Nichols’ No-Hitter Makes Saugus Look Average

Saugus High entered Tuesday’s Foothill League baseball game at Burroughs with seven players batting better than .300, but the Centurions’ batting average in this game was .000.

Brian Nichols threw a no-hitter in a 3-0 victory that moved the Indians (6-2-1, 3-1 in league play), ranked No. 8 in the region by The Times, into second place.

Nichols struck out six, walked three and hit one batter, but got help from a defense that turned two double plays.

John Moreno hit a two-run single for the Indians in the second inning.

Nichols, a 6-foot-3 senior, is 4-0. He entered the game with a 3.20 earned-run average and was coming off a bad outing on Friday in which he walked three consecutive batters in relief against Hart, forcing home the go-ahead run.

The closest Saugus (6-5, 2-2) came to getting a hit against Nichols was Jeremy Mushinski’s fly ball to the center-field fence with one out in the seventh.

Hart 18, Valencia 2--Matt McAfee’s two-run home run highlighted a six-run fifth inning for the Indians (8-3, 4-2) in a Foothill League game at Hart.

Kevin Bell was two for three with three runs batted in. Bobby Graves was two for three with two RBIs.

Chaminade 9, Harvard-Westlake 2--Sophomore Chris Martinez hit his first home run and Tyler Dersom hit three doubles for the Eagles (9-1-1, 4-0-1) in a Mission League game at Chaminade.

Calabasas 16, Malibu 1--Brian Fatur had four hits and Darin Reisman added three, including two doubles, as the Coyotes won a Frontier League game at Malibu.

Calabasas (5-1-2, 3-0-1) got three hits from Adam Davey, and two hits and three RBIs from Josh Goldfield.

Moorpark 8, Santa Clara 3--Michael Allen and Andy Super each had two hits for the Saints, but Santa Clara (4-4, 2-2) fell in a Frontier League game at Moorpark.

Crespi 2, Antelope Valley 1--Christian Dempsey scored the go-ahead run on Brian Luderer’s single in the sixth inning in a nonleague game at Antelope Valley.

Jon Cuccias struck out 14 batters for Crespi (8-4), which has won five in a row.

St. Bonaventure 16, Villanova 0--Danny Harrison (10 strikeouts in five innings, four RBIs) and Greg Kurtz combined on a one-hitter for the Seraphs (10-3) in a nonleague game.

Villanova is 6-1.

Sylmar 11, Reseda 1--Javier Ruelas had three hits and four RBIs for the Spartans (7-2, 5-0) in a Valley Pac-8 Conference game at Sylmar.

Albert Palma (2-1) allowed four hits and an unearned run through six innings.

Poly 10, Van Nuys 1--Steve Guerrero scored four runs and went four for four--and has hits in nine consecutive at-bats--for the Parrots (7-2-1, 4-1) in a Valley Pac-8 Conference game at Poly.

SOFTBALL

Westlake 6, Royal 3--Kelly DeArman (5-3) allowed no earned runs and hit a three-run home run for the Warriors (7-3, 2-2) in a Marmonte League game at Royal (4-4, 1-2).

Camarillo 1, Agoura 0--Melanie Richardson pitched a one-hitter and had 13 strikeouts for the Scorpions (7-0, 3-0) in a Marmonte League game at Agoura. Robin Degner scored for Camarillo.

Saugus 9, Glendale 0--Jamie Gillies pitched a no-hitter, striking out 11, as the Centurions (9-2) won a nonleague game at Saugus.

Valencia 7, Antelope Valley 3--The Vikings earned their first-ever varsity softball victory.