As Carpinteria coach Pat Cooney put it, the Warriors “zipped down Highway 1 to visit the Malibu Sharks and trudged back up the coast after a 6-1 loss” on Thursday.
After handing the Sharks their first Citrus Coast League loss on Tuesday, the Warriors were hopeful of a repeat upset Thursday, scoring first and remaining tied 1-1 through four innings.
But league champion Malibu scored two in the fifth and three in the sixth to take the win.
Issac Castillo, with a double and single on the day, drove in the lone Carpinteria run. Castillo also started the game on the mound, and through four innings surrendered just one hit, one unearned run while walking one and striking out one.
Erich Goebel, in relief, suffered the hard-luck loss, giving up two hits while the Sharks put five runners over the plate.
“Momentum flipped in a heartbeat today,” Cooney said “The Warriors led while pitching and defense were solid and suddenly Malibu took control. We were just a key hit or two away from really changing the game.”
Carpinteria finished the regular season 10-4 in league play, tied for second place with Santa Paula, and 11-5 overall. Malibu finishes 12-1 in CCL play and 15-3 overall.
Coming into the game, “besides the goal of winning, we had the goals of involving our entire roster and tuning up for the playoffs,” Cooney said. “We accomplished two of the three goals.”
Playoff brackets will be released Sunday, and Carpinteria, which competes in CIF-SS Division 6, expects a wildcard game on Wednesday of next week or a first-round game on Friday, June 4.