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2004 GROSSMONT
COLLEGE BASEBALL
EastCountySports.com
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2004 COMMUNITY COLLEGE BASEBALL
PACIFIC COAST CONFERENCE STANDINGS
(thru 05-06-04)
Conference Overall
W L W L
Southwestern 21 4 27 11
Palomar 15 10 21 14
Grossmont 14 11 19 17
San Diego Mesa 10 15 13 22
San Diego City 9 16 18 18
Imperial Valley 6 19 10 25
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Olsen
retires after 22 seasons, 516 wins at Griffins' post
EastCountySports.com
EL CAJON - Those who know him tease veteran baseball coach ED
OLSEN (left) - a batting instructor extraordinaire - that
seven of the nine players he sent to the major leagues during
his 22 seasons at Grossmont College were pitchers. That 7-2 ratio
merely shows Olsen-s overall knowledge of the strike zone and
batting counts. Not one to brag, Olsen is proud of what his teams,
players and assistant coaches have achieved. Given that he-s been
involved in the National Pastime for 48 years, the list of honors
is seemingly endless. Clearly an East County icon, Olsen has resigned
as the Griffins coach effective immediately.
"It's a combination of things," Olsen said as his reasons
for stepping down. "I'm dead tired. I can no longer devote
the time it takes to be the kind of coach I want to be. It's time
to let somebody else take over.
"And I can't think of anybody more qualified that I'd want
to be head coach than RANDY ABSHIER (the Griffins' pitching coach
of the last four years). He is a knowledgeable young man, even
tempered - unlike me - and works well with people. I know he will
do a great job to keep the program going in the right direction."
Olsen's legacy includes a 516-373-7 record at Grossmont College,
which places him among the all-time Top 10 winningest community
college coaches in the state. On top of that are the 380 wins
he garnered in the high school ranks, including 10 varsity seasons
at El Capitan (1972-81).
"Ed can be a little rough around the edges," Abshier
said. "But his reputation speaks for itself. He has a knack
to make all those who have played for him better ballplayers."
Education and professionalism are foremost with the 71-year-old
Olsen, who will continue to teach at Grossmont College for another
year and then most likely focus his full attention on scouting
for the Atlanta Braves.
"I'm proud of what I've done in baseball," said Olsen,
who has helped 318 of his players reach the four-year college
ranks.
The list of Olsen's pro promotions includes Atlanta All-Star second
baseman Marcus Giles, Rockies pitcher Joe Kennedy, Angels pitcher
Matt Hensley, and Giants pitcher Kevin Correia, Athletics
pitcher Steve Phoenix, Minnesota outfielder John Barnes, Dodgers
pitchers Mike Hartley and Mike Judd, as well as White Sox pitcher
Tom Fordham.
(09-14-04)
Five Griffins are first-team All-PCC choices;
four more east players tabbed
EastCountySports.com
(Modified 5-13-04) LA MESA - Despite
missing a trip to the Southern California Regionals by one game,
the Grossmont College Griffins earned five first-team berths and
three honorable mention slots on the 2004 All-Pacific Coast Conference
baseball team. Three other East County players were also recognized
in balloting conducted by the six conference head coaches.
Griffins named to the first team included designated hitter JARED
BIRRENKOTT (Granite Hills), outfielder RYAN BUCKLEY (Granite Hills),
third baseman ANTHONY STABILE (USDHS), pitcher ADAM LAWFORD (Hilltop),
and utilityman ROBBY SCOTT (University City). All are sophomores
except the freshman Scott.
Birrenkott, who batted .371 (53-for-143) with 7 home runs and
41 RBI, was named to the first team for the second straight season.
The catcher/first-baseman will attend San Jose State via scholarship
next season.
Stabile earned the PCC's overall batting champion title with a
(revised) mark of .429 (60-for-125), six home runs and 39 RBI.
Lawford (5-4, 2.89 ERA), regarded as Grossmont's best bet in next
month's draft, moved up from an honorable mention choice as a
freshman to first team this spring.
The speedy Buckley, nagged by a hamstring pull much of the season,
still produced a .336 average (43-for-128).
Grossmont's honorable mention trio consists of infielder STEVE
BOGGS (USDHS), pitcher JAMESON HESTER (Mission Bay) and first
baseman ZACH MACEDO. Boggs and Hester are freshmen.
Other East County players picked to the PCC honor squad were:
Southwestern sophomore outfielder SCOTT DEEN (El Capitan) freshman
pitcher MIKE McDOLE (Monte Vista) and second baseman BOBBY ARMSTRONG
(Granite Hills); and Palomar shortstop AARON GARCIA (Grossmont).
Southwestern College sophomore left-hander Jack Spradlin (7-1),
who posted a state-best 0.58 ERA in 93 innings, was voted the
PCC Player of the Year. The Jaguars coined the state's lowest
team ERA of 1.78.
The Jaguars long-time mentor Jerry Bartow was named the PCC Coach
of the Year for leading Southwestern to its sixth conference championship
during his 29-year tenure.
NEW PLAYOFF TIMES: The Jaguars (25-11), seeded No.6, host Mt.
San Antonio (22-14) at noon while Palomar (21-14) travels to Torrance
to take on No. 5 seeded El Camino (28-6) at 1 p.m. in Saturday's
(May 15) opening round of the Southern California Regionals.
(05-11-04/Revised 05-13-04)
2004 ALL-PACIFIC COAST CONFERENCE BASEBALL TEAM
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Jack Spradlin, Southwestern
COACH OF THE YEAR
Jerry Bartow, Southwestern
First Team
Jack Spradlin Southwestern Pitcher
Brandon Adams Palomar Pitcher
Mike Crook Southwestern Pitcher
Adam Lawford Grossmont Pitcher
Arthuro Reyes Southwestern Relief Pitcher
Dylan Parzyk Palomar Catcher
Pat Bedford Imperial Valley Catcher
Ryan Martin San Diego Mesa First Baseman
Erich Kemp Palomar Infielder
Anthony Stabile Grossmont Infielder
Kyle Martin San Diego Mesa Infielder
Marco Villezcas Southwestern Infielder
Aaron Garcia Palomar Infielder
Jorge Andrade San Diego City Infielder
Scott Deen Southwestern Outfielder
Carlos Ibarra Southwestern Outfielder
Ryan Buckley Grossmont Outfielder
Terry Moritz Palomar Outfielder
David Santana Imperial Valley Outfielder
Brett Cochran Imperial Valley Outfielder
Jared Birrenkott Grossmont Designated Hitter
Robby Scott Grossmont Utility
HONORABLE MENTION
Southwestern: Jorge Bravo, 3B; Bobby Armstrong, 2B; David
Lievanos, 1B; Adrian Molina, OF.
Palomar: Joey Burke, 2B; Chris Sweeney, UT; Kenoli Fonseca,
OF; Sean Murphy, P; Andrew Thomson, P; Shane Thompson, OF.
Grossmont: Steve Boggs, OF; Jameson Hester, P; Zach Macedo,
1B.
San Diego Mesa: Danny Silvas, P; Michael Martinez, OF.
San Diego City: Brandon Thorpe, 1B; Rick Mendoza, 3B; Sean
Sivers, P; Neftali Lizarraga, OF.
Imperial Valley: Eduardo Castro, P/1B; Aaron Hartsock, P/OF.
Lawford tosses three-hitter to sink City;
playoff picture remains unclear
EastCountySports.com
EL CAJON - Grossmont College saved one of its finest performances
of the 2004 season for the final game of the Pacific Coast Conference
campaign Thursday (May 6). Sophomore pro prospect ADAM LAWFORD
pitched a 3-hit shutout while striking out 10 in an 8-0 victory
over visiting San Diego City College.
Despite finishing the regular season by winning 8 of its last
9 games, Grossmont (19-17, 14-11) figures to be on the sidelines
when the SoCal Regionals begin next week. There is a slight chance
that the Griffins could crash the party by gaining an at-large
berth. For that to happen, second-place Palomar (21-14, 15-10)
must be forced to play a protested game against PCC champion Southwestern
on Saturday (May 8) - and lose. Whether that game will be resumed
from the point of protest - with the score tied 0-0 - is debatable.
Palomar was originally the 5-3 winner.
But before that game is resumed, Grossmont may have to take another
trip to Imperial Valley to finish a protested encounter with the
Arabs. PCC commissioner FELIX ROGERS has upheld both protests,
which means the Griffins could be on the road to Imperial Valley
as soon as Friday (May 7). If the Griffins, who were leading at
the point of protest 4-1, do hit the desert and come home with
a victory, Palomar would then have to travel to Chula Vista to
face Southwestern at noon on Saturday (May 8).
What a mess!
Meanwhile, the Griffins assured themselves of a winning season
by crowning the Knights (18-18, 9-16), scoring 5 runs in the 1st
inning and then letting Lawford dictate policy.
ROBBY SCOTT's 2-run double keyed a 5-run 1st inning for the Griffins,
who took control and never let go.
ANTHONY STABILE, who was named the PCC Player of the Week, won
the regular season batting title with a .422 average (57-for-135).
Grossmont coach ED OLSEN celebrated his 515th win in a 23-year
coaching stint at the Griffins helm. His players presented him
with a plaque commemorating the 500 milestone following the victory.
(05-06-04)
THURSDAY - MAY 6, 2004
EastCountySports.com
Pacific Coast Conference
GRIFFINS 8, KNIGHTS 0
SAN DIEGO CITY ab r h bi GROSSMONT ab r h bi
Lizarraga lf 4 0 1 0 Boggs lf 4 1 1 0
Andrade 2b 4 0 0 0 Buckley cf 4 1 0 0
Chandler rf 4 0 0 0 Stabile 3b 4 2 1 1
Thorpe 1b 2 0 0 0 Birrenkott dh 5 2 3 1
Bailey ph/lb 2 0 0 0 Macedo 1b 4 1 3 2
Philben ss 3 0 0 0 R.Scott 2b 4 0 1 2
Mendoza 3b 3 0 0 0 Berry rf 2 1 1 0
Lange dh 3 0 1 0 Rolf c 3 0 1 1
Gonzalez c 3 0 0 0 Reza ss 3 0 0 0
Hulbert cf 3 0 1 0
TOTALS 31 0 3 0 TOTALS 33 8 11 7
San Diego City (18-18, 9-16) 000 000 000 - 0 3 4
Grossmont (19-17, 14-11) 500 111 00x - 8 11 3
GWRBI-Birrenkott (6).
E-Stabile, Gonzalez, Thorpe, Lizarraga, R.Scott, Hargrove, Reza.
DP-SDCC 2, GC 2. LOB-SDCC 2, GC 9. 2B-R.Scott, Berry, Birrenkott.
PITCHING SUMMARY
SAN DIEGO CITY ip h r er bb so
Mora L(3-5) 4+ 8 7 3 5 3
Hargrove 4.0 3 1 0 0 5
GROSSMONT
Lawford W(5-4) 9.0 3 0 0 0 10
Thorpe ejected top of 6th, two out.
Mora pitched to 3 batters in the 5th.
Boggs awarded first on catcher's interference in 1st.
WP-Hargrove.
(05-06-04
Season finale, replay of protest may hold
key for Griffins' playoff hopes
EastCountySports.com
SAN DIEGO - No matter how dismal the outlook may appear, when
it involves coach ED OLSEN's Grossmont College ballclub, the Griffins
can never be counted out. Despite a so-so Pacific Coast Conference
season, the Griffins will be playing for a possible Southern California
Regional playoff berth on the final day of the regular season
when they host San Diego City College on Thursday (May 6) at 2
p.m.
What's at stake? The Griffins (18-17, 13-11) must beat the Knights
(18-17, 9-15) to stand any shot at gaining a post-season berth.
In addition, Palomar (20-14, 14-10) must lose its regular-season
finale at San Diego Mesa on Thursday to create a potential tie
with the Griffins.
If the regular season ends with Grossmont and Palomar tied for
second place in the PCC, the Comets then must play off an earlier
protested game with conference-champion Southwestern. The Jaguars
accused the Comets of batting out of order, a protest that was
upheld by PCC Commissioner FELIX ROGERS.
Thus, if the Griffins win and the Comets lose on Thursday, what
once was a 5-2 Palomar victory over the Jags on April 24 will
have to be replayed on Saturday (May 8). If Palomar wins or Grossmont
loses, the protested game becomes a moot point.
Meanwhile, the Griffins received a strong six innings from starter
JAMESON HESTER, who did not allow an earned run in six innings
to pick up the win in Grossmont's 9-2 conquest of San Diego City
on Tuesday (May 4) at Morley Field.
Grossmont broke open a 3-1 game with 6 runs in the 5th inning.
ANTHONY STABILE keyed an 11-hit Grossmont attack with a 3-for-5
effort.
GRIFFIN GRAFFITI - Former Grossmont College standout MATT
HENSLEY made his major league debut for the Anaheim Angels in
an 11-4 romp over Detroit on Tuesday night (May 4) at Edison Field.
Hensley, who thought of himself as a hitter first and a pitcher
second until checking in at Grossmont, hurled one inning of shut
out relief, allowing just one hit and a walk as he blanked the
Tigers in the 9th inning.
The 6-foor-4, 220-pound Hensley, a top-notch hitter at Patrick
Henry High, was convinced by Olsen that pitching was his ticket
to the show.
Prior to his major league call up late last month, Hensley, a
25-year-old right-hander, had compiled a 0.59 ERA and one
save in eight appearances at Salt Lake of the Triple-A Pacific
Coast League. He also logged 17 strikeouts in 15.1 innings for
the Stingers.
(05-04-04)
TUESDAY - MAY 4, 2004
EastCountySports.com
Pacific Coast Conference
GRIFFINS 9, KNIGHTS 2
GROSSMONT ab r h bi SAN DIEGO CITY ab r h bi
Boggs lf 4 0 2 2 Lizarraga lf/cf 3 1 1 0
Buckley cf 5 1 1 1 Bumphis c 2 0 1 0
Stabile 3b 5 1 3 0 Gonzalez c 2 0 0 0
Birrenkott ph 5 1 1 2 Andrade 2b 4 0 2 0
Macedo 1b 5 1 1 1 Thorpe 1b 5 0 1 1
Er.Smith rf 3 0 0 1 Philben ss 5 0 1 1
R.Scott 2b 3 2 1 0 Mendoza 3b 4 0 0 0
Pierce c 4 1 0 0 Chandler rf 4 0 2 0
Reza ss 4 2 2 0 Duke dh 4 0 0 0
Gongora cf 3 1 0 0
Bailey lf 1 0 0 0
TOTALS 38 9 11 7 TOTALS 37 2 8 2
Grossmont (18-17, 13-11) 101 160 000 - 9 11 3
San Diego City (18-17, 9-15) 001 000 100 - 2 8 2
GWRBI-Birrenkott (5).
E-Macedo, Resa, Andrade 2, R.Scott. DP-SDCC 1. LOB-GC 2, SDCC 2.
2B-Macedo, Stabile, Lizarraga. SB-Buckley, Bumphis, Gongora 2, Chandler. SF-Er.Smith.
