottom of the first. Shortstop Zach Granowitz reached on an error and immediately advanced to third when Jacob Perrin’s pickoff attempt sailed wide of first base. Granowitz scored when the next batter, Cory Ott, grounded out to Gwyn at third. After Matt Alexander grounded to Fitch at first for the second out of the inning, Zack Thornton and Blair Walters both singled before Perrin struck out Mitch Halpert to end the inning.

Right fielder Sloan Campi reached on a two-out infield hit and stole second in the second inning, but was left stranded.

In the bottom of the second, Oak Park took a 2-1 lead on another unearned run as Garrett Brinkley reached second with one out on second baseman Colbie Bell’s throwing error. Brinkley advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored as Bell misplayed Eric Columbia’s ground ball. Columbia moved to second when Granowitz grounded out. Perrin then hit Ott with a pitch to set up one of the more bizarre plays of the day.

Alexander hit a towering popup that dropped untouched near the mound. Perrin picked up the ball and threw quickly to Bell at second to get Ott, who had rounded the bag too far, for the third out of the inning.

The Sharks seemed poised to take control of the game in the top of the third, but they quickly lost control in the bottom half of the inning.

After Greg Kernodle grounded out to start the third for Malibu, Jared Weinstock lined a double to deep center field. Weinstock moved to third and Fitch reached second on a throwing error by Oak Park third baseman Garrett Brinkley. Williams followed with his second double of the day, a drive that plated both Weinstock and Fitch and chased Eagle starter Mitch Halpert from the game.

With Jake Whitaker on in relief, Williams scored as Gwyn reached on an error by Ott at second base. Perrin followed with a flare to right for a base hit and Bell walked to load the bases. Campi’s grounder to third resulted in a force at the plate on Gwyn for the second out of the inning. Jace Dispenza then walked to drive in Perrin before Kernodle grounded to short for the third out.

All nine Oak Park hitters scored in the bottom of the third. Thornton, leading off, was hit by a pitch. Walters followed with a double to center. Whitaker’s single knocked in Thornton. Doug Deakin was then hit by a pitch to load the bases. A single by Brinkley scored Walters before Columbia’s single to the wall in right knocked in Whitaker and Deakin. Granowitz reached on a throwing error. Brinkley and Columbia then scored when Kernodle allowed a ground ball off the bat of Ott to go through his legs at short. Granowitz then scored as Ott got into a rundown between first and second. Alexander’s single scored Ott.

After Perrin walked Thornton, with eight runs in and nobody out, Coach Gallo made the call to the bullpen for Wilder Philipson. Walters greeted Philipson with a base hit, his second of the inning. A sacrifice fly off the bat of Whitaker plated the ninth run of the inning with the first out. Philipson then struck out Deakin and Brinkley to drive a stake through the heart of the inning that would not die.

Weinstock singled to lead off the fourth for the Sharks. When Fitch walked, it appeared that Malibu might be ready to chip away at Oak Park’s 11-5 lead. But Williams struck out and Nate Schoenbrun, running for Weinstock, was doubled off second when Gwyn flied to center.

Philipson walked Columbia to lead off the fourth, but promptly turned a comebacker off the bat of Granowitz into a 1-6-3 double play. Ott popped to short to end the inning.

Malibu went quietly in the fifth, as did the Eagles, thanks to another double play.

In the top of the sixth, Dispenza led off with a walk. Kernodle replaced Dispenza on a fielder’s choice and then advanced to second on a wild pitch. After Schoenbrun struck out, Fitch walked. Williams then drove a fastball from reliever Dave Schmidt to the deepest part of the park for a two-run double that made the score 11-7 and forced the Eagles to bring on ace Zack Thornton to pitch.

The Eagles capitalized on Philipson’s control problems to score three more runs in the bottom of the sixth. Down 14-7, the Sharks went in order in the top of the seventh as Thornton sealed the win for Oak Park.

The Sharks face three more non-league opponents before resuming Frontier League play against Oaks Christian on Tuesday, April 4. Next up is a home game against Fillmore on Tuesday, March 28.

Oak Park Preview

The Sharks take on Oak Park in a non-league game on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. Malibu and Oak Park expect to match up in league play in 2007 when the Tri-Valley League and the Frontier League combine.

Oak Park is currently riding a five-game winning streak. The Eagles are led by senior pitcher Zack Thornton and junior first baseman Blair Walters.

