GROSSMONT
COLLEGE BASEBALLGROSSMONT
COLLEGE BASEBALLECS.com staff report
EL CAJON - The post-season honors just keep
coming for Grossmont College's
Fernando Cortez.
The sophomore third baseman has been named
to the national community college
All-America Team. In addition, Cortez was selected to the California
Community College Baseball Coaches Association (CCCBCA) All-State
first team.
Cortez is one of three Pacific Coast Conference
players recognized for major
honors. Grossmont pitcher Jared Hemus and Palomar outfielder Kyle
Floquet
earned second team All-State and first team All-Southern California
laurels.
A Helix High alum and PCC MVP, Cortez became
the first player in the 18-year
history of the conference to win back-to-back batting titles,
as he compiled
a .445 average (49-for-110) as a sophomore. Cortez also topped
all circuit
hitters with an overall mark of .429 (82-for-191) and had a conference-high
of 44 RBI.
Hemus, a Monte Vista High alum and transfer
from the University of San Diego,
was one of the most dominating pitchers in the state this season.
The
hard-throwing left-hander - who figures to go high in the June
2001 draft -
compiled an 11-2 record and a 1.75 ERA for the PCC champion Griffins.
He also
struck out 115 batters in 118 innings.
Floquet, a shortstop in his senior season
at Granite Hills High, made a
successful transition to the outfield at Palomar. In addition
to becoming a
superb defensive player, Floquet posted the third-highest average
in the
conference (.374) and led the circuit with 23 stolen bases. He
also had an
outstanding walks-to-strikeouts ratio (25-to-12), and a conference-best
17-game hitting streak.
(05-30-01)
ECS.com staff report
EL CAJON - Ed Olsen and Fernando Cortez
of Grossmont College were the major
award winners in the All-Pacific Coast Conference selections for
the 2001
season. Olsen was named Coach of the Year, while sophomore third
baseman
Cortez was the unanimous pick for PCC Player of the Year.
Cortez became the first player in the 18-year
history of the PCC to win
back-to-back conference batting titles, as he compiled a .445
average
(49-for-110) - 45 points higher than his nearest challenger. Cortez
also
topped all circuit hitters with an overall mark of .429 (82-for-191).
"Early in the year I put too much pressure
on myself and swung at a lot of
bad pitches," Cortez related. "I was just too tense,
and my average dropped
down to .230. But once conference started, I relaxed and began
making better
contact."
In addition to setting a conference career
record of 105 hits, Cortez - a
Helix High alum - made the transition from right field to third
base as a
sophomore.
"I was happy to be back in the infield,"
Cortez admitted. "I'm more
comfortable playing there because that's where I've been most
of my career.
And most of that was as a middle infielder. It was a challenge
playing third
base where it's more reaction than anything else."
Cortez is the fifth Grossmont player in
the last six years to claim
conference Player of the Year honors. The others were Minnesota
outfielder
John Barnes (1996), Atlanta Braves second baseman Marcus Giles
(1997), Bill
Weinbrecht (Mesa State, Colo. 1998), and Mark Kiger (University
of Florida,
1999).
Olsen did one of his finest coaching jobs
in his 19 years at the Grossmont
helm, guiding the Griffins to the conference championship with
an overall
34-10 finish. That included a Grossmont-record 21 wins in 25 PCC
starts.
The veteran skipper has collected 448 wins at Grossmont.
The Griffins, who have reached the state
playoffs five years in a row
averaging 31 victories in the process, secured eight of the 22
berths on the
All-PCC team.
(05-17-01)
ALL-PACIFIC COAST CONFERENCE BASEBALL
2001
FIRST TEAM
PITCHERS
Name College Yr. High School/Previous College
Jared Hemus Grossmont So. Monte Vista/USD
Eric Human Palomar So. San Marcos
Brandon Hundt Grossmont So. LaQuinta/C.S. San Bernardino
RELIEF PITCHER
Paul Sweeney Palomar So. Orange Glen
CATCHERS
Josh Allen Grossmont So. Helix
Jake Guzman Palomar Fr. Santana
FIRST BASEMAN
Ricky Frink Grossmont So. Mission Bay
INFIELDERS
Fernando Cortez Grossmont So. Helix
J.P. Paluck San Diego City Fr. Montgomery
Josh Thomas Grossmont So. Grossmont
Jesus Cortez San Diego City Fr. Montgomery
Ralphie Marin Palomar Fr. Carlsbad
Kyle Dennis Grossmont So. Santana
Jake Richter Imperial Valley Fr. El Centro Southwest
OUTFIELDERS
Kyle Floquet Palomar Fr. Granite Hills
Mike Ruiz Southwestern So. Horizon
Brian Hipps San Diego Mesa Fr. Eastlake
Kip Hajjar Grossmont So. Torrey Pines
Joel Jerauld Southwestern So. Helix
Rocky Binkowski San Diego Mesa So. Mt. Carmel
DESIGNATED HITTER
Esteban Contreras S.D. City So. Ygnacio Valley, Concord
UTILITY
Cory Moreno Imperial Valley Fr. Holtville
(Players listed in order of voting by position)
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Fernando Cortez, Grossmont
COACH OF THE YEAR
Ed Olsen, Grossmont
HONORABLE MENTION
GROSSMONT: Oskar Diaz, P, So (Escondido); Eric Ruiz, P, So (Santana); Jeff
Karstens, P, Fr (Mount Miguel); Ryan Reed UT, Fr (Grossmont).
PALOMAR: Steve Guthrie, 3b, So (Poway/U. of Texas); Skip Adams, SS, So (La
Cueva, Albuquerque, NM/U.of Texas); Jon Fleming, P. So (Valley Center).
SOUTHWESTERN: Mike Acuna, IF, Fr (Poway); Tim Parker, P, So (Eastlake);
Louis Munoz, IF, So (Sweetwater).
SAN DIEGO CITY: Sergio Mitre, P, So (Montgomery); Billy Newberry, C, Fr
(Mission Bay); Juan Razo, P, Fr (Montgomery).
IMPERIAL VALLEY: Alfredo Vasquez, C, Fr (Cobach, Chihauhau, Mexico); Balois
Marquez, P, Fr (Cibola, Yuma, Az).
SAN DIEGO MESA: Ryan Myers, P, Fr (San Diego).
ECS.com staff report
SAN LUIS OBISPO - It was a stunning conclusion
to a sterling season for the
Pacific Coast Conference champions.
Two times the Grossmont College Griffins
held a one-run advantage in the
final inning during Saturday's (May 12) Southern California Regional
Playoffs. On both occasions their usually reliable bullpen could
not protect
the lead.
Cuesta's John Preston hit a two-run homer
in the bottom of the ninth inning
to give the host Cougars a 7-6 victory over the Griffins in the
second round
contest.
Grossmont, which won its opening round game
in the double-elimination
tournament on Friday (May 11), rallied from deficits of 4-1 and
6-5 to lead
Orange Coast 7-6 in the 10th inning of Saturday's third round
game. But the
Pirates, who scored seven runs in the 10th inning to eliminate
Citrus 11-4
earlier in the day, pushed across two runs in the bottom of the
10th to send
the Griffins packing.
It was a strange day all-around for the
Griffins, who for one of the few
times all season did not receive quality starting pitching. Even
ace
left-hander Jared Hemus struggled as he allowed his first home
run in 118
innings. The Cougars (33-10) clawed Hemus for six runs and nine
hits in eight
innings.
In spite of Hemus' woes, however, it appeared
that Grossmont might pull out a
victory as the Griffins broke a 5-5 deadlock with a run in the
ninth. Kyle
Dennis walked and advanced to third on Fernando Cortez' single
to right.
Dennis carried across the go-ahead run on a passed ball.
After Hemus walked Cuesta's Patrick Dobson
on four pitches to start the
bottom of the ninth, he was replaced by reliever Eric Ruiz. The
sophomore
right-hander retired the first batter he faced on a fly ball to
left, but
then gave up the game-winning home run to Preston. It was the
first run Ruiz
has allowed all season.
Grossmont found itself playing catch-up
to OCC in the nightcap, as the
Pirates took a 4-1 lead in the third. A single by Dennis and an
RBI double by
Cortez started the Griffins on the comeback trail in the fifth.
Pete Malloy,
who was in the lineup in place of first baseman Ricky Frink (sidelined
with a
dislocated - not broken as originally feared - finger on his throwing
hand)
drove in Cortez with a single to left.
In the sixth, Josh Thomas singled and rode
home on Cortez' seventh home run
of the season, giving Grossmont a 5-4 edge. But the Pirates fought
back for
two runs against starter Jeff Karstens to regain the lead in the
seventh.
Grossmont sent the game into extra innings
with a run in the ninth. Cortez
led the charge with a bloop double down the left field line, advanced
to
third on Ryan Reed's single and scored the tying run when pinch-hitter
Joe
Enomoto stroked a sacrifice fly to center.
The Griffs carried the offensive momentum
into overtime. A one-out double by
Frank Risner, a passed ball and Kip Hajjar's sacrifice fly to
right gave
Grossmont a 7-6 edge.
But again, the Grossmont bullpen couldn't
hold the lead. Ruiz, who had
blanked the Pirates on two hits over three innings, gave up a
single to Troy
Bokosky and a triple to Cliff Cotton to tie the game in the 10th.
At that point Grossmont coach Ed Olsen summoned
Oskar Diaz from the bullpen
to relieve Ruiz, who had pitched only 13 innings all season prior
to
Saturday's double duty.
Against the only batter he faced, Diaz gave
up a ground ball single to Jake
Garcia through a drawn-in infield, allowing Cotton to jog home
with the
winning marker.
The Griffins, who finished the season 34-10,
had won 16 games in a row and
lost to only one team in its previous 29 starts before suffering
the double
defeat in the regionals.
Make no mistake, the Griffins did not go quietly.
Grossmont's Cortez proved that his winning
of back-to-back PCC batting titles
was no fluke, as he collected nine hits in 14 at-bats during the
three
tournament games. Four of those hits went for extra-bases including
a two-run
home run.
Reed was Grossmont's primary power source,
belting his fifth and sixth home
runs of the year while generating five hits in 13 at-bats. Dennis
also did a
splendid job at the plate with six hits in 11 at-bats, while leadoff
man
Thomas finished 6-for-15.
(05-12-01)
ECS.com staff report
SAN LUIS OBISPO -- No San Diego County baseball
team has ever won a
California Community College state championship.
For an area that prides itself in its deep
baseball talent pool, that seems
almost shocking. San Diego City has the best track record, earning
three
runner-up positions - 1957, 1959 and 1974. Palomar fell one victory
short of
reaching the final four in 1988 and again last year. Other than
that, San
Diego County teams have annually done little more than make a
token
appearance.
Despite its No. 5-seeding, few probably
give Grossmont College much chance of
winning the Southern California Regional championship let alone
making it to
the state's final four.
Nevertheless, the Griffins (33-8) began
their 2001 post-season sojourn with a
convincing 11-5 victory over Western States Conference runner-up
Citrus
(28-11) on Friday (May 11) at Cuesta College. The victory qualified
the
Griffins for a Saturday (May 12) showdown against fourth-seeded
host Cuesta
(31-10) at 11 a.m. The Cougars stretched their winning streak
to 11 in a row
via a 6-1 victory over Orange Coast on Friday.
