HS BASE: Home Sweet Home for Valencia

There's no place like home for the Valencia Vikings.

With a young pitching staff that includes two sophomore starters, Valencia, annually among the area's top baseball programs, is struggling to find itself. But the Vikings (6-4, 3-2) love playing on their own field, winning their fifth home game without a loss Friday by defeating rival Hart of Newhall 10-4 in a Foothill League showdown before a crowd of about 300.

"We do love this place. It's a nice field," said Dylan Jones, who hit a three-run home run and finished 2 for 4 with three runs.

Or, as coach Jared Snyder put it: "We have some road woes."

After winning 23 games last year, defending league champion Hart (6-4-1, 3-2) is not the same following the graduation of ace pitchers Michael Montgomery and Trevor Bauer, both of whom threw more than 90 mph. Montgomery was a first-round supplemental pick by the Kansas City Royals, and Bauer graduated early to play at UCLA, where he is among the top young pitchers in the Pacific-10.

"I still think Hart is very good," Jones said. "They could have beat us today."

For 4 ½ innings, Hart was giving Valencia all it could handle. But the game turned in the bottom of the fifth on a key bases-loaded infield error that cost the Indians two runs instead of getting starter Trevor Brown out of a jam.

"We had it and we let it slip away," Hart designated hitter Adam Bouyer said. "Yes, it's been tough losing two good pitchers, but our staff has come a long way."

Valencia's Kyle Eaton pitched the final two innings, and he also had two hits and scored a run.

After going just 3 for 25 to start the season, Bouyer is coming on strong. He first broke out Wednesday against Canyon by going 2 for 2 with three RBIs, then on Friday against Valencia he hit his first career home run - a three-run shot in the second inning - and added a single, finishing 2 for 3 with three RBIs and two runs.

In two games, Bouyer has raised his average more than 100 points -- from .120 with 14 strikeouts in 10 games to .233.

"I've worked hard on my swing going to the cages," Bouyer said.

Also a top football player, the 6-foot-2, 235-pound Bouyer strongly believes his future is in baseball.

"Football is in the past. It's definitely baseball," Bouyer said.

Compared to usual, Valencia and Hart both have thin pitching staffs. They'll be put to the test this coming week, as each is in the midst of a six-game slate over eight days.

"We're just very young," Snyder said.