PITCHNG SUMMARY
GROSSMONT ip h r er bb so
Hester W(3-1) 6.0 5 1 0 2 6
Lopez 1.0 2 1 1 0 0
Ganzer 2.0 1 0 0 0 3
SAN DIEGO CITY
Sandoval L(1-2) 4.1 10 8 6 2 3
Gingery 0.0 0 1 0 2 0
Sivers 4.2 1 0 0 2 7
Gingery faced 2 batters in the 5th.
HBP-by Lopez (Lizarraga), by Ganzer (Andrade). WP-Hester, Sandoval. PB-Bumphis.
(05-04-04)
Comets' win over Griffins may keep Grossmont
out of postseason
EastCountySports.com
SAN MARCOS - Grossmont College's SoCal Regional playoff
chances took a shot in the chops Saturday (May 1). The Griffins
melted under the noonday Sun as the Palomar College Comets claimed
a 7-1 crucial Pacific Coast Conference victory.
After JARED BIRRENKOTT's RBI single gave Grossmont a 1-0 lead
in the 1st inning, the Comets (19-14, 13-10) tied the game with
a run in the bottom of the opening frame and then broke in front
with a 4-spot in the 4th inning.
It was all Palomar after that, even though the Griffins (17-17,
12-11) out hit North County rivals 11-7.
Grossmont High alum AARON GARCIA was 2-for-4 with 3 RBI for Palomar,
which needs just one win in its final two regular season games
to secure a SoCal playoff berth.
The Griffins close the season against San Diego City College Tuesday
(May 4) and Thursday (May 6).
(05-01-04)
SATURDAY - MAY 1, 2004
EastCountySports.com
Pacific Coast Conference
COMETS 7, GRIFFINS 1
GROSSMONT ab r h bi PALOMAR ab r h bi
Boggs lf 5 1 2 0 Burke 2b 4 2 1 0
Buckley cf 4 0 0 0 Thompson cf 4 0 0 0
Stabile 3b 4 0 2 0 Kemp 3b 3 1 3 2
Birrenkott dh 4 0 1 1 Parzyk c 3 0 1 2
Macedo 1b 4 0 3 0 Fonseca lf 3 0 0 0
Er.Smith rf 4 0 1 0 Moritz rf 2 1 0 0
Genovese rf 0 0 0 0 Wightman ph/rf 1 0 0 0
Ro.Scott 2b 3 0 0 0 Tripp dh 3 2 0 0
Guzman c 4 0 0 0 Miller 1b 3 0 0 0
Reza ss 4 0 2 0 Garcia ss 4 1 2 3
TOTALS 36 1 11 1 TOTALS 36 7 7 7
Grossmont (17-17, 12-11) 100 000 000 - 1 11 4
Palomar (19-14, 13-10) 100 420 00x - 7 7 1
GWRBI-Garcia.
E-R.Scott 2, Buckley, Macedo, Garcia. DP-GC 1, PC 2. LOB-GC 12, PC 7.
2B-Kemp 2, Resa. SB-Tripp. S-Buckley, Kemp, Miller. SF-Parzyk.
PITCHING SUMMARY
GROSSMONT ip h r er bb so
Sherman L(5-5) 4.0 5 5 1 3 2
W.Scott 1.0 1 2 0 1 1
Ganzer 1.0 1 0 0 0 0
Ward 1.0 0 0 0 0 1
Ea.Smith 1.0 0 0 0 0 0
PALOMAR
Thompson W(3-2) 6.1 9 1 1 1 1
Goset 2.2 2 0 0 1 3
HBP-By Sherman (Fonseca).
(05-01-04)
Griffins' win over Palomar sets up showdown
for possible playoff berth
EastCountySports.com
EL CAJON - Call it Grossmont College's biggest win of the season
- a stunning come-from-behind 8-7 nod over perennial power Palomar
Thursday (Apr. 29) at Noel Mickelsen Field. Call it a stepping
stone to an even bigger meeting against these same Palomar College
Comets Saturday (May 1) in San Marcos at high noon. These
clubs are tied for second place in the Pacific Coast Conference
with three games remaining in the regular season. The squad that
finishes second to PCC-champion Southwestern advances to the Southern
California Regionals.
Let us not dilute the sparkling comeback by the Griffins (17-16,
12-10) who scored 3 runs in the bottom of the 9th to edge the
Comets (18-14, 12-10) while extending their winning streak to
6 games.
Palomar appeared to have victory in hand when Shane Thompson slugged
the second of his two home runs - this one a 3-run shot - to give
the Comets a 7-5 advantage in the top of the 9th.
For one of the few times this season, the Griffins refused to
fold after blowing a late inning lead.
With two outs and ANTHONY STABILE at first base on a walk, Palomar's
defense crumbled. The Comets left fielder dropped ZACK MACEDO's
fly ball for a two-base error. Stabile running on contact, scored
from first to make it a one-run ballgame.
For the second time in as many batters, the Palomar left fielder
dropped a fly ball. Pinch hitter LARRY PIERCE lifted this sky-ball
that Kenoli Fonseca managed to miss, as Macedo carried across
the tying run.
ROBBY SCOTT then lined a single to center field to score Pierce
with the winning run. It was Scott's second hit and second game-winning
RBI.
This was a nail-biter from the outset. Stabile signaled Grossmont's
intentions with a 2-run homer - his sixth on the season - in the
1st inning.
The Comets were hardly intimidated as they scored single runs
in the 2nd, 3rd,4th and 5th innings against Grossmont ace ADAM
LAWFORD. Up until allowing Thompson's back-breaking home run in
the 9th, Lawford did a decent job of keeping the Comets in check.
Trailing 4-2, the Griffins tied the game on an RBI single by Macedo
and a run-scoring double by Scott in the 6th . ERIC SMITH's solo
home run gave Grossmont a 5-4 edge in the 8th.
Rarely have the Griffins enjoyed such jubilation this season.
They must now turn that new-found energy into momentum as they
prepare for Saturday's rematch in North County. These two clubs
have split 4 decisions thus far.
THURSDAY - APR 29, 2004
EastCountySports.com
Pacific Coast Conference
GRIFFINS 8, COMETS 7
PALOMAR ab r h bi GROSSMONT ab r h bi
Burke 2b 5 1 3 1 Boggs lf/2b 5 0 0 0
Thompson cf 5 2 2 4 Buckley cf/rf 5 1 1 0
Kemp 3b 4 0 0 0 Stabile 3b 4 3 2 2
Parzyk c 2 1 1 0 Birrenkott dh 5 0 1 0
Simpson pr/c 2 0 0 0 Macedo 1b 5 2 3 1
Fonseca lf 3 1 2 0 Er.Smith rf/lf 4 1 1 1
Sweeney 1b 3 0 0 1 Genovese lf 0 0 0 0
Miller 1b 0 0 0 0 Pierce ph 1 1 0 0
Moritz dh 4 0 0 0 R.Scott 2b/ss 5 0 2 2
Wightman rf 3 0 1 0 Guzman c 3 0 2 0
Garcia ss 3 2 1 0 Reza ss 2 0 0 0
Berry cf 2 0 1 0
TOTALS 34 7 10 6 TOTALS 41 8 13 6
Palomar (18-14, 12-10) 011 110 003 - 7 10 4
Grossmont (17-16, 12-10) 200 002 013 - 8 13 3
Two outs when winning run scored.
GWRBI-R.Scott (2).
E-Lawford, Guzman, Reza, Sweeney, Fonseca 2, Meyers. DP-PC 1, GC 1. LOB-PC 7, GC 9.
2B-Macedo, Garcia, Stabile, R.Scott.
HR-Stabile (6) 1st, one on; S.Thompson 2:(2,3) 4th, solo and 9th, two on; Er.Smith (4) 8th, solo.
SB-Fonseca 2, Wightman. S-Wightman. SF-Sweeney.
PITCHING SUMMARY
PALOMAR ip h r er bb so
Adams 7+ 11 5 5 1 7
Meyers 1.2 1 2 0 1 0
Watson L(2-1) 0.0 1 1 0 0 0
GROSSMONT
Lawford 8.1 9 6 6 0 4
Pompa 0.0 1 1 1 0 0
Ea.Smith W(1-0) 0.2 0 0 0 1 0
Adams pitched to one batter in the 8th;
Pompa pitched to one batter in the 9th; Watson pitched to two batters in the 9th.
HBP-by Lawford (Fonseca 2, Parzyk, Garcia). WP-Adams.
(04-29-04)
Griffins take to heat, take it out on Imperial
Valley
EastCountySports.com
IMPERIAL - Stifling 110-degree temperatures greeted the visiting
Grossmont College Griffins Tuesday (Apr. 27) when they arrived
for a crucial Pacific Coast Conference contest at Imperial Valley
College. No doubt wilted by the heat and the desert winds, the
Griffins refused to melt as they knocked off the host Arabs 9-4
to close to within one game of second place and a guaranteed Southern
California Regional playoff berth.
Trailing 2-1 after two innings, the Griffins erupted for 5 runs
in the 3rd inning to take a lead they would not surrender. LARRY
PIERCE's 2-run double was the crowning blow. Pierce, a sophomore
out of Helix High, drove in 3 runs with a pair of hits in 5 at-bats.
TRAVIS LOPEZ, a freshman out of El Capitan, limited IVC to one
run and 3 hits over the final six innings to earn his second win
in three decisions for the Griffins, who have won five in a row.
Grossmont (16-16, 11-10), which appeared to be out of the playoff
picture a month ago, has won 7 of its last 8 with a critical two-game
series coming up against second place Palomar (18-13, 12-9). The
two teams square off on Thursday (Apr. 29) at Grossmont at 2 p.m.,
and again in San Marcos on Saturday (May 1) at noon.
The Griffins conclude the regular season with a two-game set against
San Diego City on May 4 and May 6.
(04-27-04)
TUESDAY - APR 27, 2004
EastCountySports.com
Pacific Coast Conference
GRIFFINS 9, ARABS 4
GROSSMONT ab r h bi IMPERIAL VALLEY ab r h bi
Boggs lf 3 1 1 1 Gallegos ss 5 0 0 0
Buckley cf 5 1 3 1 Santana rf 5 2 3 0
Stabile 3b 4 1 1 1 Cochran cf 3 0 0 0
Birrenkott dh 4 1 1 1 Castro p/dh 4 0 1 0
Genovese pr 0 0 0 0 Cardenas c 4 1 1 0
Macedo 1b 5 2 1 1 Niebla 3b 4 1 2 3
R.Scott 2b 3 0 1 0 Laughter lf 4 0 0 0
Pierce c 5 0 2 3 Gastelum 1b 3 0 0 0
Berry rf 3 2 1 0 Navarro 2b 3 0 1 1
Reza ss 2 1 0 0
TOTALS 34 9 11 8 TOTALS 35 4 8 4
Grossmont (16-10, 11-10) 105 001 011 - 9 11 1
Imperial Valley (9-21, 5-20) 021 010 000 - 4 8 2
GWRBI-Birrenkott (5).
E-Callegos, Reza, Gastelum. DP-IVC 1. LOB-GC 7, IVC 8. 2B-Niebla, Pierce, Stabile.
SB-Niebla, Santana, Berry. S-Reza, Navarro. SF-Boggs.
PITCHING SUMMARY
GROSSMONT ip h r er bb so
Ganzer 3.0 5 3 1 0 2
T.Lopez W(2-1) 6.0 3 1 1 1 3
IMPERIAL VALLEY
Castro L(2-5) 2.1 6 6 5 4 1
Emery 6.2 5 3 3 1 1
HBP-by Emery (Berry 2), by Ganzer (Cochran).
(04-27-04)
Birrenkott leads Griffins' rout of Arabs
EastCountySports.com
EL CAJON - JARED BIRRENKOTT belted his 6th and 7th home runs of
the season Saturday (Apr. 24) as host Grossmont College annihilated
the visiting Arabs of Imperial Valley 13-1 in a Pacific Coast
Conference encounter at Noel Mickelsen Field. Birrenkott, a Granite
Hills High alum, was 4-for-5 with 3 RBI as the Griffins (15-16,
10-10) remained two games short of a Southern California playoff
position with five games remaining.
Birrenkott, who belted solo home runs in the 1st and 6th innings
on Saturday, is batting at a .529 clip over his last four games.
Grossmont's ANTHONY STABILE, who was 3-for-4 in the latest clubbing
of IVC (9-21, 5-15), is 12-for-19 (.632) over his last five games
for the Griffins.
Shortstop FERNANDO REZA was 2-for-3 with his third home run and
three RBI for the Griffins, who have won four games in a row.
Grossmont's JAMESON HESTER (2-1) and a trio of relievers combined
to fire a 3-hitter at Imperial Valley.
It was a day of collegiate firsts for the Griffins, including
home runs from RYAN BUCKLEY and QUINTIN BERRY.
Grossmont, annually the PCC leader in home runs, has hit 9 homers
in its past two games.
The Griffins travel to Imperial Valley on Tuesday (Apr.27) for
a 2 p.m. contest.
(04-24-04)
SATURDAY - APR 24, 2004
EastCountySports.com
Pacific Coast Conference
GRIFFINS 13, ARABS 1
IMPERIAL VALLEY ab r h bi GROSSMONT ab r h bi
Gallegos ss 3 0 0 0 Boggs lf 3 0 0 1
Hartsock ph 1 0 0 0 Buckley cf 5 2 2 1
Santana rf 3 0 1 0 Stabile 3b 4 2 3 1
Cochran cf 3 0 0 0 Birrenkott dh 5 3 4 3
Castro 1b 3 1 1 1 Macedo 1b 4 1 2 1
Laughter lf 3 0 0 0 Er.Smith rf 3 1 1 0
Gastelum c 3 0 0 0 Berry rf 2 1 1 2
Alvarez 2b 3 0 0 0 R.Scott 2b 5 2 1 0
Navarro 3b 3 0 0 0 Reza ss 3 1 2 3
Lofton dh 1 0 0 0 Rolf c 3 0 1 1
Betz p 2 0 1 0
TOTALS 28 1 3 1 TOTALS 37 13 17 13
Imperial Valley (5-15, 9-21) 010 000 000 - 1 3 1
Grossmont (10-10, 15-16) 225 001 03x - 13 17 1
GWRBI-Stabile.
E-Rollo, Gastelum, Reza. DP-GC 3. LOB-IVC 0, GC 7. 2B-Stabile.
HR-Birrenkott 2(6,7) 1st, solo and 6th, solo; Reza (3) 2nd, one on; Castro (4) 2nd, solo;
Buckley (1) 3rd, solo; Berry (1) 8th, one on. SF-Stabile, Rolf, Macedo.
PITCHING SUMMARY
IMPERIAL VALLEY ip h r er bb so
Stevens L(0-1) 2+ 9 8 8 0 1
Betz 6.0 8 5 5 2 0
GROSSMONT
Hester W(2-1) 6.0 3 1 1 0 3
Ganzer 1.0 0 0 0 0 0
W.Scott 1.0 0 0 0 0 0
Pompa 1.0 0 0 0 0 1
Stevens faced 5 batters in the 3rd.
WP-Stevens.
