Esquibel, Cougars back Back’s shutout

By David Dickens
Updated: March 22, 2018

2018 EAST COUNTY PREP BASEBALL

By Dave Dickens

EastCountySports.com

SPRING VALLEY (03-21- 2017) – Steele Canyon’s varsity baseball had been in a bit of a funk to start the young season at 1-4 heading into this Wednesday’s contest with the 1-4 Mira Mesa Marauders.

The Cougars truly needed a win to get the monkey off their back, so to speak. Leave it to Back to get it done with a 6-0 shutout in the Grossmont-Metro-City Tournament.

Steele Canyon was struggling in all phases of the game until junior first baseman BILLY TELLOUS doubled to center on a nicely hit fly, scoring senior JOSH ESQUIBEL, beating the throw to the dish to make it 1-0 Cougars.

With two outs, the Cougars would continue, as with a 2-2 count to sophomore DANNY YANEZ, he drilled one to right for a base hit as Tellous stole third clean, and hustles home to make it 2-0 Steele.

In the top of the second, senior LHP TREVOR BACK retired his sixth straight and had a pair of strikeouts, but in the bottom of the second, the Cougars would follow suit, 3 up, 3 down, and the score remained 2-0 heading into the top of the third.

Mira Mesa’s Zane Mauga wrecked the no-hitter with a single off of Back to right.

Limited damage, however, as Mauga is thrown out, Tellous to SEBASTIAN GRANADOS for one out and that was followed up by a called third strike looking to Mira Mesa’s Jordan Watters, along with a fly out to center to end the top of the third, 2-0 Cougars.

In the bottom of 3, AARON TAYLOR and MATTHEW BRINKMEIER each receive bases on balls, putting runners on first and second.

Esquibel, on a 3-2 count, went yard for a three-run homer to left and it was 5-0 Cougars.

The Marauders record a double play and a groundout, but for the Cougars, three more runs added, making it 5-0 Steele heading to the top of the fourth, where one hit was allowed by Back, a bunt laid down to the pitcher, but Back would remain unscathed after the bunt single, the score remaining 5-0 Steele.

The Cougars would add a final run to their total in the bottom of the fourth, and Back would not allow another hit for the remainder, although hitting a batter, in the top of the seventh.

Back finished the game with only 78 pitches, 0 runs on 5 hits, and 6 strikeouts, 62 strikes pitched of 78 total pitches.

Steele Canyon looking like a true competitor once again improves to 2-4 on the season.

The Cougars will face Patrick Henry at Steele Canyon at 3:30 pm on Friday the 23rd as part of the GMC tournament.

Patrick Henry is 2-5 on the season.