Area Team Anxious to Challenge ‘the World’

Being the best in America isn’t good enough for a select group of Southern California teenagers.

“I don’t care if I go zero-for-100 as long as we’re the best [team] in the world,” said catcher Doug Hutton after Thousand Oaks defeated Mobile, Ala., 11-3, Friday at Osceola County Stadium in the Little League Senior World Series.

“We did the job to win the national title. Now we go after the world,” said Thousand Oaks Manager Ed Kitchen, who has tabbed Chris Strauser (7-0) the starter for the first game today against Maracaibo, Venezuela.

Thousand Oaks (19-1) needs a doubleheader sweep in its rematch with Maracaibo (17-0) to claim its second title in three years.

In 1994, Thousand Oaks won the Junior World Series title. Seven Maracaibo players who were part of the 1994 Little League World Series championship team that defeated Northridge in Williamsport, Pa., are bidding for a second world title, too.

Thousand Oaks will be seeking revenge after losing to Maracaibo, 3-0, Wednesday. The game ended with the Venezuelan players singing “Happy Birthday” to winning pitcher Nohomar Corona.

“We choked that night,” Thousand Oaks first baseman Jonathan Shepard said. “Venezuela will see an entirely different team.”

Thousand Oaks pounded out 14 hits against Mobile.

“We’re where we want to be,” said Shepard, Thousand Oaks’ only starter to hit safely in all five World Series games. He is batting .571 in the No. 9 position.

“I’m the leader at the bottom of the lineup,” Shepard said. “I try to make the best of what I get, but I’m just another bat in a lineup solid from top to bottom. When somebody isn’t getting the job done, somebody else picks the team up.

“We’ve got too much offensive muscle to be shut out again. We’ve just got to step it up on defense and not hold anything back.”

Thousand Oaks’ consecutive-inning scoring streak ended at 11 when it was shut out in the sixth inning against Mobile. By that time, Thousand Oaks had already built an 11-3 lead.

Leading the hit parade with three each were shortstop Kevin Howard and winning pitcher Chris Cordeiro (4-0), who struck out four, walked three and scattered three hits before Brian Jacobsen pitched the final two innings.

“California has an overpowering offensive club and an excellent defense,” said Mobile Manager Steve Parker. “We had been averaging scoring in double figures until we got here and flattened out. We’ve been on the road for a month and it’s starting to catch up with us.”