MacArthur earns hardware at Petco
- Updated: June 25, 2021
Grant MacArthur on the jumbotron after winning the home run derby at Petco Park.
MacArthur with HR Derby award.
2021 EAST COUNTY PREP BASEBALL
2021 PADRES HIGH SCHOOL ALL-STAR GAME
EastCountySports.com staff report
MacArthur is presented the Padres High School All-Star Game MVP Award.
SAN DIEGO – Granite Hills junior Grant MacArthur proved his might during the final month of high school baseball’s regular season.
MacArthur hit .545 in the San Diego Section CIF Division I playoffs, belting three home runs, to give his team a big boost on a run to a San Diego CIF Division I championship.
On Thursday, MacArthur put on a show at Petco Park for his peers, along with the county’s best high school baseball fans, winning the Padres High School All-Star Game Home Run Derby.
Later, in the All-Star Game, MacArthur had three hits and drove in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning to help the East to a 7-5 victory over the West team.
“It was an honor playing with the best in San Diego,” MacArthur said. “I’m really happy with the way I performed today.”
MacArthur, who has seven home runs this season, hit three home runs and scored 11 “points” in the first round of the derby, which also included Steele Canyon senior Jake Entrekin and Grossmont senior Isaiah Gomez, the Grossmont Hills League Player of the Year.
The point total, which included home runs on his last two swings during the timed round, advanced him to the final round to face Bonita Vista senior Daniel McElveny, who also finished with 11 points in the preliminary round.
Three points were awarded for homers and one for balls that landed on the warning track.
MacArthur then won a mano-a-mano matchup with the Baron slugger, 14-4, smacking four long balls over Petco’s still-somewhat stingy outfield barriers to left.
Meanwhile @GrantMacarthur is hitting nukes @PetcoPark pic.twitter.com/CxHOSKYRit
— Cody Macias (@Codymacias28) June 25, 2021
The All-Star Game was won by the East squad, which included players from the Grossmont Conference, as well as one from Christian High.
Representing the local conference was Andy Canedo, of Monte Vista, Weston Clark, Sebastian Granados, and Entrekin, of the Cougars, Cole Contreras and Tyler Glowacki, of Santana, Evan Vasiliou, Jaden Wilcox, and Gomez, of the Foothillers, Noa Ponciano, Austin Smith, and MacArthur, of the Eagles, and Braeden Ross, of the Patriots.
Santana’s Tyler Glowacki is featured on the jumbroton during Thursday’s game.
The members of the Eagles played in their CIF State Division III regional semifinal game earlier today, in which Granite Hills defeated visiting Cleveland, of Reseda, 13-3. The game was moved to an afternoon start time to accommodate the players who were slated to play in the All-Star contest.
“I was hitting the ball well in our game today but the balls weren’t falling,” said MacArthur, who shrugged off an 0-for-3 in the playoff game. “But, honestly, this was an experience of a lifetime. It’s definitely something that I will never forget.”
Members of the Steele Canyon Cougars didn’t travel with the team to Simi Valley earlier on Thursday, where the Cougars dropped their CIF State regional semifinal game to Royal, 11-0.
Ross, meanwhile, doubled twice and drive in five runs in Christian High’s 11-1 win over visiting Elsinore in the CIF State Division regional semifinal before hustling down to Petco.
Vasiliou was the starting pitcher for the East. He also singled and scored the go-ahead run in the eighth.
Smith and Gomez both singled and scored in the East’s three-run third to take a 3-0 lead.
Granados singled and scored on a wild pitch in the fourth.
MacArthur drove in the go-ahead runs in the top of the eighth inning with his third single of the night. He also singled in the fifth and seventh frames.
2022 MacArthur with the go ahead RBI. The uncommitted 1B can hit. @GraniteHillsBB @PBR_California https://t.co/XrURRbeUeW pic.twitter.com/1KjbMHdjLl
— Jack Shannon (@Jacked_23) June 25, 2021
Granados pitched a scoreless eighth inning, touching 90 mph with his fastball, matching a handful of others for the second-best velocity of the night. He struck out two in the ninth with a couple of men on to clinch the victory.
MacArthur and Clark were the only juniors on the East team. The rest were seniors.
The coaching staff was an All-East County crew that included Rigo Ledezma, of Santana, who was the head coach. Craig Neu, of Monte Vista, Mike Mitchell, of Christian, and Aidan Rasmusson and Elden Whisman, of Santana, were the other coaching staff members.
