Sea Kings up next for Samohi Vikings
By JON HABER Special to the Daily Press
DOWNTOWN Led by third baseman Logan Witchurch and relief pitcher Will Dickinson, the Santa Monica High School baseball team came back from an early deficit Wednesday to defeat Bell Gardens in a non-league game for its season-high third-straight win.
The Vikings 6-4 victory brought the team back to.500 (9-9, 2-0) for the first time in nearly one month.
Samohi starting pitcher Matt Lamagna had control problems through his 2 1/3 innings of work. He walked five and gave up four earned runs. “(Lamagna) struggled a little bit with his control, but he hung in there and battled,” said Samohi head coach Rob Duron. “The bottom line is he kept us close.”
Dickinson took over for Lamagna in the third inning and escaped a one-out jam with help from catcher Jacob Hattenbach, who threw out a runner trying to steal third base. Dickinson, who finished the game and earned the win, gave the offense the chance it needed to make a comeback.
Witchurch and centerfielder Terry Wilson wasted no time. Each batter collected two hits a piece in the late innings to spark a rally for the Vikings.
After the game, Duron was proud of the way his players fought back, despite falling behind early.
“The kids are starting to work hard, starting to see some things … We were down a couple runs, and they just kind of hung in there. They kept working at it and battled back,” he said.
Duron, who returned to the Vikings as head coach in fall 2007, also said his players are starting to come around. “They’re starting to believe some of the things I’m telling them to do and do some of the things I ask,” he said. “It’s a growing process on both ends. [But] we’re finding our way a little better now.”
Samohi’s next test comes Saturday against Palos Verdes in the Redondo Tournament. The Vikings split the first two games of the tournament — a 6-2 win over El Segundo followed by a disappointing 2-0 loss to Downey — and will face their toughest competitor yet in the Sea Kings, who boast a 15-3 record after Wednesday’s 19-2 blow out win against Palos Verdes Peninsula.
“We’re going to start (Paul) Salazar,” Duron said. “He’s a pretty good pitcher whose really stepped up and taken charge of the pitching staff.
“But [Palos Verdes] can play. None of the games in this tournament are gimmies at all. There’s no easy steps along the way.”
Saturday’s matchup will be the third of five scheduled games in the Redondo Tournament for Samohi. The Vikings will take on Chaminade High School April 19 for the fourth game, and the fifth-game matchup is yet to be determined, but it is based on the team’s tournament record.
The matchup between Samohi and Palos Verdes begins at 2 p.m. today in Palos Verdes.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 12, 2008. Read the original PDF.