For directions to Oak Park High School, click here. (The baseball field is located in the northeast corner of the campus behind the student parking lot.)

Sharks 13, Nordhoff 3

The Sharks sent twelve batters to the plate and scored six runs in the top of the third inning and rode the pitching of Jared Weinstock and Mike Gwyn to a 13-3 win over Frontier League rival Nordhoff on Friday.

With Malibu already up 2-0, Greg Kernodle led off the third inning with a bunt single down the third base line. Kernodle stole second and then advanced to third as Weinstock grounded out to Nordhoff first baseman, Todd Landsman. After Brooks Fitch was intentionally walked, Stephen Williams hit a ground-rule double down the left field line that score Kernodle and moved Fitch to third. Fitch and Williams scored when Gwyn’s ground ball bounced over the shoulder of second baseman Marty Myers. On a well-executed hit-and-run play, Jacob Perrin singled through the hole at second to chase Gwyn to third. Perrin advanced to second on the throw from the outfield. Colbie Bell’s base hit plated Gwyn before Ross Ellis was hit by a pitch to load the bases.

Jace Dispenza greeted the first pitch from Nordhoff’s Rob Magill, on in relief of starter Tyler Erickson, with a two-run double into the left-center field gap. Kernodle walked to load the bases, but Weinstock fouled out and Fitch flied to left to end the inning.

Weinstock, making his second start of the season on the mound, gave up two hits in the bottom of the first, but kept the Rangers’ bats silent the rest of the way. His only problems came as a consequence of temporary lapses in control. Weinstock walked the bases loaded on the first fourteen pitches of the third inning. He immediately settled down, however, and retired the next three batters, allowing only one run on a fielder’s choice. In all, Weinstock allowed two runs (one earned) in four innings with three strikeouts and six walks.

Mike Gwyn, who entered in relief after Weinstock walked the leadoff hitter in the fifth inning, pitched three complete innings allowing only one hit and one unearned run.

Malibu started the scoring in the top of the first. Erickson hit leadoff hitter Greg Kernodle with a 1-2 pitch. Weinstock grounded into a fielder’s choice that erased Kernodle at second. Fitch followed with a double that moved Weinstock to third. A sacrifice fly to center by Williams scored Weinstock. Fitch then scored the second run of the game on Mike Gwyn’s infield hit.

With the score 8-1, the Sharks added a single run in the fourth inning. Gwyn reached on a one-out single and advanced to second when Perrin grounded into a bizarre 5-6-3 out. Bell then lined a single up the middle to score Gwyn.

Malibu put the game away with four more runs in the sixth inning. The first three batters–Williams, Gwyn, and Perrin–reached on walks. Williams scored on a wild pitch and Bell knocked in Gwyn on a groundout to short. After Nate Schoenbrun walked, Dispenza singled to knock in Perrin. Kernodle followed with a base hit that loaded the bases. Jake Jesson then hit a sacrifice fly to center to score Schoenbrun with the thirteenth and final run of the game for Malibu.

In addition to the strong pitching and hitting performances, Malibu got exceptional defensive play from Jacob Perrin at short. Nate Schoenbrun and Jake Jesson had solid defensive games in the outfield and Stephen Williams had a good game behind the plate.

The win over Nordhoff moved the Sharks into second place in the Frontier League a game-and-a-half behind Oaks Christian. It also took Malibu over .500 for the first time this season with a 5-4 overall record.

The Sharks play a non-league contest on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. at Oak Park.

Sharks 15, Santa Clara 2

Malibu turned fourteen hits and six Santa Clara errors into fifteen runs on Tuesday afternoon in a 15-2 win. The victory improved Malibu's record to 4-4 (1-1 in the Frontier League).

The scoring started early when Greg Kernodle led off the bottom of the first with a single. With Jared Weinstock at the plate, Kernodle stole second. Weinstock reached on an infield hit that moved Kernodle to third. After Brooks Fitch struck out, a balk scored Kernodle and moved Weinstock to second. Stephen Williams flied to center and Mike Gwyn fouled out to end the inning.

