Sharks 6, LA Baptist 5

Malibu scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning and gave up just one run after the first three LA Baptist hitters in the top of the seventh reached base to come away with a 6-5 win this afternoon.

Sharks pitchers gave up 13 hits but tightened up when necessary. The Knights stranded 11 runners overall (including nine stranded at second and third bases) and left a runner on third base in every inning but the sixth. Four of the seven strikeouts recorded by Malibu's pitchers came with a runner at third.

Senior Nate Schoenbrun started for the Sharks and pitched into the fifth inning before turning a 2-0 lead over to Matt Cathcart. In keeping with the theme of high drama, Schoenbrun allowed LA Baptist's leadoff hitter to reach base every inning he pitched. Each leadoff hitter reached third base, but none scored until the fifth inning.

Malibu had a threat of its own turned back in the second inning. With two outs, Matt Bordier singled to left. Tony Gwyn followed with a double over the head of the left fielder, but Bordier was held at third and Monty Biglow struck out to end the inning.

In the bottom of the third, the Sharks broke through for two runs. With one out, Jacob Perrin doubled to left center. Stephen Williams reached second and Perrin moved to third on a throwing error by the Knights third baseman. Sean Conrad was hit on a 2-2 pitch to load the bases for Justin Hale. Hale grounded into the hole past third to drive in Perrin and Williams alertly scored when LA Baptist's shortstop booted the ball into short left field. The inning ended when Sean Conrad was doubled off second on Jesse Conrad’s pop out to short.

The Knights put together five hits in the fifth inning and took a 4-2 lead. Ryan Cathers led off with a double to left off of Schoenbrun. With a 2-1 count on cleanup hitter Jim Augur, Coach Paul Gallo replaced Schoenbrun on the mound with Matt Cathcart. Augur doubled to left to drive in Cathers. John Marshall reached first and Augur moved to third when Monty Biglow was unable to handle a tough hop at third off of Marshall’s bat. Anthony Scarcello drove in Augur and traded places with Marshall on a grounder to short. Nick Scarcello then singled to center. Pinch hitter Curtis Anderson then doubled to left center to drive in Anthony Scarcello with the go-ahead run. Evan DeYoung's base hit drove in Nick Scarcello and moved Anderson to third with just one out.

With leadoff hitter Aaron Engel at bat, Cathcart bore down and the Sharks made a game-changing play. On the first pitch from Cathcart, Engel missed a bunt attempt. A pitchout revealed no bunt or steal attempt. After throwing over to first twice, Cathcart fired a strike past Engel. Then, on a 1-2 pitch, Cathcart got Engel to strike out swinging and Williams completed a much-needed double play by throwing out Anderson attempting to steal second.

Knights starter Ethan Koskela seemed to tire in the top of the sixth inning and the Sharks were able to take advantage. Jesse Conrad led off with a four-pitch walk. Matt Bordier grounded to short to force Conrad at second. Gwyn then moved Bordier to second with his second hit of the afternoon, a single to left. Keith Lamasney, pinch hitting for Monty Biglow, got an infield hit to load the bases. With Schoenbrun at the plate, Bordier scored on a passed ball. Schoenbrun then walked to load the bases again.

Against a drawn-in infield and with the tying run ninety feet away, Jacob Perrin grounded to third. The throw home was in the dirt and bounced away allowing both Gwyn and Monty Biglow (running for Lamasney) to score. Stephen Williams lined out to third, but Schoenbrun dived back to the bag to avoid being doubled up. Sean Conrad then lined a ball off of the pitcher. As he went to field the ball near the third base line, Knights catcher Anthony Scarcello ran into Schoenbrun who was trying to score from third. The home plate umpire immediately called obstruction, which allowed Schoenbrun to score the Sharks' fourth run of the inning.

After Cathers replaced Koskela on the mound, Justin Hale was hit by a pitch to continue the inning. Jesse Conrad, up for the second time in the sixth inning, popped out to end the inning.

