Moorpark Wings It, Scores 15 Runs Against Santa Ynez

Butterflies were flying in Moorpark on Friday--and not because the first sunshine in about two weeks made for a brilliant spring day.

They were fluttering in the stomachs of nervous Moorpark High baseball players before their rematch with Santa Ynez, the team that upset them at home in the first round of the 1993 Southern Section playoffs.

Thanks to a 10-run fifth inning, Moorpark overcame the yips and pummeled Santa Ynez, 15-1, in the first round of the Division IV playoffs.

“All we’ve talked about all week was revenge,” Musketeer shortstop Rick Collier said. “This was good revenge.”

Adam Rauch belted a home run in the first inning to make it 1-0, Collier ripped a bases-loaded double to break a tie and make it 3-1, and Jason Adamson added a three-run homer in the fifth.

“I was pretty nervous,” said Rauch, the senior left fielder who made a couple of errors in the Pirates’ 13-12 victory last year. “I had some butterflies, but I guess I had them flying in formation.”

While Rauch (three for four), Collier (two for three, two doubles) and Adamson (two for four) accounted for seven of the nine hits by Moorpark (20-4), Brian Garrettson threw a net over the Pirates, striking out nine and walking none in six innings to improve to 9-0.

“We came back from nine down to lead, 11-10, last year after I came in to relieve, and I blew the lead,” Garrettson said. “I started aiming the ball and walking everybody. I walked in the tying run, then I gave up a single for the winning run. I’m not giving any free passes now.”

But four Santa Ynez pitchers gave up plenty: 13 walks and three hit batsmen. Moorpark had six hits in the fifth inning, but Santa Ynez (12-12) gave up four walks and committed three errors before Adamson capped it by sending reliever Andy Kocher’s first pitch over the 350-foot sign in left-center.