The Pacific Coast Conference-champion Griffins
raked four Citrus pitchers for
15 hits as they extended their current winning streak to 16 games.
No team
has beaten Grossmont other than PCC runner-up Palomar in the last
two months.
Grossmont's Brandon Hundt (10-1) was cuffed
around for 10 hits by the Owls,
but limited Citrus to two earned runs in 7 2/3 innings. He struck
out seven
and walked none before reliever Oskar Diaz came on to get the
final four outs.
After falling behind 1-0, the Griffins tied
it in the bottom of the first on
a double by Josh Thomas and a single by Fernando Cortez. That
began a surge
of seven unanswered runs over four innings for Grossmont.
The Griffins pushed across three runs in
the bottom of the second to take the
lead. Frank Risner broke a 1-1 tie with an RBI double to right-center,
and
Kyle Dennis chipped in with an RBI single. A third run scored
on a wild
pitch.
Ryan Reed hit his fifth home run of the
season on an 0-2 pitch to make it 5-1
in the third. Cortez doubled in a run, and Jaime Borruel added
an RBI single
to make it 7-1 in the fourth.
Cortez - the PCC's MVP - finished 4-for-5
with 2 RBI as he raised his season
average to .423. Dennis was 3-for-3 with 2 RBI, and Borruel was
4-for-4 with
a pair of runs batted in.
It was not a perfect opener for the Griffins
as first baseman Ricky Frink
suffered a possible broken finger on his throwing hand while attempting
to
field a ground ball in the eighth inning. Frink was taken to the
hospital for
examination, but his status is doubtful for the remainder of the
playoffs.
Sometimes one man's bad luck is another's
good fortune. In the case of
seldom-used sophomore Pete Malloy, Frink's injury presented an
opportunity of
which memories are made. A 6-foot-3 sophomore relief pitcher out
of Patrick
Henry, Malloy was inserted into the game for defensive purposes
at first base.
Ironically, Malloy, who was 0-for-2 with
a walk as a batter the entire year,
came to the plate in the bottom of the eighth. Malloy made his
first hit of
the season a mammoth blow - - a solo home run over the right-center
field
fence.
(05-11-01)
ECS.com staff report
EL CAJON - Even though Grossmont College
is advancing to the Southern
California Regional playoffs for the fifth consecutive season,
Griffins coach
Ed Olsen is fuming mad.
What has Olsen puzzled is how his Griffins
(33-8) could win the Pacific Coast
Conference pennant for the second time in five years and still
be assigned to
open the playoffs on the road -- some 300 miles from home, to
boot.
"In all of my years of coaching (30-plus),
I've never heard of a conference
champion opening the playoffs on the road," Olsen grumbled.
"It's not fair.
We earned the right to open at home."
No question the Griffins (33-8) finished
in a rush, winning their last 15
games in a row and 25 of their last 28.
Impressive, yes. But it matters not. For
the second year in a row, the
powers-that-be decided to conduct four separate four-team, double-elimination
mini-tournaments in the opening round.
"What kind of sense does that make?"
Olsen said. "Instead of having eight of
the 16 (SoCal qualifiers) playing at home, they have 12 teams
traveling."
And at today's gas prices
No team will log more mileage than Olsen's
Griffins, who take on Citrus
(28-10) at San Luis Obispo's Cuesta College on Friday (May 11)
at 11 a.m.
Grossmont is seeded #5. Unfortunately for
the Griffins, only the top four
seeds begin the playoffs at home. Cuesta (31-10) is the #4 seed.
The swing vote for the Cougars gaining the
higher seed is simple - they
defeated top-ranked Santa Ana (33-9) and #2 L.A. Harbor (33-6-1)
early in the
season. The Griffins defeated only one team in the top 15 - #7
Palomar (2 out
of 5).
What the Griffins lack in depth, they make up for in quality.
Pitching is key for the Griffins, as they
have three of the top starting
pitchers in the PCC - Jared Hemus (11-2, 1.39), Brandon Hundt
(9-1, 1.81) and
Jeff Karstens (7-2, 3.56) - and two of the premier relievers -
Oskar Diaz
(4-1, 3 saves, 2.46) and Eric Ruiz (0-0, 2 saves, 0.00).
Third baseman Fernando Cortez (.412), the
two-time PCC batting champion,
leads the Grossmont offense. The Griffins led the conference in
team batting
(.323), runs (472) and home runs (44).
In Friday's other first round playoff game
in Region III, Cuesta meets Orange
Coast (24-16) at 3 p.m.
Palomar (32-9), which finished one game
behind Grossmont in the PCC race,
will compete in Region II at Los Angeles Harbor College in Wilmington.
The
Comets take on Cypress (28-15) in Friday's first round at 11 a.m.,
while host
L.A. Harbor meets San Bernardino Valley (26-14) at 3 p.m.
In Region I at Santa Ana, Chaffey (27-10)
meets Saddleback (31-11) at 11
a.m., while host Santa Ana (33-9) takes on El Camino (22-20) at
3 p.m.
In Region IV at Riverside, Glendale (30-10)
tackles Cerritos (25-14) at 11
a.m., before host Riverside (37-6) entertains Allan Hancock of
Santa Maria at
3 p.m.
The tournaments resume Saturday and conclude
on Sunday.
(05-07-01)
California State Championships
Regionals
Friday's First Round Games
North I (At Visalia) - No.9 Merced (26-16) vs. No. 8 Feather River
(23-11), 11 a.m.; No. 16
College of Marin (18-19-1) at No. 1 Sequoias (34-9), 3 p.m.
North II (At Santa Rosa) - No. 12 Ohlone (26-17) s. No. 5 Cosumnes
River (25-13), 11 a.m.; No. 12
Sierra (25-13) at No. 4 Santa Rosa (28-11), 3 p.m.
North III (at Fresno CC) - No. 11 Modesto (26-11-1) vs. No. 6
West Valley (26-11), 11 a.m.; No. 14
Canada (18-17) vs. No. 3 Fresno CC (34-7), 3 p.m.
North IV (At Sacramento CC) - No. 10 Chabot (24-16) vs. Noi. 7
Cabrillo (25-11), 11 a.m.; No. 15
Lassen (21-17) vs. No. 2 Sacramento CC (29-6), 3 p.m.
South I (At Santa Ana) - No. 9 Saddleback (31-11) vs. No. 8 Chaffey
(27-10), 11 a.m.; No. 16 El
Camino (22-20) vs. No. 1 Santa Ana (33-9), 3 p.m.
South II (At San Luis Obispo) - No. 12 Citrus (28-18) vs. No.
5 Grossmont (33-8), 11 a.m.; No. 13
Orange Coast (24-16) vs. No. 4 Cuesta (31-10), 3 p.m.
South III (At Riverside) - No. 11 Cerritos (25-14) vs. No. 6 Glendale
(30-10), 11 a.m.; No. 14
Allan Hancock (32-11) vs. No. 3 Riverside (37-6), 3 p.m.
South IV (At Wilmington) - No. 10 Cypress (28-15) vs. No. 7 Palomar
(32-9), 11 a.m.; No. 15
SanBernardino Valley (26-14) vs. No. 2 L.A. Harbor (33-6-1), 3
p.m.
All double-elimination.
ECS.com staff report
EL CAJON - It's official.
The Grossmont College Griffins are champions of the Pacific Coast Conference.
Jared Hemus and Eric Ruiz combined on an
eight-hit, 4-0 shutout over San
Diego City College in Thursday's (May 3) regular season finale
at San Diego
State's Tony Gwynn Stadium.
It was the 15th straight win for the Griffins
(33-8, 21-4), who have won 25
of their last 29 games. It was Grossmont's fourth PCC title under
head coach
Ed Olsen.
"It was my job to not let the team
get complacent," Olsen said. "But I
couldn't be prouder of these guys."
Pitching was the ticket to Grossmont's pennant drive.
"I can't emphasize enough the job that
(pitching coach Randy) Abshier did,"
Olsen said. "What he did for us was put us in the state playoffs.
We had a
lot of guys who answered the call.
"I haven't come down off the cloud
yet, but I know one thing. Seven of our
nine starters hit above .300 this season. When the season started,
I thought
we could play .500 ball and maybe get something like 25 wins,
tops. But
things just started to come together."
The leader of the Griffins' offensive onslaught
was Fernando Cortez, who won
his second batting title in as many years with a .445 PCC average,
and an
overall mark of .412.
"He should be player of the year,"
Olsen said. "He should have gotten it last
year, but the politics beat him out of it."
The Griffins did all their scoring in the
first four innings in their
title-clinching victory over the Knights.
A passed ball plated the Griffins' first
run in the opening inning, and Kip
Hajjar's RBI double made it 2-0 in the second. RBI singles by
Ryan Reed and
Ricky Frink extended Grossmont's advantage to 4-0 in the third.
From there, Hemus took command. The Pepperdine-bound
southpaw worked 7-2/3
innings to earn his PCC-leading 11th win in 13 decisions, but
started to run
out of gas in the middle innings.
"Hemus had decent stuff but lousy control,"
Olsen said. "That's unusual for
him, but he complained about being hungry midway through the game.
So we got
him some candy bars and that seemed to energize him."
A transfer from USD by way of Monte Vista
High, Hemus dominated the majority
of the PCC pitching categories. In addition to being the PCC's
top winner,
Hemus led the conference in strikeouts (107) and innings pitched.
"He was short on his breaking ball
all day," Olsen said. "But he really
wanted it. And he came through."
During Olsen's 19-year tenure, Grossmont
has won 448 games, including a
school-record 15 in a row and a conference-best 21 games this
season.
The Griffins will advance to the Southern
California Regional playoffs May
11, 12 and 13 at a site to be determined. Grossmont will learn
of its
post-season position on Monday night (May 7).
(05-03-01)
ECS.com staff report
EL CAJON - The Grossmont College Griffins
assured themselves of no less than
a share of the Pacific Coast Conference championship when they
edged
upset-minded San Diego City 4-3 on Tuesday (May 1st) at Noel Mickelsen
Field.
Although they have qualified for the state
playoffs for the fifth consecutive
year, the Griffins (32-8, 20-4) need a victory over the Knights
(17-18, 9-15)
in Thursday's (May 3) regular-season finale to claim exclusive
rights to
their first PCC pennant since 1997.
Brandon Hundt came up big for the Griffins
as he struck out a season-high 13
while scattering eight hits en route to his ninth win in 10 decisions.
The
sophomore right-hander, who needed 138 pitches to log his fifth
complete
game, struck out at least one batter in every inning but the first.
Grossmont coach Ed Olsen was quick to share
the credit with his pitching
coach Randy Abshier for the Griffins' success this spring.
"We wouldn't be where we are this year
without the job Randy Abshier has done
with the pitchers," Olsen said. "He's been magnificent.
He's the best
pitching coach I've ever had." And Olsen's had dozens.