In the top of the seventh, John Marshall drove Cathcart's first pitch into the gap in left for a double. With a one-ball count on Anthony Scarcello, Gallo brought in Gwyn to pitch. Gwyn walked Anthony Scarcello and then gave up a run-scoring single to Nick Scarcello. Steve Wood followed with a well-executed sacrifice bunt that moved the runners to second and third with only one out. Second baseman Monty Biglow made a nice play as Gwyn got DeYoung to pop out behind first base. On a 1-2 pitch, Aaron Engel flied to Matt Cathcart in shallow left to end the game.

The Sharks, now 2-1 on the season, wrap up the Southern California Invitational/Royal Tournament with games on Friday and Saturday. Locations and opponents will be announced on Thursday.

Scouting Report: L.A. Baptist Knights

Malibu hosts LA Baptist today in the third game of the Southern California Invitational/Royal Tournament. The first pitched is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.

Both teams enter the game with 1-1 records on the season. The Knights lost their season opener last Friday to La Canada, 5-4, and rebounded on Saturday to defeat St. Monica's, 2-0. The Sharks opened with a win over Marshall before losing to Mary Star on Saturday.

Since 2006, the Sharks are 1-2 against the Knights. Malibu rode a strong pitching performance by Colbie Bell (one hit and eight strikeouts in five innings pitched) to a 4-2 win over LA Baptist in a rain-soaked game on March 2, 2006. Last season, on March 17, the Knights won both games of a doubleheader at Malibu by scores of 6-5 and 3-0.

The Knights were 10-13 last season (4-4 in league games), good for second place (in a three-way tie) in the Olympic League.

The Knights have eight seniors on the roster this season, including Ryan Cathers (3B-P), who led the team in hitting last season with a .431 average. Jim Auger and Ethan Koskela, who both will figure prominently in the Knights' pitching rotation this year, are also among the seniors on the LA Baptist squad. Koskela started against La Canada in the season opener and gave up four runs (two of them earned) in 4.0 innings. Auger pitched 6.1 shutout innings against St. Monica's on Saturday en route to his first win of the season.

Making his first start of the 2008 season today will be senior Nate Schoenbrun.

Finding the JV Game

Tomorrow's JV game against LA Baptist will be played at the Mission Hills Little League field on the corner of Haskell and Lassen (next to the Mission Hills Golf Course). Click on the map below for details.

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Mary Star 5, Malibu 4 (Photos)

Mary Star 5, Sharks 4

Less than twenty-four hours after experiencing the thrill of a walk-off victory, the Sharks felt the agony of a walk-off loss. Mary Star of the Sea scored a run with two outs in the bottom of the seventh to come away with a 5-4 win over Malibu at Fromhold Field in San Pedro.

After Malibu went down in order in the top of the first, the Stars got on the board quickly in their half of the inning. Sharks starting pitcher Jacob Perrin retired the first two hitters on two pitches, but then ran the count to 3-0 to Stars catcher Johnny Cigliano. Cigliano drilled the next pitch over the left field fence to stake Mary Star to an early 1-0 lead.

Perrin made a bid to tied the game leading off the top of the second, but his drive to the warning track in center field was hauled in by Robert Torres. After Justin Hale grounded to first for the second out of the inning, Jesse Conrad singled to left. Nate Schoenbrun followed with another base hit and the Sharks took a 2-1 lead when Matt Bordier doubled into the right field corner.

Malibu surrendered the lead in the bottom of the third. With two outs in the inning, Stars shortstop Peter Ciaramitaro hit a slow roller to third and wound up on second as Hale’s throw sailed over Conrad’s head at first. After Cigliano walked, third baseman Danny Martinez doubled down the left field line to drive in Ciaramitaro and move Cigliano to third. Cigliano and Martinez both scored one batter later when Tony Gwyn bobbled a ball off the bat of pinch hitter Nick Rukavina.

