BEVERLY HILLS — What was a close game though five innings turned into a rout for Santa Monica baseball over rival Beverly Hills on Tuesday at La Cienega Park.
Samohi starting pitcher Jonathan Rakuljic held Beverly Hills to no runs through five innings, but that's when the Vikings bats came alive to pull out an 8-1 victory, improving their record to 22-4 overall and 7-0 in league play.
Junior Noah Barba led the offense going 3-for-4 with four runs batted in.
Despite his strong performance at the plate, head coach Kurt Schwengel said that it was a throw he made, hitting his cutoff man in the first inning that was the play of the game. Schwengel said it prevented Beverly Hills from getting on the board.
"It was a lot better game than the score indicates," Schwengel said.
He said that Beverly Hills starter Rigo Fernandez was "dealing" early in the game, but he just couldn't ultimately hold off Samohi in the end.
The two teams face off again today at Samohi. The game is scheduled for 3:15 p.m.
Samohi v-ball sits and waits
After finishing the regular season by losing to Beverly Hills in four sets, Samohi's boys' volleyball team ended the season 7-15 overall and a rare third place finish in the Ocean League.
The perennial playoff team now sits and waits to hear if they qualify for the postseason.
Head coach Liane Sato said that the addition of a sixth team to their league may allow for three playoff bids to come from the league, but she is awaiting word from CIF-Southern Section officials to find out if they qualify.
daniela@www.smdp.com
