Hillers fall in Lions final BOXSCORE

East County Sports.com
CARMEL VALLEY (4-14-06) -- The Premier Division championship to the 56th annual Lions Tournament may have fallen through, yet the Grossmont Foothillers seem to have reversed course from their early-season form, slowly transforming into the possible favorites to capture the Grossmont North League while competing ballclubs have slipped into recent funks.

Although Valencia rallied with runs on a wild pitch and a passed ball over the last two innings to claim a 3-2 victory, the Hillers still seemed confident after riding an 8-game winning streak to gain a berth into the tournament final.

"We're hitting the ball well, while the pitching is holding the other guys to 2-or-3 runs per game," noted first baseman NICK LONGMIRE. "It's a really good ballclub right now, with really good chemistry."

Longmire clouted his team-leading sixth home run of the season, going the other way to clear the right-centerfield fence at the Cathedral Catholic High School ballpark to lead off the 2nd.

However, three Vikings pitchers combined to allow just two additional hits, as Caleb DeVille gained his second victory on the day in relief. Earlier, Deville needed just one pitch to escape a jam, as Valencia (13-3) also scored in the 7th to defeat Cathedral by an identical 3-2 score.

Against Grossmont, Virgil Hill scored the winning run for Valencia following his lead infield single. Hill stole second base, took third on a flyball, then scored on a passed ball. The Vikings' run in the 6th came on a wild pitch.

MATT SILVA allowed one run on five hits over 4 1/3 innings in his second start of the season for Grossmont. BRYAN HAAR pitched the final two frames, and was a hard-luck loser for the first time in four decisions. Even more biting was the decisive second of the two runs he allowed was unearned.

Nevertheless, the enthusiasm generated with the Foothillers' recent success could carry over to league play. Grossmont is now sitting on one of the better records in East County at 12-6.

"This was a big tournament for us," said Grossmont coach ROB PHILLIPS. "We were 4-5 at one point (in the season) and were at the bottom of the pit. But everyone on this team has worked hard to get to where we're at right now."

GROSSMONT 6, VALHALLA 1 BOXSCORE -- Third time was the charm for the Foothillers, who finally beat the Norsemen after two losses in Thursday (Apr. 13) morning's semifinal at Joe Gizoni Field.

This three-game series has been a quick-strike affair. The first team to generate an early big inning wins.

Grossmont scored four runs in the opening frame of the latest get-together.

In the last meeting (Mar. 28), Valhalla did all of its scoring in the 1st inning of a 6-2 victory. Eighteen days earlier the Norsemen won by the identical 6-2 score, scoring five runs in the first two innings.

On this occasion, it was Grossmont that turned on the heat with four runs in the 1st inning. BRYAN HAAR hammered a two-run double to key the Foothillers' early morning coming-out party,

The Foothillers extended their advantage two more notches in the 3rd as DEREK BAUM delivered an RBI single and NICK SOBEL slugged a run-scoring double to make it 6-0.

JUSTIN MASON left his familiar shortstop post to pitch 5 1/3 innings to earn his first win. Prior to this length outing, Mason had pitched a mere 2 1/3 innings.

MISSION HILLS 7, HELIX 0 -- Perhaps the Highlanders were simply out of gas once they reached Thursday's (Apr. 13) Lions Tournament 4A championship game at Hilltop High.

Or maybe they were surprised to be staring at Mission Hills' fresh-faced rookie pitcher Tyler Brown, a freshman who's not on anybody's scouting report or on the Grizzlies roster for that matter.

Brown made his first varsity start (appearance) a Kodak moment as he blanked the Highlanders (9-7) on three hits.

Two of those hits went to MAHI LABASTIDA, the other to ZACH TANIDIA.

"I wasn't too disappointed," said Helix coach COLE HOLLAND. "We played seven games in seven days. It gets a little rough. We actually swung the bats well. We hit seven line drives right at people. We really couldn't catch a break."

The Highlanders have won five of their lasts seven and must be taken seriously in the Grossmont South League race. At the moment, Helix is in a three-way tie with Granite Hills and Valhalla for the league lead with 13 games remaining.

"The (tournament) magic kinda ran out at the end," Holland said. "I was very, very pleased with the way we played. We pitched, we threw -- no walks in 7 innings (in the finals). Everything they hit fell; everything we hit was right at someone."

HELIX 13, CARLSBAD 1 -- In Thursday morning's semifinals, base hits were falling everywhere, especially in the 4th inning when the Highlanders scored 11 runs with 2 outs.

"You don't see that happen very often," said Helix coach COLE HOLLAND. "I'm very happy with the way we swung the bats. I'm happy the way we played in the whole tournament."

MAHI LABASTIDA crashed a grand slam in the big inning.

RANDY PEREZ added two hits and three RBI to the Helix account, while DERRIC MILLER was 3-for-3.

Relief pitcher SALONZO GRIER blanked the Lancers on one hit over the final four innings to post his third win without a loss.

GRANITE HILLS 9, EL CAPITAN 8 BOXSCORE -- Talk about hard to swallow . . . El Capitan stormed out to a 7-0 lead in the 2nd inning, but host Granite Hills refused to fold in Thursday's (Apr. 13) Lions Tournament consolation contest.

"It was a good game, an exciting game," said Granite Hills coach JAMES DAVIS.

Spoken like a true winner.

Davis' Eagles (9-6) kept chipping away until they scored the winning run when TRAVIS TAIJERON doubled home LOUIS CAZARES with two outs in the bottom of the 7th.

Taijeron was 4-for-5 with his fifth home run and three RBI against the struggling Vaqueros (9-7),

"Over the last four days, Taijeron hit the ball and did a really fine job of catching all week long," Davis said. "I have high praise for him. He took on more of a leadership role this week, which I was happy to see."

The numbers Taijeron has produced back the praise of his coach. In his four tournament tilts, Taijeron is batting at a .688 clip (11 for 16) with three home runs and 13 RBI.

Not far behind is CODY CRAWFORD, who batted .636 with 7 hits in 11 at-bats, including two homers and six RBI in the tournament.

On the flip side, El Capitan's AUSTIN RAUCH was 3-for-4, including his East County leading 9th home run of the year in the 3rd inning.

The trump card for the Eagles was JOSH QUERIONES' 5 2/3 innings of two-hit relief.

FOLSOM 6, SANTANA 3 -- Fourteen wins in 18 starts and certain placement among the top 10 teams in the San Diego CIF is satisfactory to Santana coach JERRY HENSON at the moment.

His Sultans were playing catch-up from the 2nd inning on against Sacramento Folsom, which nudged in front with a pair of runs in the 2nd and 3rd innings.

Reliable CHRIS DIAZ launched his second home run to chop Folsom's advantage in half in the 4th inning.

But the Sultans, who also scored on NICHOLAS SICA's first varsity home run in the 5th, must now focus their attention on the Grossmont North League race.

"This was a good tournament but we were just completely fried, completely tired," said Henson. "The kids are ready for some time off. After the Aztec-Foothiller Tournament championship was moved due to rain and the Grossmont League opener was also moved due to rain, we played six games in seven days."

East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (4-13-06) -- Three East County teams are still in the hunt for gold as the semifinals of the 56th annual San Diego Lions Tournament begin the final day of the 112-team event Thursday morning (Apr. 13) at 10.

The Grossmont Conference is guaranteed a finalist in the Premier Division as the winner of the Valhalla-at-Grossmont morning game advances to the title bout at Cathedral Catholic High at 2 p.m. The other semifinal in this division pits Cathedral Catholic against Valencia at El Capitan High,also at 10.

Meanwhile, upstart Helix will host the winner of the disputed Carlsbad-Francis Parker pool play game Thursday morning sometime after 10 o'clock. First up is the playing of the top of the 7th inning with Parker batting and trailing Carlsbad 6-5. The game was halted due to a tournament rule misinterpretation by umpires on Tuesday after six innings. The men in blue thought this tourney has a two-hour time limit, which is not true unless one team leads by more than 10 runs and the game has completed at least four innings.

None of these criteria fit the situation and Parker appealed to the Lions Club to allow the game to finish. Thus, the game resumes at 10 at Helix.

The Highlanders (8-6) are just glad to still be playing. Helix coach COLE HOLLAND said "It's not an ideal situation for us, but we'll wait to see who we play."

A Helix victory would send the Highlanders into the 4A Division championship game Thursday afternoon at Hilltop at 2 o'clock. Mission Hills and Ramona are vying for the other 4A title spot.

VALHALLA 7, LA COSTA CANYON 4 -- After falling behind 3-0 in the first three innings, Valhalla erupted for 7 runs in the 4th inning Wednesday (Apr. 12) to complete a three-game sweep in Premier Division pool play.

Eight of the Norsemen's 12 hits came in that productive inning, which included a three-run home run by JASON KUTZLER and a two-run double by DAVID SMITH (2-for-3, 3 RBI).

"It's the same thing I've been saying all year -- there's no quit in these kids. Valhalla skipper STEVE PERDUE said. "They're constant hustle and determination. They just wanted it and never gave up. That's it in a nutshell."

ERIC JULIENNE allowed only one earned run and five hits in six innings as he logged his fourth win in five decisions. Julienne now has a three-year career mark of 17-2.

The Norsemen should be considered the favorites in terms of reaching the Premier Division finals as they have beaten Grossmont already this season. The irony here is, both Valhalla victories came on Grossmont's Joe Gizoni Field.

GROSSMONT 2, MISSION BAY 0 -- This was all about Grossmont fireballer A.J. GRIFFIN, who blanked the No. 2-ranked Buccaneers (13-2) on four hits while striking out eight as the Foothillers (11-5) won their seventh straight.