The Sharks sent eleven hitters to the plate and scored six runs in the bottom of the second inning. Jacob Perrin led off with a single and advanced to second when Colbie Bell was hit with a pitch. Wesley Semkin pushed the runners to second and third with a well-executed bunt. Jake Jesson singled to drive in both runners and advanced to second when the Saints' left fielder bobbled the ball. Kernodle followed with a walk before Weinstock singled to drive in Jesson. A base hit by Fitch knocked in Kernodle with the second run of the inning. After Williams was hit by a pitch to load the bases, Gwyn reached on an error by the Santa Clara third baseman. Weinstock and Fitch scored on the play to run the score to 7-0.

Malibu was retired in order in the third inning, but erupted for five more runs in the fourth. After Weinstock grounded out and Fitch lined out to left, Williams singled past the third baseman. Gwyn followed with a double that chased Williams to third. Perrin singled, scoring both Williams and Gwyn. After Bell singled with Perrin advancing to second, two wild pitches with Semkin at the plate scored Perrin and moved Bell to third. After Semkin walked, Jesson got his third RBI of the game on a base hit through the infield. Kernodle flied to left for what should have been the final out of the inning, but the ball was misplayed allowing Semkin to score to make the score 12-2.

The Sharks tacked on three more runs in the bottom of the fifth. Fitch, leading off the inning, was hit by a pitch. Sloan Campi, hitting for Williams, grounded to short to force Fitch at second. Gwyn's second hit of the game moved Campi to second. Perrin's sharp ground ball to short went through the fielder's legs allowing Campi to score. After Bell was hit by a pitch for the second time on the day, Ross Ellis, batting for Semkin, singled to knock in Gwyn. Perrin then scored on another error by the Santa Clara shortstop.

Colbie Bell allowed two earned runs on five hits in six innings of work en route to his second win of the season. Wilder Philipson pitched a perfect seventh to close out the game.

Jacob Perrin collected three hits and scored three runs on the day. Jake Jesson was 2-for-4 with three RBIs. Mike Gwyn was 2-for-5 and had the only extra-base hit of the game for the Sharks.

Next up for Malibu is a game against Frontier League rival Nordhoff in Ojai on Friday at 3:30.

Bright Sunshine

That's the forecast for tomorrow afternoon's game against Santa Clara. Between now and then, however, the forecast is for showers continuing through the night.

Stay tuned.

Editorial Notes

It's long overdue, but I've finally added a link labeled "2006 Statistics (Max Preps)" in the column to the right. Following this link will take you to the 2006 Malibu High Baseball page on Max Preps. The 2006 schedule, roster, and statistics are available on the Max Preps site.

Updates on the Max Preps page come from coaches. If you read here that Blutarsky went 3-for-4 in the last game and on the Max Preps page it says he went 4-for-4, it simply means that whoever kept score in the dugout was more generous than I was on one of those "do-you-score-that-a-hit-or-an-error" calls. Or it could mean that I made a mistake. At least it could mean that in theory. In practice, I don't actually make mistakes. (I'm kidding, Anne.)

The Malibu Baseball site is maintained by Coach Gallo, so he's the one who can correct the spelling of your name there, Coach Lehmkuhl. (Never mind. It's been corrected.) Although I don't work on the Malibu Baseball site, I'm not above stealing stuff from there to put on this blog from time to time.

Coach Buss, who likes to see himself and his dog here on the blog, recently asked about the absence of photos in recent weeks. They're coming. When I have time, I'll be editing some of the game summaries that have already been posted in order to insert some game photos. (If you have photos you'd like to see posted here, please let me know.)

I'm usually able to attend only the varsity games, but I'm happy to post information about JV games when I can get it and when I have time to post it. Coach Jacobs has promised to feed me some game summaries, so look for more stories about the JV team soon.

Just to be clear, this is a very unofficial web site unaffiliated with Malibu High School and the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District that I maintain in my spare time (although I see that it's now 4:30 in the afternoon, which means that it's technically not my spare time) because I've always enjoyed watching my sons play baseball and I know that some day that will come to an end and I'd like to have a record of all the good times but I'm not very good at scrapbooking. So while I think I've been pretty fair to all concerned since this thing started--and I'm definitely not into critical comments--I've probably been (and will continue to be) partial to players named "Williams" (and dogs wearing baseball caps), so I thank you in advance for your indulgence.

Leave me a comment if you have, uh, a comment--or a suggestion.

Thanks for your patronage.

Northview 13, Sharks 2 (Game 2)

In the second game of Saturday's doubleheader, the Northview Vikings downed Malibu, 13-2. The Vikings pounded out eleven hits and were aided by seven Malibu errors and four walks.

