Comeback Puts Lancers in 2nd Place

It seemed the curious canine, which scurried onto the infield at Channel Islands High in the fourth inning Wednesday and playfully dodged capture, carried a symbolic message to the Thousand Oaks’ nine.

The Lancers trailed by a run in the Marmonte League contest, and the Raiders had put another two runners on base. Jacob Cruz, a major league prospect who had already doubled home a run in the second, stepped up to the plate and hit a three-run home run over the 350-foot mark in center field.

Had the Lancers’ hopes of winning the contest gone, ahem, to the dogs? “Things looked a little bleak at that point,” Thousand Oaks Coach Jim Hansen said of his team’s four-run deficit.

But Brett Herman’s bat and Cory Bowen’s glove and arm led a determined Thousand Oaks comeback and the Lancers handed Channel Islands an 11-8 loss to move into second place in the league standings.

Herman, who had lost his starting job two weeks ago and entered the game hitting .289, returned to the lineup and was three for three with two doubles and five runs batted in. Herman, a senior, doubled home two runs that gave Thousand Oaks an 8-7 lead it never relinquished and highlighted a seven-run fifth.

“I came out today to prove that I deserve to be out there,” Herman said. There was never any doubt against Channel Islands (11-4, 6-3 in league play), but Thousand Oaks (13-5-1, 6-2-1) needed some defense as well.

Trailing, 10-7, the Raiders had runners on second and third with one out in the sixth. But Thousand Oaks right fielder Bowen made a diving catch of Ray Rangel’s line drive, stumbled to his feet, and fired a strike to catcher Brian Sturges, who blocked the plate and tagged out Marc Garcia to end the inning.

With two out in the seventh, Channel Islands scored a run to pull within 11-8 and loaded the bases. But Tony Siegel, who relieved Adam West (5-2) in the fifth and struck out four in three innings of relief for his first save, caught Garcia looking. Cruz, who was three for four with four runs batted in, was on deck. “We had to get that kid out, and we did,” Hansen said.

David Skeels had two hits and two RBIs and Jeff Naster hit a two-run home run for the Lancers.