Jenkins Hurls Another Gem for Stubborn Simi Valley

For everyone who thought Simi Valley High was the defending-Marmonte League champion in name alone, the Pioneers offer Mike Jenkins.

For those who thought Coach Mike Scyphers’ well of talent had finally run dry, the Pioneers offer a team batting average of more than .300 and a team earned-run average of less than two.

And, for anyone who thought Simi Valley was ready to relinquish its stranglehold on the league--five titles in the past seven years--to upstart Newbury Park, the Pioneers offer their past three games, including a 3-0 league win over Camarillo on Wednesday at Simi Valley.

“Sorry for the cliche,” Scyphers said, “but our goal all along was to take them one at a time. And as we take them one at a time we keep pushing people away from us.”

So far, only Newbury Park refuses to be shoved aside. The Panthers (6-1 in league play) beat Westlake, 6-5, Wednesday to remain in a first-place tie with Simi Valley (17-2, 6-1)). Camarillo (11-9, 4-3) entered the game with an opportunity to tighten the race but instead ran headlong into Jenkins, who until recently was billed as the Pioneers’ No. 2 pitcher. The senior right-hander pitched a four-hitter, struck out nine and walked one for his fifth win in as many decisions. On Friday, Jenkins struck out 15 in a one-hitter against Thousand Oaks.

Jenkins recently developed a changeup to go along with his fastball and curve. The find has helped in his recent string of 15 innings without an earned run.

Newbury Park, in its 6-4 win over the Pioneers on April 5, was the last team to score against Jenkins, who was not involved in the decision.

“After the Newbury Park game, I just kind of went to myself and thought about what I had to do to help this team,” Jenkins said. “And now I play like it’s a championship game--Marmonte League or CIF. Everything seems to be going my way now. It feels good.”

So it also appears for the Pioneers who, in three games since the Newbury Park loss, have scored 28 runs. Three runs proved to be an effort against Camarillo’s Vaughn Wechsburg, who gave up one hit and no runs in the first five innings, only to be pulled after one pitch in the sixth. Simi Valley’s Jesse Anguiano drilled the pitch into right-center field for a double.

Wechsburg, who walked three in the fifth, was replaced by Eric Raba, who was racked for a run-scoring single by Terry Hill and a two-run homer by Greg Santos.

“Vaughn struggled the inning before and it was probably a stupid move looking back on it,” Camarillo Coach Ken Wagner said of the pitching change. “In fact, looking back on it, it was a dumb move.”

The Scorpions blew their best chance to score in the fifth when, with runners on second and third and none out, Jenkins struck out the next two batters. Pinch-hitter Jason McAtee made the last out when he grounded out to shortstop, although an argument ensued over whether Simi Valley first baseman Kenny Hood’s foot left the bag while he was scooping an errant throw. Camarillo assistant Gary Wagner was ejected during the fracas.

“That was a . . . call,” Ken Wagner said, “but the next inning the guy hit the ball out of the park and that won the game.”