After Totally Rad First Game, Willis Earns a Rematch

Scott Radinsky and Travis Willis, two of the best pitchers in the Valley area, meet in a rematch today at 3 p.m. when Camarillo plays host to Simi Valley. Radinsky led Simi Valley to a 3-1 victory over Camarillo last month.

Radinsky, a senior left-hander nicknamed “Bad Rad,” is 8-1 with a 0.88 earned-run average. In 55 innings, he has struck out 114 and has allowed 20 hits, only four of which have been for extra bases.

Against Camarillo, Radinsky pitched a one-hitter and struck out 13. Camarillo’s only run was unearned. Willis suffered his only loss in nine decisions in that game.

Willis has thrown two no-hitters--both against Channel Islands--and has a 1.09 ERA. He allowed two earned runs on seven hits against Simi Valley.

“We didn’t hit him that hard, but that’s when we weren’t hitting that well,” said Simi Valley Coach Mike Scyphers.

The Pioneers, 6-0 in the Marmonte League and 17-3 overall, have scored 73 runs in their last six games. Camarillo (6-2, 13-6) trails Simi Valley by a game in league.

“If we get beat, I think Simi Valley will win it for sure,” said Camarillo Coach Ken Wagner. “But we’re not playing for second place. Radinsky beat us once and we’re looking forward to facing him again.”

Said Scyphers: “We feel we can bury them. This game gives us a chance to put some distance between us and the pack. There’s also the added incentive of last year’s game. We won’t forget it until we avenge ourselves.”

Last season, Camarillo upset Simi Valley in the second round of league to win its second straight Marmonte championship. Simi Valley had been ranked No. 1 in the state before that game.

Bleacher Bummed: Rob McDaniel is a good hitter. His .346 average going into last week’s games is proof. But he had a reputation as a singles hitter. He hadn’t hit a home run in two varsity seasons.

Last week, he finally began to hit with power. Against Royal, he homered to help the Lancers to a 14-6 win. At Camarillo two days later, he thought he had home run No. 2.

In the top of the sixth inning, the senior first baseman lined a pitch into the football stadium bleachers in right-center field. He completed the traditional home run trot around the bases, then received high fives from his teammates in the dugout.

The hit gave Thousand Oaks a 4-3 lead over the favored Scorpions. But the lead was short-lived.

Before McDaniel could sit down, the umpires ordered him back to second base. His “home run” had been ruled a ground-rule double.

“I felt kind of let down,” McDaniel said. “Everybody had congratulated me, then I had to go back out to second.”

McDaniel’s hit landed in a small area on the field where there is no fence and the outfield runs into the bleachers. To protect fielders from injury, any ball hit into the structure is ruled a double. A player must hit the ball over the seats for a homer.

“It’s a bad ground rule,” said Coach Jim Hansen of Thousand Oaks. “It’s hard to single out a 15-foot area as a double and call everything else a home run.”

Thousand Oaks lost the game, 4-3, when Bill Saylor of Camarillo homered over the right-field fence in the bottom of the seventh inning. McDaniel’s double, Hansen said, actually traveled farther than Saylor’s homer.

Wagner, the Camarillo coach, said the Scorpion baseball field will be destroyed when the Ventura Freeway is widened in a couple of years. But it won’t be soon enough for Hansen.

“It’s just not a desirable place to play a game,” Hansen said.

Said Wagner: “It would help to have a normal field, but you get used to it and play by the dimensions.”

Add abnormal fields: In the team’s 14-12 Alpha League loss at Marshall Fundamental on Friday, L.A. Baptist pitchers allowed five home runs. All were to left-center field, which is only 300 feet from home plate.

Said Ed Wais, L.A. Baptist coach: “We didn’t hit any home runs. I don’t teach my kids to hit pop-ups.”

The result of Friday’s Delphic League baseball game between Providence and Crossroads brought an end to two lengthy streaks.

Providence’s 7-4 victory marked the first time the Pioneers defeated the Roadrunners in a boys varsity sport since they joined the Delphic League in 1983. It also snapped Crossroads’ 23-game league winning streak in baseball.

Providence’s only other win against the Roadrunners was last season in a junior varsity basketball game. The Pioneer baseball team had lost six straight to Crossroads.

But the victory was not necessarily an upset. Providence (3-0, 13-3 overall) has a .371 team batting average and is ranked No. 1 in the Southern Section Small Schools Division.

“We’d been scouting them quite a bit, so we knew what they could do,” said Marc Saraceno, the Providence coach. “I thought we’d be able to beat them, but I knew it wouldn’t be easy.”

Crossroads is 2-1 in league and 5-12 overall this season, but many of its losses have been against 3-A and 4-A schools. The Roadrunners have lost to University twice and Loyola three times.

Said Chuck Ice, the Crossroads coach: “Providence has made great strides. They are well coached and have some good ball players.”

Briefly

Canoga Park High will hire one of its three football assistants to replace Coach Ed McCarthy, who resigned his position last month. William Kinder, Canoga Park’s athletic administrator, said Tuesday that either Wally Meinke, Rudy Lugo or Charles Schroeder would be the new coach. Meinke was the team’s offensive coordinator last season, while Lugo was in charge of the defense and Schroeder coached the B team. Kinder said Bob O’Connor, athletic director at Pierce College, was one of the four persons to officially apply.

Moorpark’s baseball team leads the Tri-Valley League with a 4-2 league record after finishing 5-7 last season. Coach Mario Porto credits the program’s serious approach, something he believes was lacking last season. “You just can’t give them the balls and say, ‘Let’s play catch, hit and run,’ ” Porto said. “They are learning a lot more about the game this year and are growing as players. They’re like little sponges out there, absorbing everything I say.” Porto has been particularly pleased with the play of Tim Rothanzl, who leads Moorpark with a .380 batting average. But Rothanzl’s biggest contributions, Porto says, has been as a catcher. “He calls all of the pitches and does a great job,” Porto said. “He’s thrown out close to 60% of the runners trying to steal on him.”

Westlake’s golf team was 18-0 in 1985, but Warrior Coach Lorin Maygren believes this season’s team is the best he’s had. The Warriors are 16-0 this season and have won 36 consecutive matches dating back to 1984.