Naster’s Grand Slam Lifts Thousand Oaks

A gusty wind had its way with a Marmonte League game at Thousand Oaks High on Wednesday. Chairs tumbled, garbage swirled and the most common of plays became consequential.

But Jeff Naster’s blustery bat created the biggest stir when Naster hit a grand slam in the bottom of the seventh inning that gave the Lancers a 13-11 win over Camarillo.

Naster’s blast, a 400-foot shot to left-center that separated the wind from the wimps, allowed the Lancers (15-5-1, 8-2-1 in league play) to overcome their second deficit and remain within a half-game of Simi Valley (18-4, 9-2) in the league standings. Naster (1-0) also was the winning pitcher.

“That ball got out of here like a rocket,” Thousand Oaks Coach Jim Hansen said of the home run.

And it might have carried with it Camarillo’s hopes of earning a Southern Section playoff berth. The Scorpions (12-7, 5-6) entered the game one of the hottest teams in the league, having won five of their past six league games, and they were two games out of the third and final playoff berth.

But, apparently, Danny Haas’ arm can only do so much. Camarillo’s inability to come up with a strong reliever for Haas, who entered the game with five complete games and 58 innings, caught up with the Scorpions.

Haas (8-3) again went the distance, threw 115 pitches, and Camarillo Coach Jack Willard said he only briefly considered bringing in a reliever. “He’s all we have,” Willard said. “I feel for Haas. That was a game we had to win--and should have won.”

The Scorpions, who blew an 8-2 lead, appeared to have finally come up with some help for Haas when they broke a 9-9 tie on Mike Muncy’s bloop single off Naster with two out in the seventh. Muncy’s hit, his third in four at-bats, scored two runs and gave Camarillo an 11-9 lead.

But Thousand Oaks, which overcame a four-run deficit against Channel Islands last week, came up with yet another comeback.

Brett Herman led off the seventh with a single and was safe at second when third baseman Andy Hall fielded Jim Chergey’s grounder and threw wildly to second. Cory Bowen walked, loading the bases for Naster, who had three home runs starting play.

“I didn’t think he’d throw me a fastball,” Naster said. “I was looking curve.”

Haas didn’t offer the spinner, and it put a twist on a day that had started so magnificently for Camarillo. The Scorpions led, 7-0, in the second.

The Lancers pulled to within 8-5 on Herman’s two-run single in the fifth, then added four runs in the sixth to tie the score, 9-9. Ryan Kritscher and Jason Goldstein had RBI singles, Brian Sturges drove in a run with a ground out, and the tying run scored on an error.