Prep Sports Section
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Survive and advance Sure it's a dated motto, but in Hart softball's case, it was apropos Friday. |
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Vikes get past Oxnard When you lose just five games all year, being down 3-0 can seem foreign. But the defending CIF Champion Valencia softball team has seen it all before. The Vikings (25-5-1) rallied and walked off with a 4-3 win over Oxnard (16-12), on a walk-off sacrifice fly Friday afternoon. "We stayed pretty calm because we knew we were gonna hit (Oxnard pitching) eventually," said sophomore shortstop Madison Shipman. It wasn't all smooth sailing though, down to the final run. After reaching on an error and later advancing to third base on a steal, Shipman stood 60 feet from home and victory ... |
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SC Christian's postseason ends For Santa Clarita Christian's baseball team it was a test of tenacity when it faced Notre Dame in the first round of postseason action on Friday. The Mountain Pass League's No. 1 team defeated SCCS 3-1 at Pete Reese Field. Although the final result was a loss for the Cardinals, they didn't come away disappointed. "We gave them battle." said SCCS head coach Garrick Moss. "That's as good a team you're going to see in Divsion VI and we really played with them." The Cardinals finished first in the Heritage League with a record of 9-3 and for senior starting ... |
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Vikings empty Fountain Valencia's Josh Corralles was one out away from tossing a complete game shutout in a first round, CIF Southern Section Division I playoff match up against Fountain Valley on Thursday. With two outs and a 2-0 lead in the top of the seventh, Corralles did not allow a single run to score in his previous 82 pitches. Then, on his 83rd pitch, he hung a ball down the middle of the plate to Fountain Valley's Stephan Robb. The senior catcher wasted no time connecting on the 1-0 pitch, as Robb watch the ball sail over the right center field fence, ... |
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Indians pummel Warriors The radar guns were in place. Most of the teams in the Major Leagues were represented, including the Arizona Diamondbacks with general manager Josh Byrnes. It was the first round of the CIF Division I playoffs. And the first batter at the plate had the last name Dykstra. No pressure Michael Montgomery. No problem. Montgomery threw five innings, gave up one run and struck out seven as Hart topped Westlake 5-1 to advance to round two. "I've geared myself to know what to expect," Montgomery said. "I don't want to change because there are some guys with guns in the ... |
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Saugus drops 5-2 decision to Norco At the beginning of the season, Saugus' principal told baseball coach John Maggiora that in the history of the program, the team has averaged 17 wins a year. After falling to Norco 5-2 Thursday afternoon, the Centurions finished the season with, you got it, 17 wins. Up 2-1 in the bottom of the 6th inning, Saugus pitcher Michael Hebert gave up a leadoff home run and Norco went on to score four runs in the inning. Perhaps, Thursday's rollercoaster was a microcosm of the season. "It had its good moments and it's not so good moments," Maggiora said of this ... |
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Viking's glass is only a quarter full Valencia ignored the motto, "The thrill of victory, the agony of defeat" in a boys' varsity tennis match-up against Palm Desert High School. Unfortunately, Tuesday's quarterfinal match between the Vikings and the Aztecs said otherwise. The Aztecs defeated Valencia 14-4 on the Vikings home court. At the end of the match Valencia's No. 3 player Tyler Gottshall was swarmed by teammates at the end of his last set, in which he won 6-4. The team dog piled on top of him as if his set was a deciding factor victory, when in reality it was the only set Gottshall would ... |
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Valencia Volleyball advance in CIF The Valencia's boys volleyball team continues its dominance throughout the CIF-Southern Section Division II playoffs. The Vikings defeated Billa park in three straight games (25-17, 25-12, 25-18) on Tuesday night. UCLA-bound senior Jamey Kerr had 14 kills for the Vikings squad and Jim Baughman added seven more. Outside hitter Jon Griffith had three aces and 11 digs, while Eric Miyamoto had eight digs. Senior Derrick Trent added four blocks for the Vikings squad. Valencia will face the winner of the Claremont/Arroyo Grande match-up Friday in a location that is yet to be determined. |
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Locals Holen, Weltig, MacArthur and Homa advance to finals in Palm Desert CAMARILLO - It took a chip-in for a birdie on the sudden death playoff hole on Monday at Sterling Hills Country Club in Camarillo to get the last player in, but when all the scorecards were added up, four Foothill League golfers earned a trip to the CIF individual finals. Thirty players were slotted to advance, but the guaranteed cutoff score of 74 left room for two more athletes with scores of 75 on the day. West Ranch freshman J.J. Holen was one of them. This forced a sudden-death playoff in which the young Holen won on the birdie. "I've ... |