The Grossmont pitching staff owns a PCC-best
2.60 ERA and tops the conference
with 300 strikeouts in 349-2/3 innings. Hundt and teammate Jared
Hemus rank
1-2 in nearly every pitching category.
It was Houdini Hundt in the ninth inning against City. After Hundt
retired
the first two batters, Bo Blumenthal singled to left to keep the
Knights
alive. Alex Grivich then doubled over the head of center fielder
Frank
Risner, scoring Blumenthal. But Hundt stranded the potential tying
run at
second base when he struck out pinch hitter Noel Strane to end
the game.
Risner is Grossmont's regular right fielder,
but was forced to play out of
position when the Griffins' starting center-fielder, Travis Udvarhelyi
left
the game in the first inning. Udvarhelyi aggravated a previous
hamstring
injury while running out an infield single.
Offensively Grossmont struggled against
the Knights' Juan Razo, who limited
them to five singles and one earned run while striking out 10.
The Griffins
are sure to see the king of the Knights' pitching staff, when
Sergio Mitre
opposes Hemus in the regular season finale at San Diego State's
Tony Gwynn
Stadium at 2 p.m.
The Griffins have won a school record 14
in a row. Their 20 conference wins
is also a Grossmont season record, but those facts won't mean
quite as much
if the Griffins stumble against the Knights on Thursday.
(05-01-01)
ECS.com staff report
EL CAJON - The odds were against Grossmont
College as the Griffins entered
the final 10 days of the regular season trailing three-time Pacific
Coast
Conference champion Palomar College by one game with four to play.
The Griffins did not spare the dramatics
as they claimed back-to-back one-run
victories over the Comets, including a 5-4 nod over Palomar on
Saturday
(April 28) at Noel Mickelsen Field.
Frank Risner's bad-hop double with two outs
in the bottom of the ninth inning
scored Josh Allen and Ryan Reed with the tying and winning runs
as the
Griffins edged the visiting Comets to take a one-game lead in
the PCC race
with two games to play.
Grossmont (31-8, 19-4), which has won 13
straight, closes the campaign with a
home-and-home series against San Diego City. Palomar completes
the regular
season campaign with games against Imperial Valley Tuesday and
Thursday.
If there is a tie for first place, Palomar
will be the PCC's No. 1
representative to the playoffs because the Comets won the season
series over
the Griffins 3-2.
"Our destiny is in our hands,"
Allen said. "This is about as big a win as you
can get, but we've got to finish the job by winning these next
two games. We
don't want to be co-champions. We want to get a high seed in the
playoffs and
host a series."
After Allen and Reed walked on 3-2 pitches
in the bottom of the ninth, Kip
Hajjar struck out for the second out. Risner then lined a 2-1
pitch to left
field for an apparent single. As Palomar left fielder Kyle Floquet
came up to
field Risner's hit, the ball kangarooed over his head for a two-run
double.
The impetus to Grossmont's victory may have
come in the top of the ninth. The
Comets' Skip Adams was thrown out at the plate attempting to score
on a base
hit by Cliff Hinkle. Left-fielder Hajjar picked up the ball, relayed
it to
second baseman Josh Thomas, who in turn wheeled and threw to Allen
to cut
down Adams at the plate.
"The throw beat (Adams) by about 10
feet," Allen said. "I guess I tagged the
guy out pretty hard. Since it was the third out I just rolled
the ball back
out to the mound. As I headed back to the dugout, I saw all of
our guys
rushing out."
Both benches emptied toward a verbal altercation
involving Adams and
Grossmont pitcher Jared Hemus, who was backing up the plate.
"He said something to me and I said
something back," Hemus recalled. "We were
just exchanging words and mouthing off at each other when the
umpire stepped
in. The next thing I know, the benches emptied and everyone was
out there. I
don't even know what happened. There were some punches thrown,
but I wouldn't
really call it a fight because Skip (Grossmont coach Ed Olsen)
was right
there in the middle, breaking things up."
Nobody was injured and there were no ejections on either team.
"That livened us up real quick,"
Olsen said. "It was a real shot in the arm
as far as momentum goes."
Hemus, who has signed a national letter
of intent with Pepperdine, scattered
six hits and allowed only one earned run while striking out seven
in a
complete game effort. The sophomore southpaw earned his 10th win,
which makes
him the second winningest pitcher in Grossmont history. David
Walling, a
former No. 1 draft pick of the New York Yankees, won 13 games
for the
Griffins in 1997.
"I had decent stuff, a decent change-up,
but my fastball was a little
erratic," Hemus said. "I was hitting my spots when I
needed to, but I didn't
have top velocity. My mechanics were a little messed up."
Hemus said pitching in front of a packed
house at Grossmont Saturday reminded
him of when he picked up the save for coach Mark Smelko's Monte
Vista
Monarchs in the SDCIF championship game victory over USDHS in
1998 at San
Diego State.
"There was a lot of rivalry out there,
and a full crowd," he said. "That's
the best."
Jaime Borruel hit the first of his two solo
home runs in the second inning to
give the Griffins a 1-0 lead. The Comets (30-9, 18-5) countered
with two runs
in the fourth. Floquet singled, Jake Guzman walked, and Hemus
plunked Jesse
Schmidt to load the bases with one out.
Floquet scored the tying run on Adams' sacrifice
fly, and Guzman scored the
go-ahead marker on a Grossmont error.
The Griffins tied it 2-2 in the bottom of
the fourth. Kyle Dennis and
Fernando Cortez both singled, but Thomas hit into a double play,
leaving
Dennis at third and two out. Allen then delivered a clutch single
to pull
Grossmont even.
In the sixth inning Guzman singled to left,
and Schmidt singled to center.
When the Griffins had trouble fielding Schmidt's base hit, Guzman
came in to
score. Adams followed with an RBI single, putting Palomar on top
4-2.
An inning later, Borruel bombed his second
solo homer - a towering shot to
left field - cutting the Comets' advantage to one.
It appeared that Borruel was going to hit
a third round-tripper in the bottom
of the ninth when he followed a lead-off walk to Allen with a
405-foot fly
ball to dead center field. Justin Jennings caught the ball five
feet in front
of the fence for the out, sending Allen scurrying back to first.
Reed then walked on a 3-2 pitch. One out
later, Risner ripped his
game-winning hit.
The Griffins might have had an easier road
to victory had it not been for two
fielding gems by the Palomar outfield. Jennings robbed Allen of
an extra base
hit with a sliding catch against the center field fence in the
second inning,
and
Floquet later took a double away from Thomas as he crashed headlong
into the
left-field fence.
"Those were two terrific defensive
plays that kept them in the ballgame,"
Olsen said. "This is the kind of game that you expect to
see when you have
the top two teams playing for a championship this late in the
season."
(04-28-01)
ECS.com staff report
SAN MARCOS - Even though they might have
felt like it, the Grossmont College
Griffins didn't do any dogpiling in front of the mound following
an emotional
4-3 victory at Palomar on Thursday (April 26).
A post-game celebration might have been
in order, considering the victory
over the Comets left the two teams tied for first place with identical
records - 30-8 overall and 18-4 against Pacific Coast Conference
competition.
"We needed to get this one to make
Saturday's (April 28) game our biggest of
the year," Grossmont sophomore catcher Josh Allen said of
the final meeting
between the Griffins and Comets, slated for noon at Grossmont's
Noel
Mickelsen Field.
The Griffins' latest victory - their 12th
in a row, but only their first in
four tries against Palomar - did not come easy.
Kip Hajjar's line drive single to left field
- with two outs in the top of
the ninth inning - drove in Allen with the winning run.
"Hajjar came up with a big hit,"
Grossmont coach Ed Olsen said of his
left-fielder, a Torrey Pines alum. "But you can't overlook
that perfect
sacrifice bunt by (Ryan) Reed to move Allen into scoring position."
Allen reached base to start the ninth on
an error by Palomar first baseman
Cliff Hinkle. He moved up on Reed's bunt, and advanced to third
when Travis
Udvarhelyi grounded out to second, setting the stage for Hajjar's
game-winning blow.
Grossmont's Brandon Hundt and Palomar's
Eric Human were locked in a
chin-to-chin pitching duel for eight innings.
"Brandon was throwing real well, especially
his slider, which got him a lot
of ground balls," Allen said of Hundt, who allowed three
runs and eight hits
over eight innings while striking out six and walking one. "He
was jamming
people. Even when Palomar got runners in scoring position, he
always came up
big. But he's been pitching well all year. I can't think of an
off game that
he's had."
As sterling as Hundt's performance was against
the Comets, he needed relief
help from Eric Ruiz to nail down his eighth win in nine decisions.
And what a
tightrope walk it was for Ruiz.
The Santana product got two quick outs in
the bottom of the ninth, and that's
when his trouble started. Hinkle beat out an infield grounder
for his fourth
hit in as many at-bats to keep the Comets alive. Justin Jennings
followed
with a base hit, and Ralphie Marin walked on a 3-2 pitch to load
the bases.
"It was pretty questionable whether
Hinkle beat (shortstop Kyle) Dennis'
throw," Allen said. "I know we had (Marin) struck out
on a 2-2 pitch, but
didn't get the call and he ended up walking."
It came down to a showdown between Ruiz
and Granite Hills product Kyle
Floquet, the Comets' hottest hitter. Ruiz jumped in front in the
count 0-2
before coaxing Floquet into a pop-up to first baseman Ricky Frink
to end the
game. It was Ruiz's second save this year.
Grossmont rallied from a 3-1 deficit. Allen
hit a solo homer with two outs in
the fourth inning to make it 3-2. It was the switch-hitting Allen's
eighth
home run of the season, his third from the left side.
"It was a first-pitch fastball,"
Allen said of the Human delivery he
deposited over the right-center field fence.
"Since he's started switch-hitting,
he's made immense improvements with the
bat," Olsen said of Allen, who has signed with San Diego
State.
It was last summer while playing for the
semi-pro Lake Havasu Heat that Allen
began toying with the idea of switch-hitting.
"It was one of Coach Olsen's former
players, (Rick Twyman) who talked me into
trying it," Allen recalled. "I think he heard from my
parents that I used do
some switch-hitting way back in Little League. Since I'd been
struggling from
the right side, I figured it was worth a try."
The experiment obviously was successful,
as Allen batted .460 in 35 games at
Lake Havasu. He's currently batting .375 overall and close to
.400 in PCC
play for the Griffins.
Grossmont welcomed freshman center fielder
Udvarhelyi back to the starting
lineup after a two-week absence due to a hamstring injury. The
Patrick Henry
product was 2-for-3, including an RBI single in the second inning.
He also
walked, and scored the tying run in the fifth.
GRIFFIN GOSSIP
Ø Brandon Hundt has scheduled a recruiting
trip to Washington State
University in Pullman (WA).
Ø LHP Jared Hemus (9-2), who will
oppose Palomar's Jon Fleming in Saturday's
(April 28) rematch has been offered a scholarship to Pepperdine
University.
It is believed however, that Hemus, who has pushed his fastball
up to 94 mph,
will probably be drafted and signed in June.
Ø The Griffins reached the 30-win
plateau for the first time since 1997 when
they finished with 35 victories.