On a personal front, it was the fourth straight win for Griffin (4-2), who needed only 93 pitches to shut down the Bucs. Mission Bay had won 11 games in a row before Griffin slammed the door.

"He has been absolutely lights out for the past four outings," Grossmont coach ROB PHILLIPS said. Indeed he has. Besides posting four complete games, Griffin has lowered his ERA to 1.00 during his current 28-inning stretch.

"You can see it in his eyes -- he just wants to dominate," Phillips added. "He's got confidence in all three of his pitches."

An error free defense was another plus for Grossmont, which turned two double plays in support of their star pitcher.

"Those were classic double plays,"Phillips said.

Grossmont broke a scoreless deadlock in the 4th inning as BRYAN HAAR doubled into the left-center field gap and eventually scored on KYLE SECCIANI's single to left.

The Hillers doubled their lead when NICK SOBEL laced his third home run through a steady head wind and over the left field fence in the 5th.

Catcher DEREK BAUM accounted for two of the Foothillers' six hits.

OTAY RANCH 4, HELIX 3 -- Coach COLE HOLLAND didn't tell his youthful Highlanders that Wednesday's (Apr. 12) Division 4A pool play game against Otay Ranch had no bearing on the run for a Lions Tournament championship.

"I wanted them to play this like they would any game," he said.

Credit the Highlanders for fighting to the finish as they had the winning run on base in the last of the 7th inning against the Mustangs after ERIC PONCE punched an RBI single through the Otay Ranch defense to cut the deficit to a single marker.

But the next two Highlanders made outs and Helix was saddled with its third one-run loss and an end to its four-game winning streak.

"We just couldn't get the big hit," Holland said.

On the bright side, ZACH TANIDA knocked in a run with a single in the 4th and MATT COBB doubled home a run in the 6th for the Highlanders.

EL CAPITAN 7, CATHEDRAL 2 -- Unaccustomed to losing games in any kind of measurable amount, the Vaqueros snipped a 4-game losing streak in Wednesday's (Apr. 12) final round of Premier Division pool play.

"We're doing cartwheels out here,"quipped El Capitan coach STEVE VICKERY.

And why not? This is a ballclub that had been ranked in the Top 10 the majority of the season before the latest downfall.

Senior leadoff hitter AUSTIN RAUCH opened with a triple. SHANE SULLENGER followed with a walk and one out later, DAMIAN GARCIA drove the ball deep enough to score Rauch.

Garcia's blast would be enough for his twin brother to enjoy a 1-0 lead into the 6th inning.

In a reciprocal style, CRISTIAN GARCIA, held the Dons off the board for five innings before giving up a pair in the 6th. Cristian Garcia, a senior right-hander bound for UC Riverside, posted his third complete game of the season, striking out 9 and walking none.

"When CRISTIAN GARCIA pitches we always have a pretty good chance. He just dominated on the mound," said his coach.

Batterymate Rauch belted his East County-leading 8th home run with a man on in the 5th inning.

"Austin had another typical game -- he kinda sets the tone for us," Vickery said.

Sullenger displayed surprising power when he knocked a 3-run homer to extend El Capitan's 4-2 lead for a 5-run cushion.

"Sullenger hit his first ever varsity home run today,"Vickery continued. "I'm so happy for this kid, he's made himself into a ballplayer. He's become an offensive threat. He takes thousands of extra swings after practice."

GRANITE HILLS 10, RANCHO BERNARDO 2 -- In a rematch of last year's San Diego Section Division I championship game, the Eagles reversed the tables in Wednesday's (Apr. 12) Lions Tournament Classic Division pool play finale.

Scoring in five of the six innings, the Eagles (8-6) had to enjoy the revenge.

ERIC KRAUSE tamed the Broncos with a complete game 5-hitter as he struck out 7 and walked none en route to his fourth win in five decisions.

"Krause had one of his best outings -- he was on today," said Granite Hills coach JAMES DAVIS. "He did a really good job of mixing his pitches and keeping them down."

Unheralded TRAVIS TAIJERON walloped his 4th home run with LOUIS CAZARES aboard to give the Eagles the 1st inning lead.

After Rancho Bernardo (9-7) cut the lead in half in the top of the 2nd, BRIAN HUMPHRIES hit the second of his 3 doubles to drive in two runs in the bottom of the 2nd.

Cazares, Humphries and Taijeron collectively produced some massive numbers. The trio was 7-for-11 with 7 RBI and 7 runs scored.

"Cazares and Humphries had a good day at the plate, and Taijeron has been solid as a hitter," Davis said.

SANTANA 10, LIBERTY (Bakersfield) 5 -- This was a tale of the old and the new. Veteran pitcher JOHN BASNIGHT struck out 11 and allowed only 4 hits and 3 runs in six innings as he posted his second win in as many decisions.

On the new front, junior RAYMOND MAUSER made his varsity debut and produced 3 hits in four at-bats. Mauser scored twice and drove in a run.

Santana coach JERRY HENSON was obviously pleased by Basnight's performance, but was pleasantly surprised by Mauser's immediate success.

"Raymond had been out of baseball for a couple of years so we knew it was going to take him a period of adjustment," Henson said. "He joined our winter league team and made some impressive strokes. But we knew that, rather than bringing him up to the varsity, he would get regular playing time at the JV level. And that has been the case."

Mauser's leadoff single in the 2nd keyed a 3-run Santana second inning. JONATHAN TIPPIN and Basnight each had an RBI in that productive frame.

The 3rd-ranked Sultans (14-3) added another run in the 3rd inning and Mauser was right in the middle of it with a two-out single. RYAN STUTZ picked up the RBI with a base hit as Santana moved out to a 5-0 lead.

Mauser contributed an RBI single in Santana's 5-run 5th that broke the game open.

The final rating of Santana's latest victory was team balance. Tippin, Basnight, and the rookie Mauser each had 3 hits, while RICHARD MARTINEZ and Stutz put together 2 hits apiece. Martinez' RBI triple in the 5th was the only extra base blow in Santana's 16-hit attack.

MONTE VISTA 4, ST. PAUL (Santa Fe Springs) 1 -- JOSH KELLY has become the Monte Vista stopper. The junior right-hander scattered 7 hits over four innings as he posted his fourth win in five decisions in the Monarchs' Lions Tournament 4A Division victory on Wednesday (Apr. 12).

"He's become a go-to guy for us," said Monte Vista coach LARRY RINEHART, who was happy to see the Monarchs' 4-game skid snuffed out.

DAN DeANDA and ANTHONY LOPEZ followed Kelly's lead by spinning three innings of one-hit shutout relief. Lopez gained his East County-best third save.

Monte Vista (5-9) scored all the runs it would need in the opening inning. GOLDIE SIMMONS drove in the first run with a sacrifice fly. DeAnda followed with an RBI single.

In the 3rd inning a two-out walk by DeAnda set the stage for SPENCER REED's triple to the right centerfield fence. In the 6th inning Reed singled, stole second and scored on the last of Kelly's three hits.

EL CAJON VALLEY 5, BRAWLEY 3 -- The Braves snapped a 14-game losing streak against an 11-4 Brawley squad in Wednesday's (Apr. 12) final round of 2A Lions Tournament pool play.

The victory-starved Braves (1-14) scored three runs in the 7th inning to gain the victory. A pinch-hit single by KEVIN MANSFIELD sparked the uprising that included a base hit by JOSE TORRES and a walk to CLIFTON THOMAS, filling the bases.

DEREK PEREZ walked to force in a run to tie the game at 3-3. RAY AQUININGOC followed with a two-run single giving El Cajon Valley its first taste of victory.

Thomas, who raised his section-leading stolen base count to 32, threw a new twist into his game as he took to the mound and pitched a shutout 7th inning to gain a save.

"It was a comeback victory and the kids were pumped," said El Cajon Valley assistant coach MIKE RANEY. "The kids had their rally caps on. It was great to get the win before we start league."

MOUNT MIGUEL 13, HOLTVILLE 3 -- For the first time in his two-year stint as head coach BYRON GRIGSBY's Matadors have posted back-to-back victories.

No. 9 hitter BRYANT SHIMIZU drove in five runs with a double and two singles as Mount Miguel narrowly missed qualifying for the 1A Division semifinals of the Lions Tournament.

JAMES TREBUS, the Matadors winning pitcher, broke a 3-3 tie with a two-run double in the 2nd inning and Mount Miguel (4-10) continued on for the victory. Trebus also pitched four innings of 2-hit ball and struck out nine as he gained his first win in three decisions.

Mount Miguel stole seven bases, three by DAUNTE WILLIAMSON.

"From the very beginning I started with these guys as sophomores in JV,"Grigsby said. "I knew these guys can do multiple things. This is my core group."

WOODCREEK 14, STEELE CANYON 3 -- Spring recess has not been the best of times for the Cougars of Steele Canyon, who came up winless in three Lions Tournament contests.

The final leg of his rugged tour resulted in a sound beating from the Timberwolves from Roseville on Wednesday (Apr. 12).

"We got waxed," said Steele Canyon coach PHIL MITTRY, acknowledging that Woodcreek scored in every inning before the mercy rule came into play and proceedings were halted after six innings.

Steele Canyon committed four errors that certainly didn't help matters considering the Wolves riddled four Cougar pitchers for 14 hits.

"Most of the damage is coming from us," Mittry confirmed. "They put the ball in play and we didn't make plays. We didn't play any defense today."