The Vikings scored two unearned runs in each of the first two innings off starter Jared Weinstock. In the top of the third, a leadoff walk to centerfielder Will Davis and three consecutive hits led to four earned runs and an 8-0 Northview lead.

Malibu got on the board in the bottom of the third. Brooks Fitch led off with an infield hit. With Tony Gwyn running for Fitch, Stephen Williams hit a line drive off the base umpire's foot for a single. After Wilder Philipson struck out, Mike Gwyn grounded to short. Williams was forced at second, but the throw on to first got away allowing Tony Gwyn to score.

With Philipson on in relief of Weinstock, the Vikings added one run in the fourth and two in the fifth to go up 11-1. With one out in the bottom half of the fifth, Williams beat out an infield hit and advanced to second as the third baseman's throw sailed wide of first. A wild pitch moved Williams to third before Weinstock's grounder to third knocked him in.

The Northview scoring barrage ended in the top of the sixth on a two-run homer off Nate Schoenbrun.

For the Sharks, senior Jake Jesson singled and stole a base in his first start. Freshman Dusty Kramer caught the entire game in his first varsity start. Sophomore Stephen Williams, in his first game as designated hitter, went 3-for-3.

The Sharks, now 3-4 on the season, face Santa Clara at home on Tuesday in a Frontier League contest.

Sharks 4, Northview 2 (Game 1)

In the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday, the Sharks scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth to defeat the Northview Vikings, 4-2. Jacob Perrin drove in the go-ahead run with a bunt single and pitched three shutout innings in relief of Wesley Semkin to earn his first varsity win.

Northview’s only runs came in the top of the first. With runners on first and second via a walk and a single, Will Davis tripled to the fence in right center to knock in Javier Lizarraga and Julian Galindo. Semkin retired Tony Mancuso to strand Davis on third and then proceeded to shut out the Vikings the rest of the way before turning the game over to Perrin at the start of the fifth inning.

The Sharks put together a two-out rally in the first as Brooks Fitch singled to right and Stephen Williams walked, but Jared Weinstock, making his first start of the season, grounded to second to end the inning.

After going down in order in the second inning, the Sharks got on the board for the first time in the bottom of the third. With two outs, Colbie Bell reached on an infield hit. Fitch followed with a run-scoring double to left center. The inning ended on the same play, however, when the relay from the outfield was redirected to second base where Fitch was tagged out after rounding the bag too far.

Perrin led off the bottom of the fifth inning with a double to right, but he was stranded there when Northview pitcher Brad McGuire struck out the next three Sharks batters.

With Malibu down 2-1, Bell led off the bottom of the sixth with his second hit of the game. He advanced to third when Fitch picked up his third hit of the game, a single to center. Williams followed with a single through the middle of the diamond that scored Bell and moved Tony Gwyn, running for Fitch, to second. Weinstock beat out a bunt to load the bases. With an opportunity to drive in his younger brother for the first time, Mike Gwyn grounded into 4-2-3 double play that left the score tied with runners on second and third and two outs. Perrin then pushed Williams across with the go-ahead run on a perfectly executed bunt past the pitcher’s mound. Ross Ellis followed with a single to left that scored Weinstock with an important insurance run.

Perrin, who gave up only one infield hit over three innings of relief, shut down the Vikings in the top of the seventh to nail down the Sharks’ third win of the season.

Oaks Christian 10, Sharks 0

Malibu was shut out for the first time since a 1-0 loss to Harvard Westlake on April 23 of last year as the Oaks Christian Lions rolled to a 10-0 win in the Sharks' Frontier League opener. The Lions scored four runs on only one hit in the top of the first inning and coasted to their second victory of the season.

In the JV game played at Oaks Christian, Oaks defeated Malibu, 11-5.

Next up for the varsity is a doubleheader against Northview at home on Saturday. The first game begins at 11:00 a.m.

Three Hot Bats

Over the last three games, Brooks Fitch is 5-for-7 with 4 RBIs and 4 walks; Stephen Williams is 7-for-10 with 7 RBIs; and Bennett Sherman is 3-for-4 with 2 doubles.

Another Rainout

Today's games--varsity and JV--against St. Monica's have been rained out. There will be no practice today.

