Sharts Leads Simi Valley in 7-2 Win Over Westlake

It appeared to be a game borrowed from the best of the Little League tradition, in which the pitcher is probably the team’s best batter and the guy who records all the victories and chalks up most of the strikeouts, all the while knocking in a couple of runs with an extra-base hit or two in every game.

This game pitted Simi Valley’s Scott Sharts, a junior right-hander with a 3-1 record, a .482 batting average and six home runs, versus Westlake’s senior left-hander Greg Struhl, 4-0 with a .400 average.

Just the two biggest kids from the two toughest teams on the Marmonte League block.

This time it was Sharts--Simi Valley’s very own arm and hammer--who did the most damage in the double-duty role. Sharts scattered four hits over 5 innings and had the game-winning run batted in as the Pioneers defeated Westlake, 7-2, in a game for first place at Simi Valley on Wednesday.

“Sharts is a complete player, and we need him in both spots,” Simi Valley Coach Mike Scyphers said.

The Pioneers have won nine straight, are 10-1 overall, 4-0 in league and ranked No. 2 in The Times Valley poll. The team has won 17 straight league games over the past three seasons.

“They (Westlake, 5-5, 2-1) always have good teams and Simi always has good teams,” Sharts said. “The games are always close, and the talent is great at both schools. I guess you could call it sort of a quiet rivalry.”

As usual, there was nothing quiet about Sharts’ bat.

With the bases loaded in the bottom of the first and Simi Valley trailing, 1-0, Sharts drilled the first pitch into the gap in left for a double that drove in Darren Aurand and Marcus Lockwood. The RBIs were Sharts’ 17th and 18th. Two outs later, Tim Laker scored on a ground ball by Darren Lloyd, who was safe at first when Westlake second baseman Mike Lieberthal threw away the ball after forcing Simi Valley’s Don Giannone at second. Sharts scored on Lieberthal’s overthrow.

It was all Simi Valley needed.