Things started out royally for SC as CODY MINICH smashed a solo homer and WILL MURRAY added an RBI single in the top of the 1st inning.

The game was still in question before Woodcreek pushed across six runs in the bottom of the 6th.

Another plus was the hitting of DANNY HARRIS, who was 2-for-3 with a run scored and a pair of steals.

THE BISHOP’S 7, CHRISTIAN 3 -- Once again the Patriots proved they are lacking in pitching depth as they dropped a Lions Tournament 3A Division pool play finale to the 10-3 Knights.

With the score tied 1-1 entering the 3rd inning, SHANE STANOVIC and ADAM PERRY swatted back-to-back doubles as the Patriots (5-7) took the lead. A bloop single by GRANT MILLS scored Perry to make it 3-1.

"Right after Grant Mills' single, (Bishop's pitcher Patrick) Swan retired the last 13 batters in order," said Christian coach MIKE MITCHELL ruefully. "The top of our order hit him (going 6-for-12), then our 6 through 9 hitters went 0-11."

FRANCIS PARKER 5, WEST HILLS 3 -- The Wolf Pack staged a 3-run rally in the bottom of the 7th inning, but it was too little too late in Wednesday's (Apr. 12) final round of Division 4A pool play.

SHAIN STONER and ERIC McKNIGHT banged back-to-back singles to cut the deficit to three. A Parker error permitted a third run to score, but West Hills (7-8) could do no more.

"The big story was the umpiring," said West Hills coach SCOTT "HOPPY" HOPGOOD. "It was the worst I've ever seen. I asked the home ump if he knew what he was doing."

There were three really controversial calls, Hopgood reported, that he felt would have made a definite difference in the game. The umpires didn't appear to know the rules. The scoreboard wasn't working and both teams had trouble staying current on the pitch count.

"I had to ask the ump what the count was at least 15 times," Hopgood said. "He's supposed to show the count after every pitch."

West Hills out-hit Parker six-to-three but the game remained close thanks to the strong-arm pitching of senior southpaw AARON RICHARDSON. The Wolf Pack left-hander deserved better, as only two of the runs he allowed were earned. Richardson struck out 8, but once again suffered with his control as he walked 6.

"We just didn't make adjustments at the plate, and it came back to bite us today. We did a great job battling back. I'm not too worried about it -- we're staying positive for league," Hopgood said.

El Capitan catcher Austin Rauch watches Saugus designated hitter Troy Ajer score the tie-breaking run in top of 6th inning to down the Vaqueros, 10-8. (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

Highlanders surprising the experts

East County Sports.com
LA MESA (4-12-06) -- For the third straight game, the upstart Helix Highlanders left the opposition standing as they scored the game-winning run in the 9th inning of an an 8-7 win over Escondido in Tuesday's (Apr. 11) Division 4A game in the 56th annual Lions Tournament.

Sophomore KARLIS THORPE delivered a pinch-hit two-run single on a 2-1 pitch with two down in the 9th inning giving Helix (8-5) its fourth straight win and a clear shot at a berth in the Lions semifinals that begin on Thursday (Apr. 12).

Two innings earlier the Highlanders tied the game 6-6 on a two-out RBI single by CALEB SCHUMAKER.

Schumaker finished 2-for-3 with three RBI.

Leadoff man DEREK ANCRUM had a big day for the Highlanders with a home run and a double plus four runs scored.

VALHALLA 14, FOOTHILL 3 -- The Norsemen (9-5) scored in five of their six turns at-bats as they grounded the Falcons of Henderson, Nev. to keep their hopes of a berth in the Premier Division semifinals burning.

JEFF SOPATA was the offensive magnet for Valhalla, as he whacked three doubles, scored 4 runs and drove in two.

JASON KUTZLER kept wielding a hot stick with two hits and three RBI from his leadoff spot for the Norsemen who registered their four straight win.

BOBBY WILKINS pitched two-hit ball over six shutout innings and struck out to gain his third win against one loss.

GROSSMONT 12, LAS VEGAS-SPRING VALLEY 9 -- Five Foothillers enjoyed multiple-hit games as Grossmont outlasted the Nevada squad to set up Wednesday's (Apr. 12) showdown at No. 2-ranked Mission Bay in a battle of San Diego CIF Division III powers.

BRYAN HAAR hammered his 4th and 5th home runs of the season for three RBI to spark Grossmont (10-5) to its sixth straight victory. JUSTIN MASON drilled a two-run homer and AUGIE WILLIAMS added a solo shot for the Hillers.

NICK LONGMIRE was 2-for-4, including a two-run single that helped Grossmont (10-5) break a 4-4 tie with six runs in the 3rd.

ST. AUGUSTINE 6, SANTANA 2 -- In a raucous Lions Tournament Premier Division pool play encounter Tuesday (Apr. 11), No. 3 Santana succumbed to the long ball as St. Augustine (8-5) slapped the Sultans (13-3) with their third loss in 16 starts at Grossmont High's Joe Gizoni Field.

"They hit too many balls over the fence, and we had too many errors early on at critical times," said Santana coach JERRY HENSON.

Like any pitcher of substance, Martin let it be known that he was not pleased by the Saints home run parade that included a two-run smash by Dylan Graham, a two-run blast by Beck Wheeler and a solo shot by Ryan Ortiz that gave the Saints a 6-1 advantage.

Martin eventually plunked one of the St. Augustine batters with a pitch. That led to plenty of shouting from both dugouts.

The Saints, of course, returned the favor nailing Martin in the back with a pitch. That caused the umpires to issue "kick-out" warnings to both head coaches.

Martin was tagged with his second loss in six decisions yet turned in his East County-best fifth complete game.

If nothing else, the bean-ball wars added spice to this spring encounter.

That didn't mean a whole lot to Henson, who was upset by the loss.

"I can't remember when my guy in the No. 8 slot got a hit," Henson said. They're just not doing their job driving in runs."

MOUNT MIGUEL 9, HOOVER 7 -- For one of the few times this season, the Matadors turned the tables on the opposition in Tuesday's (Apr. 11) A Division second round pool play game with Hoover in Ramona.

Spotting the Cardinals a 7-0 lead after 2 ½ innings, Mount Miguel (3-10) scrambled back for nine unanswered runs and a victory that kept the Matadors hopes for a berth in the division semifinals alive.

JAMIE SANDOVAL slugged a two-run double during a five-run 6th inning to give Mount Miguel an 8-7 lead. CHRIS FREEMAN followed with a squeeze bunt to score BRYANT SHIMIZU with an insurance run.

Sandoval, who pitched the final two shutout innings to pick up his second win of the season, was 2-for-4 with three RBI.

RICHARD ARRAY was 2-for-4 with two RBI and a pair of steals. JEREMIAH WHITE also had two hits and two RBI for the Matadors, who got two hits, two runs and two steals from DAUNTE WILLIAMSON.

THOUSAND OAKS 8, GRANITE HILLS 6 -- The Eagles (7-6) blew a 6-0 advantage over the final three innings Tuesday (Apr. 11), which most likely eliminated them from any chance to making the Classic Division semifinals of the Lions Tournament.

Things were looking pretty good after JOSH QUERIONES' bases-loaded triple helped Granite Hills claim a 5-0 lead after two innings. TRAVIS TAIJERON added an RBI triple in that same inning and drove in the Eagles final tally with a single in the 4th.

Three Granite Hills pitchers were unable to protect that lead and Thousand Oaks looked like a million bucks in its come back win.

CASTLE PARK 6, WEST HILLS 3 -- You'll have to excuse West Hills coach SCOTT "HOPPY" HOPGOOD if he doesn't want to see the Castle Park Trojans any time soon.

Stung by a 1-0 setback to the Trojans last Saturday, the Wolf Pack thought its luck might be changing when SHAIN STONER lined a three-run double that tied Tuesday's (Apr. 11) Lions Tournament 4A Division contest 3-3 in the 3rd inning at Monte Vista.

The Trojans responded with a pair of markers in the 5th to regain the lead and leave the Wolf Pack (7-7) to suffer the agony of defeat.

"We threatened in the 5th and 6th innings," said the West Hills coach. "In the 5th we had two men on and hit into a double play once. We didn't look like the same team. We're so much better than a .500 club. Its really disappointing. When we play good, we do all the little things. This is a game we should have won. We're not playing to our full ability."

Stoner also pitched 2 2/3 innings of hitless relief.

CORONADO 5, STEELE CANYON 2 -- Senior ROSS EPPERSON made his Steele Canyon pitching debut in Tuesday's (Apr. 11) Lions Tournament 5A contest on the Coronado Peninsula.

The numbers -- one run and three hits in three innings -- weren't flashy, but impressive.

"I was hoping he could throw two innings because we had a 45-pitch count on Ross," Steele Canyon skipper PHIL MITTRY said. "He was so effective that we let him go three and he threw only 44 pitches. We were pleased with what we saw."

On the offensive side, this was one of Steele Canyon's weakest efforts.

"We only had seven baserunners," Mittry said. "It's hard tro win ballgames when nobody gets on."

NEWHALL-SAUGUS 10, EL CAPITAN 8 -- The skid continued for the Vaqueros (8-6), who rallied from an 8-2 deficit to tie Tuesday's (Apr. 11) Lions Tournament Premier Division contest in the 5th inning.

But that's where the Vaqueros' drive stalled as they ended up falling to their fourth straight loss.

Saugas turned three double plays and picked off an El Capitan baserunner to further frustrate the Vaqueros..

The key hits in El Capitan's game-tying 6-run 5th inning were JOSH ROYER's two-run single and a two-run double by RYAN INVERSO.

