Simi Valley Withdrawal Angers Host

Glorious as the Colonial Baseball Classic was supposed to be, it caused mostly headaches for tournament director George Kirchgassner. Kirchgassner’s team--Colonial High--was beaten in the first round. But what really irked Kirchgassner was that for the first time in the tournament’s nine-year history, no consolation championship game was played, costing the tournament $1,500, he said.

Simi Valley defeated Boone, Fla., 11-3, on Friday night to advance--or, rather, to not advance--to the third-place game against Lake Brantley, Fla.

Simi Valley Coach Mike Scyphers announced Friday, after defeating Colonial, 13-12, in the quarterfinal round, that the Pioneers, having played the maximum number of nonleague games allowable under Southern Section rules, could not play another game in the tournament unless they forfeited or canceled an upcoming Marmonte League game or nonleague Southern Section game.

Before the Colonial game, Kirchgassner said Scyphers told him that the Pioneers would not return to play Boone that night, having used their complement of nonleague games. Kirchgassner then, thinking his team would be playing in the semifinals that evening regardless of whether it defeated Simi Valley, held out his No. 1 pitcher and used a junior varsity pitcher against the Pioneers.

“I think George assumed too much,” Scyphers said. “I told him I’d check with my staff about whether we were coming back.”

Scyphers said he decided during the game, in which he was ejected and heated words were exchanged between players, that Simi Valley would return to play Boone.

“We felt that we couldn’t bow out of the tournament after being homered like that,” Scyphers said.

To clear the way for the Boone game, Scyphers called Alemany Coach Jim Ozella and canceled a nonleague game scheduled next month.

Scyphers insisted that the thought of playing six tournament games did not occur to him until after Simi Valley lost in the first round on Monday to Lake Brantley. Kirchgassner claims otherwise.

“The man knew it when he got on the plane,” Kirchgassner said.

Said assistant director Hershell Freeman: “Like hell he didn’t know. He told us the first day he wouldn’t be able to complete the tournament if he dropped into the losers’ bracket.”

Scyphers said he did not learn about the game restrictions until Thursday, when he called the Southern Section office.

“We would have played if CIF would have let us,” Scyphers said. “But rules are rules and they’re not meant to be broken.”

Scyphers said that the Pioneers will not return for next year’s tournament. Kirchgassner said he would first discuss the matter with his athletic director before inviting Simi Valley back.

Chatsworth, however, has been invited to defend its title next year.