League Rivals Fit to Be Tied

The ties have it.

There were four of them between Camarillo High and Westlake in a back-and-forth Marmonte League baseball game Friday at Camarillo that ended . . .

In a tie, 7-7, of course.

The game was stopped because of darkness with one out and runners on first and second in the top of the ninth inning after Westlake had taken an 8-7 lead on a leadoff home run by Troy Soukup off Camarillo’s third pitcher, Shane Miranda.

As Miranda struggled, Camarillo coaches visited the sophomore right-hander on the mound after each of Westlake’s three hits in the inning. Camarillo eventually brought in another reliever, Joe Yingling, who warmed up before umpires called the game.

Because the ninth inning was not completed, the score reverted back to the eighth and will stand as a tie.

“The game was going back and forth the whole time,” Westlake Coach Chuck Barrington said, after watching three Warrior leads sink with the sun. “I say you try to keep playing. You don’t just turn it off.”

Camarillo, ranked No. 1 in The Times’ regional poll, is 11-2-1, 3-0-1 in league play. Unranked Westlake is 9-3-1, 2-0-1.

“As soon as the score was 7-7, I had told my coaches we wanted to have the game called,” said Camarillo Coach Scott Cline, who was ejected in the eighth inning after a confrontation with umpires.

“They thought I was yelling at the umpires, but really I was yelling at my kids,” Cline said. “None of it was directed at the umpires.”

Camarillo second baseman Andy Kroneberger also was ejected after making a comment to the base umpire after Westlake’s Joey Cuppari stole second base in the sixth.

Camarillo lost leads of 2-0 and 4-3 and the teams were tied, 3-3, 4-4 and 5-5.

With the score, 5-5, Westlake opened the eighth with singles by Kevin Howard and Ryan Cope. They scored when Camarillo reliever Andy Alstot walked three consecutive batters.

Miranda relieved Alstot with one out and the bases loaded but got Camarillo out of the jam. Cuppari was out on a foul pop-up and Chris Parker, who was on third, was tagged out at the plate by Yingling, the catcher, after a wild pitch.

Camarillo rallied in its half of the eighth, tying the score, 7-7, on Jay Caliguiri’s second home run of the game, a two-run shot that followed a one-out double by Alstot.

Camarillo starter Ryan Geisler threw four perfect innings before Westlake scored three runs in the fifth, highlighted by a two-run homer by Parker, to take a 3-2 lead.

Camarillo scored two runs in the fifth to regain the lead, 4-3. Caliguiri hit a leadoff home run to left field and Yingling drove in a run with a bad-hop single.

Westlake tied the score in the sixth, 4-4.