Improving Sultans secure mild upset over Montgomery

By Nick Pellegrino
Updated: April 8, 2025

2025 EAST COUNTY PREP BASEBALL

East County Sports.com

Santana 4, Montgomery 2

SANTEE – A pair of ballclubs with success at CIF-San Diego Section championship play are both in rebuilding modes.

Santana is coming off a 2023 Division 2 crown, so the Sultans coach moved on to greener pastures,
Meanwhile, the Aztecs’ coach elected to stay for the rebuild with his own group of talented yet inexperienced ballplayers.

If this is any indication on which team in making the quicker transition, score the first point to Santana.

On Tyuesday (Apr. 8) in a tournament make-uo contest, a slopy outing by both sides for five innings turned into a late, nail-bviter. Finaally, Santana broke a 2-2 deadlockswith two runs in the sixth inning to take a 4-2 deicsioon over Montgomery.

Sultans pitcher Nathan Dowers closed out the Aztecs with 3,1 innings of relief, including stranding the potential agem-tying runners in scoring position in the seventh to garner the victory.

Nathan Dowers

“Our focus now is just to keep getting wins and improve, both individually and as a team,” said Dowers, a senior. “Playing small, like getting down bunts to get runs across is our goal ight now.”

“We also need the pitchers to keep putting up zeroes.”

The Aztecs pulled even on a sacrifice fly (which was dropped, but it’s till a sac fly and an RBI) to make it 2-all

But in the sixth, after the Sultans turned a doubke okay to place their defense in order, the offense took over with left fielder Brady Johnson, literally, stealing the show.

Johnson, a junior, stole third base to the surprise of the Aztecs pitcer, leaving runners on the corners.

So when pinch-runner Donovan Donovan Shannon headed for second base hoping to draw a throw, Johnson took home for the go-ahead run.

Shannon followed also stealing third, coming home on a basehit on a liner to center by second baseman Joe Dibble.

Earlier,an array of mistakes lists a balk for a run, failed pick-off attempts and other general craziness by bouth youthful ballclubs.

But the biggest mistake turned the momentum towards Santana.

In the fifth, Sultans right fielder Austin DelaMater made a catch in the fun for the first out. However, the Montgomery runner at first base did not tag-up properly, so DelaMater fired the ball to first baseman Trevor Eckis for the unusual double play.

For Santana (5-9), left fielder Brandon Landers recorded two of the Team’s six hits, including an RBI single in the third to give the hosts a 2-1 lead.

for Montgomery (6-8), second baseman Andrés Ruvalcaba collected two basehits, including a double and a stolen base, while Santana avoiced Aztecs power hitter Ricky Aguilar, who was walked twice after a booming double in the early innings.

The Sultans, winners of two straight,now take a week off before opening Grossmont Hills League action at Helix on Thurs., Apr. 17.

Mountain Empire 18, at Guajome Park 0 (6 inn.)

OCEANSIDE – At the ballpark located inside Guajome County Park, the Mountain Empire RedHawks handed Guajome Park Academy its bigggest loss since 2020, boiling the Frogs, 18-0.

The school mark in GPA hsitory is 26-0, when Army-Navy weas ablt to sauté the Frogs — of course, in butter with garlic and parsley (like any quality French restaurant — back on Feb. 25, 2020.

For The Empire (6-4),RedHawks pitcher Jacob Arnold only faced the minimum 18 batters in the 6-inning contest, yet did not throw a perfect game.

After striking out 13 Frogs batters without issuing a walk, includsing all four batters in the fourth inning, he settled for a 1-hit shutout, with the lone GPA base-runner getting thrown out on a failed attempt to steal secpnd base.

Guajome Park Academy (2-9) — Slogan: “For a great GPA, go to GPA” — shortstop Marcos Ortiz ended the no-hit bid with a lead single in the fifth inning.

Ortiz then was caught stealing, with second baseman Jesse Arnold applying the tage.

On offense fpr The Empire, Jesse Arnold and Luis Cardoso both stole two bases before RedHawks coaches pulled the plug and started station-to-station baseball to avoid futher embarrassment.

The leader in hits, runs and RBI was centerfielder Mike Noble with three in each category, including a double.

Borrego Springs 17, at Calipatria 6

CALIPATRIA – The Borrego Springs Rams grabbed a road victory in the Imperial Valley by stopping the Calipatria Hornets (4-3),

Borrego Springs (6-2) is off to its best start since 2017, when the Rams also went 6-2. The Hornets (3-4) failed to report game information (well, except for the final score).

Mater Dei Catholic 6, at Monte Vista 3

SPRING VALLEY – A crazy sixth-inning broke open a pitchers’ duel, allowing Mater Dei Catholic to stop Monte Visa, 6-2.

With the Crusaders (7=10) leading 2-0, they scored four times in the sixth to register what they thought aws a safe lead.

They were wrong.

The Monarvhs (2-12) fought bacvk with three runs in the home-half of the frame, eventually brining the potential game-tying run to the plate bfore MDC finally registered the third out.

A series of two-out basehit did the damage for Monte Vista.Included were RBI singles from center fielder Xavier Wilson snd second baseman Reuben Cabugwas,sandwiched around a run on a wild pitch.

Monte Vista first baseman Damian Ordaz followed with a line single to cneter field.However, Crusaders defender Nate Soa fired a strike to catcher Gianni Castellanos for a dramatic inning-ending third out at the plate.

For the Monarchs, shortstop Trebor Meyer led with a pairt of hitd, including a double.

Pitcher Adrian Gutierrez pitch five solid innings before getting pulledf after 5.1 frames. However, he only allowed five singles while striking out six Crusaders batters.

Castle Park 7, Liberty Charter 6 (walk-off)

CHULA VISTA – The Castle Park Trojans scored three times in the bottom of the sixth (and final) ining t stun the visiting Liberty Charter Lions of Alpine.

The late-starting contest was called because of darkness.

The Lions (5-7) held leads of 3-0, 5-2 and 6-4 before the Trojans (6-8) twice fought back to within a run before making the last-second breakthrough for the victory.

Next up for Liberty Charter will be its Summot League opener, traveling to North County to meet Bonsall, at the Pala Indian Reservation Recreation Center on on Thursday (Apr. 10) at 5 p.m.