Camarillo Fences In Royal, 5-1

As strange as it sounds, Camarillo High pitcher Nathan Kaup and his teammates considered their 5-1 victory Royal Friday a do-or-die triumph.

It was only the fourth game of the 14-game Marmonte League season.

“We had to win to stay in playoff contention,” Kaup said. “This is a competitive league. If we lost this, psychologically, the team might have a letdown. But I think this gave us a lift.”

Kaup (3-0) must have grabbed his chest when Scorpion center fielder Matt Buttell crashed into the fence near the 390-foot sign to catch a drive by Kevin Mellinger for the final out of the game. Host Royal, shut out for 6 2/3 innings, had two runners on base.

Kaup, a junior right-hander, struck out nine, walked two and didn’t allow an earned run. A walk and his own throwing error helped Royal load the bases in the seventh, the only inning Kaup had trouble.

Royal starter Tom Manos (0-2) lasted only 2 1/3 innings after walking three and hitting two. Manos threw 66 pitches, mostly balls, but didn’t allow a hit and left trailing, 2-0.

Camarillo (7-4, 2-2) scored two runs in the third inning, took a 3-0 lead in the fourth on an RBI single by Kaup and added two in the top of the seventh on a run-scoring single by Mike Muller and a run-scoring double by Pat Colborn.

Royal (7-4, 2-2) had more errors (five) than hits (four), but Coach Dan Maye said that’s not unusual.

“We haven’t been hitting all year long,” he said. “That makes it an uphill battle.”

It didn’t help that the Highlanders didn’t have injured outfielder Dorian Stitt (a .333 hitter) and catcher Ben Lemos, who is serving a disciplinary suspension.

But they might not have saved Royal against Kaup, who was ahead in the count against 26 of the 30 batters he faced in helping the Scorpions win their first road game this season.

“That’s two years in a row he’s come here and shut us down,” Maye said. “He must like playing here.”