'Super Bizarre': Viewpoint Awarded Baseball Forfeit When Buckley Coaches Both Ejected

The heavily anticipated Olympic League baseball showdown Friday between and host Buckley of Sherman Oaks did not exactly live up the hype.

Leading 5-0 with two out in the bottom of the second inning, Viewpoint was awarded a forfeit by the umpire after Buckley coach Lou Tapia and his assistant both were ejected, and there was no one left to coach the team.

“It was supposed to be this big rivalry game, and the whole thing turned out to be super bizarre,” Viewpoint coach Frank Pontello said. “I’ve never seen anything like it in 40 years, including 21 years as a coach.”

Pontello said he suspected the situation was a carryover from the game before, when Buckley supposedly had problems with the same umpiring crew.

“The coaches were kind of going crazy. It was just unfortunate, the whole thing,” Pontello said. “But that’s the way it unfolded.”

The good news for Viewpoint is a win is a win, as the Patriots improved to 10-4, 2-0.

Tyler Sprague had a two-run double in the first inning, and Adam Markun added a two-run single in the second, both off Buckley’s Matt Arrow.

“We had six hits in two innings, and that was good because Arrow is Buckley’s ace pitcher,” Pontello said.

GOOD TIME FOR SPRING BREAK

Calabasas’ baseball team has lost four of five to fall to 7-11, 3-7 in the Marmonte League, so perhaps it’s as good a time as any for the Coyotes to be on a 19-day spring break, resuming May 4 at Simi Valley.

Calabasas is coming off a 9-4 loss Friday to visiting Westlake, preceded by a 5-4 win Wednesday at Agoura.

In the win over Agoura, Jacob Fields pitched two relief innings, as Calabasas came from two runs down. Josh Ehrlich was hit by a pitch three times, and he also had a two-run single. Adam Luther added a run and an RBI. Justin Cana had two hits and two runs for Agoura.

In the loss to Westlake, Calabasas surrendered home runs to Luke Dykstra, Paul Cipriani and Matthew Baynard.

Heading into the final stretch following spring break, Anthony Dicosimo leads Calabasas with a .385 batting average, followed by Justin Fields (.340, eight RBIs), Ehrlich (.267) and Alex Rubanowitz (.255, three home runs). Fields is 4-2 with a 2.62 ERA.

CALABASAS SOFTBALL LOOKS TO PULL THINGS TOGETHER FOR STRETCH

Calabasas’ softball team has lost seven in a row, including a 6-1 loss to Simi Valley on Thursday, and like the baseball team it’s a good time for spring break, as the girls have 14 days off before resuming April 28 at Agoura.

The Coyotes are 6-10 overall, 1-7 in the Marmonte League.

EXTRA NOTE

Calabasas’ lacrosse team is struggling. The Coyotes, coached by Eric Baker, have lost seven in a row to fall to 3-12, 1-11 in the Marmonte League. The season resumes April 28 at Agoura.