Young’s Shot at National Record for Hits Goes South

Rio Mesa High senior Dmitri Young, who shares the state hit record of 148 with Jakob Jensen of Highland Hall, will be denied a shot at the national mark because the National Federation of State High School Assns. will not recognize Young’s totals from pre-high school seasons in Alabama.

Young picked up two hits on Tuesday to tie, then surpass, Scott Davison’s 2-year-old record. Jensen had four hits Tuesday to match Young’s total.

In addition to his 148 hits in four seasons at Rio Mesa, Young was 50 for 100 as a seventh- and eighth-grader on the varsity high school team at Alabama Christian Academy in Montgomery. That would give Young 198 hits in high school competition and a shot at the national record of 226, set by Jay Kopriva of North Tama County Community School in Traer, Iowa, from 1986-89.

However, Fred Mares of the national federation said Young’s hits in Alabama will not count toward his career total.

“The federation only considers the total hits accumulated during his high school years, which is grades nine through 12,” Mares said. “That’s the way it’s always been.”

Used and abused: Some might say that Verdugo Hills pitcher Matt Ward had his best stuff when he was 14 years old. And it appears as if it was his best stuff that hurt him.

When Ward played in the Encino Pony League a couple of years ago, his fastball made him a hot commodity. Today, Ward is suffering from an overworked arm.

“When you’re throwing 85 miles per hour and you’re 14 (years old), you’re gonna get used and abused, I guess,” Verdugo Hills Coach David Richard said.

Ward pitched for the first time this season two weeks ago but lasted just 2 1/3 innings, giving up three runs on six hits.

“His intensity is there,” Richard said, “but we’re working him slowly.”

While Ward’s pitching has seen better days, his batting prowess has caught the attention of recruiters from Cal despite the fact that he is only a junior.

Ward (6-foot-3, 215 pounds) was batting .444 through Tuesday. He had a seven-game hitting streak snapped Monday when he was walked twice and grounded out.

Lancer woes: Thousand Oaks has committed 52 errors in 16 games, and Lancer scorekeepers tagged Thousand Oaks (11-5) with a school-record 13 errors in a 12-10 loss at Simi Valley on Friday.

Although the Lancers are averaging more than three miscues a game, they have improved from an average of nearly four a game last season. Thousand Oaks committed 78 errors in 20 games in 1990.

How bad was Thousand Oaks on Friday when it eclipsed the 28-year-old single-game record of 11? Consider Simi Valley’s sixth inning:

* Bryan Kraft hits a ground ball to shortstop Bryan Corey, who throws wildly to first baseman Jeff Naster.

* One out later, Brian Vasey hits a grounder that skips between the legs of third baseman David Skeels, who is charged with his third error of the game.

* Kevin Nykoluk follows with a double that rolls past right fielder Cory Bowen, allowing Vasey to score from first base.

* Tyler Nelson singles to center, scoring Vasey. When center fielder Jim Chergey fails to hit the cutoff man, Nelson takes second.

* Nelson tags up on a fly ball to Bowen, and Aaron Fischer follows with a grounder to Skeels, who bobbles the ball then throws a strike to Naster in time to retire Fischer. But Naster drops the ball and Nelson scores.

“There’s nothing I can say,” Thousand Oaks Coach Jim Hansen said.

How about deja vu ?

“Thousand Oaks always has pretty good pitching and outstanding hitting, but they seem to lose some games because of their defense,” Simi Valley Coach Mike Scyphers said. “That certainly was the case (Friday).”

Sending out an SOS: After allowing just 14 runs in its first four Marmonte League games, Channel Islands gave up 13 runs in two losses last week. The Raiders committed eight errors and managed just seven hits.

“If you have any answers, get them out here right away,” Coach Don Cardinal said.

Staff writers Paige A. Leech and Jeff Riley contributed to this notebook.