Ø The latest California Community
College Baseball Coaches Association
(CCCBCA) Southern California poll, released on Wednesday (April
25), has
Palomar ranked No. 4 and Grossmont rated No. 9. Santa Ana (30-7),
Riverside
(33-6), and L.A. Harbor (29-5-1) are ranked Nos.1-2-3.
(04-26-01)
ECS.com staff report
EL CAJON - The table is set. The contestants
are Grossmont vs. Palomar. The
stakes are the Pacific Coast Conference championship. Round 1
is Thursday
(April 26) at 2 p.m. in San Marcos. Round 2 is Saturday (April
28) at
Grossmont at noon.
The second-place Griffins (29-8, 17-4) closed
to within one game of
PCC-leading Palomar on Wednesday (April 25) when they defeated
Imperial
Valley 11-4 at Noel Mickelsen Field to sweep the season series
5-0.
It was Grossmont's 11th straight win overall,
and the Griffins 16th victory
in their last 19 starts. They'll be playing a team equally as
hot in Palomar
(30-7, 18-3), which has won eight straight and 18-of-19.
The Comets have captured the last three
PCC titles, and own a 3-0 lead in
this year's season series with the Griffins. All three Palomar
victories over
Grossmont have been impressive - 4-1, 10-4, and 6-0. Eric Human
has been a
thorn in the Griffins' side as he pitched two complete-game victories
for the
Comets. The Griffins made eight errors in their 10-4 loss to the
Comets,
which helped Jon Fleming secure the other victory.
The pitching match-ups for the opener will
pit Grossmont's Brandon Hundt
(7-1) against the Comets' Human on Thursday, and the Griffins'
Jared Hemus
(9-2) against Fleming on Saturday at Grossmont.
Meanwhile, after falling behind IVC 3-0
in the top of the first inning on
Wednesday, the Griffins turned to the long ball to gain the momentum.
Kyle
Dennis belted a three-run homer and Ryan Reed hit a grand slam
during an
eight-run second inning as the Griffins claimed a 9-3 lead.
Jeff Karstens, who was the victim of some
shoddy Grossmont defense that cost
him three runs in the first inning against IVC, never lost his
poise as he
toiled six innings to earn his seventh win in nine decisions.
Relievers Oskar
Diaz and Jeff Hill finished the job.
(04-25-01)
ECS.com staff report
EL CAJON - Pitcher Jared Hemus bit off a
piece of Grossmont College history
Tuesday (April 24) as he joined with two relievers to blank visiting
Imperial
Valley 6-0 on a two-hitter in a Pacific Coast Conference game.
The sophomore southpaw struck out 11 and
allowed only one hit during a
seven-inning stint as he recorded his ninth win in 11 decisions.
The nine
victories ties the Griffins' single season record for victories
by a pitcher.
Larry Sweat (Helix) did it first, in 1970, and Kevin Correia (Grossmont)
matched it in 1999.
Eric Ruiz followed Hemus and pitched a scoreless
eighth, while Brandon Hundt
completed the shutout despite allowing one hit in the ninth.
Grossmont scored all the runs it would need in the third inning,
as Josh
Thomas followed Kip Hajjar's double with his third home run of
the season.
Jaime Borruel added a two-run double in the fifth inning.
Grossmont, which hosts Imperial Valley Wednesday (April 25) at
2 p.m., has
received outstanding pitching all season. The Griffins, in fact,
have not
allowed any kind of run over the last 19 innings while limiting
the
opposition to a total of three hits.
The Griffins (28-8, 16-4) have won 10 straight and 15 of 18. However,
they
need a victory over IVC to keep their chances for a PCC title
alive when they
begin a two-game series against first-place Palomar (30-7, 18-3)
Thursday at
2 p.m. in San Marcos.
The Comets shut out Mesa 4-0 on Tuesday (April 24) for their eighth
straight
win, and 18th in their last 19 games.
(04-24-01)
ECS.com staff report
EL CAJON - The temptation to look ahead
may be the toughest obstacle facing
the Grossmont College baseball team as it hosts Imperial Valley
College in
back-to-back Pacific Coast Conference games Tuesday (April 24)
and Wednesday
(April 25) - both at 2 p.m. - before focusing in on first-place
Palomar.
Palomar (29-7, 17-3) pushed its advantage
over Grossmont to 1 1/2 games with
a 9-2 win over last-place San Diego Mesa on Monday (April 23),
while the
Griffins (27-8, 15-4) were idle. Catcher Jake Guzman (Santana)
contributed an
RBI double to the Comets win, but left fielder Kyle Floquet (Granite
Hills)
saw his 17-game hitting streak end. It was the first time all
season that
Floquet failed to reach base.
It's going to be a busy week in the PCC
for Grossmont. Following the two-game
series with IVC, the Griffins will travel to San Marcos to face
the
first-place Comets on Thursday (April 26), and then host Palomar
on Saturday
(April 28). All weekday games begin at 2 p.m. (regardless of the
site) and
the weekend games begin at noon.
Grossmont closes the campaign against San
Diego City with a two-game set -
May 1st at Grossmont and May 3rd at Morley Field.
Palomar will play Mesa twice before engaging
the Griffins, and then wrap up
the season against IVC.
(04-23-01)
ECS.com staff report
EL CAJON - No doubt there are pitchers who
are physically bigger, and some
who throw harder than Grossmont College's Brandon Hundt. But not
many
community college pitchers in the state have enjoyed more success
than the
6-foot-1, 180-pound sophomore right-hander has of late.
Hundt spun a one-hitter and struck out 10
as the Griffins smothered
Southwestern 10-0 Thursday (April 19) in a key Pacific Coast Conference
encounter at Noel Mickelsen Field. It was the Griffins ninth straight
win and
14th in their last 17 starts.
Not only did the second-place Griffins (27-8,
15-4) remain one game behind
front-running Palomar with six games left, they all but eliminated
Southwestern (19-14, 11-8) from post-season consideration.
Credit Hundt for delivering the knockout
punch to the Apaches. A converted
catcher who transferred from Cal State San Bernardino, Hundt has
not allowed
an earned run in his last 24 innings. As he slapped the handcuffs
on
Southwestern, he lowered his PCC-best ERA to 1.53 and collected
his seventh
win against one loss.
Hundt, who retired the final 10 batters
in order, needed only 104 pitches to
log his third complete game in 10 starts. Only four Apaches reached
base, and
Hundt had only three 3-ball counts all day.
Luis Munoz accounted for Southwestern's
only hit when he doubled into the
right-field corner, only to be thrown out attempting to stretch
it into a
triple in the fourth inning. Right-fielder Ryan Reed retrieved
the ball and
fired to second baseman Josh Thomas, who wheeled and whipped the
relay to
third baseman Fernando Cortez to nail Munoz.
Munoz had reached base in the first inning
when he was hit by a pitch, but
was later cut down attempting to steal. Two other Southwestern
runners got on
base via errors, and one was wiped out by a double play. Thus
Southwestern
was credited with only one man left on base.
Hundt's batterymate Josh Allen put the charge
in the Grossmont offense with a
5-for-5 batting spree that produced 3 RBI and 3 runs scored.
The Griffins, who have scored 76 runs in
their last six games, had all nine
starters contribute to their latest 15-hit attack against three
Apache
pitchers.
Grossmont broke a scoreless deadlock in
the bottom of the fourth inning.
Jaime Borruel walked, Allen and Reed singled to load the bases.
Two outs
later, Kip Hajjar was hit by a pitch for the 13th time this season
to force
in a run. Thomas then hit what appeared to be an inning-ending
groundout to
shortstop, but the ball went right through Mike Acuna's legs,
allowing the
Griffins to score two more runs for a 3-0 lead.
RBI singles by Allen and Ricky Frink helped
the Griffs up their advantage to
7-0 in the fifth. Allen drove in a run with a base hit in the
sixth, and
Frank Risner's two-run single capped the scoring in the eighth.
Southwestern reliever Jason Clemensen threw
four pitches in relief and got
three outs when Frink lined into a 1-3-6 triple play in the eighth
inning.
Grossmont begins a two-game home series
against Imperial Valley on Saturday
(April 21) when Jeff Karstens (6-2, 3.47) opposes the Arabs at
noon. The two
teams will play again on Tuesday (April 24) at 2 p.m.
GRIFFIN GOSSIP
Grossmont sophomore left-hander Jared Hemus
(8-2, 1.66 ERA, 84 strikeouts in
86.2 innings) was named PCC Player of the Week Grossmont pitching
coach
Randy Abshier has been signed as a scout by the Tampa Bay Devil
Rays, but
plans to continue in his role with the Griffins... Grossmont is
ranked 11th
in the latest California Community College Baseball Coaches Association
(CCCBCA) Southern California poll. Palomar is No. 6. Santa Ana
(28-6) is
top-ranked
ELSEWHERE
PCC-leading Palomar continued on a collision
course with Grossmont, as Jon
Fleming and Paul Sweeney combined on a five-hitter as the Comets
clipped San
Diego City 4-0 on Thursday. Catcher Jake Guzman doubled and scored
on Steve
Guthrie's home run in the sixth inning. Palomar left-fielder Kyle
Floquet
(Granite Hills) stretched his hitting streak to 17 games with
a single in his
final at-bat in the win over the Knights. The Comets (28-7, 16-3)
have won
six games in a row and 16 of their last 17.
(04-19-01)
ECS.com staff report
EL CAJON - Although Grossmont College has
won eight in a row and 13 of its
last 16 games, the long ball has not been one of the Griffins'
staples.
Traditionally one of the top home-run hitting teams in the state,
coach Ed
Olsen's club has built its success around pitching and defense
this year.
That wasn't the case in Tuesday's (April
17) Pacific Coast Conference game
against Southwestern, a team known more for its quality pitching
than its
long-ball prowess.
It was not a good day to be a pitcher. Grossmont
slugged a season-high five
home runs to overcome its own shoddy defense and pound out a 15-7
victory
over the visiting Apaches.
Jaime Borruel (Hilltop) led the Griffins'
home run parade with his fourth and
fifth circuit clouts of the season. He blasted a two-run drive
over the
scoreboard in left-center field to cap a seven-run fourth inning
that gave
the Griffins an 11-5 advantage.
The victory kept the Griffins (26-8, 14-4)
on the heels of PCC-leading
Palomar (26-7, 15-3) with seven games remaining in the season.
These two
clubs will meet two more times before the curtain falls on the
campaign. But
before the Griffins can turn their attention to the Comets, they
have home
games against Southwestern on Thursday (April 19), and two against
Imperial
Valley Saturday (April 21) at noon and Tuesday (April 24) at 2
p.m.
The Griffins have won three of four meetings
from the Apaches (19-13, 11-7),
but they had to scramble in their latest effort.
After the Apaches took a 2-0 lead, the Griffins
rocked Southwestern ace Tim
Parker for three home runs in the second inning. Borruel began
the assault on
Parker with a towering drive over the left-field fence. After
Parker retired
the next two hitters, Frank Risner homered to right for his fourth
round-tripper. Ricky Frink followed with a double, and scored
on Kip Hajjar's
third home run of the season, giving Grossmont a 4-2 lead.
