Royal Coasts to Victory by Taking Fifth
They’re a confident, cocky bunch, those baseball players at Royal High. Whether they’re ahead or behind, the Highlanders expect to win, and opponents know it.
“They play hard every single inning,” said shortstop Kevin Howard of Westlake. “You can’t let up. One weak inning and they kill you. That’s what they’re doing to everybody.”
Royal turned a close game into a rout Friday with a five-run fifth inning en route to a 9-5 victory over Westlake in a Marmonte League game at Royal.
The Highlanders (7-1-1, 3-0 in league play) led, 4-3, in the fifth when Ryan Wilson hit a two-run single on an 0-2 pitch and Brian Lipman added a three-run double. Westlake (5-1-1, 1-1) was finished.
“Does anyone ever beat this team?” a frustrated Westlake parent asked.
Royal has scored 94 runs in eight games. In Marmonte play, the Highlanders have been successful against arguably the three best pitchers--Ryan Ayers of Newbury Park, Chris Cordeiro of Thousand Oaks and Jesse Kozlowski of Westlake.
“No one intimidates us,” said pitcher-first baseman Scott Rice of Royal. “They can throw anyone out there. We still feel we’ll spank [them].”
Kozlowski (2-1) gave up three hits in 4 1/3 innings, but he walked nine. Royal took advantage of four walks and a misplayed fly ball to score three runs in the first inning.
Westlake tied the score, 3-3, in the fourth, getting a run-scoring double from Kozlowski. But the Highlanders hardly seemed concerned.
“We play so good under pressure,” Wilson said. “We have confidence in our bats. Everybody in our lineup, one through nine, can hit.”
Westlake Coach Chuck Berrington vowed not to let the hot-hitting Lipman beat his team, so Lipman drew three consecutive walks before coming to the plate in the fifth with the bases loaded.
What’s a coach to do?
“I’m not going to be like Buck Showalter and walk him with the bases loaded,” Berrington said.
Finally provided the opportunity to see a good pitch, Lipman cleared the bases with his double, giving him 21 runs batted in this season.
Royal received strong relief pitching from Brian D’Anna and Joe Vicari, who each pitched one shutout inning in support of Rice (3-0).
On Tuesday, reliever Joe Shanahan pitched four shutout innings against Thousand Oaks.
“They’re crafty,” Wilson said of the relievers. “They surprise a lot of people.”
Rice, a left-hander bound for Arkansas, allowed two hits in four innings while throwing an 88-mph fastball. He struck out four and walked two.
Alan Osborne hit a two-run home run for Westlake in the seventh.
“The key is they don’t swing at bad pitches, foul you off, then torch you,” Berrington said of Royal.
(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)
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