Royal Hoists Flag With 8-3 Victory

It wasn’t much as banners go, but Royal High baseball Coach Dan Maye was more than happy to pull a much-folded piece of paper from his back pocket after his team’s game Thursday at Royal.

“I’ve been carrying this around all day so I’d think positive,” Maye said, unfolding the sheet. It read: “1998 Marmonte League Champions--Royal High.”

That statement became reality Thursday when the Highlanders beat Thousand Oaks, 8-3, on a five-hitter by Mike Byer at Camarillo.

Royal (17-6, 10-3 in league play) won its third title in nine seasons under Maye and the second in three years.

It was sweet revenge for the Highlanders, who were routed, 7-0, by Thousand Oaks in their league opener in March.

“It’s been a complete turnaround in attitude,” Byer said. “Once we got a couple [league] wins, everybody started to believe in the back of our minds that we were the team to beat.”

Last season, Royal blew a chance to win the title on the final day and finished second. It appeared the race might again go to the last minute when the Lancers (16-8-1, 7-5-1) took a 3-0 lead in the second inning.

But Thousand Oaks sophomore Tracy Goebel (3-3) threw three consecutive wild pitches with two out in the second, allowing Tyrone Kimbrough and Brian Lipman to score.

The Highlanders tied the game in the third when Lancer right fielder Kevin Mitchell lost a fly ball by Tony Ortega, who reached second on the play. Ortega took third on a fielder’s choice and scored on Byer’s single.

Goebel got the first two outs of the fourth but was chased by Bobby Egan’s two-run home run, his 10th, and Royal led, 5-3.

Royal struck for two runs in the fifth and one in the sixth.

Byer (7-3) finished with two strikeouts and two walks and allowed two earned runs.

The winner of the Thousand Oaks-Camarillo game today will claim one of the league’s three Southern Section playoff berths. Westlake, which hosts Royal today, can claim a berth by winning or if Simi Valley loses to Channel Islands.