Calabasas Baseball Team Can't Hold Leads Against Valencia

The Calabasas baseball team had the lead three times against Valencia. Every time, Valencia tied the score or took the lead in a Valley Invitational Baseball League game at Valencia High School on Wednesday.

Valencia scored the game-winning run on a bases-loaded walk in the seventh inning to beat Calabasas, 6-5. Pinch-hitter Jason Spigner drew a bases-loaded walk to score Jake Roberge with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning to win the game.

"It was only one-run leads," said Calabasas first baseman Ben Vizvary. "It was still anybody's game."

Calabasas (3-8) took a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Adam Luther walked with the bases loaded to force in Alex Rubanowitz, who led off the game with a double.

Valencia tied the game in the bottom of the first, scoring a run on an RBI groundout by Brian Mundell that scored A.J. Balta.

Calabasas regained the lead, 2-1, in the second inning. Trevor Weiss scored on a fielder's choice. Calabasas left two runners on base in the second inning after leaving the bases loaded in the first inning. It was two golden opportunities to break open the game early, but Calabasas couldn't deliver with a big hit. Calabasas left the bases loaded twice and stranded 10 runners on base.

"It's frustrating," Calabasas coach Ed Edsall said. "At the same time, you can't get too upset about it."

Valencia (8-3) tied the game, 2-2, in the third inning when Mundell drove in Shane Zeile with a two-out single. In the fourth inning, Valencia took the lead, 3-2, on an RBI single by Balta.

Calabasas scored two runs in the fifth inning to take a 4-3 lead. Vizvary, who came in the game as a pinch hitter, knocked in Jacob Camhi with a bases-loaded single to tie the game.

"It was a good opportunity for me to show what I could do," Vizvary said.

Luther scored on a groundout to put Calabasas up 4-3. But Calabasas again left the bases loaded and missed another chance to produce a big inning.

"We just needed that one gapper that would bring in two," Vizvary said.

Zeile, the son of former Los Angeles Dodger Todd Zeile, led off the bottom of the fifth inning with a solo home run to tie the game at 4-4.

Calabasas came right back and took a 5-4 lead in the sixth inning on a RBI triple by Camhi that scored Josh Ehrlich. Camhi hit a line drive to right field that skipped past the Valencia right fielder and rolled to the wall.

"I worked the count a little bit," Camhi said. "Just went with it. I assumed it was a single. When it went under his glove, I just started busting."

Zeile came in to pitch the top of the seventh inning and struck out the side.

Valencia loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh on a walk, a single and an error. Spigner worked the count full against Calabasas reliever Allan Clark before drawing a walk that scored Roberge.

"We made some errors and gave up some walks," Camhi said. "In the end, they played harder."

Two Calabasas players earned spots on the Valley Invitational Baseball League all-star teams. Rubanowitz, a shortstop, and Camhi, an outfielder, will be playing in the all-star game on Saturday at Birmingham High School.