(04-24-04
Stabile stabilizes Griffins march to playoff
berth with four RBI
EastCountySports.com
SAN DIEGO - Two back with six games remaining. That's the equation
facing the Grossmont Griffins as they near the conclusion of the
Pacific Coast Conference season. ANTHONY STABILE drove in 4 runs
with his 5th home run and a pair of singles Thursday (Apr. 24)
as the Griffins defeated host San Diego Mesa 11-4. That victory
vaulted the Griffins (14-16, 9-10) into a tie with Mesa (12-17,
9-10) for 3rd place in the conference - two games behind 2nd place
Palomar (17-12, 11-8) and the final post-season playoff berth.
Meanwhile, Southwestern (23-8, 17-2) clinched at least a tie for
the PCC laurels by dunking San Diego City on Thursday.
The Griffins seem to be peaking at the right time as they've won
three in a row, five of their last six and seven of the previous
10. Even so, they need a sweep of their final six games to be
assured of a berth in the SoCal playoffs.
TRAVIS LOPEZ (El Capitan High) was the unexpected hero in the
Griffins' latest win over Mesa. The freshman right-hander came
on in relief to limit the Olympians to one run and 4 hits over
5 innings, earning the win in the process.
JARED BIRRENKOTT ignited a 4-run 2nd inning rally for the Griffins
by lining a solo home run - his 5th of the season - over the right
field fence. One out later, ERIC SMITH (Patrick Henry) hammered
a solo shot to right to make it 2-0. LARRY PIERCE and FERNANDO
REZA followed with base hits and then rode home on STEVE BOGGS'
double down the left field line.
An RBI double by Birrenkott extended the Griffins advantage to
5-0 in the 3rd inning.
Stabile's 5th homer of the season with a man aboard made it 7-2
in the 5th. The former USDHS star ripped an RBI single to cap
a 2-run rally in the 6th giving Grossmont a 9-2 bulge. Stabile
continued his hitting spree with an RBI single in the 8th.
ZACH MACEDO completed the Grossmont onslaught with a solo home
run over the scoreboard leading off the 9th inning.
The Griffins, who have feasted on Mesa pitching to the tune of
a 34-4 record over the past seven seasons, won't have the Olympians
to pick on any more this year. Grossmont next hosts last place
Imperial Valley on Saturday (Apr. 24) at noon.
(04-22-04)
KARSTENS REBOUNDS - Former Grossmont pitching standout JEFF KARSTENS
(2001-2002) hurled an impressive 5 innings for the Tampa (Fla.)
Yankees of the Class A Florida State League on Wednesday (Apr.
21). Make that a perfect five innings.
The Mount Miguel High graduate, who is in extended spring training
with the Yankees, struck out 5 and did not allow a single base
runner in Tampa's 17-0 rout of the Fort Myers (Fla.) Miracle.
A junior right-hander out of Texas Tech who was the Yankees' 19th
round pick in the 2003 draft, was making his first official start
since compiling a 4-2, record and 2.54 ERA in his initial pro
season with Staten Island of the New York-Penn League last summer.
As a sophomore at Grossmont College in 2002, Karstens was the
top vote-getter among Pacific Coast Conference pitchers with a
record of 9-2 and an ERA of 2.63. He contributed to back-to-back
conference crowns during his two years with the Griffins.
(04-22-04)
THURSDAY - APR 22, 2004
EastCountySports.com
Pacific Coast Conference
GROSSMONT 11, SAN DIEGO MESA
GROSSMONT ab r h bi SAN DIEGO MESA ab r h bi
Boggs lf 4 2 2 3 Ibarra 3b 3 0 1 0
Buckley cf 3 1 1 0 Martinez 2b 4 0 1 0
Scott 2b 4 1 0 0 R.Martin 1b 4 2 1 1
Stabile 3b 5 1 3 4 K.Martin ss 3 0 0 0
Birrenkott dh 4 1 2 2 Sanchez lf 3 1 1 0
Macedo 1b 5 1 1 1 Poniktera dh 4 1 1 1
Er.Smith rf 4 1 2 1 Cunningham c 2 0 0 0
Genovese rf 1 0 0 0 Wood c 1 0 1 0
Pierce c 5 2 2 0 Callison cf 3 0 1 1
Reza ss 5 1 1 0 West rf 4 0 1 0
TOTALS 40 11 14 11 TOTALS 31 4 8 3
Grossmont (14-6, 9-10) 041 022 011 - 11 14 0
San Diego Mesa (12-17, 9-10) 002 000 011 - 4 8 1
GWRBI-Birrenkott (2).
E-K.Martin. DP-GC 1. LOB-GC 7, SDMC 11. 2B-Boggs, Birrenkott.
HR-Birrenkott (5) 2nd, solo; Er.Smith (2) 2nd, solo; Stabile (5) 5th, one on;
Poniktera (1) 8th, solo; Macedo (2) 9th, solo; R.Martin (4) 9th, solo.
SB-Martinez, Callison, R.Martin 2, Boggs. S-R.Scott.
PITCHING SUMMARY
GROSSMONT ip h r er bb so
Sherman 2.2 3 2 2 6 0
Levario 0.1 0 0 0 2 0
T.Lopez W(1-1) 5.0 4 1 1 1 1
Ea.Smith 1.0 1 1 1 0 0
SAN DIEGO MESA
Roberts 4.1 8 7 6 3 3
Yanez 1.2 4 2 2 1 4
Yaeger 2.0 1 1 1 2 2
Ramirez 1.0 1 1 1 0 2
HBP-by Lopez (Sanchez, Ibarra). WP-Levario, Yanez 3.
(04-22-44)
Griffins post come-from-behind victory over
Mesa to move closer to playoff spot
EastCountySports.com
EL CAJON - Grossmont College sprayed a little
fuel on the fire to keep its flickering Southern California Regional
playoff hopes burning Tuesday (Apr. 20) with a come-from-behind
Pacific Coast Conference 5-3 victory over visiting San Diego Mesa
College. The Griffins are now two games out of second place and
the final guaranteed playoff berth with seven regular-season contests
remaining.
ADAM LAWFORD turned in strong pitching performance
for the Griffins (13-16, 8-10), limiting Mesa to eight hits and
2 earned runs in a route-going effort. He needed only 115 pitches
to finish off the Olympians, delivering 23 first-pitch strikes
in the process.
Trailing 3-0 after 5 innings, the Griffins
came to life for a pair of runs in the 6th. ALBERT GENOVESE reached
on an error and scored when ANTHONY STABILE doubled to the fence
in left-center field. ROBBY SCOTT then singled home Stabile.
The Griffins charged in front an inning
later. FERNANDO REZA singled, advanced to second on QUINTIN BERRY's
sacrifice bunt and scored the tying run on STEVE BOGGS' line-drive
single to center. Stabile singled to put runners at the corners
and JARED BIRRENKOTT brought in Boggs with a base hit to right
for a 4-3 lead.
Grossmont, which travels to Mesa on Thursday
(Apr. 22) at 2 p.m., trails the third-place Olympians (9-9, 12-16)
by one game. Although the two teams have split their previous
four PCC contests this year, history favors the Griffins. Grossmont
owns a 33-4 record versus Mesa over the past seven seasons.
Palomar (16-12, 10-8) is holding down second
place. The Griffins have two games remaining with the Comets,
so the race for second place is far from over.(04-20-04)
TUESDAY - APR 20, 2004
EastCountySports.com
Pacific Coast Conference
GRIFFINS 5, OLYMPIANS 3
SAN DIEGO MESA ab r h bi GROSSMONT ab r h bi
Ibarra 3b 5 2 2 0 Boggs lf 3 1 2 1
Martinez 2b 3 1 2 0 Genovese rf 4 1 0 0
R.Martin 1b 4 0 2 2 Stabile 3b 3 1 2 1
K.Martin ss 4 0 1 1 Birrenkott dh 4 0 1 1
Sanchez lf 2 0 0 0 R.Scott 2b 3 0 2 1
Maita dh 4 0 1 0 Pierce c 4 0 0 0
Poniktera pr 0 0 0 0 Macedo 1b 4 1 1 0
Cunningham c 4 0 0 0 Reza ss 4 1 1 0
Callison cf 4 0 0 0 Berry cf 3 0 1 1
West rf 3 0 0 0
TOTALS 33 3 8 3 TOTALS 32 5 10 5
San Diego Mesa (12-16, 9-9) 200 010 000 - 3 8 2
Grossmont (13-16, 8-10) 000 002 21x - 5 10 1
GWRBI-Birrenkott.
E-Reza, Ibarra, West. DP-SDMC 1, GC 11. LOB-SDMC 7, GC 9. 2B-Stabile.
SB-Ibarra, R.Martin, Berry. S-Sanchez, Berry.
PITCHING SUMMARY
SAN DIEGO MESA ip h r er bb so
Cranmer 6.0 4 2 1 2 7
Ramirez L(1-1) 0.2 2 2 2 0 0 Silvas
GROSSMONT
Lawford W(4-4) 9.0 8 3 2 3 6
HBP-by Cranmer (Genovese).(04-20-04)
Griffins surprise Southwestern behind Sherman,
Hester
EastCountySports.com
CHULA VISTA - The Grossmont Griffins had to feel a bit of relief
as they snapped a 10-game losing streak to Pacific Coast Conference
leading Southwestern College Thursday (Apr. 15) in South Bay.
If nothing else, the Griffins' 5-2 victory prevented the front-running
Jaguars (21-8, 15-2) from mathematically eliminating Grossmont
from the PCC pennant race.
Grossmont (12-16, 7-10), which is only two games out of second
place and a guaranteed berth in the Southern California Regional
playoffs, received a stout pitching performance from the duo of
ERIC SHERMAN (5-4) and JAMESON HESTER (save No. 2).
The Griffins erased a 1-0 deficit with a pair of tallies in the
4th inning. JARED BIRRENKOTT stroked the first triple of his baseball
career over the head of the Jaguars' right fielder with one out.
ROBBY SCOTT smacked a line-drive off the glove of Southwestern
pitcher Chris Sustaista for an infield single that scored Birrenkott,
tying the game at 1-all. ZACH MACEDO's two-out single scored Scott
with what proved to be the winning run.
For the second time in the game, Birrenkott challenged Southwestern's
cavernous home field with a deep drive off the top of the right
field fence in the 5th inning to score ANTHONY STABILE.
The Griffins roughed up Helix High alum ROBERT STEVENS for 2 runs
in the 9th inning. STEVE BOGGS began the two-out rally with an
infield single that coupled with a throwing error set the stage
for ALBERT GENOVESE's RBI single. Stabile then doubled down the
right field line to bring in Genovese, providing Grossmont with
a 5-1 lead.
Grossmont resumes activity on Tuesday (Apr. 20) when it hosts
San Diego Mesa at 2 p.m.
(04-15-04)
THURSDAY - APR 15, 2004
EastCountySports.com
Pacific Coast Conference
GRIFFINS 5, JAGUARS 2
GROSSMONT ab r h bi SOUTHWESTERN ab r h bi
Boggs lf 4 1 1 0 Ibarra rf 5 1 2 1
Genovese cf 5 1 2 1 Villezcas ss 5 0 1 0
Stabile 3b 3 1 2 1 Deen lf 3 0 0 0
Birrenkott dh 4 1 3 1 Lievanos 1b 3 0 2 0
Buckley dh 1 0 0 0 Denhart dh 4 0 1 0
Scott 2b 2 0 1 1 Bravo 3b 4 0 1 0
Er.Smith rf 4 0 1 0 Molina cf 4 0 1 0
Berry rf 0 0 0 0 Armstrong 2b 4 0 2 0
Pierce c 4 0 0 0 Palacios c 3 0 0 0
Macedo 1b 4 1 2 1 Schangen-Vallejo ph 1 1 1 0
Rezo ss 3 0 0 0
TOTALS 34 5 12 5 TOTALS 36 2 11 1
GROSSMONT (12-16, 7-10) 000 210 002 - 5 12 2
SOUTHWESTERN (19-8, 15-2) 100 000 001 - 2 11 1
GWRBI-Macedo.
E-Pierce 2, Villezcas. DP-SWC 1. LOB-GC 8, SWC 9. 2B-Ibarra, Birrenkott, Stabile.
3B-Birrenkott. SB-Armstrong. S-Boggs, R.Scott.
PITCHING SUMMARY
GROSSMONT ip h r er bb so
Sherman W(5-4) 6.0 8 1 1 1 6
Hester Sv-2 3.0 3 1 1 1 3
SOUTHWESTERN
Sustaista L(0-1) 4.0 6 2 2 1 3
Minich 0.2 2 1 1 0 0
Hernandez 1.1 0 0 0 0 0
Reyes 2.0 1 0 0 1 1
Stevens 1.0 3 2 2 0 1
WP-Sustaista. PB-Palacios.
(04-15-04)
Deen, Denhart come back to likely knock
Griffins from playoff picture
EastCountySports.com
EL CAJON - The Southwestern College Jaguars all but mathematically
eliminated host Grossmont College from the Pacific Coast Conference
race Tuesday (Apr. 13) at Noel Mickelsen Field. Led by former
East County high school standouts SCOTT DEEN (El Capitan) and
CHRIS DENHART (Christian High), the Jaguars rocked the Griffins
17-6, leaving Grossmont nine games behind the PCC leaders with
nine games remaining.
Deen and Denhart were collectively 5-for-11, with 6 RBI and 4
runs scored as Southwestern (21-7, 15-1) belted the Griffins (11-16,
6-10) for the 4th time in as many meetings this year.
Two Grossmont errors opened the door to two unearned runs in the
opening frame for the Jags, who took a 2-0 lead without hitting
the ball out of the infield.
A two-run single by BOBBY ARMSTRONG (Granite Hills HS) helped
Southwestern expand its edge to 5-0 in the 2nd inning.
Grossmont attempted to make a game of it in the bottom of the
2nd as LARRY PIERCE pounded his third home run of the season with
a man aboard to cut the margin to 5-2. That would be as close
as the Griffins would get.
Southwestern pitcher Jack Spradlin pitched the first 6 innings
to beat the Griffins for the fifth time without a loss over the
past two seasons. The Jaguars have now won their last 10 meetings
from the Griffins.
Grossmont must face Southwestern one more time this year and that
will be Thursday (Apr. 15) at 2 p.m. in Chula Vista.
TUESDAY - APR 13, 2004
EastCountySports.com
Pacific Coast Conference
JAGUARS 17, GRIFFINS 6
SOUTHWESTERN ab r h bi GROSSMONT ab r h bi
Crl.Ibarra rf 4 5 3 3 Boggs 2b 5 0 0 0
Villezcas ss 5 2 2 1 Buckley cf 3 0 1 0
Deen lf 5 3 2 3 Genovese rf 1 0 0 0
Bleecher lf 1 0 0 0 Guzman ph 1 0 0 0
Lievanos lb 6 0 3 1 R.Scott lf 4 1 1 0
Denhart dh 6 1 3 3 Birrenkott lb 3 1 0 0
Bravo 3b 4 2 1 0 Stabile 3b 4 2 2 2
Molina cf 3 2 1 0 Nester dh 1 1 0 0
Armstrong 2b 5 1 1 3 Er.Smith ph/dh 1 0 1 0
Palacios c 5 1 1 0 Pierce c 3 1 2 3
Reza ss 4 0 1 0
Berry rf/cf 4 0 1 0
TOTALS 44 17 17 14 TOTALS 34 6 9 5
Southwestern (21-7, 15-1) 232 250 201 - 17 17 0
Grossmont (11-16, 6-10) 020 200 020 - 6 9 4
GWRBI-None.
