HIGH SCHOOL NOTEBOOK

Nordhoff Coach Rob Duran surprised Calabasas when he started ace Travis Flowers (5-1) Wednesday against Santa Paula instead of saving him for Friday’s first-place Frontier League game against Calabasas, which started ace Justin Segal (5-1).

Instead, sophomore right-hander David Valencia (2-1), who had pitched only 15 innings, allowed one unearned run in 5 1/3 innings, but was outpitched by Segal in a 1-0 Calabasas victory.

“We were surprised to see [Valencia], but he came out and pitched a great ballgame,” Calabasas Coach Rick Nathanson said.

Flowers, who has four shutouts, beat Santa Paula, 3-2, on Wednesday.

“It’s the old saying, but you do have to take them one game at a time,” Duran said. “[Friday] wasn’t going to be a first-place game if we didn’t win Wednesday.”