Frontier League play begins on Tuesday against Oaks Christian. The varsity will be at home and the JV will be away. Both games start at 3:30 p.m.

Sharks 16, St. Bernard 11

The Sharks survived a slugfest against the St. Bernard Vikings yesterday, 16-11. With four runs in the first inning, six in the second, one in the third, and five more in the fourth, Malibu was able to hold off a late run by St. Bernard in a game called after five-and-a-half innings due to darkness.

Mike Gwyn hit the Sharks' first homerun of the season, a three-run shot to left center in the top of the fourth. Stephen Williams was 4-for-4 with four RBIs and Brooks Fitch continued his offensive onslaught with a single and a double. Bennett Sherman doubled twice and Greg Kernodle had three hits and two stolen bases.

Wesley Semkin pitched four innings for the Sharks to earn his first win of the season.

Next up for Malibu is a home game against St. Monica's tomorrow at 11:00 a.m.

The Rest of the Tournament

The schedule has been set for the remainder of the Southern California Invitational/Royal Tournament. The varsity will play at St. Bernard's today at 3:00 p.m. and at home against St. Monica's Saturday at 11:00 a.m. St. Bernard's is located in Playa del Ray at 9100 Falmouth Avenue. (For a map, go here.)

Meanwhile, the JV hopes to have a dry field at last when St. Bernard's visits Malibu today at 3:00 p.m.

Oxnard 15, Sharks 2

Back on their home field after winning a rain-shortened game at LA Baptist yesterday, the Sharks encountered an offensive juggernaut. Oxnard pounded out eighteen hits while rolling to a 15-2 victory that dropped Malibu’s record on the season to 1-2.

Getting his first varsity start on the mound, sophomore Jacob Perrin held the potent Yellowjackets’ bats in check for two innings. In the third inning, however, centerfielder Devin Shepard’s knocked in two runs with a triple. Shepard, who finished the day with two triples and a double in four at bats, also scored in the inning to give Oxnard a 3-0 lead.

Meanwhile, the Sharks were squandering some scoring opportunities. After Greg Kernodle and Colbie Bell struck out to start the bottom of the first inning, Brooks Fitch walked. Williams followed with a single to right center that moved Fitch to third. Mike Gwyn walked to load the bases, but Perrin struck out looking to end the inning.

In the third inning, Fitch doubled down the left field line with one out, but was left on base as Williams struck out and Gwyn flied to left.

After Oxnard had gone up 8-0 with three runs in the fourth and two in the fifth, Malibu finally got on the board with two runs in the bottom of the fifth. Kernodle walked to lead off the inning. After Bell popped out to third, Fitch singled to left center and took second on Shepard’s errant throw to third. Williams then beat out a ground ball into the hole at short. Kernodle scored and Fitch followed with the Sharks’ second run as the throw across the diamond got away from the first baseman.

Oxnard added two more runs in the sixth and five in the seventh to add to Malibu’s misery.

On the day, Perrin gave up six runs (five earned) in four and two-thirds innings. Nate Schoenbrun, who collected his first varsity base hit in the fourth inning, pitch an inning in relief of Perrin. Wilder Philipson pitched an inning and a third in his first varsity appearance on the mound. Mike Gwyn pitched the seventh for Malibu.

Offensively, the Sharks struggled. Every starter except Fitch struck out at least once. There were thirteen strikeouts in all. Fitch was 2-for-3. Williams also had two hits. Senior Bennett Sherman, who started in left field for the Sharks, singled in his first varsity at bat. Nate Schoenbrun had the only other hit for Malibu.

The Sharks play next on Thursday against an opponent to be determined based on pool play in the ongoing Southern California Invitational/Royal Tournament.

Sharks 4, LA Baptist 2

The Sharks overcame drizzle, rain, and the L.A. Baptist Knights to pick up their first win of the season, 4-2. Senior Colbie Bell allowed just one hit while striking out eight over five soggy innings.

Going on the road for the first time this season, Malibu encountered a wet field and umpires determined to get in the matchup that had already been rained out once. The Sharks got on the scoreboard quickly as Greg Kernodle led off the top of the first with a walk and advanced to second on Bell's bunt single. Kernodle and Bell moved up on a wild pitch and, after Mike Gwyn popped out to second, Brooks Fitch singled through the left side to score Kernodle. Stephen Williams followed with a groundout to short that knocked in Bell with the Sharks' second run.

