Dickerson’s Double Helps Notre Dame Chalk Up 5-3 Win

When the chalk flew, the spirits of Notre Dame High baseball players soared.

Flying highest was Chris Dickerson, who hit a run-scoring double down the first-base line to drive in the winning run in the Knights’ 5-3 victory over Thousand Oaks in eight innings Saturday in a San Fernando Valley Invitational game at Thousand Oaks High.

Dickerson, a junior playing in his second varsity game and the Knights’ No. 9 batter, came up with the score tied, 2-2, with two on and two out in the top of the eighth. He pulled a 1-and-1 off-speed pitch by reliever Brent Schilhab (0-1) of Thousand Oaks, the ball bouncing on the foul line deep in right field.

“It was nerve-racking,” Dickerson said. “Coming up in a situation like that, I’m just glad to be able to contribute.

“I saw the ball, and I thought it was going foul. But then when I saw the chalk go up, 50 pounds just fell off my shoulders.”

Until then, it was Phillip Polanco (1-0) who shouldered the load for Notre Dame (2-0). He threw 105 pitches, striking out six and walking three in a seven-hitter that he dedicated to his father, who died last summer in a construction-site accident.

The senior right-hander dueled Chris Cordeiro of Thousand Oaks to a near-standoff and took a four-hitter and a 2-1 edge into the seventh.

Billy Lockin of Thousand Oaks singled to open the bottom of the inning and took second on a sacrifice bunt by Ryan Donahue.

Lockin went to third on a passed ball and scored the tying run when catcher Matt Cunningham tried to pick off Lockin but threw over third baseman John Pucinelli’s head.