Golden Valley High baseball fell to Royal High of Simi Valley 13-7 on Monday at Golden Valley in a VIBL summer game.
Royal scored two quick runs in the first inning for an early lead.
The Grizzlies had their best offensive inning immediately after, scoring five runs. Brett McMahon hit an RBI double, followed by Anthony Gomez with an RBI single. GV scored a run on an David Rodriguez walk, then Matt Broadwater hit a two-run double to seal the inning.
“It was consistent and I think it started with execution,” said Grizzlies coach Steve Lombardi. “And good things happen when you do little things well. That’s why we were abler to score the five runs that inning.”
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The Highlanders fought back with five runs of their own in the third inning, then two in the fourth and two in the fifth.
Golden Valley scored two more runs in the sixth inning. Marino hit an RBI single, then Logan Rightmyer drove in an RBI triple.
Rightmyer was 2-for-3 on the evening with a single and a triple.
“He’s definitely a guy we’re looking at,” Lombardi said. “We’re kind of thin in the outfield and he kind of came as a pitcher and an infielder, but he’s had some arm trouble, so we’re giving him a look in the outfield. He’s kind of stepped up and done well out there.”
Lombardi added that Rightmyer could pitch in the spring if his arm allows.
Royal knocked in two more runs in the seventh inning to end the game.
“There’s some things we’re getting better at, there’s some things that we’re still trying to get better at,” Lombardi said. “But we’ve seen some improvement. We’re not judging anything based on the scoreboard. We’re just trying to get better at the game of baseball.”