Coyotes refuse to wilt in thrilling league playoff chase

BILL SPARKES/Acorn File Photo CALABASAS FINISHES STRONG-Coyote Miles Silverstein watches the ball approach the plate during a game earlier in the season. Entering yesterday's contest vs. Royal, the Coyotes were still in contention for a Marmonte League postseason berth. A win-or-go-home mentality has brought out the best in the Calabasas baseball team.

After concluding the month of April with an 11-6 loss to Agoura, the Coyotes found themselves near the bottom of the Marmonte League standings with just three games remaining.

One more loss in league and Calabasas' season was as good as done. The players knew it. The coaches knew it. The fans knew it.

"The boys knew their backs were against the wall," secondyear head coach Bret Saberhagen said. "If they lost (last) Wednesday or (last) Friday, they were out, they were done for the year.

"They were still going to play of couple of games, but they were going to be meaningless games," Saberhagen said.

Like the Swiss at Sempach or the British at El Alamein, Calabasas prepared for its last stand with everything to lose and a lot to gain.

Down by a run to Westlake entering the bottom of the sixth inning a week ago, the Coyotes scored a run to push the game, and the season, into extra innings.

Then, three outs from defeat in the eighth inning, CHS scored once again to remain alive. And later, in the bottom of the 10th, Coyote senior Eric Ammon delivered the game-winning hit to lift his squad to a 5-4 victory.

"Ammon's only been hitting about .200 all year," Saberhagen said, "but the last three or four games he's really turned it on."

Two days after defeating Westlake, Calabasas once again found itself in deep trouble, this time on the road against Simi Valley.

Trailing the Pioneers 4-0 entering the fourth inning, the Coyotes rallied for an 8-7 win. It was a victory that kept Calabasas' postseason hopes alive and did serious damage to the playoff aspirations of both Westlake and Simi Valley.

"They were just two huge wins for us," sophomore outfielder Greg Selarz said. "That 10-inning victory against Westlake gave us a lot of momentum going into Simi. We knew if we could just beat Simi, we'd be in good shape for the playoffs."

Calabasas' unexpected victories turned a mildly turbulent race for the Marmonte League's fourth and final guaranteed playoff spot into an all-out frenzy.

Before yesterday's regularseason finales, two things were for sure in league: Newbury Park was the Marmonte League champion and Agoura had wrapped up the second seed.

Thousand Oaks was in third place with a 7-6 league record. Westlake, Simi Valley and Calabasas were all tied for fourth place with 6-7 league marks.

Westlake hosted Thousand Oaks yesterday afternoon. If T.O. needed a win to reach the playoffs. Simi Valley played at Moorpark. Scores were not available prior to press time.

Calabasas was at home against Royal. A Coyote win coupled with a loss by Simi Valley and Westlake, and CHS-just one year after going 4-21 overall- would qualify for the postseason.

The Coyotes beat Simi Valley twice this season and hold the ultimate tiebreaking advantage between the schools. In addition, CHS lost twice to Thousand Oaks in league and split a pair of games with Westlake.

There was also a possibility that all four teams-T.O., Westlake, Simi Valley and Calabasas-could finish with 77 league records. If that happened, there would be a four-team playoff for two postseason spots, Saberhagen said.

Junior first baseman/pitcher Greg Waxler said the team's seniors played a vital role in putting the Coyotes in a position to make a run at the playoffs.

"In the beginning of the year they were worried about it being senior year and having fun," Waxler said. "But in the second half of the season they've really come around and helped us out big time."

While he admits his team made many positive strides this season, Saberhagen said there were a few games early on that his team wasn't prepared to play. If they'd have performed better in those games, perhaps CHS would've been in a better position down the stretch, he said.

Nevertheless, Saberhagen's not one for moral victories. If the Coyotes don't make the playoffs this year, the coach admits he'll be disappointed.

"It's never a successful year if you don't make the playoffs," Saberhagen said. "Am I happy with what we've done? Yeah, I'm happy. But the bottom line is that if you don't achieve the goals that you start out the season with, it's not satisfying."