When Winning Gets Too Easy, St. Bernard Coach Gets Worried

Some coaches say winning is the only thing. But when it becomes too easy, they worry.

That’s the dilemma facing St. Bernard baseball Coach Bob Yarnall.

He can’t complain about the Vikings’ 3-0 record in the Camino Real League. What concerns him are the scores: 15-2 over St. Anthony, 19-1 over Verbum Dei and 13-3 over Mary Star.

Including a non-league win over Morningside, St. Bernard (8-2 overall) has outscored the opposition, 66-12, in its last four games.

“I’m not sure if our team is really that good or if the league is that poor,” Yarnall said. “I’m hoping it’s a combination of both.”

In Wednesday’s win over Mary Star, the Vikings collected 11 hits, while senior right-hander Tom Fulkerson pitched a five-hitter and struck out 16.

Yarnall says the lopsided games have prevented St. Bernard from practicing on certain areas that he considers important to the team’s development.

“We can’t work on some of our base-running plays, out-quick steals and delayed steals,” he said. “I stop stealing when we get eight or nine runs ahead. Some of the players need the practice in a game situation.

“Plus, it’s the attitude. When you get eight or nine runs ahead, the players are just not as intense. I can’t blame them.”

Yarnall fears that overconfidence could cost St. Bernard one of the CIF Southern Section’s most impressive streaks. The Vikings have won 19 straight league games dating back to 1986.

If they win their 11 remaining league games, they will move into second on the all-time list behind Lakewood, which won 34 straight Moore League games from 1973 to 1976.

“To go undefeated we need to have some close games to keep our intensity level up,” the coach said. “If we go in there not 100% ready to play baseball, we’re not going to win. I hope it’s not in the playoffs.”

Shortstop Royce Clayton and pitcher-first baseman Dan Melendez are two of the players most responsible for St. Bernard’s dominant play of late. Clayton is hitting .567 (17 for 30) with 3 home runs, 15 runs batted in and 12 stolen bases, while Melendez is hitting .533 (16 for 30) with 4 home runs, 17 RBI and 8 stolen bases.

What sets the Vikings apart from the league’s other teams, however, is a deep pitching staff. Melendez, a junior left-hander, is 2-1 with a 1.47 earned-run average, Fulkerson is 2-1 with a 2.80 ERA and Pat Ahearne, a senior right-hander, tops the staff with a 3-0 record and a 1.27 ERA.

“This year is a kind of senior-dominated team,” Yarnall said. “It’s almost a once-in-a-lifetime team.”

St. Bernard, the preseason favorite in the Southern Section 2-A Division, will get some welcomed competition this week from two 5-A schools.

The Vikings visit Loyola at 11 a.m. on Wednesday and play host to Crespi at 3 p.m. on Thursday.

Crespi is the only team to have beaten Redondo (12-1), the South Bay’s top-ranked team.

With several players coming out late from other sports, El Segundo’s baseball team was expected to

get off to a slow start.

Four weeks into the season, the Eagles appear to be

hitting their stride.

Following a 5-4 start against tough competition, El Segundo has won four straight games, including three

last week en route to the championship of the eight-team San Luis Obispo Tournament.

“It was a definite improvement,” said Coach John Stevenson. “Our pitching is coming along. Our three pitchers all came out from other sports that were involved in CIF (playoff) action.

“Actually, our team has played pretty well all year. Our schedule is tough. We lost one game in extra innings and two others by one run. There was only one game (an 8-2 loss to Edison) that got away from us.”

Senior pitcher-first baseman Heath Jones was named the tournament’s most valuable player after performing impressively in each win.

The 6-5, 200-pound Jones was 3 for 3 in the Eagles’ 7-6 victory over Oak Park of Agoura, hit a grand slam in an 11-1 semifinal win over Hueneme of Oxnard and pitched a four-hitter and drove in two runs Friday night in their 6-1 championship win over Ocean View of Huntington Beach.

El Segundo shortstop Jeremy Varner and outfielder Jose Sanchez were named to the all-tournament team.

“Jones and Sanchez both were pretty awesome,” Stevenson said.

Sanchez was 8 for 11 in the tournament, while Jones was 5 for 9. On the season, Sanchez is hitting .489 (24 for 49) with 6 home runs and 22 RBI and Jones is hitting .486 (18 for 37) with 6 home runs and 23 RBI.

It took time for the Eagles’ stars to really shine.

Jones came out late from basketball, Varner was a late arrival from soccer and Sanchez’s preseason practice time was limited because he was still recovering from a shoulder injury suffered in football.

This is the third consecutive year that El Segundo has competed in the San Luis Obispo Tournament. The players drove up with their parents for the three-day outing.

“It’s a good chance for the team to get together and be together,” Stevenson said. “We pretty much take over a motel with all the parents and kids there.

“It’s a beautiful area and the weather was fabulous. We played a little baseball and layed out in the sun a little bit.”

Bishop Montgomery’s baseball team stayed in the thick of the Angelus League race by romping past Pius X, 24-11, on Wednesday.

The Knights evened their league record to 2-2, good for fourth place, a half-game behind Mater Dei (3-2). They play a key game against Servite (3-1) at 3:15 p.m. Monday in Anaheim.

In the win over Pius X, four Bishop Montgomery players drove in three or more runs: Sammy Huh (five), Frank Pena (four), Dudley Callahan (four) and Bill Harvey (three).