Newbury Park Turns the Tables on Simi Valley

The irony of it all struck Mike Scyphers immediately. And for Gary Fabricius, well, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he had seen all of this before.

“It’s bound to catch up with you one day,” said Scyphers, the Simi Valley Coach, moments after Newbury Park had orchestrated a seventh-inning comeback to beat the Pioneers, 6-4, in the Marmonte League game at Simi Valley. “ We usually get the home run in the sixth or seventh inning.”

Indeed, late-inning heroics are Simi Valley’s forte. Most memorably, it was just last season against Newbury Park at Simi Valley that the Pioneers scored six runs in the bottom of the seventh to win, 6-5. And the Pioneers went on to capture their third consecutive league title.

“This is nice, especially as close as we got last year,” said Fabricius, Newbury Park’s coach. “This 6-4 looked like a tie ballgame to me.”

It took a does-it-have-enough, opposite-field, two-run home run by Newbury Park’s Danny Madsen in the top of the seventh to finally put away Simi Valley, which entered the game riding a 10-game winning streak and ranked No. 1 in The Times’ Valley baseball poll.

Madsen’s blow, which appeared to just clear the fence in right field, highlighted a three-run inning by the Panthers, who began Wednesday on something of a streak themselves. They had not lost a game in 11 outings, going 9-0-2 in the span.

With the win, Newbury Park (12-1-3, 3-0 in league play) finds itself in sole possession of first place. Simi Valley (14-2, 3-1), the league’s preseason favorite, is a half-game behind.

“It was a fastball right down the middle,” Madsen said of the pitch from Simi Valley reliever Terry Hill, who had not given up an earned run all season. “I didn’t think it was going to get out at first.”

Neither did Fabricius, who has seen too many “almosts”.

“When he first hit it, I thought, ‘Trouble,’ ” he said. “But it got up in that jet stream and just kept carrying.”

Brad Clevering started the inning with a double into the gap in right-center field. One out later, Geoff Black punched a single through the right side of the infield to tie the score, 4-4.

Madsen, the next batter, lifted Hill’s one-and-one delivery over the fence to make a winner of starter Tim Beal, who had walked home Simi Valley’s fourth run in the bottom of the sixth. Beal had nine strikeouts--seven in the last four innings, when his curveball started to bite.

“I got my curveball right toward the end,” Beal said. “I was just throwing the fastball and the curve and moving it around.”

Simi Valley starter Mike Jenkins held the Panthers to two runs through the first five innings but walked two in a row to start the sixth and, by Scyphers’ estimation, had “run out of gas.” Before that, it appeared Jenkins would make Simi Valley’s three runs hold up.

The Pioneers scored in the first when Andy Hodgins singled and scored on an error. Simi Valley scored twice more in the third to lead, 3-1, when Hodgins doubled with one out and Hill reached base on an error.

Greg Santos then doubled to score Hodgins and Hill scored when the throw from the outfield got away from Newbury Park shortstop Eric Greene.

Jeff O’Brien had a run-scoring single for the Panthers in the second, Greene scored on a wild pitch in the fifth and Wayne Cook added the Panthers’ third run when he came home on second baseman Jesse Anguiano’s throwing error.

Beal improved to 3-0 with his sixth complete game in seven appearances.

“He’s probably been one of the biggest surprises of the year,” Fabricius said. “He stepped forward, worked hard, and has been outstanding.”

And, at least for now, it is Newbury Park that has stepped forward.