E-Boggs 2, Birrenkott 2. DP-SWC 1. LOB-SWC 7, GC 6. 2B-Villezcas, Reza, Bravo, Ibarra.
HR-Pierce (3) 2nd, one on; Stabile (4) 8th, one on; Ibarra (5) 9th, solo.
SB-Armstrong, Deen. S-Vellezcas. SF-Ibarra, Pierce.
PITCHING SUMMARY
SOUTHWESTERN ip h r er bb so
Spradlin W(4-1) 6.0 5 4 3 2 2
Egan 2.0 3 2 2 1 0
Minich 1.0 1 0 0 0 0
GROSSMONT
Lawford L(3-4) 4.0 8 9 4 1 0
Ea.Smith 1.0 4 5 3 1 0
Pompa 2.0 3 2 2 0 1
W.Scott 1.0 0 0 0 0 0
Ward 1.0 2 1 1 0 1
HBP-by Lawford (Bravo, Molina). WP-Lawford, Spradlin, Ea.Smith, Egan. PB-Pierce, Palacios.
(04-13-04)
Griffins' Scott, Smith leave yard to send
Knights home a loser
EastCountySports.com
EL CAJON - ROBBY SCOTT belted a 3-run home run and ERIC SMITH
slashed a two-run shot to lift host Grossmont College to a second
straight Pacific Coast Conference victory over visiting San Diego
City College 13-2 Saturday (Apr.3) at Noel Mickelsen Field.
The Griffins (11-15, 6-9) peppered five SDCC pitchers for 14 hits
as Grossmont closed to within two games of second place and a
guaranteed berth in the Southern California Regional playoffs.
Six Griffins enjoyed multiple-hit games to support the 6-hit pitching
of ERIC SHERMAN (4-4), RODOLFO LEVARIO and BRIAN MAIHACK.
Leading 3-0, the Griffins used the long-ball strokes of Scott
and Smith during a 45-minute inning to break the game open with
7 runs in the 6th.
Grossmont will take a week off before returning to the field on
April 13 when PCC kingpin Southwestern visits Mickelsen Field
for a 2 p.m. encounter.
(04-03-0-4)
Saturday - April 3, 2004
Pacific Coast Conference
GRIFFINS 13, KNIGHTS 2
SAN DIEGO CITY ab r h bi GROSSMONT ab r h bi
Lizarraga lf 4 0 2 1 Boggs 2b 5 3 3 1
Bumphus dh 2 0 1 0 R.Scott ss 6 2 2 4
Bailey dh 2 0 0 0 Berry cf 5 1 2 1
Bessey rf 3 0 0 0 Birrenkott dh 3 2 2 0
Hulbert ph/rf 1 0 0 0 Stabile 3b 4 1 1 3
Thorpe 1b 3 0 0 0 Er.Smith rf 5 1 2 2
Lange ph/1b 0 0 0 0 Macedo 1b 4 0 0 1
Andrade 2b 2 1 1 0 Genovese lf 4 1 2 0
Mendoza 3b 3 1 0 0 Rolf c 3 2 0 0
Philben ss 3 0 0 0
Chandler cf 4 0 1 1
Gonzalez c 2 0 1 0
TOTALS 29 2 6 2 TOTALS 39 13 14 12
San Diego City (14-12, 5-10) 000 000 200 - 2 6 5
Grossmont (10-15, 5-9) 100 207 30x - 13 14 0
GWRBI-R.Scott.
E-Thorpe, Philben, Harvrove, Gonzalez, Mendoza. DP-GC 2. 2B-Birrenkott, Er.Smith, Berry 2.
HR-Er.Smith (1) 6th, one on; R.Scott (1) 6th, two on. SB-Genovese, Chandler. S-Philben. SF-Macedo.
PITCHING SUMMARY
SAN DIEGO CITY ip h r er bb so
Duke L(0-2) 5+ 4 4 2 2 2
Hargrove 0.2 4 6 2 1 0
Gingery 0.1 1 0 0 1 0
Ray 1.0 2 3 3 3 2
Sandoval 1.0 3 0 0 0 0
GROSSMONT
Sherman W(4-4) 6.1 4 2 2 4 4
Levario 1.2 2 0 0 0 0
Maihack 1.0 0 0 0 2 0
Duke pitched to one batter in the 6th.
HBP-by Ray (Birrenkott), by Levario (Lange). WP-Sherman, Duke, Gingery, Ray 2.
04-03-04)
Hester bests City with 8-plus innings for
victory
EastCountySports.com
SAN DIEGO - A powerful pitching performance by freshman JAMESON
HESTER helped lift the Grossmont Griffins to a 9-3 Pacific Coast
Conference victory over San Diego City College Thursday (Apr.
1) at Morley Field. The victory halted Grossmont's two-game slide,
and left the Griffins (10-15, 5-9) three games out of second and
a guaranteed playoff berth.
Hester, a product of Mission Bay High, had outstanding control
in making a rare start for the Griffins. He struck out 8 and walked
none in 8 1/3 innings as he posted his first collegiate win.
Through 8 innings, Hester allowed only one run and 7 hits. The
Knights finally nicked him for 2 runs in the 9th before IAN GANZER
got the final two outs.
"I'm pleased with my effort today," Hester said. "I
was in synch with CODY (ROLF, his catcher) all game. I didn't
shake him off once."
Hester received early run support, which further fueled his fires.
JARED BIRRENKOTT lined a two-run single to cap a 3-run 1st inning
for the Griffins.
"Pitching with a lead made things so much easier," Hester
said.
So fine-tuned was Hester that he had only one 3-ball count.
"He was really on his game today," Grossmont pitching
coach RANDY ABSHIER said. "He had a really great curve, an
outstanding change and really spotted his fastball well."
An RBI single by ANTHONY STABILE extended Grossmont's advantage
to 4-1 in the 3rd inning.
The Griffins broke the game open with 4 runs in the 7th inning.
These same two teams meet again Saturday (Apr. 3) at Noel Mickelsen
Field at noon.
(04-01-04)
Thursday - April 1, 2004
Pacific Coast Conference
GRIFFINS 9, KNIGHTS 3
GROSSMONT ab r h bi SAN DIEGO CITY ab r h bi
Boggs 2b 6 1 2 1 Lizarraga lf 5 1 1 0
Buckley cf 2 2 2 0 Andrade 2b/ss 4 0 3 0
Berry cf 3 1 2 0 x-Mendoza 3b 3 0 1 0
R.Scott ss 6 2 1 1 Thorpe 1b 3 0 0 1
Birrenkott dh 4 0 1 2 Philben dh 4 0 0 0
Stabile 3b 4 1 1 1 Hulbert rf 2 1 1 0
Macedo 1b 5 2 2 0 Gonzalez c 3 0 0 0
Nester lf 3 0 1 0 Bailey ph 1 1 1 0
Rolf c 4 0 0 0 Randel ss 2 0 0 0
Genovese rf 4 0 2 2 Bumphus 2b 2 0 1 2
Gongora cf 2 0 1 0
Chandler cf 2 0 1 0
TOTALS 41 9 14 7 TOTALS 33 3 10 3
Grossmont (7-11, 2-5) 301 000 401 - 9 14 2
San Diego City (12-5, 7-0) 100 000 002 - 3 10 3
x-Reached base on catcher's interference.
GWRBI-None.
E-Mendoza, Genovese, Randel, Gongora, Rolf. DP-GC 1, SDCC 1.
LOB-GC 12, SDCC 7. 2B-Buckley, Bumphus. 3B-Mendoza. SB-Genovese, Boggs, Berry. SF-Thorpe.
PITCHING SUMMARY
GROSSMONT ip h r er bb so
Hester W(1-1) 8.1 9 3 3 0 8
Ganzer 0.2 1 0 0 0 0
SAN DIEGO CITY
Sivers L(3-1) 6.1 10 8 7 3 1
Duke 0.2 1 0 0 2 0
Gingery 2.0 3 1 1 1 1
HBP-by Sivers (Birrenkott). WP-Sivers, Ganzer.
04-04-04)
8-run lead not enough as Griffins fall 10-9
to Palomar
EastCountySports.com
EL CAJON - Of all the frustration thrown at the Grossmont College
baseball team this spring, this one had to hurt the worst. The
Griffins built an 8-0 lead after two innings on Tuesday (Mar.
30) only to fold and wind up dropping a 10-9 Pacific Coast Conference
contest to visiting Palomar College. This loss all but assured
the Griffins (9-15, 4-9) of falling short in their quest of a
post-season berth in the Southern California Regionals.
Despite blowing their massive lead, the Griffins still had a chance
to gain a victory in the bottom of the 9th. ANTHONY STABILE (4-for-4,
3 doubles) led off with a single to center. ALBERT GENOVESE advanced
the runner with a sacrifice bunt. JASON GUZMAN walked. With two
outs, FERNANDO REZA walked to load the bases. But STEVE BOGGS
flied to right to end the game.
Grossmont takes on San Diego City Thursday (Aoril 1) at Morely
Field at 2 p.m.
Tuesday - March 30, 2004
Pacific Coast Conference
COMETS 10, GRIFFINS 9
PALOMAR ab r h bi GROSSMONT ab r h bi
Garcia ss 4 3 1 0 Boggs 2b 6 2 2 0
S.Thompson cf 4 1 1 2 Berry cf 4 2 1 0
Kemp 3b 5 2 2 1 Scott lf 5 1 1 0
Parzyk c 5 0 2 2 Birrenkott dh 5 2 2 2
Moritz lf 3 1 2 2 Stabile 3b 4 1 4 2
Sweeney 1b 5 1 3 0 Er.Smith rf 2 1 0 1
Wightman rf 5 1 1 1 Genovese rf 0 0 0 0
Simpson dh 3 0 0 0 Guzman c 3 0 0 1
Fonseca ph/dh 1 0 1 0 Rolf pr 0 0 0 0
Hishinuma 2b 4 1 1 0 Macedo 1b 5 0 2 2
Reza ss 4 0 1 0
TOTALS 39 10 14 8 TOTALS 38 9 13 8
Palomar (12-9, 7-6) 003 300 400 - 10 14 1
Grossmont (9-15, 4-9) 440 001 000 - 9 13 2
GWRBI-Thompson.
E-Stabile, Reza, Wightman. DP-GC 1. LOB-Pal 9, GC 10.
2B-Boggs, Stabile 3, Parzyk, Moritz, Macedo. S-Garcia, Fonseca, Genovese. SF-Er.Smith.
PITCHING SUMMARY
PALOMAR ip h r er bb so
Murphy 1+ 7 8 8 2 1
A.Thompson W(2-2) 5.0 4 1 0 1 6
Suzuki Sv(1) 3.0 1 0 0 2 4
GROSSMONT
T.Lopez 2.1 4 3 3 2 1
Layfield 1.0 4 3 0 0 2
Pompa L(1-3) 3.1 5 4 2 0 1
Ea.Smith 2.1 1 0 0 0 0
Murphy pitched to 5 batters in the 2nd.
HBP-by Murphy (Er.Smith), by Lopez (Moritz).
(03-30-04)
Grossmont loses to Palomar, dealing blow
to Griffs' playoff chances
EastCountySports.com
EL CAJON - The visiting Palomar Comets (11-9, 6-6)
dealt Grossmont College's faint playoff hopes a severe blow Saturday
(Mar. 27) by serving the Griffins a 9-6 Pacific Coast Conference
defeat. While the Griffins fell seven games behind front-running
Southwestern College, they also remained 3 games away from second
place and the final post-season playoff berth.
The highpoint for the Griffins was the hitting of JARED BIRRENKOTT,
who was 3-for-5 with 3 RBI.
ADAM LAWFORD, the ace of the Grossmont pitching staff, was unable
to protect an early 3-1 lead. He lasted 5 innings, surrendering
11 hits and 6 earned runs.
Palomar coach Bob Vetter celebrated his 600th collegiate coaching
with Saturday's victory over the Griffins (9-14, 4-8).
These same two teams meet again Tuesday (Mar. 30) at Grossmont
at 2 p.m.
(03-27-04)
Saturday - March 27, 2004
Pacific Coast Conference
COMETS 9, GRIFFINS 6
PALOMAR ab r h bi GROSSMONT ab r h bi
Garcia ss 3 0 1 1 Boggs 2b 4 2 1 0
Thompson cf 5 0 0 0 Buckley cf 1 1 0 0
Kemp 3b 5 1 3 0 Genovese cf 1 1 0 0
Sweeney 1b 2 0 0 0 R. Scott lf 3 0 1 0
Miller 1b 3 0 0 0 Er.Smith rf 1 0 1 0
Moritz dh 5 3 4 1 Birrenkott 1b 5 0 3 3
Parzyk c 5 2 2 0 Stabile 3b 5 0 2 1
Wightman cf 4 1 1 2 Pierce dh 4 0 0 0
Flanney lf 4 1 1 0 Berry rf/cf 5 1 2 0
Hishinuma 2b 4 1 2 2 Rolf c 3 0 1 0
Reza ss 4 1 1 1
TOTALS 40 9 14 6 TOTALS 36 6 12 5
Palomar (11-9, (6-6) 010 431 000 - 9 14 3
Grossmont (9-14, (4-8) 102 003 000 - 6 12 3
GWRBI-Thompson
E-Garcia, Sweeney, Birrenkott, Stabile 2, Flannery. DP-Pal. 2.
LOB-Pal. 7, GC 10. 2B-Kemp 2, Moritz, Garcia. HR-Moritz (3), 5th solo.
SB-Boggs 2. S-Buckley, R. Scott. SF-Wightman.
PITCHING SUMMARY
PALOMAR ip h r er bb so
Goset 3.0 4 3 3 2 0
Watson W(3-0) 2.0 4 0 0 0 0
Meyers 1.0 3 3 3 1 0
Logan 2.0 1 0 0 0 0
Kearney Sv, 2 1.0 0 0 0 1 0
GROSSMONT
Lawford L(3-3) 5.0 11 8 6 2 3
Ganzer 1.0 2 1 0 0 0
W.Scott 2.0 1 0 0 0 0
Maihack 1.0 0 0 0 0 1
HBP-by Meyers (Rolf). WP-Goset 2.
(03-27-04)
Griffs clobber IVC to inch up standings
EastCountySports.com
IMPERIAL - Three weeks ago in this desert community Grossmont
College's baseball season hit its lowest point as the Griffins
were late-inning losers to a team that had gone winless in 32
starts the previous year. Grossmont has since avenged that chilling
defeat, pounding Imperial Valley College by a composite 34-6 score
the past two games. That includes a 13-2 romp on Thursday (Mar.
25), which lifted the Griffins out of the Pacific Coast Conference
cellar and into a tie for 4th place. Grossmont is only one game
out of 3rd place.
The Griffins (9-13, 4-7) generated another offensive onslaught
Thursday, but this time did so without benefit of a single home
run. Grossmont roped three IVC pitchers for 17 hits, including
3 each by STEVE BOGGS and ROBBY SCOTT. Boggs also scored 4 runs.
