For the second consecutive year, the Malibu High School baseball team won the Southern California Invitational Blue Division Championship. The Sharks won five games in the tournament with superb pitching, strong defense and timely pitching.
Malibu defeated Lawndale, 2-1, in the championship game last week behind the efforts of junior Chase Lambert who pitched five innings for the win. Lambert gave up two hits and struck out 10 batters to collect his second win of the season. He also contributed at the plate, going 1-for-3 with one RBI, one run and two stolen bases.
Frank Thomas came up big in the fifth inning, singled in Lambert for the game’s winning run. Riley McMillin iced the game by pitching two scoreless innings for the save to secure the championship for the Sharks. For the tournament, the Sharks beat Maranatha, 12-5, Sierra Canyon, 16-2, Bishop Diego, 16-1, Channel Islands, 2-1, and Lawndale.
Lambert was named the Tournament MVP after batting .550 with nine RBI’s and four doubles, and securing two wins on the mound with just a 1.52 earned run average.
“Malibu High baseball is an example of how rolling up your sleeves and working hard is the path to success,” head coach Ari Jacobs said. “This year’s team has already proven they have fight in them and are willing to be tough and resilient in the heat of battle, which means the sky is the limit to what they can achieve.”
Malibu will play Santa Paula on Friday in a Frontier League contest at MHS at 3:30 p.m.
Winter all-league recipients
After leading the Malibu High School to its seventh consecutive league title in girls’ water polo, senior Linda Brown was named co-Most Valuable Player of the Tri- Valley League. Brown’s impressive statistics include a team-high 93 goals, 84 steals and 29 assists on the season.
“Linda deserves every bit of recognition she gets. She is a humble player, and I am so proud that she was named Co-MVP,” Malibu coach Meredith Butte said. “Her hard work and dedication really paid off this year. She had an amazing season, and I am honored to have been able to coach her.”
Senior Jenny Hill-Carta was named a first-team honoree while Rae Jackson and Allyx Teel made second team. Sophie Peterson garnered honorable mention. Hill-Carta scored 72 goals to go along with 33 steals, 20 assists and a team-high 40 drawn ejections.
Several boys soccer players also won plaudits for their efforts on the soccer pitch this winter. Despite his team finishing third in the tough Tri-Valley League, senior forward Adam Fote’s superior soccer skills impressed the league coaches enough to honor him with the TVL Offensive Most Valuable Player. Fote was a major factor in a potent Sharks’ offense that scored 72 goals on the season.
“Adam was outstanding. He is one of the best forwards in the area and deserved this honor,” former Malibu coach Lloyd Kinnear said.
Joining him on the first team was senior midfielder Zach Le and junior defender Jacob Gooden. Midfielders Ethan Flor and Ari Taublieb earned second-team honors for Malibu, who finished 11-5-1 overall.
The MHS girls soccer team boasted several all-league mentions as well. Junior midfielder Danica Downing was named a first-team all-league selection in the Tri- Valley League. Jane Sidley and Seaira Moore were named to the second team, while Carmen Flood, Britty Walley and Sasha Savitsky earned honorable mention.
On the hardwood, MHS boys’ basketball junior center Justin Holmes was named first-team all-league in the TVL and second-team All-Ventura County. Holmes averaged 17.2 points per game and 12.1 rebounds per game.
“I felt Justin had another good season, played hard, and led us the whole way,” Malibu coach Bobby Tenorio said. “We were obviously a tough out when he had monster games. League competition was tougher this year and he was still able to put up good numbers.”