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Three's not a crowd Hart must be happy that they beat Valencia twice this season. Those two wins proved to be the difference in the final Foothill League baseball standings, meaning Hart (21-6, 14-1) was on the inside track for a higher ranking when the CIF Southern Section Division I brackets were announced on Monday afternoon. With the league title in its back pocket, the Indians secured the third seed in the Division I playoffs, which start Thursday afternoon. Hart will face Westlake (15-13, 7-8), the fourth-place team in the Marmonte League, at home at 3:15 p.m. "They come from a difficult league," Hart ... |
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Bauer tames Wildcats Trevor Bauer made a bet at the beginning of the baseball season that he would get 100 strikeouts . Bauer surpassed that number by one on Friday when Hart clinched sole possession of the Foothill League title in its defeat against West Ranch 4-0 on Bud Murray field. "It felt great," Bauer said. " I felt really good before the game and I had my good stuff at the mound." Bauer pitched a complete game shutout, striking out 11 and allowing only two hits. He finishes the season 11-0 with 101 strikeouts. Hart clinches it's first league title since 2001, ... |
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Taking the first step For a volleyball team whose goal is to win the CIF championship, falling behind 3-0 in the first game of their first round match isn't the best way to start the journey. However, having your co-captain step to the serving line and deliver 12 straight crushing serves is an easy way to fix most mistakes. The Valencia Viking boys volleyball team fell behind quick, but Jamey Ker rattled off 11 straight points mixing in aces with solid serves to help the Vikings (31-2) recover quickly and power Valencia to a first round victory. Now, the Vikings are one step closer ... |
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Eight isn't enough The only suspense for the Valencia softball team Thursday afternoon was the coin toss. After a 14-0, five inning win at West Ranch to finish in a tie for first place in the Foothill League, every Vikings player took a coin and flipped. The majority had tails. Today at 7:30 a.m. when the real coin is flipped to determine whether Hart or Valencia get the No. 1 seed from the league, the Vikings (24-5, 9-1) will go with tails. The result of Thursday's game was determined about as fast as the toss. Valencia's first two batters tripled, and the third ... |
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Area swimmers don't miss a beat It was a strong showing from the Foothill League top competitors at the preliminaries held at Belmont Plaza. The leagues top swimmers competed to qualify for the CIF Southern Section-Toyota Division II finals Saturday. The top eight fastest qualifying times will move on to Saturday's finals while swimmers who finished 9-16 will enter in to consolation finals. Saturday's finals will determine the sectional finals and who moves on to the all division finals Tuesday. Hart's girls are favored in Saturday's finals after Thursday's results. Junior Jordan Danny had the first fastest qualifying time in the 100-yard breast-stroke (1:03.86) and the ... |
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Vikings make playoffs With the regular season Foothill League baseball coming to an end Valencia and Saugus are shifting their focus to the postseason. "We achieved our goal this season of making it to CIF," said Valencia head coach Jared Snyder. "We want to make a run in the playoffs, and you never know what can happen." The Vikings (20-6,12-2) had a playoff mentality on Wednesday when they defeated Saugus on the Centurions home field 5-1. " We have to keep doing what we're doing ," said Vikings starting pitcher Josh Corralles. "As long as we keep working hard and keep progressing we ... |
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Hart of champions The current attitude of Hart baseball can be summarized in two words: Not satisfied. With a 6-0 win at West Ranch on Wednesday afternoon, Hart assured itself at least a share of the Foothill League title, a feat it hasn't accomplished since 2001. But the Indians are looking toward the future; Friday when they can win the title outright and next week when the CIF playoffs begin. "We don't want to tie, none of this tying stuff," said starting pitcher Michael Montgomery. The senior southpaw was dominant in his 10th start of the season, winning his seventh while striking out ... |
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Grizzly shutout Destiny Rodino had reason to be concerned in the second inning of Hart's Foothill League softball matchup against the Lady Grizzlies at Golden Valley High School on Tuesday afternoon. Despite having a 2-0 lead and retiring the first four batters she faced, Rodino (22-4) gave up a one-out single to Kristen Uthe, followed by consecutive walks to Vickey Luey and Monique Rodriguez with two outs to load the bases. Yet Golden Valley's (11-14, 1-9) scoring threat lasted only one more pitch, as Amber Jensen March hit a come-backer to Rodino on the first pitch. Rodino calmly caught the ball off ... |
