Baseball: Royal’s ace pitchers take care of Simi Valley

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Simi Valley Coach Matt La Belle won the Southern Section Division I championship last season, but the schedule makers didn’t do him any favors this season by setting it up so that neighborhood rival Royal has only one Marmonte League game in the week that the Highlanders face Simi Valley.

That means that Royal Coach Dan Maye can use his two hard-throwing right-handed pitchers, Cody Buckel and Bryan Berglund, in the same game, and the odds favor a Royal victory. That was the case Wednesday, with Buckel striking out seven and giving up four hits in 5-1/3 innings. Berglund struck out two to pick up the save in a 6-1 victory over Simi Valley.

Simi Valley (10-4 overall, 5-2 in league play) and Royal (12-2, 5-2) are tied for first place in the Marmonte League. The two teams end the regular season on a Wednesday at Royal, allowing Maye another opportunity to have the Buckel-Berglund duo ready to go.

Buckel, a junior who has committed to Pepperdine, wasn’t at his best. He had five walks, but he got the first batter out in every inning he pitched and came through with key strikeouts when Simi Valley had men in scoring positions. And Simi Valley starter Drew Sandler was wild in the first inning, hitting a batter and walking two. Royal scored two runs in the inning.

See video below for comments from Maye, Buckel and Berglund.

-- Eric Sondheimer