After Saugas soaked the Vaqueros for two runs to break the tie in the top of the 6th, El Cap came back to place the tying runs in scoring position with one out in the bottom of the 6th. Nothing came of it as the Vaqueros went away quietly.

AUSTIN RAUCH was 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored for El Capitan. GABE LOPEZ was 2-for-3 with two RBI. Royer finished with three RBI.

VALLEY CENTER 13, EL CAJON VALLEY 4 -- The fabulous senior season for Braves center fielder CLIFTON THOMAS continued in Tuesday's (Apr. 11) second round 2A Division of the Lions Tournament.

Thomas followed a one-out walk to ABEL CERVANTES with his third home run of the season to give El Cajon Valley (0-14) a 3-0 lead in the 4th inning.

After the Jaguars tied the game with three runs in the top of the 5th, Thomas put El Cajon Valley back on top with a solo home run in the bottom of that inning.

After that, though, the game belonged to Valley Center.

HILLTOP 6, MONTE VISTA 2 -- By the time the Monarchs (4-10) found their offense it was too late as the visiting Lancers (9-6) were sitting on a 6-0 lead with three outs to go in Tuesday's (Apr. 11) 4A Lions Tournament duel.

Monte Vista avoided the shutout in the 7th as SPENCER REED singled and rode home on CORY COOPER's first home run of the season.

POINT . LOMA 7, CHRISTIAN 5 -- Patriots shortstop EDDIE YOUNG drove in tgwon runs with his third home run and an RBI single in Tuesday's (Apr. 11) Lions Tournament 3A Division loss in El Cajon.

The Patriots' primary problems were their three pitchers gave up a dozen hits and the defense's three errors led to two unearned runs.

East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (4-11-06) -- The premiere of the 56th annual San Diego Lions Tournament's Premier Division was generally a success for the East County entries during Monday's (Apr. 10) opening round of the nation's largest high school baseball event. Three came up winners, the fourth lost in the final inning.

Overall, East County teams posted a 7-5 mark in round one of the 112-team tournament.

Featured Game of the Day from the Premier Division:

GROSSMONT 14, FRESNO EDISON 4 (5 innings) -- Foothillers coach ROB PHILLIPS wasn't sounding the trumpets, but he wasn't afraid to say "that's the first game we've actually played well on our own field."

First-inning home runs by NICK LONGMIRE and AUGIE WILLIAMS propelled the Hillers to a 4-0 lead that would hold up for Grossmont's fifth straight win. Not before Jerad Thompson deadened the early Grossmont surge with a three-run blast in the bottom of the 1st for Edison.

The game remained a tight fit for the Foothillers (9-5), who were nursing a 5-4 advantage behind TAYLOR WOHLWEND (2-2) through four innings.

To Phillips' way of thinking it was the "little things" that made this win so monumental. Williams was hit by a pitch to start a 9-run 5th inning that included a squeeze bunt by JOSH SIMMS.

"A team at-bat is when you need to get hit, you take one for the team," Williams said. "I was down 1-2 in the count. He threw one inside and maybe I leaned in a little bit, but that's baseball. And that's how we want to play here. It's all about getting on base and getting runs in."

Christian's Grant Mills puts the "wood" to this fastball, slugging a double in the Patriots' 4-0 blanking of Santa Cruz-Harbor in Lions action. (Photos by Tori Mills)

Eight of the Grossmont starters contributed to a 13-hit attack in the game that was halted by the 10-run mercy rule after five innings.

KYLE SECCIANI led the way with three hits in as many at-bats. Simms, JUSTIN MASON and BRYAN HAAR each had a pair of hits. Longmire, who raised his home run count to five, drove in four runs.

VALHALLA 2, EASTLAKE 1 -- The Norsemen (8-5) beat one of the top pitchers (Jorge Dryjanski) in the county in Monday's (Apr. 10) opening round of the Lions Tournament's Premier Division.

Valhalla won this game behind the pitching of RYAN O'SULLIVAN and playing short ball on the offensive end. While O'Sullivan was scattering six hits in a complete-game effort, the Norsemen did all the scoring they needed in the 2nd inning.

Singles by JEFF SOPATA and DAVID SMITH and an Eastlake throwing error accounted for one run in the 2nd inning. TOMAS KARAGIANES' squeeze bunt brought home Smith to make it 2-0.

SANTANA 3, VALENCIA 2 -- Pitching depth and endurance are always staples for success in the Lions Tournament. No. 2-ranked Santana (13-2) proved that again on Monday (Apr. 10) as the Sultans received superb pitching from KYLE CULVER and JOSH POND in an impressive victory over the 11-2 highly-regarded Tigers from the land of Magic Mountain.

The key blow for Santana was DALLAS MARTIN's two-run single that hiked Santana's lead to 3-0 in the 3rd inning. Martin accounted for two of Santana's six hits.

Culver (3-1) allowed five hits and no earned runs over 5 1/3 innings. Pond got the final five outs for his second save.

FOLSOM 3, EL CAPITAN 2 -- Senior KYLE KING was spinning a 1-hit shutout for six innings before he tired in the 7th and the bullpen and defense folded, costing host El Capitan (8-5) what appeared to be a sure victory.

Sacramento Folsom (5-3) scored three runs in the bottom of the 7th to steal a victory from the Vaqueros.

"King was awesome through six, giving up just a bunt single," El Capitan coach STEVE VICKERY said. "Then we drop a fly ball and miss a chance at a double play and wind up on the short end."

El Capitan, which has suddenly lost three in a row, mustered up only three hits in its latest loss.

CLASSIC DIVISION
GRANITE HILLS 15, VACAVILLE 5 (6 inn.) -- TRAVIS TAIJERON drove in five runs with a grand slam and a single as host Granite Hills (7-5) vanquished Vacaville in a not-so-Classic Division Lions Tournament opener on Monday (Apr. 10).

Trailing 3-0, Granite Hills erupted for 11 runs in the 3rd inning to put the game away. In addition to Taijeron's third home run of the season, CODY CRAWFORD launched his third round-tripper in three games -- this one a three-run shot -- in the Eagles' latest scoring binge.

Crawford is as hot as any player in East County at the moment. His last three games have reaped 7 hits, 7 runs and 7 RBI.

5A DIVISION
WESTVIEW 8, STEELE CANYON 7 -- The pitching-starved Cougars were further troubled by a shaky defense (5 errors) Monday (Apr. 10) as they let a possible victory fall into the hands of the Wolverines (10-4).

Trailing 6-1 after four, Steele Canyon (5-8) began its comeback in the 5th inning. ROSS EPPERSON ignited the rally with a double that climaxed with MIKE LANGE's three-run home run.

After the Wolverines upped their advantage to 8-4 with a pair of runs in the 6th, Steele Canyon attempted one final rally in the 7th. JUSTIN GRAFF added a two-run single that pulled the Cougars to within one run of Westview, but the Wolverines got that final out to claim the victory.

SC's DANNY HARRIS was 3-for-4 with a double that boosted his season average to .488.

4A DIVISION
MISSION HILLS 13, MONTE VISTA 2 -- It was not the best of days for the Monarchs (4-8) as they were steamrolled by Mission Hills in Monday's (Apr. 10) opening round of the Lions Tournament.

The Grizzlies took a bite out of the Monarchs when Eric Rodriguez belted a pair of three-run home runs as Mission Hills (8-5) scored a dozen runs in the 5th and 6th innings.

RICHIE GARCIA and CORY COOPER had two hits apiece for Monte Vista.

WEST HILLS 3, CARLSBAD 2 -- SHAIN STONER's single in the bottom of the 7th inning scored JOE MELLO -- who drew a two-out walk and stole second -- with the winning marker.

"It was the most intensity we have had all year," said West Hills coach SCOTT "HOPPY" HOPGOOD. "The first five innings we got the leadoff man on base, and left eight on base. Stoner came through for us. And the Wolf Pack went crazy, crazy, crazy."

Not to be forgotten was KOREY HOOPER's two-run single in 1st inning that gave West Hills the early advantage.

HELIX 6, MIRA MESA 5 (8 inn.) -- Junior CALEB SCHUMAKER was the Highlanders top gun in Monday's (Apr. 10) Lions Tournament first round win.

With one out in the bottom of the 8th, RANDY PEREZ singled and ERIC PONCE and MATT COBB followed with walks to load the bases.

Schumaker put an end to things with a game-winning single. It was his second run-scoring hit in the game for Helix (7-5).

Sophomore SALONZO GRIER survived the final 3 2/3 innings to gain his second pitching win.

Todd Jones tossed a 3-hit shutout, pacing Christian High to a 4-0 blanking of Santa Cruz-Harbor in a Lions Tournament opener. (Photos by Tori Mills)

3A DIVISION
CHRISTIAN 4, SANTA CRUZ-HARBOR 0 -- TODD JONES twirled a 3-hit shutout as the Patriots balanced their record at 5-5 with their third straight victory in the first round of Monday's (Apr. 10) the Lions Tournament.

GRANT MILLS laced a two-run single to give the Patriots a 2-0 edge in the 3rd inning.

ADAM PERRY and EDDIE YOUNG added RBI singles in the 7th to support the shutout pitching of Jones.

2A DIVISION
SAN YSIDRO 10, EL CAJON VALLEY 5 -- Even in defeat, El Cajon Valley center fielder CLIFTON THOMAS is a whirling dervish. The fleet-footed senior Brave stole four bases, raising his San Diego County leading total to 30 in Monday's (Apr. 10) 1st round the Lions Tournament.

