Lieberthal Pounds 4 Home Runs in Westlake Win

The standing ovation from the home crowd didn’t do it. Neither did chants of “God, god, god!” from the Westlake High student section.

Finally, after a fifth-inning grand slam and some prodding from his teammates, Mike Lieberthal stumbled from Westlake’s dugout and lifted his cap toward the crowd.

“I wasn’t sure what they wanted,” Lieberthal said. “Then my teammates said ‘Leeb, ya gotta do a curtain call,’ so I did.”

It’s understandable why Lieberthal wasn’t ready for prime time. The Fat Lady wasn’t singing, and the skinny kid hadn’t finished swinging.

Lieberthal, a 6-foot, 165-pound senior, had another homer left, a fourth blast in the sixth inning of a 15-5 win over Simi Valley in a Marmonte League game at Westlake on Wednesday. Lieberthal’s four homers tied the Southern Section record and his school-record 10 runs batted in matched the third-highest single-game output ever.

“The ball looked like a melon,” said Lieberthal, who raised his batting average to .556. “I wanted to hit it even if it was out of the strike zone.”

Lieberthal, who has orally committed to play at Arizona State, is projected as a first-round selection in the major league draft in June. He proved he is worthy of the horde of professional scouts who follow his every move.

“It was one of the most awesome performances I’ve ever seen,” Simi Valley Coach Mike Scyphers said.

In the first inning, Lieberthal deposited Kenny Hood’s fastball over the left-field fence, more than 330 feet away, for a three-run shot that gave Westlake (13-0, 6-0 in league play) a 3-1 lead. Hood (4-1), a senior left-hander who went into the game with a 1.55 earned-run average, threw just four pitches and failed to retire a batter.

Lieberthal, the third Southern Section player to hit four home runs in a game but the second to do it this season, drilled a solo shot in the second that gave Westlake a 6-1 lead. He singled in the fourth inning before hitting the grand slam in the fifth.

He finished with a two-run blast in the sixth and hit another ball over the fence, but in foul territory, on a pitch that preceded his third homer.

“I’ve never seen anything like that, and doubt I will again,” Westlake Coach Rich Herrera said. “But nothing surprises me with Mike. Every time he comes to the plate, I’m thinking in the back of my mind that he can hit one out.”

Westlake, the top-ranked 5-A Division team, pounded four Simi Valley pitchers for 13 hits. James Jones had three hits. Rick Wolters added two, and Tim Falsken hit a two-run home run.

Mike Eby (5-0) allowed eight hits and three earned runs.

Joe Gordon hit his 10th home run for Simi Valley (7-5, 3-2). Aaron Fischer had two hits, including a two-run home run, and Brandon Banaga was two for three.