Samohi Comes Close, But Can't Beat West Torrance

By Mitch Chortkoff

Sometimes you gain something in defeat. The Santa Monica High baseball team did that last week by being competitive against nationally ranked West Torrance.

The Vikings lost twice. First, a 5-1 defeat at West Torrance Wednesday. Then a 4-1 defeat Friday at Santa Monica.

West Torrance, the Bay League leader, has been ranked as high as third in the nation by USA Today. It lost a non-league game to L.A. City champion Kennedy and dropped to 11th.

However, with a 10-1 record the team is likely to move back into the Top Ten this week.

Against this powerhouse opponent Coach Mike Czarnetzki's junior-dominated team had a chance to win both games.

In Wednesday's defeat the Vikings had two runners on base in the seventh inning but could only throw a scare into the favored opponent before succumbing.

First baseman Sean Gowers pitched a complete game, an admirable performance when pressed into service due to Danny Casanova having a sore shoulder. The 6-foot-4 Gowers is a righthander who throws hard.

In Friday's game Rocky Collis shut out the powerful West Torrance team for five innings. Samohi, which scored in the first, had a 1-0 lead.

It was high drama. Two more innings and Samohi would have gained national recognition. And the way Collis was pitching it looked possible.

However, West Torrance ranks above most high school teams for a reason. It rose to the challenge with three runs in the sixth and another in the seventh. And Samohi players went home with thoughts of what might have been.

It was a case of missed opportunities. Not only did Samohi lead for five innings it had several chances to score again. But a runner was stranded on third base in the first. And in the fifth Samohi had two runners on with one out and the bases loaded with two outs. But Gowers, who hit the ball hard three times, grounded out to first to end the inning.

Samohi was a poor defensive team last season but has made remarkable improvement. That was evident in the third inning when West Torrance loaded the bases with no outs but failed to score.

Right fielder James Cooper, the Vikings' quarterback in football, displayed his strong arm by throwing a runner out at home to complete a double play after catching a fly ball.

Samohi executed two other double plays.

Due to an injury to catcher Cesar Flores, freshman Anthony Ariola was behind the plate. What great experience he's getting so early in his high school career.

In defeat Samohi took a step in the development of the program. It played a marquee game that attracted a large crowd.

The audience included Athletic Director Mike Griswold, football coach Norm Lacy and several members of the Samohi softball team.

Samohi will be home Wednesday at 3:15 p.m. against Torrance and will play at Torrance Friday. The next week the Vikings will participate in the Gael Easter Classic in Las Vegas.