Thomas singled and stole second and third bases in the 1st and 3rd innings for the Braves, who could not overcome their five errors that led to seven unearned runs for the visiting Cougars (5-11).

The hard-luck loser for El Cajon Valley (0-13) was pitcher CAMERON SINES, who should have been rewarded with his first victory in this complete-game outing. Sines also had two hits and an RBI.

1A DIVISION
BEAR RIVER 4, MOUNT MIGUEL 0 -- The Bruins (8-1) from Grass Valley sent an early message to Mount Miguel as leadoff hitter Matt Miraldi hit the first pitch of Monday's (Apr. 10) Division A game out of the yard.

That spoiled an otherwise sturdy complete pitching performance by the Matadors' CHRIS FREEMAN.

"We took ourselves out of the game early, made too many mistakes in the running game," said Mount Miguel coach BYRON GRIGSBY. "(Tyler) French, their left-hander, was especially tough on us. We had guys picked off attempting to stretch and attempting to steal."

Helix High leftfielder Derek Ancrum makes a sliding dive to collect this fly ball in Grossmont Tournament action. (Photo by Chris Edwards) FOR MORE PHOTOS, CLICK LINK IN CLASSIFIEDS

Mount Miguel catcher Jeremiah White (left) makes the tag on Helix baserunner Derric Miller (top), who turns towards the home plate umpire (middle) to indicate that he was safe. DOUBLE-CLICK on the bottom photo to see if Miller was correct. Helix swept the Grossmont South League doubleheader, 5-1 and 4-3. (Photos by Adolfo Villanueva) SEE THE ENTIRE PHOTO GALLERY HERE

7th-inning rally gives Helix
a share of the early GSL lead

East County Sports.com
LA MESA (4-9-06) -- The Helix Highlanders haven't been all that flashy, but they can take solace in knowing that they own a share of the Grossmont South League lead coming out of the gate.

Although they were challenged all day by the visiting Matadors of Mount Miguel in Saturday's (Apr. 8) Grossmont South League opening double-header, the Highlanders garnered three runs in the bottom of the 7th of the nightcap to gain a sweep -- 5-1 and 4-3 -- and share of the loop lead with Granite Hills and Valhalla at 2-0. BOXSCORE (G-1), BOXSCORE (G-2)

"Mount Miguel flat outplayed us in that second game," Helix coach COLE HOLLAND said. "We were fortunate to win."

Held to one run and two hits by Mount Miguel pitcher JAMIE SANDOVAL through six innings, the Highlanders (6-5, 2-0 GSL) finally caught a break when the Matadors pitcher issued walks to MAHI LABASTIDA and DERRIC MILLER to begin the 7th.

After a pitching change and a dropped fly ball in right field loaded the bases, Helix pinch hitter CALEB SCHUMAKER singled in one run to cut the deficit to 3-2. ERIC PONCE completed the comeback with a bases-loaded single that scored two runs to give the Highlanders the victory.

"Sandoval did a great job on the mound for them." Holland said of the Mount Miguel right-hander, who allowed only two hits while striking out 9 in six innings. "He deserved better."

Ponce packed some offensive punch for the Highlanders going 3-for-5 with four RBI. It was his two-run double that gave Helix a 2-1 advantage in the 3rd inning of the first game. The Highlanders doubled their lead on a passed ball and RANDY PEREZ's sacrifice fly in the 4th inning.

Perhaps the most exciting play of the day was Miller's inside-the-park home run in the 6th inning. To those who know Helix's compact ballpark, such a feat is more than rare. Miller belted a fly ball to dead center field that sailed over the defender's head. When the fielder tumbled to the ground, the fleet-footed Miller circled the bases for his first varsity home run.

That was more than enough run support Helix senior right-hander DUSTIN RUNIONS needed, as he checked the Matadors on two hits while striking out nine and walking one.

"I'm happy to be where we are right now," Holland said. "What I'm not pleased about is we struck out 16 times in these two games. That isn't like us, but I attribute a lot of that to the umpires."

JAMES TREBUS blasted his third home run of the season for Mount Miguel (2-9, 0-2 GSL) to give the Matadors a 1-0 lead in the 2nd inning of game one. His team, however, would generate only one more hit.

Santana's Dallas Martin slides to score, as the Sultans rallied to capture the final of the Aztec-Foothiller Classic over Eastlake, 12-10. (Photos by Greg Eichelberger)

SANTANA 12, EASTLAKE 10 BOXSCORE -- This game may be a harbinger of the Lions Tournament ahead -- a shortage of pitching and plenty of scoring.

Still, there are no sure things. Just ask Eastlake (9-3), which scored nine runs in the 3rd inning, yet could not hold a 10-5 lead over the Sultans (12-2).

The stakes were high, both coaches agreed, going into Saturday's (Apr. 8) final of the Aztec-Foothiller Classic at Santana. Given that Eastlake skipper Dave Gonzalez used his top six pitchers and Santana's JERRY HENSON sent four hurlers to the mound is proof that both teams coveted the tall trophy awarded to the tourney champion.

"We hadn't been hitting with the best of them the last couple of games (one run, seven hits in losses to Hilltop and Grossmont)," Henson said. "We went to the Padres-(Colorado) game (Friday night) and did some talking and came up with a different batting order. Just moving a guy one spot here or there really can take a lot of the pressure off."

Most glaring of the Santana changes was elevating JONATHAN TIPPIN into the leadoff spot and dropping RICHARD MARTINEZ into the No. 2 slot.

The results: Tippin reached base three times, scored three runs and contributed an RBI double that tied the game 10-10 in the 5th.

Martinez was 3-for-4 with two runs, two steals and the game-winning single that scored Tippin in the 5th.

Red-hot CHRIS DIAZ was 3-for-3 with three RBI and three runs scored, while DALLAS MARTIN had three hits, including a double, two runs and one RBI. The only time Eastake got Martin out was on a sacrifice bunt.

While the Sultans did break out with 14 hits, including a clutch two-run triple and sacrifice fly by RYAN BROSNAN, the ticket to victory was the pitching of Martinez.

Santana manager Jerry Henson hoists the championship trophy. (Photos by Greg Eichelberger)

A second baseman by trade, Martinez blanked the Titans on two hits over the final 4 2/3 innings to log his second win.

"He's played a real solid second base for us all year long," Henson said. "As a pitcher, he's thrown a few innings for us. But we were going through so many pitchers it was time to find somebody who had it. Today, Richard was the guy who had it."

Santana blew leads of 4-0 and 5-1 as the Eastlake avalanche hit in the 3rd inning.

"We needed somebody to give us a chance to come back and Richard was that guy," Henson said.

Santana's leadoff hitter reached base in all six innings. Better yet, they scored in every frame as the Sultans added to their run account in every frame.

CASTLE PARK 1, WEST HILLS 0 -- The excitement of a Grossmont North League season-opening victory over El Capitan less than 24 hours earlier apparently took its toll on the host West Hills Wolf Pack in Saturday's (Apr. 8) non-league encounter against Castle Park.

West Hills senior right-hander JOHN EDDY was spinning a no-hitter through 4 2/3 innings before the Trojans (7-6) broke through for the only run of the game with two outs in the 5th. Andrew Shirk ended Eddy's mastery with a single and promptly stole second base. He scored on Kenji Nose's base hit.

The Wolf Pack (6-6) appeared to have tied the game in the bottom of the 7th. But a runner's interference at second base not only took the tying run off the board, it ended the game.

West Hills coach SCOTT "HOPPY" HOPGOOD was incensed by the ruling, but kept his cool as he and the umpires discussed the pivotal call for several minutes after the game.

Here is how the controversial inning broke down: Strasburg led off with a single and WILL CRUMPLER ran for him. RYNE BARKLEY's attempted sacrifice resulted in Crumpler being forced out at second. KOREY HOOPER followed with a single. The Trojans' shortstop muffed JOE MELLO's line drive to load the bases with one down.

SHAINE STONER tapped a ground ball to the 5.5 hole and the Trojans got a force out at second base as Barkley scored the tying run from third and Stoner beat the throw to first. But Mello's popup slide at second base was ruled runner's interference, thus both he and Stoner were called out for a victory-clinching double play for Castle Park.

Eddy clearly pitched well enough to win, allowing just one run and two hits while striking out 7 in his five innings' work. Relievers BRET SKINNER and Strasburg held the Trojans at bay with a shutout inning apiece.

GROSSMONT 17-9, SAN YSIDRO 2-3 -- The Grossmont High offense gave a little bit extra in Saturday's (Apr. 8) non-league sweep at San Ysidro.

In terms of pounding extra-base hits, that is. The Hillers clubbed two home runs, six triples (five in the first game) and four doubles.

NICK LONGMIRE was Grossmont's big stick of the day, collecting five hits, six RBI and four runs scored in the sweep that lifted the Foothillers' season mark to 8-5. JUSTIN RUTHERFORD was 4-for-5 with a double, three RBI and two runs scored.

A.J. GRIFFIN, AUGIE WILLIAMS, DEREK BAUM, TREVOR BERRY, BRYAN HAAR and Longmire had triples, while NICK SOBEL stroked his first home run.

TAYLOR WOHLWEND pitched four innings of one-hit shutout ball to notch the first game win, while MATT SILVA scattered five hits and allowed only one run in four innings to pick up the second game nod. Silva struck out five and walked none.

East County Sports.com
SANTEE (4-8-06) -- Forget about the preseason records -- the Grossmont Foothillers are contenders for the Grossmont North League championship.

In a prove-it-to-me league opener at Santana on Friday (Apr. 7), the Foothillers handed the ball to their right-handed pitching ace A.J. GRIFFIN and asked him to do his stuff.

