East teams sweep tourney games
- Updated: March 5, 2017
2017 EAST COUNTY PREP BASEBALL
By Bill Dickens
© EastCountySports.com
EL CAJON (3-5-17) — Hard-throwing JACKSON HULETT retired the side in order numerous times as the Grossmont Foothillers blew by the San Diego Cavers 5-1 Saturday (Mar. 4) in an Oceanside Pirate Tournament game.
Hulett allowed only 2 hits and one run in a seven-inning stint against the Cavers. He also struck out 6.
Grossmont faced only 10 hitters in the late innings of the Oceanside Pirate encounter.
CHRIS GIOVENGO had 2 hits and scored twice for the Foothillers, while teammate JAYDEN LOMBARDO and two hits and drove in two runs
STEVEN ALBA had an RBI double for Grossmont, while freshman GIOVANNI GIGANTI had his first varsity hit.
CHRISTIAN 12, SAN YSIDRO 3 – Heavy hitting Christian High knocked out visiting San Ysidro 12-3 in Saturday’s (Mar. 3) Aztec-Foothiller Tournament action.
Pitcher and leadoff hitter CHASE WEHSENER was 3-for-5 with 3 RBI and a home run as the Patriots jumped in front of San Ysidro 4-0.
In the second inning, the Patriots kept pecking away as JAKOB BECK was 2-for-2 and 2 RBI, and JESSE MATTHEWS drove in 4 runs as he went 2-for-2 against the Cougars in Christian’s season opener.
Christian came within one inning of spinning a shutout of San Ysidro.
ZACH HOGUIESSON slammed a home run in the top of the 7th..
“We came up to hit, and we did,” said Patriots assistant coach BRYAN MITCHELL.
SANTANA 4, ST. AUGUSTINE 3 – The Sultans scratched out a 4-0 lead behind the pitching of NOAH NUNEZ, who surrendered 4 runs in 5 1/3 innings.
The Sultans carried a pretty good offensive stick as Nunez doubled and ANDERS TOLHURST doubled in a run.
COLTON CALVERT, who was 3-for-3 in the game with 2 RBI, helped the Sultans take a 4-0 lead in the 3rdinning.
The rest of the Santana lineup is still in the formative stages.
HELIX 9, LA JOLLA COUNTRY DAY 4 – Helix overcame a 4-0 lead in the 4th inning when they tied the game with La Jolla Country Day in Saturday’s (Mar. 3) Aztec-Foothiller Tournament encounter.
Helix snapped the tie on a 5-run 6th inning against the Torreys.
The Highlanders then broke loose behind the ambidextrous ERICK SMELKO, who had a double and 2 singles.
Immediately following the game, the team remained in uniform and went straight to Jenny Craig Pavilion to cheer on the basketball team in the CIF Division 2 championship game.
STEELE CANYON 5, VISTA 1 – The Cougars scored in five of the first six innings and walked out with a 5-1 victory over Vista in Saturday’s (Mar. 4) opener of the 36th Annual Pirate Baseball Classic in Vista.
JOSH ESQUIBEL tripled and scampered to third on a stolen base as the Cougars held off Vista.
TYLER LUBAN pitched 5 2/3 innings allowing 4 hits, one run, and three strikeouts and the Cougars posted their first win of the season.
The Steele Canyon bullpen came through and blanked Vista over the final 1 1/3 innings.
WEST HILLS 5, MIRA MESA 2 (10 inn.) – After being no-hit in consecutive contests to start last season, West Hills still finished with the best winning percentage in the 27-year history of Wolf Pack baseball under first-year head coach MICKEY DEUTSCHMAN.
On Saturday (Mar. 4), the 2017 edition almost started no better.
Six errors and a pair of passed balls allowed Mira Mesa to hold a 2-1 advantage through six innings. However, the Pack rallied with a run in the 7th, then three more in the 10th to stun the Marauders 5-2 in Aztec-Foothiller Tournament action.
Relief pitcher NOAH QUINTANA fired one-hit ball in his six innings out of the bullpen to collect the victory, combining with starter JONATHAN MAAT on a 3-hitter. Neither of the runs allowed were earned in the 3:04 marathon.
“We kept our heads in the game and didn’t allow our mistakes early in the game to beat us,” noted Quintana, who retired the last seven batters he face. “Sure, I didn’t expect to pitch six innings, but everyone on the team did something to help us win.”
West Hills mustered just a pair of hits through six frames. Both were by BRADEN SANFORD, the fill-in second baseball, who finished batting 3-for-3 (including a walk and getting hit by a pitch).
Senior DYLAN CRAFT came through in a pair of clutch at-bats, the first to start the game-tying rally, then delivering the game-winning base hit in extra innings.
“Once we starting hitting the ball, we knew we could come back,” said Craft, who signed to play college ball with NAIA power Lindsey Wilson College in Columbia, KY. “I was able to make good contact without over-swinging.”
West Hills (1-0) continues tournament play on the road Wednesday at 3 p.m. against La Jolla Country Day.
EL CAPITAN 4, HILLTOP 0 – No further information was provided for this non-league game.
Sat., Mar. 4, 2017 Aztec-Foothiller Tournament PATRIOTS 12, COUGARS 3 San Ysidro (0-1) 000 000 3 - 3 5 1 Christian (1-0) 440 220 x – 12 11 1 Manzo, Rivera (2), Hernandez (3), Zela (4), Lopez (5), Mireles (5) and Lopez, Rivera (6). Wehsener, Matthews (6), Josephson (7), and Josephson, Beck (7). WP-Wehsener (1-0). LP-Manzo (0-1). HR-Wehsener (Chr) 2nd, solo; Hoguiesson (Chr) 2nd, solo. HIGHLANDERS 9, TORREYS 4 La Jolla Country Day 040 000 0 – 4 6 0 Helix 030 105 x – 9 9 0 Konishi, Jackson (4) and Moran. Wylie, Frankel (4), Dhus (6), Howe (6) and N/A. WP-HR Peterson (H). FOOTHILLERS 5, CAVERS 1 Grossmont 5 San Diego 1 36th Annual Pirate Baseball Classic COUGARS 5, PANTHERS 1 Steele Canyon 012 101 0 – 5 7 0 Vista 001 000 0 – 1 4 3 Luban, Newberry (6), Schirer (7) and Arias. Geisler, Thrall (6) and battery N/A. WP-Luban (1-0). LP-Geisler (0-1). Non-League VAQUEROS 4, LANCERS 0 El Capitan 4 Hilltop 0 SULTANS 4, SAINTS 3 St. Augustine 000 100 2 – 3 4 0 Santana 301 000 x – 4 8 1 Nunez, Alesi (6), Tolhurst (7), Salinas (7) and Allen-Fox. WP-Nunez (1-0). LP-Stewart. Sv-Salinas (1). Foothiller-Aztec Tournament WEST HILLS 5, MIRA MESA 2 (10) West Hills 000 100 100 3 - 5 8 7 Mira Mesa 001 100 000 0 - 2 3 1 Maat, Quintana (5) and Wittmeier; Bovee, Guytee (6), Medina (6), Thompson (10) and Guerrea. W - Quintana (1-0). L Thompson (0-1).
