OMRI WAISMAN/Simi Valley Acorn LEG UP-Top, Royal's Kellen Fink slides into third base in last week's baseball rivalry against Simi Valley High School.Below, Simi Valley catcher Bryan Anderson losses the ball as he attempts to tag Royal's Eric Blackwell at the plate. Royal won, 8-6.

The Royal High baseball team and cross-town rival Simi Valley hate to lose, especially to each other.

Royal outlasted the host Pioneers by an 8-6 final score in the team’s initial meeting last Friday. The Pioneers hope to return the favor when they play again May 7 at Royal.

"It was a great game by both teams and it’s a tough one (for Simi Valley) to lose," said Highlander head coach Dan Maye. "Usually rebounding on a Friday after an emotional loss is tough, but it probably helped that we were playing a cross-town rivalry to get up and say, ‘Oh, let’s come out right.’ "

Royal (8-5 overall, 4-2 league) had lost to the Moorpark Musketeers, 2-1, on Wed., March 31.

"I never talk to the kids anymore when we play Simi because they all know the Simi kids and all Simi kids know us," said Maye, who is in his 14th season coaching the Highlanders.

"Sometimes they over-coach themselves. They say, ‘I knew him when he was 8 and he hit me all the time.’ So that’s the hard thing to get by. The kids think they know each other too well."

Highlighting the Royal nine-hit attack were Smith, who went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI, junior shortstop Phil Boscarino, who was 2-for-4 with two RBI, and junior left fielder Kellen Fink. who had two hits.

Maye applauded the performance of game-winner Clayton Edwards, a junior with a 5-0 record, and pitcher/first baseman D.J. Smith, also a junior.

"They give us chances to win and (vs. Simi Valley) at least we were able to get out on the board early, which usually in the past we haven’t," Maye said. "Usually we don’t start scoring runs until the fourth (inning)."

Although disappointed with his team’s third consecutive loss, first-year Pioneer head coach Matt LaBelle said he was encouraged that Simi Valley (10-3, 3-3) was able to score three runs on three of its 11 hits and come back from an 8-3 deficit at the beginning of the seventh inning.

"We kept hitting balls right at guys," LaBelle said. "We haven’t hit the ball much better than we did (vs. Royal) all year long. Six or seven of those balls were absolute line drives to outfielders. You can’t change that."

Simi Valley’s senior first baseman Mario Colletto was 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI, senior outfielder Dylan Gaughen went 2-for-4 with a home run, senior outfielder Leydell Shelton had two doubles and two RBI and sophomore third baseman Nick Giarraputo had a pair of hits.

Tournament talk

Royal is one of four Marmonte League teams competing in the upcoming San Luis Obispo Tiger Baseball Tournament April 13 through April 16. The other teams are the Calabasas Coyotes, Newbury Park Panthers and the Thousand Oaks Lancers.

". . . Then we get a vacation (from league) and work on some things (at San Luis Obispo), stay hot and hopefully come back and stay hot, we’ll have to. I don’t think anyone could survive a layoff," Maye said.

The Highlanders return to league games on April 21 when they travel to Westlake to play the Warriors. On April 23 they play at Newbury Park. Game times are 3 p.m.

Simi Valley will be playing in the Terry Bales Classic at Norwalk April 12 through April 15. Teams in the Pioneers’ bracket are the Glenn/Norwalk Eagles of the Suburban League, Pacifica/Garden Grove Mariners of the Garden Grove League and the Torrance Tartars of the Ocean League.

LaBelle said the tournament affords coaches an opportunity to evaluate the players in non-league games.

"It gives the guys some chances to take spots and we get a lot of chances to look at arms that haven’t had a chance to throw yet," he said.

"We still have guys who haven’t thrown, so they’ll get a chance. We have a small team, so everyone’s had a chance to play. Guys will have to fight and earn new jobs for a new start."

Both Royal and Simi will be turning their attention to the playoffs soon.

"If we go and win five more games, we’re fighting for a playoff spot," LeBelle said. "If we win six out of eight, we’re fighting for the title. So, anything can be done. We haven’t faced a team that we can’t beat yet."