RBI singles by RYAN BUCKLEY and JARED BIRRENKOTT gave Grossmont
a 2-0 lead in the 1st inning. Buckley tripled and scored on ANTHONY
STABILE's sacrifice fly to make it 3-0 in the 3rd inning.
Grossmont shifted into high gear in the final three innings. LARRY
PIERCE's two-run double made it a 6-1 game in the 7th inning.
QUINTIN BERRY's 2-run double was the key blow in a 4-run 8th inning.
ALBERT GENOVESE added the finishing touches in the 9th inning
with a 2-run double - his first collegiate hit.
ERIC SHERMAN, TRAVIS LOPEZ and GABE WARD combined to spin a 4-hitter
at the Arabs. Sherman got the win and struck out 7 in his 5-inning
stint.
Grossmont hosts Palomar on Saturday (Mar. 27) at noon.
(03-25-04)
Thursday - March 25, 2004
Pacific Coast Conference
GRIFFINS 13, ARABS 2
GROSSMONT ab r h bi IMPERIAL VALLEY ab r h bi
Boggs lf 5 4 3 0 Gallegos ss 4 0 0 0
Berry rf/cf 5 1 2 1 Cardenas cf 1 0 0 1
Buckley cf 5 2 2 1 Cochran cf/ss 2 1 0 0
Genovese rf 1 1 1 2 Castro p/1b 4 0 1 0
Birrenkott 1b 5 1 1 2 Lazerotta p 0 0 0 0
Stabile 3b 4 1 2 2 Gastelum 1b-p 3 0 0 0
Er.Smith dh 5 1 1 0 Lofton 1b 0 0 0 0
Pierce c 4 0 2 2 Bedford c 3 0 1 0
Rolf c 1 0 0 0 Laughter 3b 3 0 0 0
Reza ss 4 0 0 0 Navarro 3b 1 1 1 0
Scott 3b 5 2 3 0 Alvarez 2b 2 0 0 0
Jacques lf 4 0 1 0
TOTALS 44 13 17 11 TOTALS 27 2 4 1
Grossmont (9-13, (4-7) 201 010 243 - 13 17 4
Imperial Valley (7-14, (3-8) 000 010 001 - 2 4 6
GWRBI-Buckley (2).
E-Stabile, R. Scott, Pierce, Buckley, Bedford, Navarro, Laughter, Cochran, Alvarez, Gallegos.
LOB-GC 11, ICV 9.2B-Pierce, Berry, Jacques. 3B-Buckley. SBCastro, Bedford, Cochran. S-Berry. SF-Stabile.
PITCHING SUMMARY
GROSSMONT ip h r er bb so
Sherman W(3-4) 5.0 2 1 0 2 7
Lopez 3.0 1 0 0 1 2
Ward 1.0 1 1 1 1 0
IMPERIAL VALLEY
Castro L(2-2) 7.0 11 6 5 0 4
Gastelum 1.0 2 4 3 1 1
Lazerotta 1.0 4 3 2 0 0
HBP-by Castro (Reza, Stabile); by Gastelum (Boggs); by Lazerotta (Birrentkott); by Sherman (Bedford, Cochran).
WP-Lopez. BK-Castro.
(03-25-04)
Griffins, Birrenkott pound Imperial Valley
to release frustrations
EastCountySports.com
EL CAJON - Grossmont College turned on the power switch Tuesday
(Mar. 23) and inflicted a stinging 21-4 Pacific Coast Conference
defeat upon the visiting Imperial Valley College Arabs. JARED
BIRRENKOTT belted two home runs and drove in 5 runs to help the
Griffins snap a five-game losing streak.
Grossmont (8-13, 3-7), which hit only 8 home runs in its first
20 games, blasted three into the trees beyond the fence limits
of Noel Mickelsen Field in the rout of IVC (7-13, 3-7).
JASON GUZMAN joined Grossmont's home run parade with a two-run
homer during an 11-run 2nd inning. Birrenkott clouted a solo shot
in that frame, which featured 14 batters, 6 hits, 4 walks, 2 errors,
a passed ball and a sacrifice fly.
RYAN BUCKLEY finished 4-for-6 with five RBI, including a 2-run
single in the 2nd inning. ANTHONY STABILE and ERIC SMITH each
clubbed a 2-run double in Grossmont's biggest offensive frame
of the campaign.
QUINTIN BERRY was 3-for-4 with 3 runs for Grossmont, which put
an exclamation point on this blowout with Birrenkott's grand slam
in a 6-run 5th inning.
Christian High alum NICK LAUGHTER gave IVC a brief 1-0 lead in
the 2nd inning with a two-out home run. After that blow, the day
belonged to Grossmont.
ADAM LAWFORD pitched six solid innings to pick up his 3rd win
in five decisions. He struck out 5 and walked one.
These same two teams meet again on Thursday (Mar. 25) in the desert
at 2 p.m.
(03-23-04)
Tuesday - March 23, 2004
Pacific Coast Conference
GRIFFINS 21, ARABS 4
IMPERIAL VALLEY ab r h bi GROSSMONT ab r h bi
Gallegos ss 0 0 0 0 Boggs 2b 5 3 1 0
Alvarez ss 4 0 1 0 Scott ss 4 3 2 0
Santana p 5 0 2 1 Buckley cf 6 3 4 5
Cochran cf 5 1 1 1 Birrenkott 1b 3 3 2 5
Castro dh/1b 5 1 1 0 Macedo 1b 1 0 0 0
Bedford c 4 0 1 0 Stabile 3b 5 2 1 2
Cardenas lf 3 0 0 0 Er.Smith lf 5 2 2 0
Lofton 1b/rf 2 0 0 0 Genovese lf 0 0 0 0
Betz p 0 0 0 0 Guzman dh 4 2 1 2
Niebla ph 1 0 1 1 Rolf c 4 0 1 1
Stevens p 0 0 0 0 Berry rf 4 3 3 1
Gastelum ph 1 0 0 0
Hagens p 0 0 0 0
Laughter 3b 4 1 2 1
Navarro 2b 4 1 0 0
TOTALS 38 4 9 4 TOTALS 41 21 17 16
Imperial Valley (7-13, 3-7) 0 1 0 011 001 - 4 9 5
Grossmont (8-13, 3-7) 0(11)1 060 03x - 21 17 2
GWRBI-Rolf.
E-Navarro 3, Bedford 2, Boggs, Stabile. LOB-IVC 9, GC 9. 2B-Stabile, Rolf, Castro, Niebla.
3B-Er.Smith. HR-Laughter (2) 2nd, solo; Cochran (2) 9th, solo; Birrenkott 2:(3,4) 2nd, solo, 5th, grand slam; Guzman (2) 2nd, one on.
PITCHING SUMMARY
IMPERIAL VALLEY ip h r er bb so
Hartsock L(3-3) 1.2 5 9 1 0 4
Santana 2.1 2 3 1 0 1
Betz 1.0 6 6 6 1 0
Stevens 2.0 1 0 0 1 2
Hagen 1.0 2 3 0 2 1
GROSSMONT
Lawford W(3-2) 6.0 6 3 3 1 5
Hester Sv(1) 3.0 3 1 1 0 3
HBP-by Lawford (Gallegos, by Santana (Berry).
(03-23-04)
Sherman
in control, but gets little support
EastCountySports.com
SAN DIEGO - The formula for disaster continued for Grossmont College
Thursday (Mar. 18) as the visiting Griffins used a combination
of poor fielding and a lack of hitting to fall to San Diego Mesa
4-2 in a Pacific Coast Conference contest.
The Griffins wasted a solid pitching performance by ERIC SHERMAN,
who checked Mesa on seven hits, walked none and struck out 8 in
a complete-game effort. Of his 114 pitches, 79 were strikes.
Mesa starter Kyle Owsley retired the first 17 Griffins he faced
before CODY ROLF broke up the perfect game with a single to right
with two outs in the 6th inning of a scoreless game. Owsley did
not allow an earned run and came within one out of a complete
game.
After FERNANDO REZA's RBI single cut the Mesa lead to two runs
and put the tying runs on base for the Griffins in the 9th, Alfred
Yanez came on to record a game-ending strikeout on a 3-2 pitch.
It was the 5th straight loss for the Griffins, who won't play
again until Tuesday (Mar. 23) when they travel to Imperial Valley.
(03-18-04)
Thursday - March 18, 2004
Pacific Coast Conference
EastCountySports.com
OLYMPIANS 4, GRIFFINS 2
GROSSMONT ab r h bi SD MESA ab r h bi
Boggs 2b 4 0 1 1 Ibarra 3b 4 1 1 0
Buckley cf 4 0 1 0 Martinez 2b 4 0 1 0
Scott lf 4 0 0 0 West 2b 0 1 0 0
Pierce dh 4 0 0 0 R. Martin 1b 4 1 2 0
Berry pr 0 1 0 0 K. Martin ss 4 1 2 2
Birrenkott 1b 4 0 1 0 Sanchez lf 4 0 1 1
Stabile 3b 4 0 1 0 Maita dh 4 0 0 0
Er.Smith rf 4 0 0 0 Hammond rf 3 0 0 0
Reza ss 3 0 1 1 Cunningham c 3 0 0 0
Rolf c 3 0 1 0 Callison cf 3 0 0 0
Genovese pr 0 1 0 0
Guzman c 1 0 0 0
TOTALS 35 2 6 2 TOTALS 33 4 7 3
Grossmont (7-13, 2-7) 000 000 011 - 2 6 3
SD Mesa (8-11, 5-4) 000 001 03x - 4 7 3
GWRBI-K. Martin.
E-Reza, Stabile, Hammond, Martinez, Guzman, K. Martin. LOB-GC 7, SDMC 5.
2B-R. Martin. SB-Ibarra, K. Martin 2, R. Martin.
PITCHING SUMMARY
GROSSMONT ip h r er bb so
Sherman L(2-4) 8.0 7 4 4 0 8
SAN DIEGO MESA
Owsley W(4-2) 8.2 6 2 0 1 4
Yanez Sv-1 0.1 0 0 0 0 1
(03-18-04)
Griffins go extras, but can't find win formula
EastCountySports.com
ELCAJON - The home field disadvantage continued for the Grossmont
Griffins Tuesday's (Mar. 16) as they lost their 4th home game
in as many starts to San Diego Mesa 9-5 in 10 innings at Noel
Mickelsen Field.
The Griffins (7-12, 2-6) blew a 5-2 lead in the final three innings
to tumble into the Pacific Coast Conference cellar.
(03-16-04)
Tuesday - March 16, 2004
Pacific Coast Conference
OLYMPIANS 9, GRIFFINS 5 (10 inn.)
SAN DIEGO MESA ab r h bi GROSSMONT ab r h bi
Ibarra 3b 6 0 1 2 x-Boggs 2b 5 0 3 2
Martinez 2b 5 0 0 0 Buckley cf 6 1 1 0
West ph-2b 1 0 0 0 Scott lf 4 1 2 1
R.Martin 1b 4 1 0 0 Stabile 3b 3 0 0 0
K.Martin ss 5 2 3 1 Pierce c 3 1 1 2
Sanchez lf 5 1 3 0 Birrenkott dh 4 0 2 0
Maita dh 5 1 1 2 Er.Smith rf 5 1 1 0
Hammond rf 1 0 0 0 Reza ss 4 0 0 0
Bahno rf 3 1 1 0 Macedo 1b 4 1 1 0
Joe Cunningham c 4 1 1 1
Callison cf 4 2 2 2
TOTALS 43 9 12 8 TOTALS 38 5 11 5
San Diego Mesa (1-11, 4-4) 011 000 012 4 - 9 12 2
Grossmont (7-12, 2-6) 003 002 000 0 - 5 11 2
x-Was awarded first base on catcher's interference in the 10th.
GWRBI-Maita.
E-Boggs, R.Martin, Reza, Cunningham. DP-SDMC 3, GC 1. LOB-SDMC 7, GC 11. 2
B-R.Scott, K.Martin 2. 3B-Boggs. HR-Pierce (2) 3rd, one on; Callison (2) 9th, one on.
SB-R.Martin, Cunningham, K.Martin, Sanchez, Reza. SF-Cunningham.
PITCHING SUMMARY
SAN DIEGO MESA ip h r er bb so
Cranmer 5.2 7 5 5 3 2
Ramirez 1.1 2 0 0 0 0
Silvas W(2-1) 3.0 2 0 0 1 1
GROSSMONT
Lawford 8.0 6 3 2 1 1
Pompa L(1-2) 1.0 4 4 2 0 1
Ea.Smith 1.0 2 2 0 0 0
Pompa pitched to 3 batters in the 10th.
HBP-by Cranmer (Stabile), by Ramirez (Pierce, Birrenkott), by Lawford (Hammond), by Silvas (Reza). BK-Ea.Smith
03-16-04)
Deen's list includes two RBI for Southwestern,
as Griffins drop another
EastCountySports.com
CHULA VISTA - For the ninth time in a row, the Grossmont College
Griffins came out on the short end of the score against Southwestern
College Saturday (Mar.13). The visiting Griffins dropped a 6-1
decision to the undefeated Pacific Coast Conference leading Jaguars
(12-5, 7-0).
Eight of the nine Southwestern starters contributed to a 10-hit
attack. El Capitan alum SCOTT DEEN led the way with two hits,
including a double and two RBI.
RYAN BUCKLEY was 2-for-2 for the Griffins (7-11, 2-5), and now
has 14 hits in his last 29 at-bats.
Grossmont's ANTHONY STABILE was 2-for-4 with one RBI against the
Jags.
Next up for the slumping Griffins is a home game against San Diego
Mesa on Tuesday (Mar. 16) at 2 p.m.
(03-13-04)
Saturday - March 13, 2004
Pacific Coast Conference
JAGUARS 6, GRIFFINS 1
GROSSMONT ab r h bi SOUTHWESTERN ab r h bi
Boggs 2b 4 1 1 0 Ibarra rf 2 2 1 0
Buckley cf 2 0 2 0 Villezcas ss 4 1 1 1
R.Scott ss 4 0 1 0 Deen lf 4 1 2 2
Stabile 3b 4 0 2 1 Lievanos 1b 3 0 1 1
Er.Smith lf 3 0 0 0 Denhart dh 4 0 1 1
Reza ss 0 0 0 0 Bravo 3b 4 1 2 0
Pierce dh 4 0 0 0 Molina cf 4 0 1 0
Guzman c 1 0 0 0 Armstrong 2b 3 1 1 0
Rolf c 0 0 0 0 Palacios c 4 0 0 0
Macedo 1b 4 0 1 0
Berry cf 4 0 0 0
TOTALS 30 1 7 1 TOTALS 32 6 10 5
Grossmont (7-11, 2-5) 100 000 000 - 1 7 3
Southwestern (12-5, 7-0) 010 030 20x - 6 10 0
GWRBI-Villazcas.
E-Guzman, Stabile, Buckley. DP-GC 2. SWC 1. LOB-GC 9. SWC 6.
2B-R.Scott, Ibarra, Deen, Bravo, Armstrong. SB-Boggs, Armstrong, Lievanos. SF-Lievanos.
