Fast Start Sparks Moorpark to Win Over Oak Park

Jeff Gibbons awoke Tuesday morning with an earned-run average of 0.16.

Gibbons went to sleep Tuesday night--assuming he slept--with an ERA of 1.57.

In between, Gibbons, a senior right-hander for Oak Park High, gave up 10 runs--all earned--and 10 hits in a 10-0 Tri-Valley League loss to visiting Moorpark.

“This was definitely a bad day all around,” Gibbons said.

Gibbons entered the game with a record of 6-0 and having yielded one earned run in 43 innings.

But Moorpark (12-1, 7-0 in league play) had two hits and a run after only two batters.

Moorpark scored five first-inning runs on four hits. The Musketeers stretched the lead to 8-0 after three innings, thanks largely to a one-out, two-run triple by Ken Ditto that right fielder Mike Michaud lost in the sun.

Still, Gibbons started the third inning by yielding a single and a double to Jason Adamson and Jake Flesher, and later a run-scoring single to Brandon Garrettson that drove in Ditto.

“His fastball was just easy to see today for some reason,” said Garrettson, who was two for four with three runs batted in.

“He did not have good stuff,” Oak Park Coach Mike Bolyog said. “The game plan was to work hard inside and sliders away. But when his fastball is up, the game plan goes out the window.”

Ditto (6-0), who threw six no-hit innings in a 1-0 victory over Oak Park three weeks ago, again frustrated the Eagles, yielding only five singles in 6 1/3 innings.

Ditto struck out three and walked eight, but he retired the first two batters in each of the first five innings.

Four times Oak Park (9-4, 2-3) advanced a runner to third base, and the Eagles had bases-loaded situations in the sixth and seventh.

But Gibbons grounded into a force play to end the sixth and reliever Richard Hernandez, who pitched the final inning of a combined no-hitter against Oak Park in the teams’ first meeting, induced Eric Kane to ground into a game-ending double play.

Moorpark closed out its scoring with two runs in the sixth. Eddie Romero delivered a sacrifice fly to drive in Hernandez and Adamson, who was two for two with two walks and two runs, drove in Doyle Ritchie with an infield single.

“They hit the ball hard, got ahead and they stomped on us like a good team will do,” Gibbons said. “I was down, 5-0, and I was pressing. I shouldn’t have pitched today.”