Down 4-2, the Sharks’ bats went quiet until the sixth inning. After Perrin flied to right for the first out of the inning, Hale singled to left and advanced to second on an errant pickoff attempt. Jesse Conrad drove in Hale with his second hit of the day. Schoenbrun flied to center and, with Bordier at the plate, Conrad advanced to second on a passed ball. Bordier then collected his second hit and third RBI of the day to knot the score at 4-4.

With two down in the bottom of the sixth and a runner on second, Jesse Conrad relieved Perrin on the mound and got Quentin Powell to ground out to end a small scoring threat.

With the top of the order up in the top of the seventh, Malibu was looking for a repeat of Friday’s last-inning heroics. However, the inning went quickly as Monty Biglow struck out, Tony Gwyn grounded out to short, and, after a very long and loud foul ball, Stephen Williams popped out to short.

In the bottom of the seventh, Conrad recorded two quick outs before running into trouble. James Fauscette hit a weak liner to third for the first out and Torres quickly grounded to second. With a 1-2 count on him, Conrad came too far inside and hit Ciaramitaro to give the Stars the opening they needed.

Ciaramitaro stole second on a 1-0 pitch to Cigliano. With first base vacant, Malibu elected to put Cigliano on first via an intentional walk. Danny Martinez followed with a long fly-ball that dropped near the warning track allowing Ciaramitaro to score the winning run.

In his first outing of the season, Jacob Perrin gave up just one earned run in five and two-thirds innings of work. He struck out six and walked four.

Matt Bordier led the Sharks at the plate with a double, a single, and three RBIs. Jesse Conrad was on base three times, twice with base hits and once with a walk.

Next up for the Sharks is a home game on Wednesday against the LA Baptist Knights.

Scouting Report: Mary Star of the Sea

Malibu takes on the Mary Star of the Sea High School Stars in the second game of the Royal Tournament. Like the Sharks, the Stars scored four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning of their season-opening game to record a come-from-behind win. Mary Star defeated Garfield, 4-1, on Friday behind solid pitching performances by starter Peter Ciaramitaro and reliever Nick Gioiello and a walk-off grand slam by Robert Abordo.

The Stars were 13-11 overall last season with a 7-8 record in the Camino Real League. At home, Mary Star compiled a 10-3 record.

Ciaramitaro and fellow senior Johnny Cigliano are expected to carry much of the offensive load for the Stars this season. Juniors Danny Martinez, Nick Gioiello and Nick Rukavina are also expected to contribute offensively.

Sharks 4, Marshall 3 (Photos)

Sharks 4, Marshall 3

Justin Hale’s two-run single capped a four-run bottom of the seventh and lifted the Sharks to a 4-3 win over the Marshall Barristers in the season opener at Malibu High this afternoon. After failing to get a runner as far as second base in the first six innings against Marshall pitcher Alex Sapin, Malibu took advantage of three Barrister errors, a double by Jacob Perrin, and a single by Jesse Conrad to set the stage for Hale’s game-winning hit.

Strong pitching performances by starter Matt Cathcart and reliever Tony Gwyn kept the Sharks in the game until the offense could get in gear. Cathcart gave up three runs–but only one earned run–while striking out eight in five-and-a-third innings. With the help of an outfield assist by Sean Conrad to cut down what would have been the Barristers’ fourth run, Gwyn shut down a Marshall rally in the sixth inning and pitched a perfect seventh inning to pick up the win in relief.

After striking out five of the first nine batters he faced, Cathcart got into trouble in the third inning when Arthur Guzman reached first on an infield hit and Oscar Robles tripled over the head of Nate Schoenbrun in center. Robles followed Guzman to the plate when Jacob Perrin’s relay throw got past third baseman Monty Biglow.

Down 2-0 in the bottom of the third, the Sharks got a one-out single from Matt Bordier. Biglow followed with a hard grounder down the third base line that Marshall third baseman Peter Betancourt snared and turned into an around-the-horn double play.