The Knights answered with a single run in the bottom of the first. The score then remained deadlocked at 2-1 until the fifth and final inning. With two outs, Kernodle and Bell singled and Gwyn walked to load the bases. Walks to Fitch and Williams drove in a run each to give Malibu a 4-1 lead.

With a half inning to go to make the game official and a steady rain falling, Bell walked three, hit a batter, struck out two, and gave up a sacrifice fly to escape with the win in a game where pitchers and fielders struggled with slippery baseballs and batters and runners struggled with treacherous footing.

Bell was his own best friend, going 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Kernodle also scored two runs while Williams drove in two.

Defensively, Jace Dispenza’s three catches in centerfield--each one looking up into the rain--rated as the top performance.

Back in Malibu, the JV game against L.A. Baptist was rained out.

Next up for the Sharks, weather permitting, is a home game tomorrow (Tuesday) against Oxnard beginning at 3:00 p.m.

Scouting Report: L.A. Baptist Knights

The Sharks take on the L.A. Baptist Knights tomorrow in a game rescheduled from Friday. Malibu is coming off a 3-1 loss to Santa Monica in the first game of the SoCal Invitational. L.A. Baptist has not yet played this season.

The Knights finished the 2005 season with an 18-4 record. Ranked in the CIF-SS Division V top ten for most of the year (and climbing as high as number two), L.A. Baptist was knocked out of the playoffs in the first round by Oaks Christian.

Coach Carl Gschwender's Knights are led this season by senior catcher Matt Berru (.269 BA in 2005) and junior pitcher Tom Gilbertson (3-0 record in 2005). Ryan Deyoung and Jason Pratts are the only other players returning from last year's team.

Malibu and L.A. Baptist met in the opening game of the 2004 Harvard Westlake Christmas tournament. Malibu came away with a 5-4 win. Wesley Semkin pitched two shutout innings to close the game and earn a save. (That game, incidentally, was the first game recorded on this blog. You can read the post here.)

Game time is 3:00 p.m. For directions to L.A. Baptist, which is located at 9825 Woodley Avenue in North Hills, go here.

Post-Game Notes (March 4)

The Sharks got the leadoff hitter on in every inning except the sixth against Santa Monica. . . . In spite of four leadoff hits and two leadoff walks, the Sharks advanced only two runners past second. . . . Freshman Sean Conrad got the start in right field. In his first high school game, he collected his first sacrifice bunt (third inning), his first RBI (fifth inning), and his first base hit (seventh inning). . . . Jacob Perrin, making his first varsity start, handled seventh chances without an error at shortstop. He made an outstanding play on a slow roller in the second inning and turned a double play in the fourth. . . . Wesley Semkin struck out four and walked two in five innings. . . . Mike Gwyn, pitching in relief, gave up a leadoff double in the sixth before retiring the last six batters he faced.

Santa Monica 3, Sharks 1

With the rain finally giving way to clear skies, the Malibu High Sharks began their 2006 varsity baseball season with a tough loss to Santa Monica by a score of 3-1.

Senior righthander Wesley Semkin held Santa Monica to two singles through the first four innings of a pitchers' duel with SaMo's Joe McGrew, but a combination of three hits and two Malibu errors in the top of the fifth gave the Vikings all of the runs they needed.

The Sharks answered with a run in the bottom of the fifth and threatened in the sixth and seventh innings, but failed to push any additional runs across.

Semkin was dominating in the early going. SaMo second baseman Kevin Gonzalez grounded to Mike Gwyn at third to start the game. Semkin then struck out two of the Vikings' leading hitters last year, Dylan Early and Mike Schwartz, to finish the first with a flourish.

Milan de Pillars had a two-out single in the second inning but was stranded when Alex West grounded to third.

A single by Garet Ramos and a walk to Gonzalez put Semkin in a one-out jam in the top of the third. He worked out of it with ease, though, striking out Early for the second time and getting Schwartz on a fly to Jace Dispenza in center.

After a one-two-three fourth inning, SaMo started the fifth with a leadoff single to center by West. Ramos bunted West to second. Shortstop David Castellanos followed with a single to center. A strong throw by Dispenza held West at third. With Castellanos stealing second, the throw by catcher Stephen Williams bounced in front of second. Second baseman Greg Kernodle blocked the ball and West broke for the plate. Kernodle's throw was wild, allowing West to score and Castellanos to move to third. Gonzalez followed with an RBI double down the left field line. He advanced to third when Early grounded to Jacob Perrin at short and scored when Perrin's throw on Mike Schwartz's ground ball glanced off Colbie Bell's glove at first base on what would have been the final out of the inning. In all, Santa Monica scored three runs in the inning, two of them unearned.

