Simi Valley Stays No. 1, at Least in This Nation

The Simi Valley High baseball team has been forced all season to lug around a formidable but burdensome identification tag: The No. 1-ranked team in the country.

On Tuesday, after three innings of its 4-A Division playoff game against Santa Monica, a logical question arose: What country? Lapland? Botswana, perhaps? Certainly not this country.

The Pioneers trailed at that point, 4-2. They were being stifled by Santa Monica left-hander Greg Berlfein and were performing in the field like, well, seen a Dodger game lately?

But all that changed, suddenly and overwhelmingly, in the top of the seventh. Simi Valley strung together six consecutive hits, including three doubles, and when the attack was over had a six-run, seven-hit inning and an 8-4 victory over Santa Monica to advance to the quarterfinal round of the playoffs.

Berlfein, who was riding a streak of three straight shutouts, including a no-hitter Friday, had limited Simi Valley to six hits through six innings. And with a two-run cushion, he was within three outs of snapping the Pioneers’ 17-game win streak.

Tim Laker started the seventh with a double off the left-field fence. Von Herron followed with a single. Mike Hankins singled and Shaun Murphy doubled home two runs, giving Simi Valley a 5-4 lead. Dave Milstien singled in another run, Corey Aurand did the same and Scott Sharts capped the explosion with a run-scoring double.

“I felt good the whole game,” said a stunned Berlfein, who was yanked after the third straight hit. “I even felt good in the seventh. But I guess I started piping the ball and they just started whacking it. I can’t believe it. I was three outs away from beating them and the roof fell in. I could visualize the win out there, and I couldn’t even get one out.”

Simi Valley Coach Mike Scyphers said Berlfein’s problem was fuel related.

“He just ran out of gas,” Scyphers said. “But still, that seventh inning was totally unexpected. I wanted to score two runs and take our chances in extra innings. But to roll a six, that’s unbelievable.”

Todd Sullivan started for the Pioneers but was raked for five hits and four runs, three of them earned, in just 2 innings. For Santa Monica, that was the good news and the bad news. Because when Sullivan left, Scott Radinsky entered.

Can you say “overpowering?”

The major league prospect crushed Santa Monica the rest of the way, striking out seven of the 12 batters he faced. He struck out four of the first five batters he saw, and in the sixth he struck out the first and third batters. The second batter, Nick Santiano, walked and was picked off by Radinsky seconds later.

The victory was Radinsky’s 13th against just one loss this season. The 13 wins are a school record.

On offense, Simi Valley, which entered the game batting .364, had 6 doubles and 13 hits.

“These guys are just tremendous baseball players and tremendous competitors,” Scyphers said. “I’m just glad they play for me and nobody else.”

They play for Scyphers again in the quarterfinals on Friday against Ocean View, a 4-1 winner over Loara on Tuesday.