Only Sultans remain alive in Division I

By Nick Pellegrino
Updated: May 14, 2024

2024 EAST COUNTY PREP BASEBALL

CIF-San Diego Section Championships
Division 1

ECS staff report

SAN MARCOS – The Santana Sultans possess many CIF baseball championships, but the onlu little aqspects of their history of playoff appearaqnces has been winning onthe road.

Consider that hurdle to be conqued following Tuesday’s (May 14) shwoing in the CIFSDS Division I tournament opener.

The Sultans took a gate-to-wire decision, leadin in the first, then pulling clear with three runs in the sixth inning to eliminate host Mission Hills, 7-3, at Excalibur Field.

The Sultans last pair of road CIFSDS road wins were both at Rancho Beranrdo, in 2021 and 2022. One must then look back nmore thgan a decade to win another section road win.

Santana did not report individual statistics.

Elsewhere

Sage Creek 10, Christian 6

CARLSBAD – Sage Creek a which which didn’t exist in 2015 into a powerhouse when went 3-=5 in 2019, have transformed into a thorn for the Christian Patriots.

In the first meeting between the ballclybs last season, which came in the playoffs, the Bobcats collected 13 runs and 17 hits to breeze to a victory.

Almost exactly a year later, history repeated, leaving the Patriots wondering what happene3d.

Sage Crekk (17-11-1 overall) again decimated Christian pitching by posting 8 runs in the first inning, again posting double figures in runs and hits to claim a 10-6 first-round victory in th CIFSDS Division 1 championships.

The advantage reached 9-0 before the Pats scored three timesin the 6th and 7th, but the decision has long been decided.

Christian (12-17) received some late power from D.H. Kim, whosmashed a 3-run homer — his first of the season on his final at-bat.

Jeremiah Morgan also belted a two-run triple, then scored, but the late offense failed to remove the bad taste in the collective mouths of the Patriots.

The Bobcats, which enteredbarely seeded agove Christian at No. 8, enter the double-elimination portionof the tournament with a Wednesday meeting at top-seed La Costa Canyon.

Montgomery 2, Grossmont 0

FLETCHER HILLS in EL CAJON – A rather nioce comebavk season by the Grossmont Foothillers concluded with 8 days of “what happened?”

Last Tuesday, the Hillers barely held a pice f the league lead, then lost a possible co-title by falling to arch-rival Helix.

And now in the first-round of the CIFSDS Division I playoffs, a young Grossmont coaching staff was taught a fw lesson by a vterean coach in perhpas his final week coaching prep baseball.

Montgomery head coach Many Hermosillo, who has guided the Aztecs at Otay Mesa for more than 40 seasons, extended his career by at least two additional contests in a 2-0 verdict at Gizona Field. Hermosillo debuted in 1983.

The brilliant pitchers’ duel was finally snapped in the sixth inning when Montgoemry registered its runs.

Meanwhile, Grossmont was limited to just three hits, from Carson Neill, Elias Burlaza and a double by Brandon Hermosillo (any relation?).

The hard-lucklosing pitcher was Cody White, whos truck out six Aztecs vatters in as many innings.

Montgomery, the No. 11 seed which next faceds No. 3 Del Norte, did not report individual statistics.

La Jolla Country Day 8, Steele Cajon 3

GOLDEN TRIANGLE – The Steele Canyon soccer team — oops — baseball team, which (like soccer) fields a roster which only play for the head coach’s club program — alledgily — did have an opportunity to decline entry to the CIFCDS Division I postseason tournament.

Instead, the Cougars elected to accept the 12th and final berth (20th place if you incklue the Open Division) despite owning a school-record 19-game losing streak.

To no one’s surprise, the record has now been extended to 20 after the No. 5-seed Torryes tallied six times in the fifth inning to comfortably pull away.

Steele Canyon (4-23) failed to rport individual statistics.