Offensively, the Sharks had runners on base in every inning, but two SaMo double plays kept Malibu from scoring until the bottom of the fifth.

Brooks Fitch started the second inning with a drive in the left-center gap but was thrown out at second on a strong throw by leftfielder Milan de Pillars. Perrin led off the third inning with a single to right and was bunted over to second by Sean Conrad. He advanced to third when Dispenza was thrown out trying to bunt for a base hit, but Kernodle followed with a ground out that ended the inning.

A missed opportunity was the story of the fourth inning, too. Bell led off the inning with a double down the left field line. Gwyn then walked to set the table for Fitch. On a 3-2 pitch, Fitch hit a line drive right at thirdbaseman Garet Ramos. Ramos doubled Bell off second on the play to kill the Malibu rally.

In the fifth, Semkin led off with a single through the right side. Sloan Campi, running for Semkin, moved to second on a wild pitch. Perrin then advanced Campi to third on a groundout to second. Campi scored the Sharks' only run of the game when Sean Conrad, playing his first varsity game, grounded out to second.

The Sharks mounted a comeback attempt in the bottom of the seventh after Gwyn had posted two shutout innings in relief of Semkin. Leading off the inning, Semkin drew a walk from Justin Negrete. Semkin was thrown out stealing second when Perrin struck out looking on a 3-2 pitch. With two outs and nobody on, Conrad singled past the first baseman and advanced to second when the right fielder bobbled the ball. Ross Ellis, batting for Dispenza, drew a walk, but the game ended on Kernodle's grounder to third.

The Sharks travel to L.A. Baptist on Monday in a makeup of a game rained out yesterday.

Scouting Report: Santa Monica Vikings

Santa Monica visits Malibu today at 11:00 a.m. in what will be the first game of the 2006 season for both teams. Coach Kevin Brockway's team, which finished 20-10 last season and went to the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division IV playoffs, includes ten seniors.

Junior catcher Mike Schwartz looks to fill the offensive vacancy left by Cody Decker's graduation last year. As a sophomore, Schwartz hit .333 with 2 homeruns and 20 RBIs. Junior centerfielder Dylan Early (.443 average) is also expected to put up some big numbers this season.

Senior RHP Chris Fiala looks to fill the top spot in the Vikings' pitching rotation this season. Fiala was 5-2 in nine starts in 2005.

Malibu did not face Santa Monica during the 2005 season. In American Legion play last summer, Malibu and the Santa Monica A team split their two meetings.

A Look Back--3/4/05

One year ago today, Malibu opened up the 2005 season at home against Vasquez. China McCarney, who finished the 2005 season with 104 strikeouts in 56.2 innings, struck out 14 in a complete-game 7-1 victory over the Sharks.

Another Rainout

Today's seasoner opener against LA Baptist has been postponed. Both varsity and JV games are scheduled to be played on Monday, March 6. (The varsity game on Monday will be at LA Baptist and the JV game will be at home.)

As a result of today's rainout, the varsity will open up at home tomorrow against Santa Monica (weather permitting, of course). Game time is 11:00 a.m. (There is no JV game tomorrow.)

Both squads will have a short practice (until about 2:30 p.m.) today.

For further updates, check back here or on www.malibubaseball.com.

Two Cancellations

The varsity game has also now been cancelled. In place of today's games, both teams will work out in the old gym until no later than 5:00 p.m. according to Coach Gallo.

One Cancellation

The JV game scheduled for this afternoon at Malibu High has been cancelled. There's no word as of 11:45 a.m. on the varsity game at Notre Dame High.

(For an up-to-date look at where the rain is falling in our area, go here.)

Tomorrow's Forecast

The Malibu High varsity and JV teams are scheduled to play a practice game against Notre Dame tomorrow (JV at home and varsity away). However, a significant storm bringing heavy rain is expected to move into the area tomorrow.

If a cancellation occurs before the varsity team leaves for Notre Dame High early tomorrow afternoon, that information will be posted here. Also, please check for an e-mail message from Coach Gallo.

