Helix wins; Norsemen pull Senior Day upset
- Updated: June 2, 2021
2021 EAST COUNTY PREP BASEBALL
ECS staff report
SANTEE —- A wild and woolly seventh inning saw Helix score three times to take a late lead, only to almost give it all of it away before hanging on to down host West Hills, 5-4, in Grossmont Hills League action Tuesday (June 1).
Highlanders first baseman Ben Haar delivered a two-run, go-ahead single with the bases loaded for a 4-3 lead, followed by a run-scoring grounder from Jake Perez to double the lead as West Hills failed to turn a double play.
“I have been putting a lot of extra work in the cage and in the gym and that work is finally paying off,” Haar said. “Jake Perez did a great job finding the gaps in the outfield and helping us get this win.”
However, the Pack attacked right back to make things interesting.
Connor Evans ripped a one-out double, scoring on a two-out single by Ryan Rodgers. However, Helix relief pitcher Aidan Perez escaped with a hard fly out to late-inning substitute Lincoln McAvene in right field to collect the save.
Helix starting pitcher Layton Wirshem struck out six Wolf Pack batters over five strong innings, but left trailing.
“I got through the first couple of inning clean by hitting my spots with my fastball and offspeed,” Wirshem said. “We had some nice plays to back me up. Our offense is starting to come around, as well as our bullpen. I’m definitely looking forward to CIF and to next year, as well.
Jack McMann pitched the sixth and gained the victory from out of the bullpen after the Scotties’ big rally in the seventh.
West Hills pitcher Kyle Dobyns posted three shutout innings but was pulled in anticipation of a possible pennant-deciding start against Grossmont in the regular-season finale on Wednesday after it was learned Granite Hills had taken a 4-2 lead over the first-place Foothillers.
However, that strategy proved moot after the Hillers answered with 11 unanswered runs to clinch the GHL pennant.
“We are just trying to survive this league schedule,” Helix head coach Cole Holland said. “It’s such a grind. We just try and get a little better each day.”
For Helix (13-14 overall, 7-7 GHL), Haar and Jake Perez finished with two hits each, the only knocks allowed by the Wolf Pack.
“Our team came out a little slow,” Jake Perez said. “I’m just glad we had Leyton behind us throwing really well. I thought Ben and I did a good job of picking our team up, especially his clutch hit.”
West Hills (12-16, 2-12 GHL) received a pair of doubles from Evans, while Parker and Evon Drake also posted two-base hits.
Sophomore Riley Hughes singled home the game-tying run in the sixth, scoring senior Trey Henige, who led off the inning with a double.
Junior David Gordon lifted a sacrifice fly for the first out of the inning to give Valhalla (6-21 overall, 2-12 GHL) the lead.
Steele Canyon (18-10, 9-5 GHL) picked up three of its nine hits against Tellous in the seventh but couldn’t come up with the tying run.
Tellous, the younger brother of former Cougar record-setting slugger Billy Tellous, struck out three and walked none.
Senior Fernando Hernandez drove in the other Valhalla run, which came in the second inning.
Valhalla senior Albert Alvarez singled and walked.
The Cougars’ Jake Entrekin doubled home Will James (single) to tie the game in the third, then Sebastian Granados doubled home Entrekin for a 2-1 lead.
Taylor Corella had two hits for Steele Canyon.