The 6-foot-4, 205-pound Griffin came through, twirling his third straight complete game victory as Grossmont assaulted Santana 5-1 in the league opener.

"A.J. was just phenomenal," said Grossmont coach ROB PHILLIPS. "He didn't have control of his curveball for the first five innings today, but got the job done by locating his fastball with precision."

Griffin (3-2) has been overpowering in his last three starts where he's harvested a 1.33 ERA while allowing only 14 hits. The USD-bound Griffin has struck out 29 and walked only four during his recent surge.

Against No. 2-ranked Santana (11-2, 0-1 GNL), Griffin was somewhat of an escape artist. He retired the side in order in the 1st, 5th and 7th innings, but the Sultans put him to the test in the other frames. Griffin was equal to the task.

In the 4th inning, with Grossmont (6-5, 1-0 GNL) leading 3-1, Griffin plunked the first two Santana batters with pitches. He escaped by coaxing two ground outs and recording an inning-ending strikeout.

Santana fanned the flames again in the 6th inning with one out as JOHN BASNIGHT walked and CHRIS DIAZ and DALLAS MARTIN singled to load the bases. Once again, Griffin met the challenge, getting a weak fly ball out and a strikeout to send Santana packing.

"A.J. wouldn't buckle under pressure and that is a very good sign," Phillips said.

Grossmont didn't exactly tee off on Martin, Santana's pitching ace. The Hillers took the early lead in the 2nd inning as NICK LONGMIRE beat out a slow roller for an infield single. Longmire stole the first of his three to reach second, advanced on an infield out and scored on NICK SOBEL's groundout to the first baseman with Martin covering.

DEREK BAUM followed with a double and JOSH SIMMS' single scored the Grossmont catcher for a 2-0 lead.

After Griffin struck out the first two batters of the 3rd inning, RICHARD MARTINEZ walked and scored on JON TIPPIN's double, which glanced off the glove of center-fielder AUGIE WILLIAMS.

KYLE SECCIANI doubled and eventually scored on a Sobel ground ball to push Grossmont's advantage to 3-1 in the 4th inning.

BRYAN HAAR doubled and eventually scored on the front end of a double steal with Longmire to pad Grossmont's lead to 4-1 in the 6th. Haar slashed an RBI single in the 7th to reach the final score.

Santana was held to three hits by Griffin.

"We finally played with some intensity," Phillips said. "To beat the No. 2 team in the county is obviously a big win for us."

VALHALLA 10-12, STEELE CANYON 6-7 BOXSCORE (G-1), BOXSCORE (G-2) -- The question around the Valhalla diamond this season is whether the Norsemen can generate enough offensive support to make their quality pitching championship caliber.

Give the Norsemen (7-5, 2-0) credit for coming out swinging Friday (Apr. 7) as they began the Grossmont South League season with a sweep of the visiting Steele Canyon Cougars (5-7, 0-2).

In a twist of irony as it was Valhalla's batters that led the charge, while the usually reliable pitching staff struggled against the pesky Cougars.

"Our pitching wasn't real sharp today, but we swung the bats," Valhalla coach STEVE PERDUE said. "And we were aggressive, too. Not just at the plate but on the basepaths, too. We took advantage of things."

Not that Perdue is ready to change Valhalla's nickname to "Slugfests R Us," but the Norsemen banged out 19 hits in the sweep. Five of those hits went for extra bases, including home runs by JASON KUTZLER and DAVID FRANK.

"We came from behind in each of those games," Perdue noted.

In the opener, Valhalla blew a 3-0 lead, but swiftly overcame a 4-3 deficit in the last of the 3rd inning. JEFF SOPATA smacked a two-run single to give the Norsemen a 5-4 edge and DAVID SMITH a two-run double to make it a three-run spread.

Steele Canyon had plenty of firepower of its own, primarily in senior DANNY HARRIS, who hoisted a grand slam in each game to finish with nine RBI.

MIKE LANGE laced a two-run homer in the opener, which pulled the Cougars to within 8-6 in the 5th.

The Norsemen regained control as Kutzler and David Frank launched solo homers in the 6th inning.

BOBBY WILKENS pitched the first four innings to gain the win and TREVOR FRANK worked the final three frames for his second save.

DAVID SMITH's two-run double broke a 5-5 tie in the 2nd inning of the nightcap, as the Norsemen scored in five of their six turns at bats. RYAN O'SULLIVAN was 3-for-3 with three runs scored and an RBI, while CHRIS THOMAS also chipped in three hits in game two.

Valhalla's Kutzler was 5-for-7 with six runs scored and three steals in the twinbill.

Steele Canyon was far more generous in the second game, handing the Norsemen half of their 12 runs on errors and wild pitches.

"You can't expect to win when you are giving away runs like that," Steele Canyon PHIL MITTRY said. "We swung the bats OK, but we left a lot of guys on base (14), which is something we've been doing all year."

ROSS EPPERSON paced Steele Canyon's 13-hit second game attack with a 3-for-4 effort.

CHRISTIAN 19, CRAWFORD 3 BOXSCORE -- In a season where little has gone right, the Christian High Patriots barged out of the Central League gate Friday (Apr. 7) with their biggest offensive showing of the campaign.

Christian coach MIKE MITCHELL liked the sound of it -- 23 hits equaled 19 runs -- as the Patriots pulverized the hosting Crawford Colts.

"We came out and swung the bats, so hopefully we are getting ready for league," Mitchell said. "We're on a little bit of a roll."

Senior pitcher GRANT MILLS (3-1) was a double threat, pitching four shutout innings of one-hit ball to notch his third win in four decisions. He also drove in four runs with a double, two singles and a sacrifice fly.

Leadoff man SHANE STANOVIC laced a two-run home run and an RBI triple for the Patriots (4-5, 1-0 CTL), while CHAD O'DONNELL drove in a trio of runs with a pair of hits.

ADAM PERRY, EDDIE YOUNG and COLIN McDONALD also joined the three-hit Patriots' hit parade.

Nine Patriots produced multiple-hit games.

"We took our leadoff and No. 3 hitters -- Stanovic and Young -- out after the 3rd inning," Mitchell said.

East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (4-7-06) -- Sometimes it boils down to "How bad do I want to play."

West Hills baseball coach SCOTT "HOPPY" HOPGOOD arrived at his ballpark at 8 o'clock on Thursday (Apr. 6) morning and spent eight hours preparing his rain-soaked field for the Grossmont North League opener against No. 7-ranked El Capitan.

Hopgood's efforts paid off, as the Wolf Pack came from behind to nip the defending league-champion Vaqueros 5-4 in eight innings.

Conditions were similar at Granite Hills on Thursday where Eagles coach JAMES DAVIS and "a few of the parents" teamed up to make the surface playable for a scheduled 11 a.m. Grossmont South League doubleheader against Monte Vista. The first game did not begin until 1 p.m., but nobody was complaining.

"Coach Davis and his parents did a great job of getting that field ready," said Monte Vista coach LARRY RINEHART.

One Granite Hills parent went beyond the call of duty.

"He bought eight 50-pound bags of Jonny Cat to put on the field because Butler's Mill ran out of the stuff (turf drying agent) we usually use," said Davis. "We were PetCo today."

And quite successful on their patched up field.

GRANITE HILLS 2-9, MONTE VISTA 1-5 BOXSCORE (G-1), BOXSCORE (G-2) -- The Eagles got a clutch RBI double by JOSH QUERIONES in the bottom of the 7th inning to win game one and CODY CRAWFORD drove in four runs with his first two home runs to propel Granite Hills (6-5, 2-0 GSL) to a sweep in game two.

ERIC KRAUSE was the beneficiary of Queriones' game-winning shot, checking the Monarchs (4-7, 0-2 GSL) on four singles and no earned runs for his third win against a single loss.

Overall, Crawford was the hitting star. The senior DH, who was hitting a paltry .207 coming in, was 4-for-5 with four RBI, four runs scored and two steals in the twinbill.

Granite Hills third baseman AUSTIN COLEMAN was 3-for-7 with three RBI and two runs scored in the sweep. BRYAN HUMPHRIES was 3-for-6 with an RBI and two runs.

"For all the work it took us to get the games in, I'd have to say I'm pleased," Davis said.

In the second game, Coleman provided the spark as he doubled in two runs in the 1st inning. Coleman doubled to begin the 3rd and Crawford followed his first home run to make it 4-0. LOUIS CAZARES kept the inning alive with a triple and scored on JOHNNY OMAHEN's single.

JOSH MILLER's RBI single and Crawford's two-run home run helped Granite Hills inflate its lead to 9-0 in the 4th inning.

"We had good pitching today," Davis said. "And we're starting to hit again. We executed a little bit better today. Coleman and Crawford have been swinging a pretty good bat – they all were, especially of late. We were due for some breaks, we've been kinda snakebitten."

Monte Vista battled back with five runs in its final two turns at bat. GOLDIE SIMMONS, who gave a powerful pitching performance in the opener, followed singles by DAVID PALACIOS and ANTHONY LOPEZ with a booming home run to dead center field in the 6th.

Simmons was 4-for-7 with the bat, but it was his pitching that had the scouts buzzing.

"Goldie is throwing about 90-to-91 miles per hour now," Rinehart said. "And he's doing a good job of mixing in his good changeup. This kid is a nugget. He has an excellent gpa, so I know he can get into most colleges. The coach that gets Goldie is going have a real find."

