Agoura Leaves Calabasas Reeling, 12-3

Two people returned to the Agoura baseball field on Friday.

Bob LaBelle, who has coached the Charger baseball team in the past, was filling in for Coach John Crow.

Junior right fielder Ed Campaniello also returned--to his old form.

Last season, Campaniello hit .518 on the junior varsity. But in his first year on the varsity, his batting average is less than .250. There has been pressure on Campaniello to perform, but it has come from within.

“It’s been the pressure of being a junior and staying in the lineup,” Campaniello said. “I’ve been swinging too hard, trying to hit the long ball.”

Campaniello hit the batting cages every night this week. On Friday, he was 4 for 4 with four runs batted in as Agoura defeated Frontier League rival Calabasas, 12-3.

“He was aggressive today, instead of being a lazy hitter,” LaBelle said. “Today he hit the ball away--where it was being pitched.”

“It feels good. Now I know I’m out of it,” Campaniello said.

The Calabasas batters were as cold as Campaniello was hot.

Agoura’s Donny Rea, who has struck out 19 batters in 13 innings this season, pitched his second complete game. Rea allowed only four hits and three runs--all of them unearned.

Rea struck out only four, but LaBelle said it might have been his best game yet.

“He was a pitcher today, and not a thrower,” LaBelle said. “He threw 104 pitches and kept the ball down.”

Said Calabasas Coach Gary Gray: “Rea had good control. He kept us off balance. He forced a lot of ground-ball outs.”

“Agoura has the ability to break open the game,” LaBelle said.

They did just that.

The Chargers trailed, 1-0, until the bottom of the second inning. Agoura’s John Gillette singled, went to third on an error and scored on Campaniello’s double to right field.

Agoura then erupted in the fourth inning, scoring seven runs.