The Oak Park High baseball team didn't have to search far for motivation entering the 2007 season.

The last game of 2006 stung like a maddened hive of bees.

Leading 9-3 against Nordhoff in the opening round of the Division V playoffs, the Eagles yielded nine runs in the top of the seventh and fell, improbably and hard, 12-10.

New head coach Chris Sale said the loss has served as inspiration.

"I wouldn't say there's a hangover from that loss, but it's definitely given us great incentive," he said. "That was a tough way to end the season."

The Eagles plan to hang around much longer in postseason this time around.

Led by ace pitcher Blair Walters and a cast of heavy hitters that includes Walters, Ty Muller and Mitchell Halpert, Oak Park is thriving in the rugged Tri-Valley League.

Oak Park stands at 11-6 overall and 4-2 in league, trailing only Division V runner-up St. Bonaventure in the Tri-Valley chase.

Eagles hitters are piling up numbers like CPAs during tax season.

Six Oak Park hitters have driven in double-figure tallies, led by Walters with 24 RBIs and a .439 batting average.

Halpert, a junior outfielder, is hitting .462 with 23 RBIs. Muller, a senior catcher, has driven in 17 runs while hitting .426.

First baseman Daniel Hendrix is batting .400 with 14 RBIs.

"The pitching has been great, and we're getting a lot of runs," said Sale, an assistant for nine seasons before becoming the head coach this season. "Our guys are dedicated to having a good season."

Among the challenges and benefits is playing in the stacked Tri-Valley League. The revamped circuit includes St. Bonaventure and Oaks Christian as top rivals.

"We figure any team that earns a playoff berth in this league has a great shot in the playoffs," said Sale.

Onslaught continues: Camarillo's 14-6 non-league victory over Buena High on Friday included two home runs by Garrett Rau and a three-run homer by Bryan Wilson.

The latest offensive outburst meant that Camarillo had scored in double figures in 12 of its 17 games.

Making their pitch: St. Bonaventure's pitching staff is starting to resemble, say, the Los Angeles Angels.

Against Crespi in the San Luis Obispo tournament, Martin Medina allowed just two infield singles and struck out 14 batters in a 7-0 victory over Crespi. That was on the heels of a 17-strikeout performance in his previous outing.

In the same tournament, Casey Serna struck out 10 batters in an 8-3 win over Granada.

Jimmy Johnson and Randy Balades combined for a five-hit shutout in a 13-0 win over Alemany.