The Barristers got two hits in the fourth inning, but their attempt to work a double steal with two outs and runners on first and third was thwarted by a good defensive play that nailed Mark Andrade at the plate.

Marshall broke through for run in the top of the sixth inning to make the score 3-0. After Cathcart struck out Simi Machado, Christian Hernandez singled to center. Antonio Hernandez then reached first when Perrin bobbled a ground ball at short. With his starter at 83 pitches and beginning to tire, Coach Paul Gallo brought Tony Gwyn in to pitch.

Gwyn got Andrade to fly to right, but Bordier was unable to make the catch on the ball tailing toward the right field line. Christian Hernandez scored on the play and Antonio Hernandez moved to second. Gwyn then struck out Robles for the second out of the inning. The third out was recorded when the next hitter, Betancourt, singled to left. Sean Conrad fielded the ball cleanly and fired a strike to Williams at the plate to get Hernandez trying to score.

After the Sharks went quietly in the bottom of the sixth, Gwyn capped his strong relief appearance by getting three quick groundball outs in the top of the seventh. Leading off the bottom of the seventh, Gwyn started the game-winning rally by reaching first on a throwing error by the Barristers’ third baseman. Perrin followed a double down the left field line. With runners on second and third and no outs, Williams grounded to third but beat the throw to first after the ball was bobbled. Gwyn scored the Sharks’ first run of the day on the play, but Perrin remained at second. Following Marshall’s failed pickoff attempt at second, Sean Conrad popped out for the first out of the inning.

Jesse Conrad followed with a Texas Leaguer that just eluded the grasp of Marshall shortstop Arthur Guzman. Guzman picked up the ball and attempted to force Williams at second, but the throw sailed over the bag allowing Perrin to score the Sharks’ second run. With Conrad and Williams at second and third, the Barristers intentionally walked Schoenbrun to load the bases. Hale, who entered the game as a defensive replacement at the time of the pitching change in the sixth inning, drove an 0-1 pitch from Sapin into center. Williams scored the tying run and Conrad, following close behind, scored the game winner as the throw to the plate was wide.

The Sharks, 1-0 on the new season, travel to San Pedro on Saturday to take on Mary Star of the Sea High School in the second game of the Royal Tournament. Game time is 2:00 p.m.

Scouting Report: Marshall Barristers

The Sharks begin the 2008 season this afternoon with a home game against the Marshall Barristers. Malibu defeated the Barristers, 6-2, when the two teams met at Marshall High in the second game of the 2007 season. Nate Schoenbrun pitched a complete game and Jared Weinstock hit a three-run homerun in the top of the seventh to ice the game for Sharks.

After losing their first three games last season, including the Malibu game, the Barristers went on to record a 19-12 record for the season. Marshall tied for first in the Northern League with a 12-3 league record.

This season the Marshall roster is loaded with seniors--thirteen to be exact. Five players who started for the Barristers against Malibu last year are expected to be in the starting lineup today. (Malibu, with only three seniors on the roster, also will likely have five starters from last year's matchup starting today.)

Senior pitcher and first baseman Simi Machado is expected to lead the Barristers offensively in 2008. Last year Machado hit .419 with 4 homeruns and 29 RBIs. Machado also racked up more innings on the mound than any other Marshall player while compiling a 7-5 won-loss record with a 2.39 ERA.

Junior infielder Mark Andrade was second on the team in hitting in 2007 with a .356 batting average.

For the Sharks, seniors Stephen Williams, Jacob Perrin, and Nate Schoenbrun, together with junior Sean Conrad, are expected to provide most of the offensive firepower. Williams hit .411 with 5 homeruns and 18 RBIs last season. Perrin, who found his power stroke with 3 homeruns in the fall season, hit .286 with 5 doubles and a triple last year. Conrad hit .304 with a team-high 7 doubles while Schoenbrun hit .268.

