Winter Park Rudely Ousted by Simi Valley

Coach Mike Scyphers and the Simi Valley High baseball team aren’t making many friends in the Colonial Baseball Classic. But they don’t mind. Especially after eliminating defending-tournament champion Winter Park, Fla., 12-4, on Thursday at Colonial High.

“We stood out there and wanted to shake hands,” Scyphers said.

But Coach Bob King and the Wildcats refused to meet the Pioneers halfway.

“I just think they’re the rudest bunch I’ve ever seen,” King said. “The kids on that team behave in a way we’ve never seen around here.”

Scyphers agreed that his team’s boisterous dugout demeanor--which is characterized by loud vocal support--is foreign to the region. But he makes no apologies.

“Westlake does exactly the same thing,” he said of Simi Valley’s Marmonte League rival. “Thousand Oaks is worse. I think they’re just getting tired of getting beat by a California team.”

Simi Valley (9-4), which won the 16-team tournament in 1986, is 10-2 against Florida teams in three years. Simi Valley will host Colonial in a third-place semifinal game at 2 p.m. today.

On Thursday, the Pioneers manhandled five Winter Park pitchers for 13 hits, including two-run home runs by Darin Furlong and Jeff Sommer and a solo blast by Terry Hill.

Rich Langford (3-1) turned in a respectable complete-game effort, striking out six and walking two.

In the sixth inning, however, King felt that the Pioneers were being disrespectful to his players, particularly relief pitcher Chris Painter after he hit Simi Valley’s Greg Gerber with a high slider.

Gerber and Painter exchanged words and when King went to the mound to replace Painter he took several steps toward the Pioneer dugout and had to be restrained by the home plate umpire.

“We have rules in our league that say you can’t harass the opposing team,” King said. “We don’t have any of this ‘14, you’re a jerk.’ That’s the first time we haven’t shaken hands after a game.”

Scyphers and the Pioneers consider their enthusiasm typical of California teams. And they don’t mind being disliked.

“That’s the point,” Sommer said.

Said right fielder Jesse Anguiano: “I think it’s great.”

Simi Valley struck for three runs in the first on four hits. Darren Aurand and Marcus Lockwood each had run-scoring doubles and Hill drove in a run on a ground out.