Simi Valley Tries Friendly Skies With 4 Home Runs

It was fitting that two school marks for long distance were set on the eve of Simi Valley High’s long-distance flight to Florida to participate in an Easter tournament.

The team leaves this morning at 6:30 to defend its title in the Colonial Classic Easter tournament in Orlando. But before takeoff, Coach Mike Scyphers was making sure the only travel plans his team had in mind Friday were for round-trip tours of the basepaths.

“I really wanted to be sure we stayed in Simi Valley for another day,” Scyphers said. “I didn’t even discuss Florida. I wanted us to leave town with another ‘W’ .”

Simi Valley’s pre-flight itinerary Friday included four home runs to establish a team season record of 25. Scott Sharts also broke the career home run record with his 13th as the Pioneers, ranked No. 2 in The Times Valley poll, defeated Royal, 9-6, in a Marmonte League game at Royal.

“This was a big win for us,” said Sharts, who has seven home runs this season. “We wanted to keep our momentum going. Now we can go back to defend that title with our heads held high.”

The heads of the Royal outfielders were pointed skyward much of the afternoon. Joe Gallegos hit a solo home run and Tim Laker added a two-run blast in the fourth--his sixth of the season--as Simi Valley (12-1, 6-0) took a 7-3 lead. Sharts and Greg Gerber--who was 4 for 4--added solo homers in the seventh.

The Simi Valley long ball attack made it a long, hot afternoon on the hill for Royal right-hander Joe Summers (2-3). Summers surrendered two runs in the first, two in the third and three in the fourth before he was relieved by Brian Skow.

The Pioneers--who have defeated cross-town rival Royal 17 times in 19 games in Scyphers’ nine seasons--added two more runs off Sean Sullivan on the homers by Sharts and Gerber.

Sharts (5-1, 4-0 in league) set down 13 consecutive batters after the third inning before Royal (7-5, 2-4) made it close with three runs in the bottom of the seventh. Summers, who remained in the game in right field, hit a three-run home run off Sharts with two out in the inning.

By then Sharts was probably thinking of the Pioneers’ postgame plane plans. The team will meet at school at 3:45 a.m. before heading to the airport for the 6:30 flight to Florida.

“In a few hours, we’ll be in Orlando,” said Sharts optimistically. “And we’re really playing with confidence right now.”

The win boosted the already elevated spirits of the team another notch or two. Last year, Simi Valley team spent a portion of the season ranked No. 1 in the nation. This was supposed to be a rebuilding year, but somewhere along the line, the Pioneers upgraded their coach tickets to first class.

“I am a little surprised to be 12-1,” Scyphers said. “With 14 underclassmen on the roster, if you would’ve asked me earlier in the year, I would have been happy to be 9-4 right now.

“Now we’re heading to Florida with a better record than we had last year at this time. And we’re doing it with a bunch of juniors, which makes it even nicer.”

Sharts, a junior who started last season, said the team’s play has caught him by surprise as well.

“Coach will probably kill me for saying this,” Sharts said, “but to tell you the truth, I didn’t think we would be where we are right now. I figured we’d have at least two or three losses at this stage. And I never really thought I’d be undefeated as a starter in league.”

Sharts broke the home run record previously held by Tim Rapp, now a third baseman at Cal State Northridge.

“The home run record was one of the goals I set at the beginning of the year,” Sharts said. “I knew it was something within my reach.”