Schedule Change

The Oxnard game scheduled for Monday, March 6, has been changed to Tuesday, March 7. The varsity game will be at Malibu and the JV game will be at Oxnard.

Food and Fun

There was a great turnout and beautiful weather for the baseball/softball cookout yesterday afternoon. Thanks to Coach Gallo and Coach Silva for organizing everything and thanks to all who brought food and drinks. Special thanks go to Coach Gallo and Robin Perrin for cooking dozens of hamburgers, hot dogs, and--just for Colbie Bell--strips of bacon. (Why, Colbie?)

Baseball/Softball Cookout

The baseball and softball teams will be joining forces for a cookout tomorrow at about 1:00 p.m. All players and parents are invited.

Practice for the baseball team will run from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. with the cookout to follow immediately after.

An Intrasquad Game?

Weather permitting,* the Sharks will have an intrasquad game tomorrow afternoon. In the event of rain, practice will be held in the gym.

*Tomorrow's forecast calls for showers in the morning with a 40 percent chance of light rain in the afternoon.

The Captains

Coach Gallo has named seniors Colbie Bell, Brooks Fitch, and Michael Gwyn captains of the Sharks baseball team for 2006.

Meeting Tomorrow

The parents' meeting with Coach Gallo and Coach Jacobs will be tomorrow (Wednesday) night at 6:15 in the classroom between the old gym and the outdoor basketball courts at Malibu High. Coach Gallo will introduce his staff and provide some essential information about the baseball program.

The transportation fee for all players will be $125 ($50 for those who have played another sport this year). Spirit packs (containing gear for practice and games) will be $150. Coach Gallo will gladly accept payment from those ready to pay these fees at the meeting.

Last year's T-shirts ($5) and sweatshirts ($20), along with baseball caps ($20 fitted, $10 adjustable) will also be available for purchase at the meeting.

A New Season Begins

Workouts began today at Malibu High for the Sharks. Head coach Paul Gallo was conspicuously absent, having been stranded in Connecticut by yesterday’s snowstorm.

In spite of Coach Gallo’s absence, what appeared to be a record number of players (and coaches) were present for the first day of practice. Among the coaches back for another season are Jason Cavnar, Dave Buss, and Jeff Solny. Ari Jacobs, head coach of the JV team, made his debut, along with Jeff Drobman and Bobby Lehmkuhl.

Malibu High is coming off a 15-8 (10-2, Frontier League) season in 2005. Ten seniors (including six starters) graduated in 2005 leaving plenty of spots for returning players to fill.

Returning for their senior seasons are Colbie Bell, Ross Ellis, Brooks Fitch (a first-team All-Frontier League selection in each of the last two seasons, Michael Gwyn, and Wesley Semkin. Senior Bennett Sherman, who played quarterback for the Sharks football team last fall, is making his return to baseball after wasting the last several years of his life.

At the other end of the spectrum, a large group of freshmen--including Monty Biglow, Trevor Bourget, Sean Conrad, Michael Galate, Tony Gwyn, Justin Hale (looking lean and mean–well, lean anyway), and Travis Vititoe--is expecting to have an impact on the baseball program at Malibu High right away.

Missing: Matt Hale. (Where were you, Big Dog?)

Oxnard, Tomorrow

There will be one last game before the real coaches take over on Monday. Malibu plays at Oxnard tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. For directions to Oxnard High, go here. (The baseball field is behind the school.) Players should arrive for warmups at 9:30 a.m.

Brooks on Practice

"If you're not practicing, somebody else is, somewhere, and he'll be ready to take your job."

--Brooks Robinson

A Pre-Season Meeting

A meeting for parents of all Malibu High baseball players will be held on Wednesday, February 15, at 6:15 p.m. in the classroom closest to the outdoor basketball courts at Malibu High. Coach Gallo will provide information about the upcoming season and introduce his coaching staff.

Getting Back to Work

Sharks Baseball--the program and the blog--is back. Today at 1:00 p.m. anyone interested in getting in some stretching, running, throwing, and hitting is welcome to meet up at the field.

On February 11, Malibu will play at Oxnard High in one last tuneup game before official workouts begin on February 13. (Details regarding the game will follow.) The Malibu-Oxnard matchup will be repeated in early March during the SoCal Invitational.

Coach Gallo has posted the 2006 schedule here. There will be a version posted here on the blog soon.