Hueneme Plays Joker in Wild-Card Game

OXNARD — The beginning of the end came quickly Tuesday for the Hueneme High baseball team.

The Vikings, Channel League co-champions, lost to Royal, Marmonte League runner-up, 14-3, in a Southern Section Division I wild-card game.

Hueneme trailed, 3-0, after one inning, 8-0, after two innings and, 12-0, after three. It added up to an embarrassing ending for a team that staged a remarkable turnaround in the past year.

“It didn’t seem like we showed up to play,” Hueneme shortstop Jess Sanchez said. “We were dwelling on being league champions and having to play a wild-card game. I thought putting us there was kind of bull.”

Truth be told, the Vikings (16-9) backed into the playoffs, losing five of their final eight regular-season games and losing a chance to win the league title outright on Friday.

Against Royal, Hueneme looked more like its 1996 team, which finished 5-18.

Four Viking pitchers surrendered 11 hits, walked eight batters and hit two. Hueneme forced in runs with a walk, a balk and a hit batsman, and gave up another on a wild pitch. Hueneme had six errors.

Sanchez was the Channel League’s top player this season and was 6-2 as a pitcher, but did not take the mound because of a shoulder injury.

“We expected to face Sanchez and see some [fastballs],” said first baseman Matt Rainer of Royal, which plays Friday at Palmdale. “But we got little guys throwing off-speed stuff.”

Royal scored three runs on two hits, a walk and an error in the first inning. In the second, the Highlanders scored five runs on two hits, four walks and two errors.

Rainer had a double, a solo home run and three runs batted.

Royal’s Mike Byer (6-3) allowed a run and five hits in five innings.

Hueneme’s Pedro Cervantes (3-2) allowed three hits and five runs in one-plus inning. Cervantes walked four and was relieved with none out in the second by Chris Neri, who walked both batters he faced and forced in a run.

Sanchez had two doubles for Hueneme, which had runners on second and third with one out in the first but did not score. The Vikings scored once in the second but again stranded runners at second and third.