Skaggs Pitches No-Hitter for Samohi:

Tyler Skaggs, Santa Monica High’s senior pitcher who is expected to be a high selection in the June major league baseball draft, threw a no-hitter April 13 against Lompoc.Skaggs struck out 12 batters, didn’t walk any and would have had a perfect game if not for a wild pitch. A batter swung and missed a high pitch but reached base safely when the ball went past the catcher.Skaggs, a 6-foot-4 lefthander, hasn’t pitched a home game this season but is scheduled to start Thursday, April 23 against Inglewood. The 3:15 p.m. game is expected to be attended by the 30 big league scouts who have followed Skaggs throughout the season.Although Skaggs earned his first win of the season at Lompoc, Coach Rob Duron said it might not have been his best game.”Lompoc is a good team and he did very well but I thought he was even better against Royal and perhaps Crespi,” said Duron.Skaggs struck out 12 Royal batters in five innings.Duron has had all Samohi starters on a pitch count throughout the first half of the season in order to keep their arms strong for Ocean League play. Asked why Skaggs was permitted to pitch a complete game at Lompoc, Duron replied:”It was because his pitch count was low.” Skaggs’ performance was the highlight of an otherwise disappointing week for Samohi, which is on a three-game losing streak and has a 9-10 overall record.Samohi lost to Gahr, 5-4, Dana Hills, 9-4 and Palisades, 11-4, allowing six unearned runs to the Dolphins on Saturday.The Vikings are 1-1 in league games and were scheduled to resume league play Tuesday, April 21 at Inglewood with Logan Whitchurch pitching.The week will conclude with a non-league game against Ventura on Saturday, April 25 with Alonzo Gonzalez the pitching choice.With no pitcher securing the second spot in the rotation behind Skaggs, Duron experimented with freshman outfielder Adam Padilla at Gahr.Both Padilla and reliever Greg Alonge worked three innings in a well-played game but Alonge was charged with the loss.There were some positive developments in the four games besides Skaggs’ pitching. Second baseman Philip Dove made some outstanding defensive plays, Whitchurch and catcher Colter Johnson hit the ball hard and in one game both shortstop Ricky Gomez and Skaggs had two hits. Samohi went 10-0 in the league last year but this season Culver City and Hawthorne appear just as strong.