HIGH SCHOOL NOTEBOOK - Los Angeles Times

Nordhoff Coach Rob Duran surprised Calabasas when he started ace Travis Flowers (5-1) Wednesday against Santa Paula instead of saving him for Friday’s first-place Frontier League game

against Calabasas, which started ace Justin Segal (5-1). Instead, sophomore right-hander David Valencia (2-1), who had pitched only 15 innings, allowed one unearned run in 5 1/3 innings, but

was outpitched by Segal in a 1-0 Calabasas victory. “We were surprised to see [Valencia], but he came out and pitched a great ballgame,” Calabasas Coach Rick Nathanson said. Flowers, who

has four shutouts, beat Santa Paula, 3-2, on Wednesday. “It’s the old saying, but you do have to take them one game at a time,” Duran said. “[Friday] wasn’t going to be a first-place game if

we didn’t win Wednesday.” MORE TO READ