Conejo Valley World Beaters Win in the 7th

Kevin Howard’s bloop single to left field drove in Danny Greene with two out in the bottom of the seventh inning Saturday to give Conejo Valley a 10-9 victory over Venezuela in the championship game of the Big League World Series in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

Howard, a senior at Westlake High, had three hits in the game and was selected most valuable player of the tournament for 17- and 18-year-olds.

Greene, a senior at Newbury Park, singled with two out in the seventh and took second on a single by Shea Johnson of Thousand Oaks.

“I tried as hard as I could to take my mind off the situation,” Howard said. “I’m just glad we won.”

Conejo Valley (25-1, 5-0 in the tournament) held a 4-3 lead after two innings, but fell behind, 6-4, in the third and was trailing, 9-6, in the sixth inning.

Joe Yingling, a graduate of Camarillo High, hit a three-run home run in the sixth to tie the score.

Yingling’s home run, his fourth of the tournament, came after Johnson walked and Howard singled.

“After that, everybody was pumped up,” Yingling said. “We knew we were back in it, and that once we put it together, we could win.”

Left-hander Tyler Johnson (6-0) was selected the pitcher of the tournament after he came on in relief of David Turner and Jared Edrosolan in the fifth and picked up his third victory of the World Series.

Howard, Johnson, Yingling and Wes Rasmussen of Moorpark were chosen to the all-tournament team.