Among the other juniors expected to make a major contribution to the Sharks' success this year will be infielders Tony Gwyn, Justin Hale, Monty Biglow, and Travis Vititoe. Malibu also hopes to get both quality innings on the mound and some offensive punch from junior Matt Bordier and sophomore Jesse Conrad.

The Sharks are expected to start sophomore Matt Cathcart on the mound in today's game. Cathcart started three varsity games as a freshman last year. He got no decision against Campbell Hall, defeated Santa Paula, and took the loss against Oaks Christian.

Today's game is the first game for both teams in the Royal Tournament, which will continue through next weekend. Game time is 3:00 p.m.

Baseball on the Beach

Saturday's varsity game against Mary Star of the Sea will be played at Fromhold Field (1600 W. Paseo del Mar in San Pedro)--about five miles south of Mary Star of the Sea High School. Here's a map:

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For those who prefer verbal directions, here they are (starting from the southbound Harbor Freeway):

The Harbor Freeway (110) ends at Gaffey Street. Turn LEFT on Gaffey.
Turn RIGHT on W. 25th Street.
Turn LEFT on S. Western Avenue.
Go down the hill and curve to the LEFT onto W. Paseo del Mar.
Fromhold Field will be on the right after one block.

(Note that the verbal directions here are not exactly what the map above shows. You pays your money and takes your choice.)

Saturday's Game Time

Saturday's varsity game at Mary Star of the Sea in San Pedro will start at 2:00 p.m., not at 11:00 a.m. as previously announced. The bus will leave Malibu High at 11:30 a.m.

Please check back before Saturday for directions to the Stars' home field.

Washed Out

The Sharks' practice games at SaMo High today have been washed out. In lieu of the games, there will be a practice today at noon.

2008 Malibu High Varsity Schedule

Date	Day	Time	Visitor	Home	Result
Feb. 29	Friday	3:00pm	Marshall	Malibu	W, 4-3
Mar. 1	Saturday	2:00pm	Malibu	Mary Star	L, 4-5
Mar. 5	Wednesday	3:00pm	LA Baptist	Malibu	W, 6-5
Mar. 7	Friday	3:00pm	Malibu	La Canada	L, 2-14
Mar. 8	Saturday	2:30pm	South East	Malibu	W, 6-1
Mar. 13	Thursday	3:15pm	New Roads	Malibu	W, 12-4
Mar. 15	Saturday	11:00am	Antelope Vly	Malibu	W, 3-1
Mar. 15	Saturday	2:00pm	Antelope Vly	Malibu	W, 7-3
Mar. 27	Thursday	11:00am	Malibu	Channel Isl.	W, 9-7
Apr. 2	Wednesday	3:30pm	Malibu	Oak Park	W, 6-5
Apr. 4	Friday	3:30pm	Oak Park	Malibu	W, 7-1
Apr. 7	Monday	3:15pm	Montclair Prep	Malibu	W, 5-2
Apr. 9	Wednesday	3:30pm	Santa Paula	Malibu	W, 9-1
Apr. 11	Friday	3:30pm	Malibu	Santa Paula	W, 12-4
Apr. 16	Wednesday	3:30pm	Nordhoff	Malibu	L, 1-4
Apr. 18	Friday	3:30pm	Malibu	Nordhoff	L, 0-3
Apr. 19	Saturday	11:00am	Malibu	Faith Baptist	W, 3-2
Apr. 23	Wednesday	3:30pm	Malibu	Oaks Christian	W, 8-2
Apr. 25	Friday	3:30pm	Oaks Christian	Malibu	W, 5-0
Apr. 26	Saturday	11:00am	Windward	Malibu	W, 6-4
Apr. 30	Wednesday	3:30pm	Fillmore	Malibu	W, 3-2
May 2	Friday	2:00pm	Malibu	Fillmore	L, 3-15
May 6	Tuesday	3:30pm	Malibu	St.Bonaventure	L, 0-13
May 8	Thursday	3:30pm	St.Bonaventure	Malibu	L, 1-8
May 15	Thursday	3:15pm	Malibu	Bonita	L, 0-7

2008 Alumni Game (Photos)

Daniel Williams (2005) and Stephen Williams get ready for the opening pitch.

