Moorpark Stops Whitney With 7-Run Inning

What began as an inning to forget wound up as one that might long be remembered.

As a result, the Moorpark High baseball team recorded an 8-3 victory over visiting Whitney on Tuesday in the opening round of the Southern Section 1-A Division baseball playoffs.

For Moorpark (18-4), the top-seeded team, it marks the first time the Musketeers have advanced past the first round. Moorpark will play Twentynine Palms, an 8-1 winner over Faith Baptist, in a second-round game Friday.

The fourth inning told the story Tuesday. Trailing, 2-1, Moorpark sent 11 batters to the plate, scoring seven runs on seven consecutive hits. The rally featured a two-run home run by Jason Adamson, a run-scoring triple by freshman Jay Gibbons and an RBI double by Eddie Romero.

That effort erased an embarrassing top of the fourth in which Moorpark committed three errors, enabling Whitney (12-12) to break a 1-1 tie.

First baseman Rob Walker made the first error by mishandling shortstop Richard Hernandez’s throw after a ground ball by leadoff batter Jason Pereira.

Two outs later, Pereira scored from third on a throwing error by Hernandez that allowed Charles Tinkler to reach base.

Moorpark Coach David Rhoades attributed the errors to inactivity. Moorpark had not played since losing a nonleague doubleheader to Royal on May 16. “I think we had a bit of jittery nerves,” Rhoades said.

Whitney scored a run in the first inning on three consecutive singles, but Moorpark pulled even in the third when Doyle Ritchie drove in Hernandez with a groundout.

Moorpark managed only one hit in each of the first three innings against left-hander Mike Good.

“We knew we were gonna get to him eventually,” said catcher Jake Flesher, who was one for three. “That’s not being cocky. One of their guys even came over to us and said, ‘Our guy’s about done.’ ”

Good yielded to Tinkler to begin the fourth. After an out, Gibbons, a late-season addition from the junior varsity, tripled to right field and the rout was on.