> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Santa Monica’s pitching keeps team rolling - URL: https://www.smdp.com/santa-monicas-pitching-keeps-team-rolling/ - Published: 2008-04-26T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-24T19:25:16.000Z - Author: Guest Author - Tags: Sports, Downtown, #archive-import *Tough opponents ahead* *By JON HABER Special to the Daily Press* DOWNTOWN The Santa Monica High School baseball team relied on the arms of their pitching staff to complete a two-game series sweep Thursday against Ocean League rival Morningside of Inglewood. Starting pitcher Tyler Skaggs followed pitcher Paul Salazar’s solid five-inning, one-run winning effort Tuesday with a gem, tossing a complete game, three-hitter en route to Samohi’s 2-1 victory, the team’s eighth win in its last nine games. The win improved the Viking’s record to 12-10 on the season and 6-0 in league play. The Monarchs, continuing their season-long struggle, fell to 1-5 in league action and just 4-17 overall. “We did enough to win, and that’s what we’ve been doing,” said Rob Duron, head baseball coach at Samohi. “We’ve been persevering. We’re not murderers row. We’re not Crespi or Palos Verdes and bombing people and putting together an 18-game win streak. I don’t think anybody fears us, and that’s fine.” After allowing a run to score on a passed ball in the first inning, Skaggs settled down and struck out 10 batters in his seven-inning performance. His ERA dropped to 1.40 on the season. “(Skaggs) was throwing a good fast ball,” Duron said. “He was spotting his change up, doing things like that. It’s like I told the kids, we need to do it with pitching and defense.” The Viking’s only offense in the game came in the fourth inning, when Vincent Lawrence lead off the frame with one of his two doubles on the day. With two outs, Alex Kovacs stepped up and delivered an RBI double. Charlie Parish, who pinch-ran for Kovacs, scored later in the inning on an infield error. Duron, who has preached leadership all season to his players, believes Kovacs has stepped up as a player teammates can look up to. “(Kovacs) does a great job in preparation. He does a great job in making an adjustment, and it’s something we talk about all the time,” Duron said. “He does bring a good, quiet leadership to the club. He’s got a great work ethic. A leader doesn’t need to be loud and screaming, he’s just got to go out and do it. The two runs scored in the fourth inning were all Skaggs would need to give Samohi the victory, as he shut down the Monarch offense in the remaining three innings of play. Despite his team’s recent success, however, Duron said his players aren’t doing anything differently than they were during the team’s early-season struggles. Rather, the right pieces are finally falling into place. “It’s just been a gradual building and trying to find the right guys in the right spots and the right formula,” he said. “The lineup changes constantly. We’re a long way from where we want to be, but we’re starting to get a little better idea. “\[As a coach,\] you look at what you think is the best. If that doesn’t work, you tinker with it some more. This year’s been nothing but adjustment.” The team’s recent success, however, has brought some internal conflict among the players and coaches. Duron said some upper-classmen are disgruntled about playing time, but the coach said he plays his best players on the field. He doesn’t believe in putting players in the line-up solely because of their class standing. “We’re about competition, we’re about the best players playing,” Duron said. “Bring your bat, bring your glove every single game. If you’re not in the game, when you do get in, you’ve got to go in, and give it your best shot. And perform. “They’ve got to earn it, bring that attitude where you earn it, and you earn it through practice and on the field,” the coach added. The Vikings will look to continue their late-season surge when they hit the field Saturday against Redondo in the last game of the Redondo Tournament. Game time is set for 4 p.m. Following Saturday’s contest, the Vikings will have four games remaining in league play, during which Samohi will face their toughest league rivals of the season — Beverly Hills (9-9, 4-2) and Culver City (11- 9, 5-1). “I’ve heard an awful lot about how good they are, so we’re going to take it one game at a time,” Duron said.“We hope to be competitive and see how we work out.” Ocean League action kicks off Tuesday at Beverly Hills.The Vikings will send out Salazar to pitch against Beverly Hills’ ace Matt Ross. First pitch is set to be thrown at 3:15 p.m. *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 26, 2008.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/042608.pdf?ref=smdp.com)