Moorpark Still in Hunt For League Baseball Title

Tied for second place and two games behind first-place Westlake and Simi Valley, Moorpark High’s baseball team still has Marmonte League championship aspirations.

“We’re still in the hunt with four games remaining,” coach Scott Fullerton said.

In the meantime, Moorpark (11-7, 5-4) is participating in a spring-break tournament in San Luis Obispo beginning Thursday.

Moorpark has won four of the past five league games, including a 9-2 win Friday over Thousand Oaks.

In the win, Jordan Guerrero pitched a four-hitter with 10 strikeouts. Sean Houlihan was 2 for 4 with two RBIs, Jake Woolley was 2 for 3, and Matt Higginbotham was 2 for 4 with a run.

Moorpark got away with leaving nine runners on base while taking advantage of three Thousand Oaks errors.

After reaching the Southern Section Div. I quarterfinals a year ago, then returning many of its key players this season, Moorpark has high expectations, so it’s understandable the Musketeers are hungry for more success.

“We’re not bad. We’re doing all right,” Higginbotham said. “We could be doing better than we’re doing, and hopefully we’ll hit our stride for the playoffs.”

Higginbotham is having a terrific season, batting .386 with one home run while compiling a pitching record of 3-2 with one save, a 2.17 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 29 innings. Higginbotham is among four Moorpark starters batting .400 ; the others are Spencer Dubois (.383), Jeremy Sworzyn (.350), Guerrero (.319) and Patrick Blandin (.300).

The strength of Moorpark’s team remains pitching. Guerrero is 4-2 with a 2.37 ERA and 55 strikeouts in 37 innings – an average of 10.4 per seven innings, plus there’s sophomore Steve Donlan (3-0, one save, 1.74 ERA) and Jared Mattera (0-1, 1.69 ERA).

After the spring tournament, Moorpark plays at Newbury Park on May 4, followed by a game May 6 against visiting Simi Valley that could prove decisive in the standings. Moorpark finishes the next week with Calabasas and Royal.

MOORPARK SOFTBALL WINS SIXTH IN ROW

Moorpark’s softball team is on a hot streak. The Musketeers have won six in a row, including three shutouts over the past three games. Overall, they have outscored opponents 49-7 over the six-game spree heading into a Marmonte League game Tuesday against visiting Simi Valley. First pitch is 3:30 p.m.

Pitcher Cheyenne Sandoval is 10-3 with eight shutouts , and she has not allowed a run in her last four appearances. Freshman Alexa Kurt had two doubles and two RBIs in the win over Newbury Park, raising her batting average to .438 with two home runs and 17 RBIs.