Eagles gain walk-off over Eastlake
- Updated: March 16, 2024
UPDATED….. 2024 EAST COUNTY PREP BASEBALL
Compiled by Nick Pellegrino
ECS Senior writer
EL CAJON – In one of the most competeive series in the San Diego Section over the past decade, Granite Hills pushed across a run in the bottom of the seventh inning to gain a 8-7 walk-off triumph over Eastlake in the final round of tournament pool play in Friday (Mar. 15).
Eastlake rallied from a 7-2 deficit with three runs in the fifth, then added single markers in the sixth and seventh to force an extra at-bat from the Eagles.
However, the Eagles scored with two down to prevent extra innings and win.
Editor’s Note: Our GameChange app is down, so we can’t tell you how GHHS scored.
Althouhgh it was the first blown save of the yeatr by the Eagles bullpen, Kade Gaeir gained the win in relief.
On offense, Tommy Entrekin smacked a home run and a double, good for two RBI, while Parker Vance also doubled and Phillip Jones added a 2-run single.
Following a pair of excellent pitching efforts by both sides earlier in the week, this game showed a combination of 24 hits, ijcludig 14 by the Eagles (6-1 overall).
Because of games getting rained out, no tournament champion has yet to be decided. Granite Hills’ lone setback was to La Cosat Canyon, but they lost to Cathedrall Catholic, which was shutout by the Eagles.
In the 2020s, the Granite Hills-Eastlake series is now evemn at 3-all, incuding a CIF title game victory by the Titans.
El Capitan 2, Mission Bay 0 – Vaqueros senior pitcher Brody McAuliffe registered an East County season high with 10 strikeouts,firing a complete game, 4-hit shutout at host Mission Bay, 2-0, Friday (Mar. 15) at Dennis Pugh Memorial Field in Pacific Beach.
McAuliffe’s effort was the second sttraight shutout by El Cap pitching, which now owns a 4-game winning streak wih 19.1 consecutive scoreless innings.
The Vaqueros (6-2 overall) finally snapped a scoreless pitchers’ duel with both runs in the sixth inning. Included was an RBI double from Landon Harbach, qho later scored on an error.
Mission Bay pitcher Van Playman fired a 2-hitter in his six innings, yet drew the loss.
Granite Hills 8, Eastlake 7 (wwalk-off) – [Cokputer problems. Expect story Saturday midday.]
Patrick Henry 10, Helix 0 – Patriots pitcher Hamilton Collins blanked host Helix for four innings, then a pair of relievers came in when the game got out of hand in a 1-hit shutout of the slumpsing Highlanders.
Collins, along with Nic o Lopez and Nate Moloney combined to strike out 11 Scotties batters, giving the Patriots (6-2 overall) their fourth victory in five outings.
Talin Gardini and Cody Cappelletti each belted home runs, including a 3-run shot by Cappelletti (3-for-3 with a walk, 3 runs scored) in the first inningwhen Patrick Henry grabbed a 5-0 lead before Collins took the mound.
Helix (4-4), after shutting out Montgomery on Momnday, have now been shutout in two straight.
Christian 5, West Hills 4 – Trailing 4-2, the Christian Patriots scored three times in their fial at-bats in the sixth inning to stun visiting West Hills, 5-4, to complete tournament pool play.
D.H. Kimm pitched the final two innings, including a 1-2-3 in the seventh gain the victory.
eter Zacharzuk smacked a solo homer for Christian, while Benji Molina registered a pair of RBU.
For West Hills, Braeden Steveson collected a pair of doubles, scoring both times to mount the earlyWolf Pack lead.
Christian (5-3 overall) now has three straight wins in the series, last falling to the Wolf Pack (3-4) in 2007,
Elsewhere
Montgomery 5, Santana 3 – – Trailing 3-2, the visiting Aztecs scored twice in the sixth innjing to take the lead,then added another marker inthe seveth to add too the whoas of the Sultans (1-6), which dropped all five tournament contests. The early lead came via a 2-run single by Nathan Dowers.
Point Loma 8, Valhalla 7 – In a see-saw affair, the Norsemen blew a pair of leads after the Pointers (4-3-1) scored four times in both the first and fifth innings. For Valhalla (5-3), Mace Wheeler had three RBI.
St . Augustine 6, Steele Canyon 2 – The Saints mounted a 6-0 lead in the second inning — featuring a home run by Anthony Thompkins — to voast part the Cougars.
