Team Does Double Take

Gary Walin was either clueless or brilliant.

The Thousand Oaks softball coach took out his pitcher, Megan Spehar, after four innings last Saturday, while she was pitching a no-hitter.

But reliever Suzanne Cominski got the final nine outs against Long Beach Millikan, completed the no-hitter, and punctuated another successful chapter of the half-and-half pitchers.

Spehar and Cominski are part of Thousand Oaks’ nontraditional 1-2 punch. Instead of pitching alternating games, the route most teams take when they have two top-flight pitchers, both are pitching every game. Spehar starts and Cominski finishes. More often than not everyone goes home happy.

That’s because Thousand Oaks, ranked No. 17 in the Southland by The Times, is 12-1 this season. The Lancers have bounced back from last season’s 15-12 campaign, in which they were 9-2 until pitcher Mandi Kilionski became academically ineligible, with good team chemistry, clutch hitting, terrific defense and smart pitching.

“I’ve never done this before,” said Walin, who is in his 11th season at Thousand Oaks.

Walin has juggled pitchers in the past, alternating the likes of Jessie Davenport and Jenni Lee, and Nicole Angelo and Sheridan Fowler.

After Kilionski left last season, he said, Thousand Oaks pitched Spehar and Cominski in alternate games. “But when you only throw once a week, both pitchers were having control problems.”

Walin got around the problem this season using both pitchers every game. There’s the power-pitching Spehar, followed by the finesse of Cominski.

He said he tries to set it up so Cominski isn’t going against the 3-4-5 hitters right away because she comes in from first base.

Going into today’s semifinal of the Irvine Woodbridge tournament against the tournament host, Cominski (4-1) has thrown 47 innings with an 0.47 earned-run average, allowed 22 hits and struck out 46. Spehar (8-0) has thrown 44 innings with an 0.95 ERA, allowed 21 hits and struck out 64. Each has walked 10 batters.

“Sometimes it’s hard to make the change,” Walin said. “If Megan has given up one hit in four innings, it’s hard to pull her out.”

It’s not easy on the other end, either.

“Sometimes, it’s kind of hard because everyone wants a chance to see what they can do,” said Spehar, a senior.

“But I have a lot of faith in Suzie. I know she’s not going to mess up.”

That faith has been rewarded, but Cominski called it a difficult transition.

“Sometimes you feel a lot of pressure,” especially after Spehar has a really good game, Cominski said. “But you have to learn to not worry about external things and just focus on your own game.

“It’s not exactly your ideal plan as a pitcher, but the way it’s working out is great because you become a team. You’re with each other until the end. I definitely feel I’m better friends with Megan because of this.”

Spehar’s selflessness doesn’t end at the pitcher’s circle. To accommodate Walin’s rotation and get the most out of the defense, she learned to play first base.

Defense has been a big reason for Thousand Oaks’ success. The Lancers have committed only five errors; the school record for fewest errors in a season is 19, set in 1997, when three of the four positions were occupied by eventual Division I college players.

Sophomore second baseman Kelly Cordeiro, junior shortstop Genna Allen and junior third baseman Courtney Rudloff have been almost perfect.

“They’re amazing,” Cominski said. “You’re not scared about letting the other team hit the ball because you’re going to get them out anyway.”