Norsemen turn to trusty O’Sullivans for Hills win
- Updated: April 28, 2016
2016 EAST COUNTY PREP BASEBALL
By Bill Dickens
© East County Sports.com
RANCHO SAN DIEGO (4-28-16) — The O’SULLIVAN brothers – freshman RILEY and junior CASEY – double-teamed host Steele Canyon to garner Valhalla’s first Grossmont Hills League victory, clipping the Cougars 5-3 on Wednesday (April 27).
Casey toiled six innings, allowing 2 earned runs while striking out 9 to earn his first victory of the season.
Riley saved the win for his brother, earning his first save as he struck out the side in the bottom of the seventh.
CALEB ST. CLAIR singled home COLE HENDERSON to give the Norsemen a 1-0 lead in the first inning.
Riley O’Sullivan hammered a solo home run to lead off the second inning to double Valhalla’s lead.
Steele Canyon (9-11-1, 2-4 GHL) cut the lead in half in the fourth inning as JOSH ESQUIBEL singled to center and stole second. With two outs he stole third. After LUKE ARIAS was hit by a pitch, Esquibel scored on a wild pitch.
Valhalla presented more longball in the fifth inning as Henderson launched a 2-run homer.
In the bottom of the fifth inning the Cougars scratched back as KANE FIEDLER walked and MATTHEW BRINKMEIER laid down a sacrifice bunt. Then MATTHEW BAGDASAR brought in Fiedler with a single to center.
Steele Canyon kept the pressure on in the sixth as Esquibel led off with a triple to center field.
Valhalla made one of the key plays in the game as third baseman Henderson fielded a ground ball by TREVOR ROW and Esquibal was nailed at the plate. Had he been safe who knows what would have happened.
Leading 4-2, the Norsemen picked up an insurance run in the seventh. CJ BROWN singled to center. Henderson walked and BROCK MOSIER was safe when he popped up a bunt that led to Brown being cut down at third. St. Clair followed by slashing an RBI single to left field, scoring Henderson.
Who knows? This could be the spark Valhalla has been looking for all year.
Wed., April 27, 2016 Grossmont Hills League NORSEMEN 5, COUGARS 3 Valhalla ab r h bi Steele Canyon ab r h bi Dirkes ss 4 0 1 0 Bagdasar lf 4 0 1 1 CBrown dh 3 1 1 0 Russell 2b 2 0 0 0 Kister 2b 0 0 0 0 Alcarez 2b 2 0 0 0 Henderson 3b 2 3 1 2 Tuck rf 2 0 0 0 Mosier cf 3 0 0 0 Esquibel 1b 3 1 2 0 CSt. Clair 1b 4 0 2 2 Row dh 3 0 0 0 Howard lf 2 0 0 0 Garmo pr 0 1 0 0 CO’Sullivan p 4 0 0 0 Arias c 2 0 0 0 Paape rf 0 0 0 0 Logan 3b 3 0 0 0 RO’Sullivan rf-p 3 1 2 1 Fiedler ss 2 1 0 0 Heider c 3 0 1 0 Brinkmeier cf 2 0 0 0 TOTALS 28 5 8 5 TOTALS 25 3 3 1 Valhalla (2-18, 1-5) 110 020 1 – 5 8 2 Steele Canyon (9-11-1,2-4) 000 111 0 – 3 3 1 GWRBI-CSt. Clair (1) E-Kister, CO’Sullivan, Brinkmeier. LOB-Val 8, SC 5. 3B-Esquibel. HR-RO’Sullivan (3) 2nd, solo; Henderson (2) 5th, one on. SB-CBrown, Howard, Garmo, Esquibel, Bagdasar 2. S-Brinkmeier. PITCHING SUMMARY Valhalla ip h r er bb so CO’Sullivan W(1-5) 6.0 3 3 2 1 9 RO’Sullivan Sv(1) 1.0 0 0 0 0 3 Steele Canyon Fitch L(3-1) 4.0 4 2 2 3 3 Luban 1.0 1 2 2 1 3 Schirer 2.0 3 1 1 1 4 HBP-by CO’Sullivan (Arias, Tuck), by Luban (CBrown). WP-CO’Sullivan.
