Channel Islands Gives Away Key Game to Simi Valley, 8-2 : Prep baseball: Lack of preparation leads to lack of production for Raiders, who fall one game behind Pioneers in Marmonte race.

Channel Islands High had won nine of its first 10 games. But Coach Don Cardinal described his players before Wednesday’s game as if they’d won one of 10.

The Raiders can’t hit a baseball. Nor can they field or throw one.

Heck, grumbled Cardinal, they can’t even remember to bring their cleats to the game.

Then Channel Islands turned Cardinal into a prophet by dropping an 8-2 decision to host Simi Valley in a Marmonte League game.

The outfielders allowed routine singles to roll through their legs. The infielders committed four errors and, on one occasion, forgot to cover second base on a steal.

Some had been late to the team bus on departure from Oxnard. One even forgot his shoes.

“Shoot, they sure made things tough on themselves,” Cardinal said. “Late to the team bus, forgetting their gear. . . . Man, you just can’t do those kind of things in a big game like that.”

Instead, the big game became one big mistake for Channel Islands (9-2, 4-1 in league play), which dropped one game behind Simi Valley (14-2, 5-0).

Reserve shortstop George Macias, filling in for injured starter Johnny Olivares, committed an error that began Simi Valley’s five-run outburst in the fourth inning, which gave the Pioneers a 6-1 lead.

Even All-Ventura County center fielder Jacob Cruz, who is headed for Arizona State on a scholarship, could not avoid mistakes. A routine single skipped past him and allowed yet another run to score in the fourth.

But the inning wasn’t complete until first baseman Tajah Merrill, whose cleats caught up with him only minutes before the first pitch, dropped a routine throw from second baseman Ricky Estrada that allowed Simi Valley to extend its lead to 6-1.

Meanwhile, Simi Valley was busy collecting seven hits off right-hander Angel Aragon (5-1), who entered the game with an earned-run average of 1.69.

Tyler Nelson doubled twice, the second a two-run shot in the fourth that broke a 1-1 tie. Steve Bernstein added a run-scoring double in the fourth, extending Simi Valley’s lead to 4-1, and the Pioneers added two runs in the inning on two more errors and a wild pitch.

In the sixth, two unearned runs enabled Simi Valley to extend its lead to 8-2.

“This team has the capability to take advantage of even the slightest of opportunities provided by another team,” Simi Valley Coach Mike Scyphers said.

For Channel Islands, there were few opportunities against Simi Valley right-hander Brian Vasey (5-0). Vasey, a senior who entered the game with an ERA of 0.52, allowed only three hits and one earned run.