PITCHING SUMMARY
GROSSMONT ip h r er bb so
Lopez L(0-1) 5.0 7 4 4 1 1
Ea.Smith 2.0 3 2 2 1 1
Pompa 1.0 0 0 0 0 2
SOUTHWESTERN
Sykes 3.0 3 1 1 2 2
McDowell W 6.0 4 0 0 2 3
HBP-by McDowell (Reza). WP-Lopez, Ea.Smith.
03-13-04)
Grossmont looks like strangers on home turf
EastCountySports.com
EL CAJON - Grossmont College is a .500 team on the road, having
split 14 decisions this spring. That part might be acceptable
if the Griffins weren't winless at home. Pacific Coast Conference-leading
Southwestern rolled over the Griffins 10-4 Thursday (Mar. 11)
at Noel Mickelsen Field. It dropped Grossmont's home ledger to
0-3.
Jack Spradlin, son of PGA pro Jack Spradlin Sr., blanked the Griffins
on 3 hits over the first seven innings before handing the ball
over to the Southwestern (11-5, 6-0) bullpen. Spradlin Jr. is
4-0 versus the Griffins the last two seasons.
The Jaguars were breezing 10-0 before Grossmont jumped on two
Southwestern relievers for four runs on 9 hits in the last two
frames.
LARRY PIERCE broke up the shutout when he lined a 1-0 pitch off
the scoreboard in left field with one out in the 8th inning. ROBBY
SCOTT and ANTHONY STABILE each followed with an RBI single in
the same frame.
In the 9th inning, QUINTIN BERRY doubled and scored on a base
hit by Pierce. But Grossmont missed a chance for a big inning
against Jag reliever ROBERT STEVENS (Helix).
Pinch hitter JASON GUZMAN singled and Pierce stopped at second.
ALBERT GENOVESE ran for Guzman. STEVE BOGGS singled to right field,
but Pierce was cut down trying to score from second on a relay
from right fielder Carlos Ibarra to first baseman David Lievanos
to catcher Gene Becker.
Ibarra and No. 2 hitter Marcos Villezcas were collectively 8-for-10
with 5 runs and 6 RBI at the top of the Southwestern batting order.
Southwestern, which has won 8 straight from the Griffins (7-10,
2-4), hosts Grossmont Saturday (Mar. 13) at noon.
(03-11-04)
Thursday - March 11, 2004
Pacific Coast Conference
JAGUARS 14, GRIFFINS 4
SOUTHWESTERN ab r h bi GROSSMONT ab r h bi
Ibarra rf 6 3 5 1 Boggs 2b 5 0 2 0
Villezcas lf 4 2 3 5 Buckley cf 4 1 0 0
Deen lf 4 0 2 0 Scott lf 4 0 2 1
Lievanos 1b 4 0 1 2 Stabile 2b 4 0 1 1
Cordeiro ph/lb 1 0 0 0 Birrenkott lb 4 0 0 0
Denhart dh 3 0 1 0 Er.Smith rf 2 0 1 0
Bravo 3b 5 1 2 1 Berry rfrf 2 1 1 0
Molina cf 5 1 1 0 Reza ss 4 0 0 0
Armstrong 2b 2 1 1 1 Nester dh 1 0 0 0
Palacios c 4 2 1 0 Pierce ph/dh 3 1 2 2
Blecker ph/c 1 0 0 0 Rolf c 3 1 2 0
Guzman ph 1 0 1 0
Genovese pr 0 0 0 0
TOTALS 37 10 17 10 TOTALS 337 4 12 4
Southwestern (10-5, 6-0) 011 035 000 - 10 17 2
Grossmont (7-10, 2-4) 000 000 031 - 4 12 3
GWRBI-Armstrong.
E-Bravo, Spradlin, Birrenkott, Boggs, Rolf. DP-SWC 1, GC 4. LOB-SWC 10, GC 7.
2B-Villezcas 2, Ibarra, Deen, R.Scott. HR-Villezcas (1) 6th, two on; Pierce (1) 8th, solo.
SB-Armstrong 2. S-Deen. SF-Lievanos.
PITCHING SUMMARY
SOUTHWSTERN ip h r er bb so
Spradlin W(4-0) 7.0 3 0 0 1 4
Reyes 1.0 5 3 3 0 0
Sterenk 1.0 4 1 1 0 1
GROSSMONT
Sherman L(2-3) 4.1 9 5 4 1 1
Layfield 1.2 6 5 5 1 0
Levario 1.0 1 0 0 0 0
Ganzer 1.0 1 0 0 0 0
Ward 1.0 0 0 0 1 0
HBP-by Sherman (Armstrong), by Levario (Armstrong), by Ganzer (Denhart).
03-11-04)
Lawford, Buckley give best effort, but Griffins
can't finish City
EastCountySports.com
SAN DIEGO - Sophomore center-fielder RYAN BUCKLEY continued his
recent hitting tear, but the Grossmont Griffins still came up
short in Tuesday's (March 9) Pacific Coast Conference encounter
against San Diego City College at Morley Field, falling to the
Knights 4-3 in 12 innings.
Buckley, a sophomore from Granite Hills, was 3-for-6 with 2 RBI
against the Knights, hoisting his average for the week to 12-for-23
(.522).
As hot as Buckley has been, the Griffins (7-9, 2-3) continue to
struggle.
With the score tied at 1-1, the Grfifins launched a two-out rally
in the 7th inning. After FERNANDO REZA and STEVE BOGGS singled,
Buckley laced a triple off the fence in left-center field to score
both runners.
After that, Grossmont's offense went flat.
Too bad for Griffins ace pitcher ADAM LAWFORD, who turned in a
complete 9 innings, while striking out 5, walking none and surrendering
2 earned runs. He received a no-decision for his effort.
Willis Bumphus' two-out RBI double in the 12th inning gave the
Knights (10-5, 2-3) the
nod.
Tuesday - March 9, 2004
Pacific Coast Conference
KNIGHTS 4, GRIFFINS 3 (12 innings)
GROSSMONT ab r h bi SAN DIEGO CITY ab r h bi
Boggs 2b 4 1 1 0 Gongora cf 3 0 0 0
Buckley cf 6 0 3 2 Lizarraga ph/lf 1 0 0 0
R.Scott lf 6 0 0 0 Bailey ph/lf 1 0 0 0
Stabile 3b 6 1 1 0 Andrade 2b/3b 5 1 0 0
Birrenkott 1b 6 0 3 1 Bessey dh 5 0 1 0
Pierce dh 5 0 0 0 Thorpe 1b 5 1 3 2
E.Smith rf 4 0 1 0 Hulbert rf 5 0 1 0
Berry rf 0 0 0 0 Chandler lf/cf 4 1 1 0
Reza ss 5 0 1 0 Mendoza 3b 3 0 0 0
Rolf c 5 1 2 0 Bumphus ph/2b 2 1 0 0
Philben ss 4 0 1 1
Sivers pr 0 0 0 0
Randell ss 1 0 0 0
Lindgren c 4 0 2 1
TOTALS 47 3 12 3 TOTALS 43 4 9 4
Grossmont (7-9, 2-3) 000 100 200 000 - 3 12 3
San Diego City (10-5, 2-3) 000 010 002 001 - 4 9 2
GWRBI-Lindgren.
E-Buckley, Mendoza, Lawford, Boggs, Randell. DP-GC 1. SDCC 1. LOB- 2B-Stabile, Reza.
3B-Buckley. HR-Thorpe (1) 9th, one on. SB-Chandler, Boggs.
PITCHING SUMMARY
GROSSMONT ip h r er bb so
Lawford 9.0 6 3 2 0 5
Pompa L(0-1) 2.2 3 1 1 1 2
SAN DIEGO CITY
Hargrove 6.2 9 3 3 0 6
Duke 3.1 2 0 0 1 1
Tenney W(5-2) 2.0 1 0 0 1 1
HBP-by Lawford (Chandler), by Duke (Boggs). PB-Lindgren.
03-09-04)
Buckley's winning allows Griffins to even
league record
EastCountySports.com
SAN MARCOS - It was a bizarre afternoon
at Palomar College on Saturday (March
6). The Grossmont Griffins handed the Comets 4 runs in the bottom
of the 1st
inning after Palomar lost starting pitcher Brandon Adams to a
shoulder
separation in the top of the opening frame. The visiting Griffins
eventually
won the Pacific Coast Conference game 6-5 on RYAN BUCKLEY's two-run
double in the
sixth inning.
Buckley's game-winning blow - one of 4 hits
he had in the game - coupled with
4 innings of shutout relief from EARL SMITH gave Grossmont its
second PCC win
in as many days. The 6-foot-7, 230-pound Smith checked the Comets
on 2 hits
while walking none and striking out three to earn the save.
Grossmont (7-8, 2-2) began its uphill climb
in the 3rd inning as FERNANDO
REZA walked, advanced to second on STEVE BOGGS' base hit and scored
on a single
by Buckley.
ERIC SMITH, who has 8 hits in his last 11
at-bats, stroked a two-out single
to prolong the 4th inning. That was enough for JARED BIRRENKOTT
to belt his
second home run in as many days, cutting Palomar's advantage to
4-3.
The Comets countered with a run to make
it 5-3 in the 5th inning.
Smith provided the spark for the Griffins'
winning rally with a single to
start the 6th. After Birrenkott was hit by a pitch, Palomar (7-5,
2-2)
committed its lone error of the game when the Comets third baseman
booted a potential
double play ball off the bat of Reza to load the bases.
Boggs singled in one run, and that set the
stage for Buckley's game-winning
blow.
Next up for the Griffins is a trip to Morley
Field where they'll engage San
Diego City College on Tuesday (March 9) at 2 p.m.
(03-06-04)
Saturday - March 6, 2004
Pacific Coast Conference
GRIFFINS 6, COMETS 5
GROSSMONT ab r h bi PALOMAR ab r h bi
Boggs 2b 5 0 2 1 Garcia ss 4 2 1 0
Buckley cf 5 0 4 3 Burke 2b 3 1 1 1
R.Scott lf 3 0 0 0 Kemp 1b 1 0 0 0
Stabile 3b 5 0 0 0 Brown p 0 0 0 0
Macedo 1b 5 0 0 0 Meyers p 0 0 0 0
Er.Smith rf 4 2 2 0 Murphy p 1 0 0 0
Birrenkott dh 2 2 1 2 Sweeney dh/1b 4 1 1 1
Reza ss 2 2 1 0 Fonseca lf 3 1 0 0
Rolf c 4 0 0 0 Thompson cf 4 0 1 1
Parzyk c 3 0 1 1
Hishinuma pr 0 0 0 0
Wightman rf 3 0 0 0
Miller 3b 4 0 0 0
TOTALS 35 6 10 8 TOTALS 30 5 5 4
Grossmont (7-8, 2-2) 001 203 000 - 6 10 1
Palomar (7-5, 2-2) 400 010 000 - 5 5 1
GWRBI-Buckley.
E-Miller, Boggs. DP-Pal 1. LOB-GC 8, Pal 5. 2B-Buckley, Garcia. HR-Birrenkott
(2) 4th, one on. SB-Fonseca, Thompson, Hishinuma. S-Reza, Meyers. SF-Parzyk.
PITCHING SUMMARY
GROSSMONT ip h r er bb so
W.Scott 0.1 0 4 3 2 0
Ganzer W(1-0) 4.2 3 1 1 1 2
Ea.Smith Sv-1 4.0 2 0 0 0 3
PALOMAR
Adams 0.1 1 0 0 0 1
Brown 3.2 4 3 3 1 1
Meyers L 2.0 3 3 0 1 1
Murphy 3.0 1 0 0 0 2
HBP-by W.Scott (Garcia, Kemp), by Meyers (Birrenkott), by Murphy
(Birrenkott). WP-Brown 2.
03-06-04)
Griffins need a win, schedule Mesa to break
losing streak
EastCountySports.com
SAN DIEGO - Seems whenever the Grossmont College Griffins need
a victory they can count on San Diego Mesa to help them out. That
was the case again Friday (March 5) when the visiting Griffins
snapped a 5-game losing streak with a 9-2 Pacific Coast Conference
pasting of the Olympians at Mesa. Grossmont has posted a 32-2
record against Mesa over the last 7 seasons.
Scheduled to host Palomar Saturday (March 6) at noon, the Griffins
(6-8, 1-2) must now travel to San Marcos to face the Comets on
their home field. Grossmont's Noel Mickelsen Field has been unplayable
all week due to recent heavy rains.
For the first time in three weeks, the Griffins finally hauled
out the heavy lumber at Mesa. JARED BIRRENKOTT crashed out of
his recent slump with a two-run home run and a single in three
at-bats. ANTHONY STABILE slugged a two-run shot over the snack
bar beyond the right field fence with a man aboard in the 9th
inning.
"We made some lineup changes," Grossmont coach ED OLSEN
said. It paid off as every starter contributed to a 14-hit attack.
ERIC SMITH went 3-for-3, giving him six hits in his last seven
at-bats.
ROBBY SCOTT and RYAN BUCKLEY chipped in with two hits apiece,
Scott adding 2 RBI.
"We attacked the ball better than we have in quite a few
games," Olsen said.
ERIC SHERMAN scattered 7 hits and allowed only 2 runs over 6 1/3
innings, which earned him his second win in four decisions. CHRIS
POMPA finished the job, surrendering just one hit over 2 2/3 innings.
(03-05-04)
Friday - March 5, 2004
Pacific Coast Conference
GRIFFINS 9, OLYMPIANS 2
GROSSMONT ab r h bi SD MESA ab r h bi
Boggs 2b 4 2 1 0 Ibarra 2b 4 0 2 0
Buckley cf 4 0 2 1 R. Martin 1b 4 0 0 0
Scott lf 4 1 2 2 K. Martin cf 3 0 1 0
Stabile 3b 5 1 1 2 Maita dh 4 0 1 0
Macedo 1b 4 1 1 0 Cunningham c 4 1 1 0
Er.Smith rf 3 1 3 1 Sanchez 3b 4 1 1 0
Genovese rf 0 0 0 0 Hammond rf 3 0 0 0
Birrenkott dh 3 1 2 2 Poniktera lf 2 0 1 1
Reza ss 3 1 1 0 Wood ph 0 0 0 0
Rolf c 3 1 1 0 West ss 4 0 1 1
TOTALS 33 9 14 8 TOTALS 32 2 8 2
Grossmont (6-8, 1-2) 100 100 502 - 9 14 0
SD Mesa 000 000 200 - 2 8 1
GWRBI-None.
E-Martin. DP-GC 2. LOB-GC 6, SDMC 8. 2B-Cunningham, Boggs, Er.Smith.
HR-Birrenkott (1) 7th, one on; Stabile (3) 9th, one on. S-R.Scott, Rolf, Genovese.
PITCHING SUMMARY
GROSSMONT ip h r er bb so
Sherman W(2-2 6.1 7 2 2 2 3
Pompa 2.2 1 0 0 1 2
SAN DIEGO MESA
Yanez L 6.1 10 5 5 1 3
Cranmer 1.2 2 2 2 0 1
Klester 1.0 2 2 2 0 1
HBP-by Pompa (Wood), by Yanez (Reza). WP-Yanez.
