Playoff-bound Newbury Park Legion team edges Oak Park

By Steve AmesSpecial to the Acorn

THROWING FIRE—New addition Andrew Lembo, a transfer from Cleveland High School, had a big day for the Panthers’ Legion team on Tuesday, making his presence felt on the mound and at the plate. Newbury Park showed why its baseball team will be going to the American Legion 16th District Playoffs as it turned back Oak Park, 3-2, Tuesday night at NPHS.

The win improved the Panthers to 14-2 and dropped Oak Park to 7-7 just a week and a half before the start of the Legion postseason.

“I like the fact that our guys are playing with some confidence right now,” said Newbury Park head coach Scott Drootin, whose team is comprised of future varsity players. “They’re playing against some older kids. We didn’t want to play down. We wanted to play against good competition.”

Legion’s Southern ‘A’ Division, comprised of teams from Newbury Park, Oak Park, Westlake, Thousand Oaks and Ojai, will send two teams to the playoffs to face two squads from the Northern Division. Newbury Park is in and Oak Park’s chances seem good depending on how they play in the final week of regular season competition.

In the game against Oak Park, Newbury Park got two runs in the second inning and one more in the third inning. Oak Park was held scoreless until the top of the seventh inning when it put two runs on the board.

Right fielder Brett Fick opened the Panthers’ second inning with a single to left field. Third baseman Anthony Montenegro followed with a double to left. After first baseman Jon De La Torre struck out, shortstop Tim Williams doubled to left to score Fick and Montenegro.

Center fielder Nick Nardoni doubled to left to open the third inning and second baseman Brad Greve reached on a fielder’s choice as Nardoni was out at the plate. Center fielder-pitcher Andrew Lambo doubled to left field and came in on right fielder Fick’s single to left.

With one out in the seventh inning Oak Park center fielder Drew Norton and shortstop Trevor Duffy each reached first base on infield errors and came home on third baseman Fersht’s single to right field.

Taking advantage of the summer months, Newbury Park’s Montenegro said he has been doing a lot of work at the plate.

“I’m trying to spend some time to hit the curve ball,” Montenegro said. “It’s been my problem lately and I’m trying to work on that.”

Asked what he felt about taking on a team like Oak Park, a squad comprised completely of high school graduates, Montenegro said it would only help the Panthers’ preparation for next season.

“We just look at it as a good competition,” he said. “The better the competition the better for us because it makes us better as a team.”

Pitcher/center fielder Kyle Sommer echoed Montenegro’s thoughts.

“Basically we’re trying to get everyone to come together and bond ,” Sommer said. “ We’re always at one of our friend’s house just having fun. We come out here and we’re more of a team this season than last season.”

Sommer said the team has appreciated the addition of Lambo, a recent transfer from Cleveland High School in Reseda who will be a junior in the fall.

“Lambo is really helping us out,” Sommer said. “He’s brought us together. We have a lot of confidence in him and we hope it will boost everyone on the team.”

Sommer, who along with Lambo and Cody Fierro are expected to share the pitching duties for next year’s varsity team, said he will be happy to be a part of the Newbury Park pitching corps.

“We should be pretty good competition for other teams,” Sommer said.

The American Legion District 16 All-Star game is scheduled for this Sunday at NPHS.