ROUNDUP: Scotties win GMC opener
- Updated: March 20, 2018
2018 EAST COUNTY PREP BASEBALL
EastCountySports.com staff report
LA MESA – The fifth-ranked Helix Highlanders rolled to another victory on Monday afternoon, opening the Dickens-Thompson Division of the Grossmont-Metro-City Tournament with a 5-2 victory over visiting St. Augustine.
In the first inning, CARLOS OQUITA hit a sacrifice fly to right field for a 1-0 Helix lead.
Oquita, who has been Helix’s best-kept secret offensively so far, also singled home a run in the second inning, as Helix led 5-0 after two frames.
Helix’s JOSIAH ESTRADA continued his hot hand on the hill, picking up the victory with 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief, striking out four and walking none.
Estrada also singled to center in the first inning for a run, as Helix scored three times in their first at-bat.
Helix junior outfielder JACK SOTHRAS added an RBI single in the second.
Highlander JORDON THOMPSON, who had two hits on the day, earned the save with a scoreless seventh.
Senior BRANDON PETERSON had two hits for Helix, as did senior teammate AUSTIN KRETZSCHMAR. Peterson also scored twice.
Helix will face top-ranked Eastlake on Wednesday at 4 p.m.
The Highlanders and Titans were scheduled to meet in the Aztec-Foothiller Classic championship game last Saturday, but the game was rained out.
SCRIPPS RANCH 13, SANTANA 9 – The Sultans battled back from a seven-run deficit with six runs in the fifth to close to within 10-9 before Scripps Ranch tacked on three insurance runs in the top of the seventh in the Dickens-Thompson Division of the GMC event.
The Falcons jumped on Santana with four runs in the top of the second, but the Sultans were quick to answer in their next turn at the dish.
Santana junior BEN HART lined a single to left to score a pair of runs.
The next hitter, junior BRANDON GLOWACKI hit a hard ground single to center to make it 4-3. He also recorded a steal of home in Santana’s six-run frame.
After the Falcons scored in each of the next three innings to start to pull away, Santana came up with six runs in the fifth inning.
JOSH OEDEWALDT (single), JAKE SARGENT (walk), CAMERON KANE, and AIDEN BURROWS (single) all drove in runs in the inning.
Sargent scored on a wild pitch to make it 10-9.
Santana will travel to face Bonita Vista in game two of the tournament on Wednesday at 4.
LA JOLLA 6, STEELE CANYON 1 – Steele Canyon senior MATTHEW BRINKMEIER had a triple to right field to open the game and scored the Cougars lone run on the back end of a double steal with sophomore teammate DANNY YANEZ in a road loss to the Vikings in the Grossmont-Metro-City Tournament.
“I feel like it was a great way to start off the game today and try to get the momentum going,” Brinkmeier said. “I was not trying to do anything with the pitch. All I was trying to do was get on to help my team try to win.”
The Vikings would pick up a pair of runs to go ahead 2-1.
La Jolla would increase the lead to 6-1 with a four-run sixth.
La Jolla pitcher Alex Monell had a complete game, allowing three hits.
BILLY TELLOUS and LUKE ARIAS had the other Cougar safeties.
BONITA VISTA 6, EL CAPITAN 3 – The El Capitan Vaqueros and Bonita Vista Barons went the distance on Monday afternoon in the Bill Dickens-Gordon Thompson Division of the GMC Tournament.
The Barons finally outlasted the Vaqueros, 6-3, in Lakeside after the bullpens settled in for three extra innings of scoreless relief.
El Cap took a 2-0 lead in the fourth when BLAKE PEYTON doubled to center, allowing SHAYNE CUNNINGHAM (2-for-4, walk) to come around to score. Peyton eventually scored on an error following a single by HUNTER MARKLE (2-for-4).
The Vaqueros added their third run in the fifth when STEVIE MONTEJANO drew a bases-loaded walk, forcing in sophomore DOMINIC BAKER.
In the top of the sixth inning, Bonita Vista tied things up at 3-apiece when Gustavo Perez tripled with the bases loaded on a 3-2 count.
In the top of the tenth, Bonita Vista’s Nathan Nankil doubled on a 2-0 count, scoring the go-ahead run.
El Capitan starter ANTHONY BENEDETTO lasted 6 1/3 innings, allowing four hits and three runs while striking out three.
El Capitan faces St. Augustine on Wednesday at 4 on the road in the GMC Dickens-Thompson bracket.
MISSION BAY 2, FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 1 – The Bucs outlasted the Knights in a pitcher’s duel, scoring a run in the bottom of the sixth inning to snap a 1-all tie.
The Knights’ impressive freshman CAMERON NICKS had another big hit for his team, driving in the game-tying run in the top of the fifth to break through against Mission Bay’s strong pitching of Parker St. Germain.
Foothills senior BAILEY LEWIS was nearly as strong against the Mission Bay bats, going six innings, while allowing just three hits and two runs, striking out four.
Knights senior TREVOR SMALLWOOD walked to start things off the top of the fifth, eventually moving to third on a wild pitch, before scoring on Nicks’ single to right.
SERRA 12, WEST HILLS 1 – Serra High senior right-hander Tim Carlson limited West Hills High to just one hit over five innings as the Q-Dawgs staff tossed a combined 2-hitter at the Wolf Pack in Monday’s (Mar. 19) GMC Tournament opening victory, 12-1.