In spite of all that firepower, the Griffins'
ace Jared Hemus was unable to
hold the lead, as Southwestern capitalized on a misplayed fly
ball to push
across four runs in the third. Matt Lopez' two-run single to center
tied the
game 4-4. Lopez (Valhalla) eventually scored the go-ahead run
on a single to
right-center by Joel Jerauld (Helix).
Grossmont, which has scored 66 runs in its
last five games, registered the
knockout punch on Parker and reliever Aaron Buch with seven runs
in the
bottom of the fourth. Two errors helped stimulate the Griffins'
big inning.
Back-to-back two-run doubles by Josh Thomas and Kyle Dennis gave
Grossmont an
8-5 lead it wouldn't lose.
Ryan Reed contributed his third home run
of the season, a two-run shot in the
eighth inning.
Hemus picked up his eighth win in 10 decisions,
scattering seven hits while
striking out seven, and allowing only three earned runs over seven
innings.
The Griffins won't have long to celebrate,
however, as the Apaches - who are
three games out of second place and a guaranteed playoff berth
- will be
facing a must-win situation when they visit Noel Mickelsen Field
on Thursday.
One of the reasons for the Griffins' shaky
defensive play is due to the loss
of center-fielder Travis Udvarhelyi. Arguably the fastest man
on the team,
Udvarhelyi is sidelined with a pulled hamstring. His status for
the remainder
of the week is uncertain.
ELSEWHERE
Kyle Floquet (Granite Hills) doubled in
the winning run in Palomar's 3-2 win
over San Diego City Tuesday (April 17) at Tony Gwynn Stadium.
The clutch hit
extended Floquet's hitting streak to 16 games.
(04-17-01)
ECS.com staff report
EL CAJON - To the Grossmont College Griffins,
Saturday's (April 14)
non-conference game in the sun was merely a tune-up for the stretch
run in
the Pacific Coast Conference race.
For the San Diego Heat (9-6), a local semi-pro
team, it was a chance to
spring an upset.
The Griffins (25-8), however, pounded out
15 hits, and their second-line
pitchers dominated as Grossmont cooled the Heat 13-2 at Noel Mickelsen
Field.
It was the seventh-straight win for the Griffins, and their 12th
in 15 games.
Sophomore catcher Josh Allen, who earlier
this week signed a national letter
of intent with San Diego State, paced the Griffins' batting bonanza
with
three hits in as many at-bats. The switch-hitting receiver out
of Helix
scored twice and drove in two runs. That raised Allen's season
average to
.355 and his RBI total to 35. He has 15 extra base hits, including
7 home
runs.
Kyle Dennis was 3-for-6 with 2 RBI, and
Fernando Cortez was 2-for-4 with 2
RBI. Ryan Reed was only 1-for-4, but drove in a game-high 4 runs
for
Grossmont.
Grossmont pitchers Gabe Roberti, Jeff Hill,
Sean Connaghan, and Jesse Brierly
combined to limit the Heat to five hits and one earned run.
All the news wasn't good for the Griffins,
however, as leadoff man Travis
Udvarhelyi suffered a strained leg muscle while stretching a double
into a
triple in the sixth inning. The Griffins' center-fielder remained
in the game
until the eighth inning, when he took himself out.
Grossmont (14-3 in the PCC), will host third-place
Southwestern (19-12, 11-6)
on Tuesday (April 17) and Thursday (April 19). Both games start
at 2 p.m.
The Griffins, who trail first-place Palomar
by one game, will play six of
their final eight conference games in the friendly confines of
Noel Mickelsen
Field.
(04-14-01)
ECS.com staff report
EL CAJON - Rain forced Grossmont College
to make its second trip to Irvine
Valley College in three days, but the extra mileage didn't seem
to bother the
Griffins who defeated the Lasers 7-1 on Wednesday (April 11) for
their sixth
straight win and 11th in the last 13 games.
Pitchers Jared Hemus and Brandon Hundt combined
for 10 strikeouts while
limiting the Lasers to five hits. Hemus worked the first seven
innings,
striking out nine en route to his seventh win in nine decisions.
Irvine
Valley avoided a shutout with an unearned run in the ninth inning
courtesy of
two Grossmont errors.
The Griffins (24-8) pounded out 16 hits,
including seven doubles. Leadoff
man Travis Udvarhelyi set the tone with four hits and two RBI
in six at-bats.
Charlie Teachout went 3-for-5, while Ricky Frink had a pair of
doubles and a
single in four trips. Had the Griffins not hit into three double
plays, the
margin of victory would have been even more one-sided.
Ryan Reed gave Grossmont a 1-0 edge with
an RBI single in the second inning.
The lead eventually swelled to 5-0 on Udvarhelyi's two-run double
in the
fourth inning.
The game was originally scheduled for Tuesday
(April 10) at Grossmont, but
was moved north due to soggy field conditions at Noel Mickelsen
Field.
Grossmont, which trails Palomar by one game
in the Pacific Coast Conference
standings, plays six of its final eight PCC games at home. The
Griffins begin
a stretch of four straight home games on Tuesday (April 17) when
third-place
Southwestern comes to Noel Mickelsen Field at 2 p.m.
(04-11-01)
ECS.com staff report
EL CAJON - Grossmont College coach Ed Olsen
is known for his appreciation of
an old-fashion slugfest.
He got his wish on Monday (April 9) at Irvine Valley College. Sort of.
Despite not hitting a single home run, and
committing five errors, Olsen's
Griffins hammered out a 14-9 non-conference victory over the Lasers.
It was the 10th win in the last 12 games
for the Griffins (23-8), who have
averaged more than 11 runs and 14 hits in their last five starts.
Fernando Cortez has been the driving force
behind Grossmont's recent surge.
The sophomore third baseman is batting at a .593 clip over the
last five
games. In his last three outings, Cortez is batting .765 (13-for-17)
with two
home runs, 10 RBI and 11 runs scored. He had a personal-best five
hits in six
at-bats, scoring four runs and stealing two bases against Irvine
(6-24).
Jaime Borruel banged three doubles to drive
in three runs for Grossmont,
which was to host Irvine Valley in a rematch Tuesday (April 10),
weather
permitting. Josh Thomas also had three RBI for the Griffins.
Jeff Karstens picked up his sixth win in
eight decisions despite giving up
five runs (all unearned) in five innings.
(04-09-01)
ECS.com staff report
EL CAJON - Grossmont College will probably
be sorry that it won't see San
Diego Mesa College anymore this season. That's because the Griffins
have
beaten the Olympians 22 times in a row, dating back to the middle
of the 1997
season.
Grossmont completed a five-game sweep of
Mesa on Thursday (April 5) by
pounding the Olympians 17-2 in a Pacific Coast Conference game
at Noel
Mickelsen Field.
Sophomore catcher Josh Allen led the onslaught
with a second-inning grand
slam and a three-run homer in the third inning, as the Griffins
(22-8, 13-4)
closed to within one game of PCC-leading Palomar (22-7, 14-3).
Allen, who finished the day 4-for-5 with
7 RBI, is batting at a .444 clip
with 3 homers and 9 RBI during the Griffins' current four-game
winning streak.
Third baseman Fernando Cortez continued
to feast on Mesa pitching, as he
cracked a two-run home run in the first inning and completed the
day with 6
RBI in a 4-for-6 effort. In his last two starts against Mesa,
Cortez is
8-for-11 with 2 home runs and 9 RBI.
"He and Allen both have been swinging
the bat well all season," Grossmont
coach Ed Olsen said.
"But the thing about Fernando is he's
just been magnificent at third base. He
made 10 errors in his first 10 games, but he's only made seven
in his last
20. He's making terrific plays and he charges the ball as good
as anybody
I've ever had."
The Griffins rattled off 21 hits against
four Mesa pitchers. Josh Thomas and
Jaime Borruel each contributed three hits to the total, while
Kyle Dennis,
Ryan Reed and Travis Udvarhelyi each had two.
Despite giving up five doubles, including
two to Monte Vista product Mike
Parks, Grossmont right-hander Brandon Hundt (6-1) blanked the
Olympians
(8-21, 2-15) over seven innings, while walking one and striking
out seven.
"They got five doubles off him, but
three of them were to the opposite field
and weren't hit that hard," Olsen said. "Hundt had excellent
location with
his pitches."
Grossmont will take a break from conference
play with a home-and-home series
against Irvine Valley over spring break. The Griffins will travel
to Orange
County to face the Lasers on Monday (April 9) before the two teams
meet in El
Cajon on Tuesday. Both games begin at 2 p.m.
ELSEWHERE
Although catcher Jake Guzman (Santana) collected
two hits, and Kyle Floquet
(Granite Hills) extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a
double for the
Comets, first-place Palomar was shutout by Southwestern's Tim
Parker 2-0 on
Thursday (April 5) in Chula Vista. By snapping the Comets 10-game
winning
streak, the third-place Apaches (19-12, 11-6) remain two games
behind
Grossmont, but closed to within three of Palomar.
(04-05-01)
ECS.com staff report
SAN DIEGO - You won't find a tougher out
in the Pacific Coast Conference than
Grossmont College third baseman Fernando Cortez.
Cortez raised his conference-leading average
to .447 with four hits in five
at-bats as the Griffins rolled over host San Diego Mesa 7-2 on
Tuesday (April
3).
A Helix High alum, Cortez contributed an
RBI single to a four-run second
inning, and then clouted a two-run homer in the seventh as the
second-place
Griffins (21-8, 12-4) remain two games behind PCC leading Palomar.
"USC came down to see Fernando, and
he really showed them something,"
Grossmont College coach Ed Olsen said. "They really like
him, but so does UC
Riverside and San Diego State."
And why shouldn't they? The 6-foot-2, 170-pound
sophomore has 17 extra base
hits and 28 RBI in 129 at-bats.
Another highly sought after Grossmont prospect
is left-handed pitcher Jared
Hemus. The Monte Vista High alum, who transferred to Grossmont
after one year
at USD, scattered eight hits and struck out seven while posting
his sixth win
against two losses.
"The scouts came to see him, too,"
Olsen said. "But then, they always do. He
should have had more than seven strikeouts, but the guy behind
the plate
wouldn't ring anybody up. I know we had some guys struck out but
didn't get
the call, because (catcher Josh) Allen looked over at the dugout
and nodded
that it was a strike."
Oskar Diaz hurled two shutout innings in
relief while striking out three to
preserve the victory.
Jaime Borruel and Kip Hajjar hit solo homers
for the Griffins, who will host
Mesa (8-10, 2-14) on Thursday (April 5)
at 2 p.m.
"There are nine (PCC) games left, so
we've got a shot at the whole thing,"
Olsen said. "But we've got to beat Mesa on Thursday, and
hope that we can get
Palomar the last two times we play them."
Catching the Comets (22-6, 14-2) will be
no easy task. Palomar ran its
winning streak to 10 games with a 9-2 romp over Southwestern on
Tuesday
(April 3). Granite Hills alum Kyle Floquet produced his 10th multiple-hit
game of the season with a 2-for-4 effort to help lead the Comets.
Santana
product Jake Guzman was 2-for-5 with a double and one RBI.