WEST HILLS 5, EL CAPITAN 4 (8 innings) BOXSCORE --The visiting Vaqueros tried to steal host West Hills blind in Thursday's (Apr. 6) Grossmont North League opener. Nine times the Vaqueros attempted to steal. Eight times they were successful, including an impressive steal of home by AUSTIN RAUCH in the 1st inning.

El Capitan baffled West Hills with a delayed double steal in the 7th inning to take a 4-3 lead as GABE LOPEZ carried across the go-ahead run.

But credit the Wolf Pack (6-5, 1-0 GNL) for hitting in the clutch. SHAIN STONER stroked a two-out run-scoring single to tie the game 4-4 in the bottom of the 7th before MICHAEL HALL sliced a game-winning RBI single to right field in the 8th.

"The pitch was a fastball pretty much down the middle," Hall said of his victory-clinching hit off El Capitan closer D.J. HENSON. "Our approach is to take the ball to opposite field and I was able to do that."

An inning earlier, Stoner delivered a game-tying single, scoring Hall who began the 7th with a base hit. WILL CRUMPLER advanced Hall into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt. After JOE MELLO walked on a 3-2 pitch, Stoner came through with his key hit.

"Our guys weren't trying to do too much, they just did their jobs," Hopgood said. "They took the ball up the middle and hit to the opposite field. To think that they did it against El Cap, is huge."

Another clutch hit for West Hills was AARON GAGNON's two-run single that gave the Wolf Pack a 3-1 edge in the 3rd inning.

"We've had some letdowns, but we are playing with a lot of confidence right now," Hopgood said. "Hopefully feeding off this game and mentally how we had to stay in it for eight innings that will set the tone to the direction we want to go."

This was far from a textbook game. Each team lost a flyball in the sun that led to scoring for the other side.

"I don't know how many guys we left on base (nine), but it was too many," said El Capitan coach STEVE VICKERY, whose Vaqueros (8-4, 0-1 GNL) have lost three of their last five starts. "Nobody on our side came up with a big hit today. We had to do a lot of funny stuff to steal our runs. That's not going to work over the long haul."

East County Sports.com
LAKESIDE (4-5-06)-- With rain and leaden skies threatening to postpone El Capitan's home date with Bonita Vista, the Vaqueros must have gone into relax mode. The weather held up long enough and that proved beneficial to the Barons, who grabbed a 7-4 non-league victory.

"We came out flat and never really got anything going." El Capitan coach STEVE VICKERY said. "We had our chances, as we have all season. But again we did not put enough offensive pressure upon on opponent."

VINNY NAZZAL beat out an infield roller for a single in the 2nd inning, setting the stage for switch-hitter TANNER RUST's two-run home run and an El Capitan lead.

The visiting Barons (8-4) bounced back for seven runs between the 3rd and 4th innings, leaving the Vaqueros to play catch-up.

Tre Dennis had three hits and five RBI to lead the Barons (8-4) to their eighth win in the last nine games. Dennis' two-run double tied the game in the 3rd and an El Capitan error allowed Dennis to score the go-ahead run in the same inning.

Dennis clubbed a 3-run double to cap Bonita Vista's 4th inning uprising.

El Capitan catcher AUSTIN RAUCH rifled his 7th home run of the season to begin the 7th inning. The SDSU-bound slugger was probably robbed of another in the 1st inning when he drove a ball to the left field fence for an out. His bat hit the catcher's glove, which no doubt caused the ball to travel 10-to-20 feet less. All Rauch got out of it was being awarded first base on catcher's interference.

No. 7-ranked El Capitan (8-3) went on to leave the bases loaded in the 1st inning. That set the tone for the game as far as the Vaqueros were concerned.

East County Sports.com
SANTEE (4-4-06) -- One has to wonder why the red-hot and No. 2-ranked Santana Sultans thought it necessary to play a Monday (Apr. 3) non-league game on the first day of Spring recess. The game was about one inning too long for the Sultans (11-1), as visiting Hilltop (7-5) did all of its scoring in the 1st frame of a 5-0 upset.

Only two of Hilltop's runs were earned, but it didn't matter. The Sultans were listless at the plate all afternoon.

Santana totaled only four hits -- singles by RICHARD MARTINEZ, JONATHAN TIPPIN, RYAN BROSNAN and DALLAS MARTIN. Martinez's hit extended his season-long hitting streak to 12 games.

Valhalla pitcher Ryan O'Sullivan (left) shows the ball to the umpire, yet is in disbelief when Santana's Chris Diaz is still ruled safe on the play at the plate in the championship game of the 15th annual Grossmont Conference Tournament. Santana (11-0) needed the run, claiming a tight 6-5 decision. (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

Santana's Chris Diaz (left) makes the hard slide home, but Norsemen pitcher Ryan O'Sullivan seems to have the plate blocked as he applies the tag. The umpire, however, ruled Diaz safe, as the Sultans took a narrow 6-5 decision to win Saturday's Grossmont Conference Tournament finale. (Photo by Adolfo Villanueva) FOR MORE PHOTOS, CLICK LINK IN CLASSIFIEDS

East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (4-2-06) -- Santana has no doubt played better games than the Sultans showed in their 6-5 victory over host Valhalla in Saturday's (Apr. 1) Grossmont Conference Tournament championship game. BOXSCORE

But Santana's veteran skipper JERRY HENSON surely isn't complaining about the outcome. Nor are his Sultans (11-0), who have the most victories and are ranked No. 2 in the San Diego CIF polls. Fallbrook (10-0) is No. 1.

"I've gotten the most out of what we have," Henson said. "One of the big pluses is our younger guys are coming through."

That was the case against Valhalla. Santana sophomore starter BRANDYN BELL was impressive through six innings before junior KYLE CULVER got the first two outs in the 7th. But it took 6-foot-5, 220-pound sophomore JOSH POND to get the final out for his first varsity save.

Bell, a three-game winner, was one-pitch from a possible complete game. Valhalla' GREG GARCIA lined a three-run double over the left fielder's head to wipe out a 4-1 Santana advantage in the 2nd inning. It was the first of two doubles Garcia had in the game.

None the less Henson was pleased by Bell' performance, which included five strikeouts.

"I had a sophomore on the hill so I have to give him all the support I can,"said Henson. "It was Bell' turn in the rotation. He hasn' pitched since we played Mount Miguel (Mar. 25). I' proud of him. For the six innings that he pitched he really stepped up --itched his heart out today."

Five of the seven hits Bell allowed were singles.

Catcher Nick Sica (right) congratulates closer Josh Pond, a 6-foot-5 sophomore who registered the final out for his first varsity save to cap the Sultans' 6-5 win. (Photo by Adolfo Villanueva) FOR MORE PHOTOS, CLICK LINK IN CLASSIFIEDS

"It was a tough game to start him due to his lack of varsity experience," Henson admitted. "He made key pitches at the right time. The window of opportunity was open for Bell and he capitalized on it. He's not going to blow the ball by people, but he has three quality pitches."

Santana broke a 4-4 tie in the 6th inning with the help of a Valhalla miscue. RYAN BROSNAN reached base on an error and stole second. CHRIS DIAZ doubled to left center to score Brosnan.

Singles by RYAN STUTZ and JONATHAN TIPPIN set the stage for Brosnan's sacrifice fly and a two-run cushion for Santana in the 7th.

Valhalla didn't go down without a fight. Garcia lined a one-out double down the right field line and scored on RYAN O'SULLIVAN's single to right. JEFF SOPATA's two-out single kept Valhalla's hopes for a comeback alive.

That's when Henson brought the king-sized Pond to the mound. It proved to be a good move as the big kid got a game-ending ground out.

O'Sullivan was the hard-luck loser, surrendering just four hits and one earned run in six innings.

East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (4-01-06) -- Christian High's MIKE MITCHELL has never had one of his teams lose five games in a row. He wasn't about to start that negative trend this year.

Mitchell's Patriots jumped out to a 3-0 lead and continued on to a 9-1 win over Morse in Friday's (Mar. 31) City Conference Tournament action to halt a four-game skid.

RBI singles by AUSTIN MURRAY and SHANE STANOVIC along with a run-scoring double by EDDIE YOUNG staked Christian (3-5) to a 3-0 lead in the 2nd inning. The Patriots got two more in the 3rd on three walks and singles by CHAD O'DONNELL and JIMMY DOSSETT.

Christian stole six bases in the win, three of them by ADAM PERRY. All of Perry's thefts came in the 4th inning, including a steal of home as COLIN McDONALD swiped second. Catcher MATT HART laid down a squeeze bunt and winning pitcher GRANT MILLS capped the three-run inning with an RBI double.

Stanovic's solo homer in the 5th inning completed the scoring.

Mills (2-1) pitched the first four innings, allowing just four hits and striking out six. TODD JONES pitched two shutout innings to complete the job. Jones struck out three.

Josh Miller of Granite Hills beats the ball to third base with a head-first slide. However, Miller was left stranded as Santana remained unbeaten by blanking the Eagles. (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (3-31-06) -- Unbeaten and No. 2-ranked Santana (10-0) will take on Valhalla (5-4) in Saturday's (Apr. 1) championship of the 15th annual Grossmont Conference Tournament on the Norsemen's diamond at 2 p.m.

Meanwhile, in games played Thursday (Mar. 30):

MOUNT MIGUEL 8, EL CAJON VALLEY 1 -- Even on a rebuilding program like Mount Miguel, a pecking order still exists on who starts or sits. For ANDRIUS CASTRO, let's just say his role to open the season did not involve a bat or a glove. BOXSCORE

"Andrius started on the bench and worked really hard to get a chance to play," noted Matadors coach BRYON GRIGSBY. "He just started playing recently after we had him make some adjustments."

