Varsity boys fight for playoffs this week
The Malibu Sharks varsity baseball team, which now stands at 14-8 overall and 5-5 in conference play, will play Carpinteria High School next week in a series that will decide the team’s playoff fate.
The Sharks have been slumping as of late, dropping both of last week’s games to first place St. Bonaventure. The Sharks lost 7-1 on Wednesday and 5-1 on Friday to the top-ranked team at home.
During Friday’s game, the Sharks received great pitching from senior Harry McAlevey, who went five innings and gave up two runs, while sophomore Noah Simon pitched a scoreless sixth. In the bottom of the sixth, the Sharks had runners on second and third base with two outs, down 2-1, when senior Hunter Johnson struck out looking, with a great chance to take the late lead, ending the rally.
The loss means the Sharks are now out of first-place contention for the league championship, and next week’s final season series against Carpinteria will have major playoff implications.
The 2012 CIF playoffs begin after next week, which is the final week of regular season play.
JV team loses three
Last week proved to be a tough one for the JV baseball team as the boys dropped three games, one to Nordhoff High School and two to St. Bonaventure High School.
First, the Sharks lost a makeup game to Nordhoff High School 6-0 at home. Sophomore Miles Tade pitched a strong three innings, but the heavy-hitting Rangers were difficult to contain and scored six runs. With freshman Andre Simoneau out with a pulled muscle, the Sharks got relief from freshmen Chris Armstrong and Troy Schlobom, who allowed no runs. Offensively the Sharks struggled, with solo singles by McMillan and Schlobom, plus two singles by Simoneau.
In the second game, with Simoneau still unable to pitch, the Sharks sent Miles Tade, Sam Yang, Troy Schlobom and Nick Anthony out to face St. Bonaventure at home. Unfortunately it was a tough loss as the Sharks fell 14-0.
Finally, the Sharks faced a replay against St. Bonaventure on Friday with the hope of redeeming themselves. Simoneau gave it his all, pitching a strong four innings with a pulled muscle and giving up only one hit and two walks. Nick Anthony came on in the fifth to give a strong relief performance, but again it wasn’t to be as the Sharks lost 9-1.
The JV Sharks end their season this week with two games against Carpinteria High School. The first game is Wednesday at home at 3:30 p.m., and the second is Thursday at Carpinteria at 3:30 p.m.