Matt Cathcart delivers for the alumni team in the first inning.

Daniel Williams slides into first as Jesse Conrad fields a pickoff attempt from Jacob Perrin.

Andor Kesselman makes a sliding catch of a popup behind the mound.

Stephen Williams rounds third after homering in the bottom of the fourth.

Matt Bordier delivers as shortstop Jacob Perrin keeps Jason Puklus close to second.

(For more photos, see the slideshow on the right side of the page.)

Alumni 10, Sharks 6

The Malibu High alumni team, led by Dane Skophammer (Class of 2001), Jason Puklus (Class of 2005), and Daniel Williams (Class of 2005), scored nine runs in the seventh inning to win the annual alumni game by the score of 10-6.

Williams, who was 3-for-5 on the day, led off the seventh for the alumni with a base hit. Puklus followed with his second double of the day to drive in Williams. Coach Dave Buss, Skophammer, and Coach Jeff Solny followed with RBI singles to pull within one run. After Coach Bobby Lehmkuhl picked up his first hit of the game, Williams picked up his second hit of the inning to push Solny across with the fifth run of the inning. A walk to Puklus set the stage for Buss to double home two runs, including the game-winner.

The alumni team got on the scoreboard first when Skophammer hit an inside-the-park homerun in the top of the second. Stephen Williams tied the game in the bottom of the fourth with a homerun down the left field line off a 3-2 pitch from Jason Puklus.

The remainder of the varsity squad's scoring came in the sixth inning. Nate Schoenbrun singled and scored when Jacob Perrin tripled to left-center. After Stephen Williams walked, back-to-back singles by Sean and Jesse Conrad drove in Perrin and Williams. Sean Conrad scored on a fielder's choice off the bat of Monty Biglow.

Along with some timely hitting and solid defense, the varsity squad got strong pitching performances from Matt Cathcart, Jacob Perrin, Jesse Conrad, Matt Bordier, and Andor Kesselman.

Next up for the Sharks is a scrimmage against the Santa Monica Vikings on Saturday, February 23, at 9:30 a.m.

2008 Alumni Game

The 2008 baseball season gets started tomorrow with the annual alumni game and cookout. Game time is 1:00 p.m. with a meal for coaches, players, and parents to follow.

Perfect

On this date in 1999, Jason Puklus pitched a perfect game for Malibu at the Big League Dreams Park in Cathedral City.

Parents' Meeting Reminder

The annual parents' meeting will take place tomorrow night (February 12) at 6:30 p.m. in the classroom near the outdoor basketball courts at Malibu High. Please bring checks to cover the transportation fee and the Spirit Pack.

Introducing Taylor Shoop

Taylor Shoop has been named the new junior varsity baseball coach at Malibu High. Shoop played Division I college baseball at Davidson College in North Carolina and at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. He was an All-Southern Conference choice at designated hitter for Davidson in 2005 and hit three home runs in a game against Georgia Southern that season.

Shoop played high school baseball at Loyola High. As a senior in 2002, he had a 5-0 record on the mound with a 1.95 ERA. At the plate, he hit .385 with 7 home runs and 27 RBIs en route to being named to the Los Angeles Times All-City Central Team and the Division 2 All-CIF second team. Shoop also played in the Dodger Elite Games in 2002.

A native of Malibu, Shoop grew up playing on the diamonds at the Bluffs and at Malibu High. We welcome him back.

Looking Ahead to the 2008 Season

The 2008 Malibu High baseball schedule has been released. The Sharks varsity squad will begin the season with the annual Alumni Game on Saturday, February 16, followed a week later by a game in Santa Monica against the SaMo High Vikings.

Check back soon to see the complete schedule.