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Keeping the pace If the ritual that Madison Shipman and Jessica Spigner perform at the start of each inning brings them luck, its working. The duo, dubbed "9-11" - not only for their jersey numbers - but also because they are often known for their emergency services when the Valencia softball team is in a tight spot. Valencia called upon the duo when they found themselves down early in the game versus Saugus, but ultimately it was team effort that got them over on Tuesday on the Centurions field. The Vikings won, 14-3. "Our ritual relaxes us," Shipman said. "Its helps us ... |
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Hart catcher making name for herself Jessica Shults is self-admittedly loud. Like your typical teenager, she likes to talk, a lot. On the softball field, that enthusiasm has made the Hart junior a special player. Shults has an innate ability to mix fun with work. "She's such a happy kid that some people think she's not serious but she is serious and her teammates know that," Hart coach Steve Calendo said. Perhaps the position she chose, catcher, fits her personality to a T. She is the patrolwoman of the defense, so to speak. She has no problem barking out the defensive signals and putting her teammates ... |
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Hart wins Thousand Oaks tournament Add a tournament win to the Hart softball team's list of accomplishments this season. The Indians (22-5, 8-1) beat Thousand Oaks 3-1 in the championship game of the Thousand Oaks Tournament after shutting out Riverside Poly 12-0 in the semifinals. Pitcher Destiny Rodino went 4-0 and junior catcher Jessica Shults went 8-10 with four home runs and 11 RBIs on her way to winning the tournament MVP. Heather Zimmerman hit a two-run home run in the championship game and was named to the all-tournament team along with Rodino. Last week, Hart beat Oxnard 3-0 and Westlake 6-2 to advance to ... |
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Local roundup Varsity baseball Saugus 16 Golden Valley 0 |
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Hart inches closer to league crown Playing long toss with his pitching coach before the game Friday, Hart pitcher Trevor Bauer surprised even himself. He outthrew Ruben Escobar, a former Master's College star and draftee of the Cleveland Indians. That's when he knew he would have his stuff. Bauer struck out 13 in six innings and gave up just two hits, as Hart (19-6, 12-1) dominated Canyon 13-0 on the road, inching a little bit closer to clinching the Foothill League title. "He always says, 'oh yeah, I'd outthrow you," said Bauer, who earned his 10th win. "We always go back and forth about it." That ... |
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Vikings heading on strong note into playoffs The playoff-bound Valencia Vikings baseball team is making its presence known to every team it faces from now until the first round. The Vikings (19-6, 11-2), who clinched a spot in the CIF-Southern Section Division I playoffs with their win over West Ranch on Wednesday, gave yet another strong performance against the Wildcats on Friday at Curtis Sand and Gravel field defeating West Ranch 9-6. Valencia's offense was led by freshman Christian Lopes who blasted a grand slam over the center field wall in the second inning. "I was just trying to get on base," Lopes said. "I wanted to ... |
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Canyon freshman takes league title from No. 1 senior The Foothill League boys tennis finals were the perfect setting for the ascent of Canyon's Jason Ferlianto from unassuming freshman to one of the league's top players. Ferlianto took the top spot Thursday by upsetting West Ranch's Jordan Hovis in the championship match at the Paseo Club, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6. The freshman has been a surprise to most this season including his coach. "Overall, Jason has grown so much," said Canyon head coach Edgar Perfecto. "He's been proving everyone wrong all season and I think that gave him a boost in his mentality." Ferlianto entered into the finals tournament as ... |
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Vikings earn late payback Finally, the ball rolled Valencia's way. |
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The Hart of local swim The only thing slow about the Hart swimming team is its bus. |
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Valencia's instant impact For whichever high school Christian Lopes was going to, he was supposed to make an instant impact. The 2006 National Youth Baseball Player of the Year has done just that for Valencia. He drove the first pitch of the Vikings game against West Ranch Wednesday over the West Ranch High fence for a leadoff home run. Valencia ended up defeating the Wildcats 9-5 and clinched a spot in the CIF-Southern Section Division I playoffs. The Vikings (18-6, 10-2) trailed 4-1 going into the top of the fifth inning, but a six-run explosion in the frame gave Valencia enough to withstand ... |
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Hart maintains its Foothill League Hart High's baseball team defeated Canyon at Bud Murray field 10-2 on Wednesday. |
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Familiarity awaits at the final For the most part, the Foothill League Boys Tennis Preliminaries held serve. |
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Swimmers set table He may only be a freshman but Valencia swimmer Bob Hwang has some lofty aspirations. |
