SCORPIONS FIND GOING TOUGH : CAMARILLO STILL IN TITLE HUNT DESPITE SLUMP.

Byline: Vincent Bonsignore Daily News Staff Writer

Camarillo High School baseball coach Scott Cline has gone to extremes to help his team break out of a two-week hitting slump.

One day the Scorpions worked out for four hours with much of the attention focused on batting practice. They came back the very next day and didn't even touch their bats.

``We've tried to get the guys relaxed and then we've tried to get them tensed up,'' Cline said. ``We've tried a lot of different things. Hopefully we'll get it going.''

There's no time like the present for Camarillo to get back on track. With just two games left in the regular season and one game separating the Scorpions from first-place Royal, it's now or never in terms of winning the Marmonte League championship.

Today they will venture to Thousand Oaks to play the Lancers. They will end the season against Westlake on Friday.

``We've just got to worry about what we can do and take them one at a time,'' Cline said. ``Right now we're thinking about Thousand Oaks and going over to their yard. We went over there last year and they beat us pretty bad, so in some respects we've got something to prove. It's a tough place to play.''

Despite their batting woes - they've failed to get more than four hits in four straight games - the Scorpions have stayed within striking distance thanks to a pair of pitchers who are throwing extremely well.

Left-hander Mike Corral, a hard-luck loser to Royal two games ago, has been steady throughout the year. Right-hander Nathan Kaup, meanwhile, has provided quality starts.

``Those two guys have really done a great job,'' Cline said.

But he knows all too well the importance of getting the bats going. That means contributions from Kaup, Joe Borchard, Rodell Desamparo, Andy Kroneberger and the rest of the lineup.

``Even when we were going good and we had a bunch of guys hitting over .400 we knew at some point we'd fall off a little bit,'' Cline said. ``But we also felt that if that happened, other guys would be there to pick up the slack. Unfortunately, it seemed like everybody went cold at the same time.''

The Highlanders are in the driver's seat and need only to win their final two games to claim the championship. It's a role that Royal is comfortable with, according to coach Dan Maye.

``We know that all we have to do is take care of ourselves and not worry about anybody else,'' Maye said. ``We don't feel too much pressure. The focus is on winning the championship and not having to share it with anybody.''

Much like the Scorpions, Royal has gotten tremendous pitching all year. The ace has been Adrian Mendoza, although recent performances by Matt Rainer have provided a spark. Rainer got the big win over Camarillo on Wednesday to push the Highlanders a game ahead of the Scorpions.

``He had a great outing and that gave us a real big lift,'' Maye said.

Offensively, Matt Pitstick, Brent Egan and Dorian Stitt have played well, among others.

Maye appreciates the fact that Royal has played some tough games recently. He was worried in the beginning of the year that his club was winning a little too easily and that at some point, its lack of challenges would catch up.

``When we were blowing people out I kept thinking that we were going to face somebody with a real good team and they'd shut us down because we hadn't faced anybody,'' Maye said.

Those worries were put to rest following losses to Simi Valley and Camarillo, after which the Highlanders seem to have increased their intensity.

``We've definitely been able to step it up,'' Maye said.

His main concern at this point is the fact that every team in the league seems to be playing with a purpose right now. As a result it's doubtful that Royal will catch a team napping over the next two games. The Highlanders will travel to Westlake today and then will end their regular season against Newbury Park.

``You know that in a league like this everybody is good and right now, you've got teams trying to make the playoffs so they're going to be ready to play,'' Maye said. ``Even the teams that don't have a chance worry you because the pressure is off them. They can come out and take chances and play more aggressively.''

While the race for the league championship is intriguing, the battle for third place - and the last guaranteed playoff spot - is just as important.

Three teams are still in the running, although Thousand Oaks and Westlake are both two games ahead of Simi Valley, which needs a lot of help in order to move up.

Westlake has won five of six games since Chuck Berrington took over the coaching reins from David Wilder, who was fired after it was discovered that he had falsified his past employment history on his job application.

And despite losing to Newbury Park on Friday, Berrington is confident that the Warriors can finish strong.

``We still feel like good things are happening right now.''

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Photo

Photo: Camarillo's Nathan Kaup, crashing into Royal first b aseman Matt Pitstick, also has been a tough pitcher.

John McCoy/Daily News