(04-03-01)
ECS.com staff report
EL CAJON - Brandon Hundt returned to the
Grossmont College starting rotation
on Saturday (March 31) and looked as strong as ever.
The senior right-hander, who had been experiencing
some soreness in his arm,
limited visiting San Diego City College to one earned run and
four singles
over 7+ innings, as the Griffins defeated the Knights 7-3 in a
Pacific Coast
Conference game.
The victory enabled the Griffins (20-8,
11-4) to maintain their hold on
second place, one game ahead of Southwestern (18-11, 10-5), which
defeated
San Diego Mesa 11-9 on Saturday. Palomar (21-6, 13-2), which pounded
Imperial
Valley 15-6, continues to lead the PCC pack.
After San Diego City tied the game 3-3 in
the top of the fifth, Fernando
Cortez slashed a leadoff triple down the right field line to ignite
what
proved to be Grossmont's game-winning rally in the bottom of the
inning.
Josh Thomas was hit by a pitch and stole
second. That proved to be a key
theft, as one out later Ricky Frink grounded a ball to Knights'
shortstop
Fransisco Cota that could have resulted in an inning-ending double
play.
Instead, Cota's only play was to first, allowing Cortez to score
the go-ahead
run from third. Josh Allen then drove in Thomas with a base hit
to make it
5-3.
Allen led Grossmont's 11-hit attack with
a 3-for-4 effort. Teammate Travis
Udvarhelyi was 2-for-3, including his second home run of the year,
which
broke a 1-1 tie in the third inning.
Eric Ruiz relieved Hundt with the tying
run at the plate and nobody out in
the eighth. The sophomore right-hander pitched two hitless innings
in relief,
striking out four.
Grossmont's next two PCC games are against
San Diego Mesa. The teams will
play at Mesa on Tuesday (April 3) and at Grossmont on Thursday.
Both games
begin at 2 p.m.
(03-31-01)
ECS.com staff report
EL CAJON - A handful of professional baseball
scouts came to see Grossmont
College's Brandon Hundt pitch on Thursday (March 29) at Noel Mickelsen
Field.
They left disappointed. Not by anything
that Hundt did on the mound. Because
he didn't pitch.
"His arm was still a little sore, so
we weren't going to take any chances,"
Grossmont coach Ed Olsen said. "This is his future we're
talking about. So we
pushed him back a start."
Enter Oskar Diaz. The Griffins' premier
reliever proved he's just as
effective in a starting role as he is as a closer. The sophomore
right-hander
hurled six impressive innings in Grossmont's 12-5 Pacific Coast
Conference
victory over San Diego City College.
"He's been wanting to start all year,"
Olsen said of Diaz (4-1). "But it's
hard to work him in when Hundt, (Jared) Hemus, and (Jeff) Karstens
have been
doing so well. Diaz was surprised when I told him he was going
to start."
Diaz allowed only two runs and eight hits
while walking one and striking out
four in his first starting role of the season.
"He throws a real good slider, keeps the ball down and away," Olsen said.
Karstens, Eric Ruiz and Jesse Brierly pitched
the final three innings in
relief.
The Griffins (19-8, 10-4) took a 2-0 lead
in the third, as Kyle Dennis
singled in one run and Fernando Cortez doubled in another.
The Knights tied it with two in the fourth
before Grossmont broke the game
open with five in the fifth. Josh Allen snapped the 2-2 tie with
his fifth
home run, leading off the inning. Travis Udvarhelyi drew a bases-loaded
walk
to force in a run, and Josh Thomas slashed a two-run single. Udvarhelyi
and
Thomas then executed a double steal, with Udvarhelyi scoring from
third to
cap the inning.
Grossmont added five more runs in the seventh.
Ricky Frink's two-run single
was the key blow.
San Diego City pitchers combined to hit
five batters. The No. 1 target was
sophomore left-fielder Kip Hajjar, who was hit once by each of
the Knights'
three hurlers. Hajjar also had a single and scored three times.
Jaime
Borruel, who was hit three times in a game earlier this season,
was plunked
by SDCC's Chris Blanton. Hajjar and Borruel have both been hit
eight times.
Dan Basso was 2-for-4 with three RBI to pace San Diego City (12-11, 5-9).
In spite of the victory, Grossmont remains
two games behind PCC-leading
Palomar (20-6, 12-2), which defeated Imperial Valley 14-3 on Thursday
(March
29) in the desert. Steve Guthrie drove in four runs with a home
run, two
doubles and a single in five at-bats. Comets catcher Jake Guzman,
a product
of Santana High, hammered a home run and a double to drive in
two runs for
Palomar, which ran its winning steak to eight games.
Left-fielder Kyle Floquet, who had a base
hit and an RBI on the offensive
end, turned in the defensive play of the game for the Comets.
The Granite
Hills alum, racing from left-center field, made a diving catch
in foul
territory in the eighth inning of a game that was virtually over.
(03-29-01)
ECS.com staff report
SAN MARCOS - If Grossmont College could
figure out a way to avoid playing
Palomar, the Griffins would be kings of the hill in the Pacific
Coast
Conference.
For the third time in as many tries this
season, the Griffins came up short
against the Comets as they dropped a 4-1 decision on Tuesday (March
27). That
loss pushed the Griffins (18-8, 9-4) two games behind the front-running
Comets (19-6, 11-2), who have won seven straight and 11 of their
last 12.
Pitcher Eric Human propelled Palomar's latest
effort, as he spun his second
straight complete-game victory over the Griffins despite giving
up eight hits.
Grossmont's only run, which gave the Griffins
a 1-0 lead in the second
inning, began with Frank Risner's two-out single. Human then hit
Ricky Frink,
and Kip Hajjar reached on an error to load the bases. Travis Udvarhelyi
walked on a 3-2 pitch to force in the run.
It was not the best of days for Grossmont
sophomore southpaw Jared Hemus.
Although he limited the Comets to five hits, he only struck out
three, walked
three and hit a batter.
Palomar tied the game in the bottom of the
second as Steve Guthrie tripled
and scored on Jake Guzman's groundout.
In the bottom of the third, Granite Hills
product Kyle Floquet led off with a
bloop single to right. He stole second and eventually scored what
proved to
be the winning run on an error. The Comets made it 3-1 on Skip
Adams' RBI
single later in that inning.
Guzman, a product of Santana High, gave
Palomar an insurance run with an RBI
single in the eighth.
The Griffins return home to host San Diego City College on Thursday
(March
29) at 2 p.m. and Saturday (March 31) at noon.
(03-27-01)
ECS.com staff report
SAN DIEGO - Grossmont College warmed up
for Tuesday's (March 27) Pacific
Coast Conference first-place showdown against Palomar in San Marcos
by
routing the Olympians 13-4 on Monday at San Diego Mesa College.
Seven Griffins contributed to an 18-hit
attack on three Mesa pitchers. Ricky
Frink drove in four runs with his first collegiate homer and a
two-run
double. Leadoff man Travis Udvarhelyi cracked a two-run homer
and a
run-scoring triple in six at-bats. Catcher Josh Allen pounded
out three hits,
as did Fernando Cortez.
Grossmont jumped in front on Frink's two-run
homer in the second inning. The
Griffins broke it open with five runs in the sixth. Frink, again,
was at the
forefront with a two-run double. Udvarhelyi, Kyle Dennis and Cortez
also
drove in runs in that frame, giving Grossmont a 9-1 lead.
The beneficiary of the offensive fireworks
was Grossmont starter Jeff
Karstens, who allowed only three runs and six hits, while collecting
his
fifth win in seven decisions. Jeff Hill, making only his second
appearance,
pitched the final two innings in relief.
Mesa pounded three solo home runs, including one by Helix alum Mike Morstad.
The Griffins (18-7, 9-3) can move into a
tie for the PCC lead if they can
beat Palomar (18-6, 10-2) on Tuesday. Game time is 2 p.m.
(03-26-01)
ECS.com staff report
EL CAJON - Grossmont College built a 4-0
lead over visiting Palomar after
three innings in Saturday's (March 24) battle of Pacific Coast
Conference
frontrunners at Noel Mickelsen Field. And then the wheels came
off.
Not only did the Griffins hit into four
double plays, they undermined the
pitching of ace right-hander Brandon Hundt by committing seven
errors as the
Comets rallied for a 10-4 victory. By winning, Palomar (18-6,
10-2) extended
its lead over the second-place Griffins (17-7, 8-3) to 1 games.
Grossmont capitalized on a Palomar throwing
error to take a 1-0 lead in the
first inning, and then made it 3-0 in the second inning when Josh
Allen
singled and Ryan Reed hammered his second home run of the season
over the
left field fence.
The Griffins had a chance to break the game
open in the third. Fernando
Cortez ignited the rally as he doubled and advanced to third on
a wild pitch.
Palomar starter and winner, Jon Fleming then hit Josh Thomas with
a pitch to
put runners at the corners. With one out, Cortez scored on Allen's
sacrifice
fly to make it 4-0.
Thomas advanced to second on a wild pitch
as Frank Risner worked the count to
3-0. As Risner was taking ball four, Thomas was being thrown out
attempting
to steal third, to end the inning.
After that, momentum seemed to take up residence
in the Palomar dugout, as
the Comets collected their sixth straight win.
Left-fielder Kyle Floquet, a Granite Hills
alum, went 3-for-4, driving in
three runs and scoring three to spearhead the Comets' comeback.
He reached
base on an infield hit in the sixth and eventually scored what
proved to be
the winning run on Ralphie Marin's sacrifice fly.
In his last six games, Floquet is batting
.722 (13-for-18), with three
doubles, six RBI, six runs, a walk, and is 5-for-5 in stolen bases.
Ironically, Palomar tied the game on the
strength of another former East
County star. Catcher Jake Guzman, a product of Santana High, ripped
an RBI
double in the fifth inning to pull Palomar even at 4-4.
The Griffins can pick up a half game on
the idle Comets if they can beat Mesa
in a rain-makeup on Monday (March 26) on the Olympians' field
at 2 p.m.
Grossmont travels to San Marcos on Tuesday (March 27) to face
the Comets at 2
p.m.
(03-24-01)
ECS.com staff report
IMPERIAL - A three-run eighth inning enabled Grossmont College
to register a
come-from-behind 5-3 Pacific Coast Conference victory over host
Imperial
Valley College Thursday (March 22).
Kip Hajjar's two-run double capped the eighth inning comeback
as the Griffins
(17-6, 8-2) won their fifth straight and maintained a share of
the PCC lead
with Palomar.
The Comets clipped San Diego Mesa 4-3 on Thursday, as former
Granite Hills
standout Kyle Floquet went 2-for-4 with one RBI.
Jared Hemus turned in another overpowering pitching performace
for the
Griffins, as he scattered eight hits, walked one and struck out
six while
rolling his record to 5-1 with a complete-game effort against
the Arabs.
Grossmont hosts Palomar Saturday (March 24) in a battle of
frontrunners at
noon.
(03-22-01)
ECS.com staff report
EL CAJON - Grossmont College and Palomar
are running neck and neck in the
Pacific Coast Conference, with Southwestern standing in striking
distance two
games back.
