Calabasas Baseball Still Alive After Key Win

Don’t give up on baseball team quite yet.

The struggling Coyotes, trying to fight their way out of last place in the Marmonte League, are coming off a shocking 9-4 comeback win Wednesday over first-place Simi Valley.

If Calabasas can win its final three league games, starting today against visiting Royal at 3:30 p.m., the Coyotes can finish fourth in the eight-team league and sneak into the Southern Section Division I playoffs – the goal from the very beginning.

“That win over Simi Valley kind of showed how good a team we can be,” shortstop Alex Rubanowitz said.

The upset ended Simi Valley’s 10-game winning streak, too, as Jacob Fields pitched a complete-game, Rubanowitz had two hits and four RBIs, and Jordan Bass (two runs, two RBIs) hit a triple off the wall to help Calabasas come from two runs down entering the fifth inning.

“Jacob did a good job keeping Simi Valley off-balance with his pitches,” Rubanowitz said.

Heading into the final stretch, Simi Valley (16-7, 8-3) and Westlake (16-7, 8-3) are tied for first, Newbury Park (16-8, 7-4) is third, Moorpark (15-9, 6-5) is fourth, Calabasas (9-14, 4-7), Royal (15-8, 4-7) and Agoura (10-13, 4-7) are all tied for fifth, and Thousand Oaks (8-16, 3-8) is last.

Calabasas has a tough nonleague game Saturday at 11 a.m. at Chatsworth, a City Section power that has won nine section titles, seven over the past 11 years. Then the Coyotes finish at Moorpark on Monday, followed by the finale Wednesday against visiting Thousand Oaks.

“I know Chatsworth is dealing with a two-game series with El Camino Real this week, so they might be tired,” Rubanowitz said.

CALABASAS SOFTBALL IN A FUNK

Calabasas’ softball team lost its 10th game in a row Thursday, falling 10-1 to visiting Moorpark – the sixth consecutive time the Coyotes have failed to score more than two runs in a game.

“We put up a good fight but we lost,” freshman Shayna Gamm said. Calabasas (6-13, 1-10) has two games remaining, finishing with Newbury Park on Tuesday, then the finale against visiting Royal on Thursday. Both start at 3:30 p.m.

“Hopefully, we’ll win the last two,” Gamm said. “We just need to get a little more comfortable on the field and to go out there not expecting to lose. I get a little frustrated sometimes, but I don’t want it to affect the team, so I keep everything strong and positive.”

Gamm and her sister, Maddy, a junior, are among a group of key underclassmen that figure to return next season and help the young Coyotes improve.

Calabasas also will return junior pitcher Taylor Gunther, a three-year starter, along with Jenna Abrams, Emily Gross, Jenna Marks, Sami Macneil, Lauren Deitch, Lauren Tse, Kat Kepski and Hannah Brown.

The only seniors are Ali Steinman, Ali Guttridge and Madi Macneil.

NET RESULT ALL GOOD FOR CALABASAS

Wednesday was a big day for high school tennis, as neighborhood rivals Calabasas and squared off in a heavily-anticipated nonleague showdown at Warner Center in Woodland Hills.

Calabasas, a Southern Section Division I program compared to Division V for Viewpoint, won 13-5 in match scheduled for two months ago, but postponed by rain.

The Coyotes (18-0) remained unbeaten, as singles players Brett Buford, Adam Shapiro and Brett Ploussard all won. Viewpoint fell to 12-2.