03-05-04)
Imperial Valley atop standings after dropping
Grossmont
EastCountySports.com
IMPERIAL - For the second time in as many days, the Grossmont
College Griffins were struck by late-inning lightning Thursday
(March 4) as they dropped a 5-4 Pacific Coast Conference contest
at Imperial Valley College. Pete Cochran slugged a two-run home
run in the bottom of the 8th inning to erase a one-run Grossmont
advantage and give the Arabs (8-8, 2-0) a share of the conference
lead.
Imperial Valley is making quite a comeback from its 0-32 season
of a year ago.
Cochran, who accounted for all but one of the IVC's 4 hits, clubbed
his game-winning homer to right field, driving in Juan Castro
who had reached base when hit by a pitch. IVC's run in the 1st
inning was also the result of Grossmont's pitcher hitting the
lead-off batter.
"We've hit eight batters the last three games," Grossmont
coach ED OLSEN fumed. "On top of that we're not hitting in
clutch situations."
Cleanup hitter JARED BIRRENKOTT was hitless in 5 at-bats at IVC
and is mired in a 1-for-19 slump. Grossmont's No. 3 hitter ROBBY
SCOTT was 0-for-3 against the Arabs.
Grossmont's ERIC SMITH (Patrick Henry HS) was 3-for-4, but scored
only run and did not have an RBI.
The Griffins (5-8, 0-2) have lost five games in a row. Half
of their losses this season have come by 2 or fewer runs, including
Wednesday's 3-2 PCC opener at Southwestern.
Grossmont travels to San Diego Mesa Friday (March 5) for a 2 p.m.
contest before returning home to host Palomar on Saturday (March
6) at noon.
(03-04-04)
Thursday - March 4, 2004
Pacific Coast Conference
ARABS 5, GRIFFINS 4
GROSSMONT ab r h bi IMPERIAL VALLEY ab r h bi
Boggs 2b 5 0 1 0 Vasques lf 3 1 0 0
Buckley cf 4 0 2 0 Navarro 3b 3 0 0 0
Scott 3b 3 1 0 0 Gallegos ss 2 1 1 1
Birrenkott dh 5 0 0 0 Laughter dh 3 0 0 0
Macedo 1b 3 1 1 1 Castro p-1b 0 1 0 0
Er.Smith lf 4 1 3 0 Cochran cf 4 2 3 3
Genovese lf 0 0 0 0 Gastelum 1b-p 4 0 0 0
Guzman c 3 0 1 1 Bedford c 2 0 0 0
Rolf c 1 0 0 0 Santana rf 4 0 0 0
Reza ss 3 1 1 1 Alvarez 2b 1 0 0 0
Berry rf 4 0 1 0
TOTALS 35 4 10 3 TOTALS 26 5 4 4
Grossmont (5-8, 0-2) 020 000 110 - 4 10 2
Imperial Valley (8-8, 2-0) 100 002 02x - 5 4 1
GWRBI-Cochran.
E-Guzman, Boggs, Castro. DP-IVC 1. LOB-GC 9, IVC 7. 2B-Er. Smith, Reza.
HR-Cochran (1) 8th, one on. SB-Buckley 2, Cochran. S-Navarro. SF-Gallegos, Reza.
PITCHING SUMMARY
GROSSMONT ip h r er bb so
Lopez 5.1 3 3 2 2 3
Layfield 1.2 0 0 0 0 0
Levario L(0-1) 1.0 1 2 2 0 1
IMPERIAL VALLEY
Castro 7.0 9 4 3 2 3
Gastelum W(1-0) 2.0 1 0 0 2 2
HBP-by Lopez (Bedford, Alvarez); by Layfield (Beford, Vasques);
by Levario (Castro). WP-Lopez. PB-Guzman. BK-Castro.
(03-04-04)
Denhart gets single that wins game for Southwestern
over Griffins
EastCountySports.com
CHULA VISTA - Chris Denhart (Christian High) singled home the
winning run in the bottom of the 7th inning as Southwestern edged
visiting Grossmont College 3-2 in Wednesday's (March 3) Pacific
Coast Conference opener for both clubs.
Southwestern southpaw Jack Spradlin limited the Griffins (5-7,
0-1) to five hits over six innings, while walking three and striking
out nine. Freshman Arturo Reyes pitched a three perfect innings
of relief for the win.
The Griffins' ADAM LAWFORD (2-2) was the hard-luck loser, allowing
just 2 earned runs while scattering 6 hits and striking out 7
over seven innings.
Grossmont will travel to Imperial Valley (5-7, 1-0) Thursday (March
4) for a 2 p.m. contest against the much-improved Arabs.
(03-03-04)
Griffins lose at Irvine Valley`despite 12-5
hit edge
EastCountySports.com
IRVINE - The slumping Grossmont College Griffins suffered another
bitter defeat Friday (Feb.20) when they out-hit host Irvine Valley
12-5 only to drop a 2-1 decision to the Lasers. It was the sixth
loss in the last seven games for Grossmont (5-6).
Four Grossmont pitchers combined to limit Irvine Valley to five
hits, including ace ADAM LAWFORD, who twirled 3 innings of one-hit
relief while striking out 3 and walking none.
The Lasers jumped on starter ERIC SHERMAN for three hits and two
runs in the opening three frames. He was tagged with the loss
as Grossmont stranded 11 base runners.
Grossmont finally broke through for its only run in the 8th inning.
JARED BIRRENKOTT led off with a double, advanced to third on an
infield out and scored on LARRY PIERCE's pinch single.
Although STEVEN BOGGS, RYAN BUCKLEY and ROBBY SCOTT collected
2 hits apiece, the Griffins have had difficulty stringing hits
together.
"We're getting great pitching, but we're not hitting with
men on base," Grossmont coach ED OLSEN said.
Grossmont opens the Pacific Coast Conference season on Saturday,
Feb. 28 by hosting Southwestern at noon.
ELSEWHERE: Grossmont High alum AARON GARCIA went 4-for-5 with
a double and an RBI as for Palomar as the Comets (5-2) clipped
Mount San Antonio 11-2 on Saturday (Feb.21).
(02-21-04)
Bakersfield takes Griffins to 12 before
home run settles it for hosts
EastCountySports.com
EL CAJON - After racing off to a 4-0 start to the season, the
Grossmont College Griffins have suddenly hit the skids - losing
5 of their last 6 starts. The latest setback came Sunday (Feb.
15) to the host team in the Bakersfield College Invitational,
a game that stretched into 12 innings before the Griffins succumbed
4-3 on Mark Ernest's home run leading off the final frame. Next
up for the Griffins (5-5) is the final pre-conference tune up
Thursday (Feb. 19) at Irvine Valley at 2 p.m.
(02-17-04)
Pierce bullies Griffins with
easy victory
EastCountySports.com
BAKERSFIELD - It wasn't a pretty picture for the Grossmont Griffins
in Saturday's (Feb. 14) second round of the Bakersfield Invitational.
The Los Angeles Pierce College Brahmas scored 5 runs in the bottom
of the 3rd inning to snap a 1-1 tie and continue on to an 8-1
victory over the Griffins.
Pierce pounded four Grossmont pitchers for 12 hits and 8 earned
runs, while two Brahma pitchers held the Griffins to three singles
and a pair of doubles.
Catcher LARRY PIERCE was 2-for-4 with Grossmont's lone RBI in
the losing effort.
The highpoint of Grossmont's pitching was the relief work of ERIC
SHERMAN, who blanked Pierce on 3 hits while striking out 4 and
walking none in 4 innings.
The Griffins conclude the round-robin tourney Sunday (Feb. 15)
against host Bakersfield College at 2:30 p.m.
(02-14-04)
Lawford lays it down as Griffins win tournament
game in big fashion
EastCountySports.com
BAKERSFIELD - Not too many college pitchers are off to a better
start than Grossmont College sophomore right-hander ADAM LAWFORD.
The Texas Tech-bound hurler rationed Can~ada College of Redwood
City to 3 hits and one unearned run in 7 innings Friday (Feb.
13) as the Griffins opened the Bakersfield Tournament with a 14-1
victory.
Lawford lowered his season ERA to 0.82 as he recorded his second
win in three decisions. He walked 3 and struck out 4.
"Adam didn't have his best stuff, but he did a decent job,"
Grossmont College pitching coach RANDY ABSHIER said. "He
was able to locate his fastball and curveball with some consistency."
The Griffins (5-3) broke the game open with a 6-run 3rd inning
as they snapped a three-game losing streak.
Grossmont's JARED BIRRENKOTT was 1-for-4 with a double and 3 RBI,
while QUINTIN BERRY was 2-for-5 with 3 runs, 2 RBI and his first
collegiate homer.
Sophomore third baseman ANTHONY STABILE continued his torrid hitting
for the Griffins, driving in 2 runs and scoring twice on the strength
of a pair of doubles.
STEVEN BOGGS was 2-for-4 with 3 runs scored, while JASON GUZMAN
and KEITH NESTOR drove in 2 runs apiece for Grossmont.
Grossmont, which is 5-0 in tournament play, takes on Los Angeles
Pierce College Saturday (Feb.14) at 10 a.m. The Griffins
conclude the round-robin tourney Sunday (Feb. 15) against host
Bakersfield College at 2:30 p.m.
(02-13-04)
El Camino six pack in late innings spoils Olsen
celebration
EastCountySports.com
EL CAJON - It was supposed to be a day of celebration for
Grossmont College coach ED OLSEN. Pre-game ceremonies focused
on Olsen's 500th victory a week ago in Ventura. But the visiting
El Camino College Warriors spoiled the party, scoring 6 runs in
the final two innings to deal the Griffins a 12-7 setback Saturday
(Feb. 7) at Noel Mickelsen Field. It was Grossmont's third straight
loss after a 4-0 start to the season.
Things started out well for the Griffins as freshman right-hander
TRAVIS LOPEZ (El Capitan) threw only 9 pitches - all strikes -
to retire El Camino (2-0) in order.
ANTHONY STABILE (USDHS) gave Grossmont a 1-0 advantage in the
bottom of the first with an RBI double.
Lopez lost his control in the top of the 2nd and El Camino capitalized
for 4 runs.
LARRY PIERCE (Helix High) keyed a 6-run 3rd inning with a two-run
single as the Griffins rallied from a 4-1 deficit. Stabile, who
was 3-for-5 in the game, also had an RBI single in Grossmont's
big 3rd inning.
Five El Camino relievers blanked the Griffins (4-3) over the final
6 2/3 innings.
Grossmont will vie in the Bakersfield Tournament (Feb. 13-15),
taking on Cañada in the first round at 1:30 p.m.
(02-07-04)
SATURDAY - FEB 7, 2004
EastCountySports.com
WARRIORS 12, GRIFFINS 7
EL CAMINO ab r h bi GROSSMONT ab r h bi
LeBouf 3b 5 1 2 3 Buckley of 5 0 0 0
Medlen 2b-ss 5 1 2 1 Boggs 2b 4 2 3 1
Weeks ss-2b 6 1 2 1 Scott lf 4 1 2 0
Babineaux lf 3 1 1 0 Stabile 3b 5 1 3 2
Williams 1b 5 1 2 3 Birrenkott dh 4 1 1 1
Sharman rf 3 2 1 1 Macedo 1b 5 1 1 0
Nunn dh-p 2 1 1 1 E.Smith rf 2 1 1 1
Gomez ph 1 1 1 0 Berry ph 1 0 0 0
Treat c 1 0 1 0 Pierce c 5 0 1 2
Garcia pr 0 1 0 0 Reza ss 3 0 0 0
Salvatierra c 2 0 0 0 Guzman ph 1 0 0 0
Magano 3b 1 1 0 0
Highwart cf 2 1 0 0
TOTALS 36 12 13 10 TOTALS 39 7 12 7
El Camino (2-0) 040 020 042 - 12 13 2
Grossmont (4-3) 106 000 000 - 7 12 1
GWRBI-None.
E-Boltares, Medlen, Ganzer. LOB-EC 5, GC 11. 2B-Stabile, Boggs, Medlen.
3B-Sharman. HR-Williams 2nd, one on. SB-Highwart, LeBouf, Garcia. S-Salvatierra, Highwart. SF-Sharman.
PITCHING SUMMARY
EL CAMINO ip h r er bb so
Boltares 2.2 9 7 7 0 2
Ganser 2.1 1 0 0 0 2
Nunn 1 1 0 0 1 1
Magadan W(1-0) 1 1 0 0 0 1
Weeks 1 0 0 0 0 1
Medlen 1 1 0 0 0 1
GROSSMONT
Lopez 4.1 6 6 6 2 0
Ganzer L(0-1) 2.2 3 4 0 0 1
Scott 1.2 4 2 2 1 2
Pompa 0.1 0 0 0 0 0
Nunn faced one batter in the 7th.
Ganzer faced 3 batters in the 8th.
HBP-by Baltares (Smith), by Lopez (Babineux), by Ganser (Birrenkott, Pierce),
by Scott (Ganzer, Babineux). WP-Lopez 2, Ganzer, Scott. BK-Lopez.
(02-07-04)
Griffins get double-played by East Los Angeles
EastCountySports.com
EL CAJON - It was a less than auspicious home debut for
the Grossmont College Griffins Thursday (Feb. 5), as they were
chewed up by East Los Angeles College 13-5 at Noel Mickelsen Field.
The visiting Huskies hammered five Grossmont pitchers for 18 hits,
including four home runs in the rout.
The Griffins (4-2), who began the week ranked No. 14 in the state,
could not maintain an early 4-2 lead against the Huskies, who
staged a 7-run, two-out rally in the 7th inning.
Things started out strong offensively for the Griffins, as JARED
BIRRENKOTT's two-run double gave Grossmont a 2-1 lead in the 1st
inning. After East LA tied the score, the Griffins barged in front
again 4-2 on the strength of ANTHONY STABILE's two-run home run
in the 3rd inning. It was Stabile's second round-tripper of the
season.
The Griffins banged out 13 hits, but hitting into four double
plays curtailed many scoring opportunities. On top of that, the
Griffins' pitching could not keep a leash on the Huskies.
Birrenkott was 3-for-4 to lead the Griffins.
Next up for Grossmont is the ED OLSEN dedication game on Saturday
(Feb. 7) when the Griffins host El Camino at noon. A pre-game
ceremony to recognize Olsen for his 501 victories at Grossmont,
will take place before Saturday's game at 11:45 a.m.
GRIFFIN GRAFFITI - On Wednesday (Feb. 4), the Griffins suffered
their first loss - 3-1 at Irvine Valley - despite a powerful pitching
performance by Texas Tech-bound ADAM LAWFORD. The sophomore right-hander
turned in his second complete game in as many starts, limiting
the Lasers to 5 hits while striking out 8. Lawford owns a 1.20
ERA with 16 strikeouts in 15 innings this season.