Of course none of the other three can be
counted out, although Mesa has
fallen six games off the pace. San Diego City and Imperial Valley
are four
steps back.
The Griffins (16-6, 7-2) overcame a 7-3
deficit by scoring seven runs in
their final three turns at bat Tuesday (March 20) to defeat visiting
Imperial
Valley 10-8.
Designated hitter Ryan Reed led the way
for the Griffins, driving in four
runs with his first collegiate home run and a pair of singles.
He also scored
three times.
With the score tied 7-7, Josh Allen led
off the Grossmont eighth with a base
hit to left field. He eventually stole second, and scored on Reed's
two-out
single to center to give the Griffins the lead. Kip Hajjar followed
with a
double to center, scoring Reed. Hajjar came home when Travis Udvarhelyi
ripped a line drive off first baseman Cory Moreno's glove. That
put Grossmont
on top 10-7.
Fernando Cortez ignited the Grossmont comeback
when he followed Kyle Dennis'
leadoff single by cracking a 2-0 pitch over the right-field fence
for his
fourth home run of the season to cut IVC's advantage to 7-5. Cortez
also
contributed an RBI single in the seventh when Grossmont capitalized
on an
error to tie the game.
Shoddy fielding by the Griffins led to an
abbreviated pitching performance by
Brandon Hundt, who was saddled with five unearned runs in his
5+ innings.
Reliever Oskar Diaz picked up the pieces and limited the Arabs
(7-10, 4-6) to
one run and four hits while striking out five in four innings.
He was
rewarded with his third win against one loss.
These teams will meet again on Thursday (March 22) at 2 p.m. in Brawley.
ELSEWHERE:
Granite Hills alum Kyle Floquet ripped two
doubles, scored twice, drove in a
run and stole two bases to help lead visiting Palomar past Mesa
9-4 on
Tuesday (March 20). Comets catcher Jake Guzman (Santana) had a
double and
scored a run in five at-bats.
(03-20-01)
ECS.com staff report
EL CAJON - Although Grossmont College coach
Ed Olsen was concerned that his
Griffins might be a little bit suspect in their hitting abilities
at the
outset of the season, he has to be pleased with the results as
the Pacific
Coast Conference reached the one-third mark on Monday (March 19).
Shortstop Kyle Dennis drove in five runs,
and Jeff Karstens pitched eight
solid innings as the Griffins defeated visiting San Diego Mesa
11-2 to move
into a tie with Palomar for the PCC lead.
Grossmont leads the conference in team batting
with a .311 average, and in
home runs with 19. They also lead the circuit with a 2.67 team
ERA.
Trailing 2-0, the Griffins tied the game
as Dennis, a Santana alum, ripped
his third home run of the season off former West Hills left-hander
Tim Tisch
with Travis Udvarhelyi on base.
The Griffins continued their assault on
Tisch in the fifth inning. Josh Allen
singled and advanced to third when Tisch uncorked back-to-back
wild pitches.
Ricky Frink then singled Allen home, giving Grossmont a 3-2 lead.
After walks
to Kip Hajjar and Dennis loaded the bases, Fernando Cortez singled
to center,
giving the Griffins (15-6, 6-2) a three-run cushion.
Two-run singles by Dennis and Charles Teachout
keyed a five-run seventh as
Grossmont broke the game open, 10-2.
In the eighth inning Dennis capped his big
day with a sacrifice fly to
conclude the scoring. He drove in runs in four different innings.
Karstens limited the Olympians (7-13, 1-7)
to five hits and one earned run,
as he ran his record to 4-2.
Grossmont hosts Imperial Valley Tuesday
(March 20), and then ventures to
Brawley to face IVC again on Thursday (March 22). Both games start
at 2 p.m.
The Griffins will host Palomar on Saturday (March 24) at noon,
and then in a
rain-makeup, will travel to San Diego Mesa on Monday (March 26)
for a 2 p.m.
game.
(03-19-01)
ECS.com staff report
EL CAJON - Several major league baseball
scouts were on hand at Grossmont
College Thursday (March 15) to check out Griffins left-handed
pitcher Jared
Hemus.
Hemus didn't disappoint his audience or
his teammates, as he fired a complete
game four-hitter, carrying Grossmont to a 5-1 Pacific Coast Conference
victory over visiting Southwestern College.
"He had a great fastball, and for the
first five innings, had an awesome
curveball," Grossmont coach Ed Olsen said. "He's been
running the ball up
there 88-91 (mph) consistently."
And the scouts have taken notice.
"There were scouts from the Yankees,
Devil Rays, St. Louis and a few others
out there today," said Olsen, who believes Hemus will be
selected someplace
during the first 10 rounds of the June draft.
Hemus walked three, struck out eight, and
the Apaches' run was unearned. He
threw 135 pitches.
Sophomore switch-hitting catcher Josh Allen
supplied the key blow with a
sixth-inning grand slam that gave Grossmont a 5-0 lead. The home
run - his
fourth of the year - came with Fernando Cortez (single), Josh
Thomas (walk),
and Jaime Borruell (single) on base.
"He hit it from the left side,"
Olsen said of the ball Allen deposited over
the right field fence.
The Griffins (13-6, 5-2) took a 1-0 lead
in the fourth inning when Cortez
doubled and scored on a single by Thomas.
ELSEWHERE:
Palomar College maintained its PCC lead
with a 5-0 victory over San Diego
City College. Former Santana High standout Jake Guzman, who hit
for the
cycle and drove in eight runs in the Comets' 17-3 win over Imperial
Valley
College on Wednesday (March 14), went 2-for-3 with two doubles
and two RBI in
the victory over SDCC Thursday (March 15).
Kyle Floquet (Granite Hills) went 3-for-3
with a pair of RBI and a stolen
base against the Knights, as the Comets improved to 6-2 in the
conference and
14-6 overall. They hold a half game lead over the second-place
Griffins.
(03-15-01)
ECS.com staff report
SANTEE - For the first time in nine games,
the Grossmont College offense short-circuited. That is, in their
latest outing the Griffins hitters couldn't find home plate.
Grossmont had scored 38 runs in its first four games of the season,
and averaged 8.6 runs in its first eight starts. None of those
numbers impressed the Ventura College Pirates, however.
Ventura handed the Griffins a 4-1 loss in Friday's (Feb. 16) opening round of the Glendale Invitational at Glendale College as dozens of pro baseball scouts looked on.
The Pirates pinned the loss on Grossmont
ace Jared Hemus, who struggled early but lacked support as his
record dipped to 2-1.
(02-16-01)
Game of Tuesday, March 13
ECS.com staff report
CHULA VISTA - Southwestern reliever Aaron
Buch put the freeze on the
Grossmont College offense Tuesday (March 13), as the Apaches snapped
the
Griffins three-game winning streak 4-3 in 10 innings.
Buch, a 6-foot-2, 195-pound right-hander
from Alaska, blanked the Griffins on
five hits over the final 6-2/3 innings to secure his second win
in as many
decisions.
Despite the loss, however, the Griffins
(12-6, 4-2) remain tied with Palomar
(12-6, 4-2) for the Pacific Coast Conference lead.
The Griffins jumped on Southwestern starter
Jason Clemensen for three runs
and six hits in 3-1/3 innings. Fernando Cortez and Jaime Borruell
drove in
runs in the opening frame, but Southwestern tied it on Sam Craig's
two-run
double in the bottom of the first.
Grossmont regained the lead 3-2 in the fourth
when Josh Allen doubled to
right and scored on Ricky Frink's single. That finished Clemensen,
but
unfortunately for the Griffins, it also brought in Buch from the
bullpen.
Grossmont pitcher Brandon Hundt maintained
that one-run advantage until two
outs in the eighth inning, when he walked Craig, gave up a single
to Valhalla
alum Matt Lopez, and then loaded the bases by walking Tony Santana.
Grossmont coach Ed Olsen brought in premier
reliever Oskar Diaz at that
juncture. Helix alum Joel Jerauld drew a walk off Diaz to force
in the tying
run.
Diaz escaped further damage and then retired
the first two batters he faced
in the bottom of the tenth. But an error opened the door for the
Apaches.
After Santana reached base on the miscue, Jelani Cunningham (Monte
Vista)
walked. That set the stage for Erik Godoy's game-winning single
to
center-field, which scored Santana.
Game of Friday, March 9
ECS.com staff report
BRAWLEY - Grossmont College baseball coach
Ed Olsen said that pitcher Jeff
Karstens' numbers were better than the boxscore from Friday's
(March 9)
Pacific Coast Conference 13-4 win at Imperial Valley indicates.
"If our outfielders didn't misjudge
so many fly balls, it would have proven
how well Karstens really pitched," the Griffins' skipper
said. "As it was, it
took him only 109 pitches to go nine innings."
Karstens (3-2), a freshman right-hander
out of Mount Miguel, was tagged for
three earned runs and eight hits. He walked three and struck out
four as the
Griffins won their third straight game.
Although Olsen continues to complain about
the Griffins inability to drive in
runs, Grossmont pounded out 16 hits and was credited with 12 RBI
in its
latest conquest.
Nevertheless, the Griffins stranded a dozen
base-runners at IVC, and are on
course to set a dubious school record for LOB.
"We're still missing too many scoring
opportunities," Olsen insisted. "I
don't know what it is, but we're just not hitting with men in
scoring
position."
Kyle Dennis and Fernando Cortez hit solo
home runs while Ricky Frink chased
home three runs with a pair of singles.
Cortez feasted on IVC pitching for four
hits and scored four times in six
at-bats. Center-fielder Travis Udvarhelyi was 3-for-6 for the
Griffins.
Grossmont, which is tied with Palomar for
the PCC lead, was scheduled to play
at San Diego Mesa on Saturday (March 10) at 2 p.m., weather permitting.
(03-09-01)
Game of Friday, Feb. 9
ECS.com staff report
SANTEE - Grossmont College continued to receive quality pitching Friday (Feb. 9) as the Griffins opened the Apache Classic with a pair of victories over San Bernardino Valley College, 8-6 and 4-3.
One of the more interesting twists to the
Apache Classic is that the Griffins were scheduled to play all
four of their games in the tournament at Grossmont College. Inclement
weather forced a change in plans, and the Griffins wound
up traveling to San Bernardino to play a double-header against
the Indians in the opening round of the Apache Classic, which
is sponsored by Southwestern College.
Meanwhile Brandon Hundt won his second straight start, allowing only 5 hits and one run while striking out 5 during a seven-inning stint. Right-fielder Frank Risner drove in 2 runs with a double and his second home run of the season. Ricky Frink was 3-for-5 with 3 RBI.
The nightcap belonged to Grossmont southpaw
Jared Hemus, who struck out 13 and scattered 6 hits in a complete
game performance. Hemus' batterymate, Josh Allen, broke a 3-3
tie with an RBI single in the ninth inning to score Kip Hajjar
from second base. Allen and Hajjar had 2 hits apiece for Grossmont,
which improved to 6-0.
ECS.com staff report
SAN DIEGO - Jared Hemus limited San Diego City College to six singles as visiting Grossmont College blanked the Knights 5-0 Wednesday (March 7) in a Pacific Coast Conference game at Morley Field.
