Harris Ailing, but His Average Is Very Healthy

Clint Harris can hardly swing a bat on some days, barely run the bases on others.

Harris, a pitcher-first baseman for the Thousand Oaks baseball team, has battled a separated right shoulder and a severe cut on his left ankle--both of which, he says, have limited his contribution during his senior season.

“This has been totally frustrating for me,” Harris said. “In four years, I’ve never had any injuries. And now this.”

Yet somehow, Harris’ batting average remains a robust .517.

Harris, who has 31 hits and 20 runs batted in in 60 at-bats, hit safely in his first at-bat of the season and his average has not dipped below .500 since. “I try not to look at my average,” Harris said. “When I start to look my average drops.”

Perhaps Harris has been too preoccupied with pain.

In March, he sustained a separated shoulder after he collided with a Camarillo infielder but remained in the lineup as the designated hitter. However, he went one for four the following game against Royal and popped up with the bases loaded in the fifth inning with his team trailing, 5-4. Royal went on to win, 6-4.

Last week, Harris sustained the gash on his ankle on the diving board of his family’s swimming pool. The slice required four stitches and prevented Harris from starting in a key game against Simi Valley.

Harris appeared as a pinch-hitter in the sixth inning and grounded out to drive in a run. He practically hopped to first base. Simi Valley won, 17-5.

On Friday against Royal, Harris singled and later scored on a fielder’s choice. Again he hobbled from base to base. Thousand Oaks lost, 12-11.

“I’ve done a lot of exercises and stretching but it has just begun to feel better,” he said. “I’m supposed to get the stitches out this week. I should be 100% by Friday.”

MARMONTE LEAGUE

BASEBALL

He doesn’t tote a saxophone, but he’s pretty handy with the fastball. Junior right-hander Ray Clinton of Newbury Park has emerged as one of the league’s best pitchers. Clinton improved to 6-1 (5-0 in league play) Friday by pitching a five-hitter with 11 strikeouts against Westlake. Clinton is scheduled to start today against Thousand Oaks. . . .

Junior Keith Smith of Newbury Park has a team-high eight doubles and is rapidly approaching the school’s single-season record. Dan Smith (1988) and Lloyd Wood (1985) share the record with 10. . . .

Jeff Bennett has two triples, one shy of the single-season record of three, shared by several players. Eric Greene (1989), now a Fresno State standout, is the most recent Newbury Park player to have three triples in one season.

TRACK & FIELD

Crystal Brownlee of Westlake and Dolores Tuimoloau of Channel Islands set Ventura County records in the girls’ shotput and discus, respectively, in the Marmonte League preliminaries Monday at Camarillo.

Brownlee, who has signed a letter of intent with South Carolina, put the shot 45 feet 11 1/2 inches to improve on the record of 45-4 she set as a sophomore. Tuimoloau, a junior, threw the discus 142-0 to add a foot to the record Brownlee set last year. . . .

Two weeks ago, running under 4 minutes 50 seconds in the 1,600 meters seemed implausible to Agoura sophomore Amy Skieresz.

But after lowering her personal best to 4:53.97 in winning the Ventura Country championships at Camarillo High on Friday, Skieresz is starting to believe what Coach Bill Duley has been telling her all along.

“I have a lot more confidence now,” Skieresz said Friday. “Before, Bill kept telling me I could do it, but (4:50) still seemed so far away. But after today, I think it’s possible.”

CHANNEL LEAGUE

BASEBALL

Time ran out on Manuel Canales of Oxnard in Friday’s 4-3, 11-inning victory over Santa Barbara.

Canales, who a week earlier pitched a seven-hitter and hit two home runs in a 5-4 win over Rio Mesa, was working toward another victory against Santa Barbara, retiring 21 of 22 batters over a seven-inning stretch as the game extended into extra innings.

Canales wasn’t around for the finish, though. After pitching 10 innings--the maximum allowed per week under state rules--Canales, who threw 164 pitches, gave way to reliever Brian Dilliard. Dilliard pitched the 11th and earned his first victory when Oxnard scored in the bottom of the inning.

Canales (2-5) yielded 10 hits, seven before settling down after three innings. He has not walked a batter in 17 innings.

“He pitched very well, but he didn’t get anything out of that,” Oxnard co-Coach Tony Diaz said,. “Except a sore arm.”. . .

Playoff outlook: The race tightened considerably after first-place San Marcos (8-2) dropped its first two games of the season last week. San Marcos lost to Hueneme, which also defeated Buena, 7-5, Friday for its fourth consecutive win. The victory moved Hueneme into a third-place tie with Buena at 6-4. Dos Pueblos (7-3) is in second.

Buena has lost two of its last four, including Friday’s game after holding a 5-4 lead after four innings.

“We gotta win the next four games,” Buena senior Brandon Knight said.

Knight, who said he is being recruited by Cal State Northridge, struck out six in the final 2 2/3 innings against Hueneme.

Staff writers Vince Kowalick, Paige A. Leech and John Ortega contributed to this notebook.