(02-05-04)
2004 GROSSMONT COLLEGE BASEBALL
At Noel Mickelsen Field
Thursday - Feb.5, 2004
HUSKIES 13, GRIFFINS 5
EAST L.A. ab r h bi GROSSMONT ab r h bi
Vogel ss 5 2 3 2 Berry cf 4 1 1 0
Sedino 3b 6 1 2 2 Buckley rf 3 2 2 0
Sanchez c 4 2 1 1 Stabile 3b 4 1 2 2
Akasaka dh 5 0 1 0 Birrenkott dh 4 0 3 2
Vasquez ph 1 0 1 0 Macedo 1b 4 0 1 0
Crooks 1b 5 1 1 1 Guzman c 4 0 0 0
Peincido 1b 1 0 0 0 Er.Smith lf 4 1 2 0
Lopez rf 5 3 4 3 Scott ss 4 1 2 1
DeAngelis rf 1 0 0 0 Boggs 3b 4 0 0 0
Crowell lf 4 2 2 0
Estrella 2b 4 1 1 3
Franco cf 4 1 2 0
Totals 45 13 18 12 Totals 35 5 13 5
East Los Angeles (1-0) 110 310 700 - 13 18 0
Grossmont College (4-2) 202 000 100 - 5 13 0
GWRBI-Estrella.
E-None; DP-ELA 4. LOB-ELA 10, GC 4. 2B-Birrenkott, Lopez, E. Smith.
HR-Stabile (2),2nd one on; Lopez 2: 2nd, solo and 7th, solo; Estrella, 4th , 2 on; Crooks, 7th solo. SB-Vogel 3, Sedano.
PITCHING SUMMARY
EAST LOS ANGELES ip h r er bb so
Ayala W, 1-0 7.0 11 5 5 1 3
Chavez 2.0 2 0 0 0 0
GROSSMONT
Sherman L, 1-1 5.2 6 5 5 2 0
Ward 3.0 5 4 4 1 1
Maihack 0.0 3 4 4 1 0
Layfield 1.1 2 0 0 1 0
Ea. Smith 1.0 2 0 0 0 2
Maihack faced 5 batters in 7th.
HBP-by Maihack (Estrella). WP-Sherman, Maihack 2. PB-Sanchez.
(02-05-04)
Griffins muster just a few details in season-opening
loss to Irvine Valley
EastCountySports.com
EL CAJON - After suffering their first loss of the season
to host Irvine Valley 3-1 on Wednesday (Feb. 4), the Grossmont
College Griffins (4-1) will open their home season on Thursday
(Feb. 5) when they entertain East Los Angeles College at 2 p.m.
Meanwhile, plans have been finalized to recognize coach ED OLSEN
for his 500th Grossmont victory in pre-game ceremonies at 11:45
a.m. prior to Saturday's (Feb. 7) game against El Camino at Noel
Mickelsen Field. First pitch is set for noon.
No details were reported on the loss at Irvine Valley.
(02-04-04)
Former Griffins invited to honor Olsen's
500th win Saturday
EastCountySports.com
EL CAJON - Grossmont College (4-0), the No. 14-ranked baseball
team in the state, had its home opener spoiled by rain and wet
grounds Tuesday (Feb. 3). That game versus Irvine Valley will
be made up on Wednesday (Feb. 4) in Orange County at 2 p.m.
Barring additional inclement weather, the Griffins will open their
home season on Thursday (Feb. 5) when they entertain East Los
Angeles College at 2 p.m. The big news is Saturday's (Feb. 6)
recognition of coach ED OLSEN for his 500th Grossmont victory
in pre-game ceremonies at 11:45 a.m. Grossmont will play El Camino
immediately following the presentation of a plaque to Olsen.
All former Olsen players and coaches are invited to attend Saturday's
surprise presentation. Olsen, whose life is all baseball, is not
aquainted with the operation of a computer, so keep this in mind
- don't blow it by calling Olsen for information.
Those who need further details should contact assistant coach
RANDY ABSHIER at (619) 644-7423 or JOHN O. ROLLO at (619) 575-1196.
(02-03-04)
Griffins push record to 4-0 with tournament
championship at Ventura
By John O. Rollo
Special to EastCountySports.com
OXNARD - One day after presenting head coach ED OLSEN with his
500th victory at the school, the Grossmont College baseball team
authored up a present for themselves. With a 7-6 victory over
Cerro Coso College of Ridgecrest on Saturday (Jan. 31), the Griffins
returned home with the championship of the 2004 Ventura College
Tournament. The one-run nod over the Coyotes enabled the Griffins
to end the season's first weekend with a record of 4-0.
The Griffins pushed across the game's deciding run in the bottom
of the 8th inning. Catcher LARRY PIERCE (Helix) began the winning
rally with a slow roller into the hole between third base and
shortstop, which he beat out for a single. With pinch-runner DUSTIN
BEECHLER (West Hills) off and running, QUINTIN BERRY (Morse) lined
a 2-0 fastball into the right center field gap for the game-winning
RBI.
ANTHONY STABILE (USDHS) was 3-for-4 with 2 RBI and a couple runs
scored in the Griffins tournament championship game. Berry finished
2-for-2 with 2 runs scored and one RBI.
For the fourth straight game, the Griffins benefited from outstanding
pitching. One day after sophomore ERIC SHERMAN tossed five perfect
innings, freshman right-hander TRAVIS LOPEZ (El Capitan) went
the first five innings against Cerro Coso, allowing no runs on
two hits while striking out four. He tossed just 53 pitches during
his 5-inning stint.
The win went to sophomore right-hander SERGIO POMPA (Castle Park),
who improved to 1-0. Pompa, who pitched the game's final two innings,
was the fourth Grossmont pitcher of the game, following Lopez,
sophomore EARL SMITH and freshman ANDY LAYFIELD (Hilltop).
The fast start pleased Olsen.
"We faced 12 leftys in the four games and collected 14 doubles
among our 50 hits," said Olsen, who has seven southpaw swingers
in his regular lineup. "I guess the word must be out on us
with all the left-handed hitters in our lineup. I think we proved
we can handle left-handed pitching."
The Griffins players, who presented Olsen with an autographed
game ball following Friday's 500th win, will open up the home
portion of their 2004 schedule on Tuesday afternoon (Feb.
3) when they welcome Irvine Valley College to Noel Mickelsen Field
at 2 p.m.
Weather permitting, Grossmont's 3-game homestand continues on
Thursday (Feb. 5) against East Los Angeles at 2 p.m. The Griffins
close the brief stand Saturday (Feb. 7) against El Camino at noon.
(01-31-04)
Griffins give Olsen 500th victory with special
win over defending SoCal champ
EastCountySports.com
VENTURA - ED OLSEN has accomplished plenty during his 22
seasons as Grossmont College baseball coach. He reached another
pinnacle in his illustrious career Friday (Jan. 30) when the Griffins
presented him with his 500th Grossmont coaching victory by knocking
off defending Southern California CC-champion College of the Canyons
8-2 in the Ventura Tournament. Earlier in the day, the Griffins
(3-0) clipped Santa Barbara 15-7 for No. 499 on the Olsen ledger.
"All the players I've had through the years made it happen,"
said Olsen. "I'd like to give special thanks to (coaches)
RANDY ABSHIER, MIKE BUTTERFIELD, MICKEY DEUTSCHMAN, BOB WARNER,
CLYDE BONE and LARRY JOHNSON. They've been a big help."
For the record, Olsen's mark at Grossmont is 500-359-8 - a winning
percentage of .582. His clubs have won five Pacific Coast Conference
pennants (1983, 1990, 1997, 2001 and 2002), and qualified for
the State playoffs nine times.
Meanwhile, the Griffins made fast work in disposing of Santa Barbara,
scoring nine runs in the first two innings. JARED BIRRENKOTT keyed
the 5-run 1st with an RBI single. ZACK MACEDO sparked the 4-run
2nd with a two-run home run. Grossmont rattled off 18 hits in
that win.
Against Canyons, pitching was the ticket. ERIC SHERMAN scattered
six, allowed one earned run, walked none and struck out 8 during
a 7-inning stint for the Griffins. ROBBY SCOTT pitched two perfect
innings of relief, striking out 3.
Grossmont concludes the Ventura Tournament on Saturday (Jan. 31)
against Cerro Coso in Oxnard at 10 a.m. The Griffins' home opener
is Tuesday (Feb. 3) against Irvine Valley at 2 p.m. at Noel Mickelsen
Field.
(01-30-04)
Ventura's the place for Griffins to open
up with romp over tournament host
EastCountySports.com
VENTURA - Sophomore right-hander ADAM LAWFORD blanked host
Ventura College on 4 hits while striking out 8 over 7 innings
as the Grossmont Griffins opened the season with a 12-1 romp over
the Pirates in the 1st round of the Ventura Tournament.
Lawford, who has signed with Texas Tech for next year, was in
mid-season form. The 6-foot-3, 175-pounder did not issue a walk
and minimized his 72 pitches despite striking out the side in
his final two innings.
GABE WARD (Granite Hills HS) pitched the final two innings, surrendering
just 2 hits and one run while striking out 2 and walking none.
And the Grossmont offense - considered a question mark going into
the season - produced 14 hits in the lopsided victory.
Grossmont jumped in front 1-0 as ANTHONY STABILE and JARED BIRRENKOTT
clubbed back-to-back doubles with two outs in the 1st inning.
Lawford made the slim advantage stand up until the Griffins generated
3 runs in the 4th and 6 more in the 5th to break the game open.
FERNANDO REZA was 3-for-5 with 2 RBI and 3 scored for runs for
the Griffins, who also got 3 hits apiece from Birrenkott and Stabile
- a USDHS standout who spent his freshman season at Glendale CC.
JASON GUZMAN, a former pitcher/third baseman at El Capitan HS,
made his collegiate debut behind the plate. He went 1-for-3 with
the bat and obviously did a respectable job handling the Grossmont
pitchers, who combined on the 5-hitter and fanned 10.
RYAN BUCKLEY (Granite Hills HS) was 2-for-4 with one RBI and ZACH
MACEDO drove in two runs with a double for Grossmont. KEITH NESTER
(Patrick Henry HS) and STEVE BOGGS (USDHS) also drove in 2 runs
apiece for the Griffins.
The Ventura Tournament resumes Friday (Jan. 30) as the Griffins
take on Santa Barbara CC at 10 a.m., and defending Southern California
champion College of the Canyons at 2 p.m.
The finals are set for Saturday (Jan. 31).
(01-29-04)
Griffins ready to erase sub-par season
as Olsen nears many milestones
By John O. Rollo
Special to EastCountySports.com
EL CAJON - The 2004 baseball season for Grossmont College begins
Thursday (Jan. 29) when the Griffins take on Ventura College in
the first round of the Pirates Classic. The tournament will kick-start
a season that should be filled with intrigue, questions marks
and infinite possibilities.
Grossmont is coming off a 22-20-1 finish that included a 4th place
in the Pacific Coast Conference (10-15), which marked the first
time the Griffins failed to qualify for the state playoffs since
1996.
In his 22nd season at the helm of the Griffins, veteran head coach
ED OLSEN fully expects this to be a turnaround season.
"I really like the composition of this squad," Olsen
commented recently. "We have a chance to have a good season
this year."
The 2004 campaign could turn out to be one of achieved milestones
for Olsen. He is just three victories short of 500 (497-359-8,
.580) during his Grossmont career. He also needs 12 wins to reach
300 (288-205, .584) in PCC contests with the Griffins and also
needs 23 victories (877-521-8, .629) to reach 900 wins in his
34 years as a high school and college coach.
Olsen also waxes optimistic on the subject of 500 wins at Grossmont.
"I know it's just a milestone," he states," but
it's an important milestone to me. It's a goal I set when I first
came here (23 years ago). It will be a tremendous achievement
when it happens."
Nevertheless, this will be a different style of Grossmont team.
Traditionally, a long-ball hitting aficionado, Olsen has recognized
his talent this season has different strengths.
"We can be an excellent team, one that will feature controlled
pitching and sound defense," Olsen said. "We have three
guys who can run balls down in the outfield, a strong catching
corps and a group of infielders that can make all the plays."
What! Olsen's trademark has been the long ball, as his Griffins
have led the PCC in home runs for nearly a decade.
"Offensively, it will be strange not to have all the power,"
the skipper admitted. "We're going to be aggressive with
the bats. I expect us to bunt and drag, suicide squeeze and sacrifice.
We're going to play the one-run game."
One of the major new looks for the Griffins is moving freshman
JASON GUZMAN (El Capitan (behind the plate). This a bold move
considering Guzman was 7-3 with a 2.92 ERA as a high school senior.
His bat - .461, 10 HRs, 35 RBI - and the ability to hit
to the opposite field make him a viable candidate behind the plate.
"We have, I feel, an outstanding group of catchers - Any
one of whom can step up and do the job," the Griffins' skipper
remarked. "Arm strength and release are important for a catcher,
and I'm pleased where the catchers are. Right now the leaders
are Guzman and returning sophomore JARED BIRRENKOTT (Granite Hills).
But I expect LARRY PIERCE (So., Helix, .317 in 2003) and Connor
Lennon (Fr., La Jolla) to see much action, too."
First base seems to belong to returning sophomore ZACK MACEDO
- a .316 hitter (.316). STEVE BOGGS (Fr., USDHS) has the edge
at second base although DUSTIN BEECHLER (Fr., West Hills, .495).
Third base is usually a power position where in ANTHONY STABILE
(So., USDHS) -- a transfer from Glendale - appears to be a lock.
Shortstop FERNANDO REZA (So., Mount Miguel) returns for us after
batting .333 following a solid fall campaign. The utility back-up
infielder is ROBBY SCOTT (Fr., University City) - a switch-hitter
who can play all four infield spots.
"We are also pleased with the outfield," Olsen said.
"We have a speed demon patrolling centerfield in QUINTIN
BERRY (Fr., Morse), a left-handed hitter who covers all the ground.
In right field we have a fine defensive outfielder in RYAN BUCKLEY
(So., Granite Hills)."
In left field is JEREMY CLARK (Fr., Granite Hills) filling in
for ERIC SMITH (So., Patrick Henry, .353 in '03) who is out with
a sore leg.
"Clark battles the sun better than anyone I've ever had,"
Olsen said. "We're really happy with him."
With a team expected to be strong defensively, pressure falls
on the Grossmont pitching staff. Directing the fortunes of the
mound corps is 4th-year assistant RANDY ABSHIER.
"We don't have a lot of velocity guys," Abshier states.
"Most of our guys are control guys. Our leader is sophomore
right-hander ADAM LAWFORD (6-5, 3.21 ERA in '03) who has some
power but knows how to finesse hitters, if needed."
Lawford has also signed with Texas Tech for next year.
Other Grossmont pitching prospects are JAMISON HESTER (Fr., Mission
Bay). He's a total finesse guy who throws a lot of groundballs.
Lefty GABE WARD (Fr., Granite Hills) has a good curve ball and
is not afraid to use it.
In middle relief Grossmont will count on transfers - IAN GANZER
(So., University of Richmond) and EARL SMITH (So., Pepperdine).
"They'll see plenty of early action and may start a game
or two," Abshier said.
Abshier also has high hopes for right-handers ANDY LAYFIELD (Fr.,
Hilltop) and WESTON SCOTT (Fr., Granite Hills).
"In the long run I expect Lawford to be our leader,"
Abshier said. "I'd like to give Skip (Olsen) a season
to remember."
The Griffins begin their 36-game season on Thursday (Jan. 29)
against Ventura College.
(01-25-04)
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2003 coverage
2003 Summaries/PCC
Standings