It was the third win in four decisions for Hemus, who needed only 120 pitches to complete the job. He walked one and struck out five.
"He had great control, kept the ball down," Grossmont coach Ed Olsen said of his sophomore left-hander.
The Griffins (11-5, 3-1) produced all the runs they would need in the fourth inning. Josh Allen tripled and scored on Josh Thomas' single. Kyle Dennis followed with an RBI single later in the inning to make it 2-0.
Grossmont collected 12 hits and four walks, but left 13 runners on base - a fact that Olsen found trendfully alarming.
"We have some pretty good averages,
but we're having trouble driving in runs," Olsen said. "Our
No. 2 hitter (Kyle Dennis) has 15 RBI to lead the team. And we're
not hitting the long ball with any consistency (14 home runs in
16 games)."
(03-07-01)
ECS.com staff report
EL CAJON - Brandon Hundt showed the visiting San Diego Mesa College Olympians why he's the leading pitcher in the Pacific Coast Conference on Monday (March 5) at Noel Mickelsen Field.
Hundt, a sophomore transfer from Cal State-San Bernardino, made his fourth start and delivered his fourth win, as the Griffins clubbed the Olympians 13-3. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound right-hander allowed two earned runs and seven hits over seven innings while striking out five. Hundt has a PCC-best 1.20 ERA over 30 innings.
Sophomore Eric Ruiz spun two shutout innings in relief to secure the Griffins' second PCC win in three starts. Grossmont is 10-5 overall.
The Griffins raked three Mesa pitchers for
15 hits, including a three-run homer by Jaime Borruel that staked
Grossmont to a 3-0 lead in the third inning. Josh Allen hit a
solo homer - his third of the season - in the eighth
inning.
Grossmont broke the game open in the fourth
frame. After Josh Thomas singled and Allen doubled, Ricky Frink
and Kip Hajjar followed with RBI singles to
make it 5-0. Kyle Dennis capped the inning with a sacrifice fly.
Frink's two-run single gave Grossmont an 8-1 lead in the fifth.
Monte Vista alum Mike Parks was the only Olympian to garner more than one hit, as he had a single and a double.
GROSSMONT COLLEGE BASEBALL
ECS.com staff report
MONTEREY PARK - For one of the few times this season, Grossmont College's pitchers failed to protect a lead.
Jose Morales' three-run homer off reliever Jesse Brierly in the bottom of the seventh gave host East Los Angeles College a come-from-behind 6-4 victory over the Griffins Tuesday (Feb. 20). Morales finished 3-for-4 with 5 RBI.
The Griffins had built a 4-1 lead after
4 innings for starter Pete Malloy.
East L.A., which had beaten the Griffins 6-4 in the finals of
the Apache Classic earlier this month, chased Malloy with two
runs in the bottom of the fifth. Brierly blanked the Huskies (7-6)
in the sixth inning before running into trouble in the seventh.
Josh Allen keyed a two-run second inning with his second home run of the season for Grossmont, and Fernando Cortez was 3-for-5 with a double, a triple and two RBI. Josh Thomas and Travis Udvarhelyi contributed two singles apiece to Grossmont's 10-hit attack. Thomas also had an RBI on a sacrifice fly.
After starting the season with seven straight
wins, the Griffins have hit the skids for four losses in their
last five games. That's not a good sign, considering Grossmont
opens the Pacific Coast Conference campaign when it hosts San
Diego Mesa at noon on Saturday (Feb. 24).
(02-20-01)
ECS.com staff report
EL CAJON - After lengthy rain delays, Grossmont College finally launched its Pacific Coast Conference season with a 4-2, 10-inning victory at Southwestern on Friday (March 2).
It didn't take the Griffins long to return to reality as they suffered a 6-0 loss at Palomar on Saturday (March 3) in San Marcos.
In the victory over Southwestern, Grossmont took a 2-0 lead on Fernando Cortez's two-run home run in the first inning. But the Griffins failed to score in their next eight turns at bat. Even the 10th-inning rally was keyed by a Southwestern throwing error.
The Griffins wasted another strong pitching performance by Jared Hemus, who carried a shutout into the eighth inning. The Apaches put together two walks, a base hit and an error to tie it 2-2 in the eighth.
Grossmont missed a chance to win it in the ninth when Charles Teachout doubled and was thrown out at the plate attempting to score on Kyle Dennis' single.
Cortez was 3-for-5, while reliever Oskar Diaz (2-0) got the win for Grossmont.
In the loss to Palomar, the Griffins collected 10 hits but failed to score against Comets' ace Eric Human (2-2). It was Human's second shutout of the season.
Travis Udvarhelyi had three of Grossmont's hits against Human. The Griffins loaded the bases in the ninth inning, but failed to score when Ryan Reed took a called third strike to end the game.
It was another case of no support for Grossmont
starter Jeff Karstens, who surrendered four runs and seven hits
in the first two innings before slapping the shackles on the Comets
over the next six frames. After the rocky start, Karstens (2-2)
limited Palomar to one hit while walking two and striking out
five.
(03-03-01)
Glendale Invitational (Feb. 16-18)
ECS.com staff report
SANTEE - As advertised, pitching is Grossmont College's greatest strength.
While the Griffins received back-to-back-to-back powerful starting performances from Jared Hemus, Brandon Hundt and Jeff Karstens, the lack of timely hitting - coupled with some critical defensive lapses - permitted Grossmont to win only one of three games at the Glendale Invitational (Feb. 16-18).
Hundt ran his record to 3-0 with a complete game performance in the Griffins' 7-2 victory over San Diego Mesa in the middle game of the tournament on Saturday. The 6-foot-1 sophomore right-hander scattered 6 hits and struck out 10.
The Griffins (8-3) had to come from behind to beat the Olympians (7-4) as they erased a 2-0 deficit with 5 runs in the bottom of the second inning. The key blow was Kyle Dennis' 2-run double. The sophomore shortstop later drove in a third run with a sacrifice fly. Second baseman Josh Thomas stroked an RBI-triple.
In Sunday's finale, Karstens, a freshman out of Mount Miguel, had a one-hitter going through six innings against host Glendale. But he wound up suffering his first loss in three decisions despite allowing only 4 hits and 2 earned runs, while striking out 9 in seven innings.
"Karstens pitched a fabulous ball game," Grossmont coach Ed Olsen said. "The game was tied in the seventh inning (1-1) and he got unlucky. They didn't hit one ball hard."
Karstens gave up a slap hit on an 0-2 pitch, and then was victimized by a misplayed ball that was ruled a double. At that point Olsen ordered an intentional walk (Karstens' only free pass in the game) to fill the bases.
"Then he jams the next guy, who manages to get a Texas leaguer to bring in one run," Olsen lamented. "Then the play that breaks our back is we boot a double-play ball at third base, and two more runs score."
Reliever Erik Ruiz blanked the Vaqueros (8-1) on one hit over the final two innings.
Grossmont was limited to eight singles. Josh Allen, Frank Risner and Travis Udvarhelyi contributed two apiece.
"Glendale is a very good ball club with good pitching," Olsen said. "But we swung at a lot of bad pitches - all weekend."
It started on Friday when Ventura capitalized
on errors and lackluster hitting to beat Hemus 4-1.
(02-18-01)
ECS.com staff report
VICTORVILLE -- Grossmont College swept to four straight victories to capture the High Desert Classic championship this weekend (Feb. 2-3) in the season opening event at Victor Valley College.
After blowing away Antelope Valley and Barstow in Friday's opening round, the Griffins mauled Mount San Antonio College 11-3 and host Victor Valley 9-7 on Saturday.
"The defensive play in our infield was just magnificent," Grossmont coach Ed Olsen said. "We only made two errors in our first four games."
Olsen was equally as elated by the Griffins' pitching, especially in the first three games, when Grossmont surrendered just two earned runs while striking out 36 and walking only two.
Freshman right-hander Jeff Karstens (Mount Miguel HS) limited Mt. SAC to 5 hits and one earned run while striking out 6 over seven innings. Reliever Pete Malloy (Patrick Henry HS) pitched the final two innings and struck out 3.
The Griffins pounded out 9 doubles in the victory over Mt.
SAC, including a Grossmont-record-tying 4 by shortstop Kyle Dennis,
a 1999 Santana alum.
Right-fielder Frank Risner was 4-for-5 with 2 doubles and a home
run, while Jaime Borruel was 3-for-5 with a home run and 4 RBI
against the Mounties.
Grossmont totaled 18 hits against Mt. SAC pitching.
In the title bout against Victor Valley, the Griffins received three strong innings from starter Jesse Brierly. The Helix alum allowed only one hit and one unearned run before Olsen decided to give his bullpen some work.
"Our pitching broke down a little bit in the last game," Olsen admitted. "But we still hit the ball pretty well."
Dennis led the Griffins' onslaught with a 2-for-4 effort, including
a home run, 2 RBI, 2 runs and a stolen base. Travis Udvarhelyi
(Patrick Henry HS) was 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles, a walk,
4 runs scored and 3 stolen bases.
Fernando Cortez (Helix) was 2-for-4 with 2 RBI.
Several Griffins enjoyed offensive bonanzas in the opening
tournament. Dennis batted .556 (10-for-18) with 5 doubles, 5 runs
and 4 RBI. Borruel was 6-for-14 (.429) with a home run and 5 RBI,
while Udvarhelyi was 8-for-19 (.421) with 3 doubles, a triple,
7 runs and 4 stolen bases.
(02-03-01)
ELSEWHERE
Santana alum Jake Guzman went 2-for-3 with a double and 4 RBI
to lead Palomar College to a 6-5 victory over Los Angeles Pierce
on Sunday (Feb. 4) in the finals of the Palomar Invitational.
Granite Hills alum Kyle Floquet, the Comets' left fielder, was
1-for-3 with a double and an RBI.
(02-04-01)
ECS.com staff report
BARSTOW -- Historically, Grossmont College has been known for its long-ball hitting. That is the phase of the game that coach Ed Olsen teaches best. But the veteran skipper has changed his focus as he enters his 19th season at the Griffins' helm.
Pitching and defense figure to be the Griffins' strengths this season. On opening day Friday (Feb. 2) pitching was clearly Grossmont's greatest attribute, as the Griffins swept a High Desert Classic double-header over Antelope Valley 7-3 and host Barstow 11-0.
Jared Hemus, a Monte Vista alum who transferred
from the University of San Diego, made his flame-throwing debut
for the Griffins -- one that won't be forgotten too soon. The
hard-throwing left-hander struck out 14 as the Griffins cut down
Antelope Valley. Jaime Borruel led the Grossmont offense with
3 hits and 4 at-bats against AVC.
Josh Thomas, the Griffins sophomore second baseman, isn't known
for his power. But the Grossmont High graduate was 2-for-4 with
a home run and 3 RBI as the Griffins rode the overpowering pitching
of Brandon Hundt to blank Barstow. Kip Hajjar went 3-for-5 with
a home run and 3 RBI for the Griffins, who also benefited from
Charles Teachout's two-run homer.
(02-02-01)