The results brought a smile to the Mount Miguel coaching staff. Castro, now the starting second baseman, cleared the loaded bases with a triple to cap a 5-run outburst in the 2nd inning, leading the Matadors to an 8-1 triumph at El Cajon Valley in Thursday's (Mar. 30) final round of the Grossmont Conference Tournament.

"He's no bench player anymore," added Grigsby, who also noted Castro's perfect play on defense, too. "It will be tough to get him out of the line-up."

And when JAMES TREBUS capped a 2-for-4 outing with a lead homer in the 5th , the Matadors (2-7) rode the arm of JAMIE SANDOVAL to the team's second victory of the season. Sandoval tossed a complete game, allowing just six hits and an unearned run. He struck out two without issuing a walk.

Trebus also added a triple, while DAUNTE WILLIAMSON also added a pair of hits and two RBI with run-scoring singles in the 2nd and 3rd innings.

El Cajon Valley catcher DEREK PEREZ registered three of the Braves' six hits, including a double. ADRIAN TORRES added two hits, while RAY AQUININGOC recorded an RBI single in the 3rd to score KEVIN MANSFIELD.

In addition, CLIFTON THOMAS added to his stolen base total. After getting hit by a Sandoval pitch in a pinch-hitting roll in the 6th, he registered his 26th theft of the season.

"The good news is that we only committed one error in 7 innings and had only two guys strike out," said El Cajon Valley coach WAYNE WEIGHTMAN. "CAMERON SINES continues to develop as a pitcher -- 12 batters faced and only one run scored."

EL CAPITAN 5, HELIX 0 BOXSCORE -- Both El Capitan coach STEVE VICKERY and Helix skipper COLE HOLLAND are reasonably pleased at how well their respective teams have played through the first third of the season.

Vickery, who has 490 victories under his belt in 27 varsity seasons between El Capitan and Valhalla, saw his Vaqueros blank host Helix 5-0 in Thursday's (Mar. 30) final round of pool play in the Grossmont Conference Tournament. That win lifted El Capitan's record to 8-2.

"You know something, I'll take that in a heartbeat," Vickery said of the 9th-ranked Vaqueros' fast start. "We've had the toughest preseason as we've had in a while, but we've come through with pretty much quality pitching, steady defense and some timely hitting.

"The scary thing is, to be quite honest, we can get a lot better. We want to get better as the season goes on and certainly not peak right now."

El Capitan looked to be in tip-top condition in its latest win at Helix. CRISTIAN GARCIA was overpowering, shutting down the Highlanders (4-5) on five hits. He struck out eight and walked two.

"If Garcia isn't the best pitcher in East County he has to be one of the best," Holland said. "Give him credit. He did a great job against us."

Garcia raised his season mark to 3-1 with his second complete game.

"Cristian was just lights out," Vickery said. "He's just so tough."

Cristian's twin brother, DAMIAN GARCIA put a charge in the El Capitan offense going 3-for-3 with a home run and two RBI.

The Highlanders handled Vaqueros senior catcher AUSTIN RAUCH with kid gloves. Vickery has Rauch -- East County's leading home run hitter -- batting leadoff. Helix starter and loser ERIC PONCE retired Rauch on a flyball to center field in the 1st inning and then intentionally walked the San Diego State-bound slugger in the 2nd and 4th innings.

When Rauch came to bat in the 6th with two outs and SHANE SULLENGER on first with a single, Helix elected to pitch to the Vaqueros' kingpin. Two pitches later, Rauch had his 6th home run and El Capitan had a 4-0 lead.

Holland's Highlanders played errorless defense for the fifth time in their last six games. And Ponce pitched well enough to win. Where Helix has faltered is at the plate.

"Our hitting hasn't been what we want it to be," Holland said. "Of the nine teams we've played, eight have thrown their No. 1 (pitcher). That's made it tough and is reflected by our .230 team batting average. So I can't be upset by where we stand now. This is a young club and I know we will improve."

GROSSMONT 11, STEELE CANYON 2 BOXSCORE -- When A.J, GRIFFIN is in a groove, the Grossmont Foothillers are as good as any team in East County.

Griffin, who has accepted a scholarship to USD, turned in his second straight powerful pitching performance in Thursday's (Mar. 30) final round of the Grossmont Conference Tournament in Rancho San Diego. The 6-foot-4 senior right-hander checked the Cougars (5-5) on four hits while allowing just one earned run and striking out 9.

"I guess I've just been more focused lately," said Griffin, who balanced his pitching ledger at 2-2. "In the first part of the season I was overthrowing, trying to throw the ball by everybody."

That philosophy backfired.

"I was just a thrower instead of a pitcher back then," Griffin said. "Now I'm doing a better job of spotting my fastball. I'm working the corners. "

In his last 14 innings, Griffin has a 21-to-1 strikeouts-to-walks ratio.

"A.J. has been the dominating pitcher we need him to be these last two games," Grossmont coach ROB PHILLIPS said.

The Foothillers (5-5) broke open a 1-0 game with five runs in the 2nd inning. Sophomore BRYAN HAAR capped the big with a three-run homer -- his third of the season. Prior to Haar's back-breaking blast, JUSTIN MASON slashed a two-run single to center field.

Mason finished the game 3-for-4 with three RBI. NICK LONGMIRE clubbed his third homer to begin the 5th after driving in Grossmont's first marker in the opening inning.

Sophomore catcher DEREK BAUM walked four times and scored three runs for Grossmont.

No one in injury-riddled Steele Canyon's lineup had more than one hit.

MONTE VISTA 3, WEST HILLS 2 BOXSCORE -- Senior STEPHEN STRASBURG is regarded as one of the best pitchers in the San Diego CIF. Professional ball scouts know his name. SDSU is glad it has a verbal commitment with the 6-foot-5, 225-pound right-hander.

None of that mattered to the unheralded Monte Vista Monarchs (4-5) in Thursday's (Mar. 30) Grossmont Conference Tournament action in Spring Valley.

Strasburg did pitch well enough to win as he posted his third complete game of the season. He gave up only five hits and just one of the runs he allowed was ruled earned by the official scorekeeper.

"We wasted another pitching performance by Strasburg," West Hills coach Scott "Hoppy" Hopgood said. "He pitched way too well to walk away with a loss. Our team didn't show up to play. For some reason we make (three) errors and they come back to kill us. Strasburg deserved better. There's no way we should be 5-5. It's just a lack of focus. It's hard to stay positive when you're allowing teams to stay in the game. In our five losses we just haven't showed up to play."

The pivotal inning was the 3rd when the Monarchs did all of their scoring to erase a 1-0 deficit.

ANTHONY LOPEZ's two-run double was the key blow in an inning that included a MIKE NUSH double, a walk, two West Hills errors and a passed ball.

"I guess we did things right," said Monte Vista mentor LARRY RINEHART. "The kids did what they are supposed to do. The whole team did a good job. It was a good pitching contest."

Lopez was the biggest thorn in Strasburg's side, collecting three of Monte Vista's five hits.

West Hills made a belated challenge to catch the Monarchs in the 7th inning. TRAVIS IRVIN led off with a single. WILL CRUMPLER ran for Irvin and raced to third on MICHAEL HALL's double. After a strikeout, Crumpler scored on KOREY HOOPER's sacrifice fly.

Down to their last out and one run short on the scoreboard, the Wolf Pack succumbed to Monte Vista reliever JOSH KELLY, who completed a three-inning relief stint by getting a game-ending pop up.

Santana pitcher Dallas Martin struckout eight batters to raise his record to 4-0. (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

SANTANA 6, GRANITE HILLS 0 BOXSCORE -- Locked up in a scoreless tie through five innings, the visiting Sultans (10-0) broke loose for six runs in the final two frames to bowl over Granite Hills in Thursday's (Mar. 30) Grossmont Conference Tournament action.

Singles by JOHN BASNIGHT and CHRIS DIAZ set the Santana offense in motion. When the Granite Hills center fielder booted Diaz's base hit, Basnight came home to break the scoreless deadlock.

CHRIS RABICHAUD's sacrifice fly made it 2-0.

Santana stung the Eagles (4-5) for four runs in the 7th. Basnight belted a two-run double and scored on Diaz' single. Winning pitcher DALLAS MARTIN (4-0) doubled in Diaz to end the scoring.

Martin permitted just five singles before Basnight came on to pitch a hitless 7th.

East County Sports.com
SANTEE (3-29-06) -- When asked if he'd ever thrown a no-hitter in the past, West Hills senior southpaw AARON RICHARDSON paused and blurted out, "If I did it must have been in T-Ball." BOXSCORE

That, of course, was the first days of Richardson's baseball career. It is also a level where neither team has live pitching, as per the name T-Ball. Batters hit the ball off a tee.

Following his initial response Richardson decided, "I guess this is the first no-hitter I've ever thrown."

Modesty, no doubt.

None the less, it was an impressive effort as it came in Tuesday's (Mar. 28) Grossmont Conference Tournament game against sometimes-explosive Granite Hills. Richardson offered the Eagles four free passes (hitting one batter) and the West Hills defense committed four errors, still Richardson held the Eagles hitless in a 4-1 West Hills victory.

"I've probably had better outings, but this ranks right up there with my best," said the 6-foot-3, 175-pound Richardson.

As dominating as Richardson was, he said he was not aware that he was working on a no-hitter.

"I had no idea," he said. "I knew I was getting up in my pitch count and I went to coach (SCOTT HOPGOOD) if I could keep pitching because I really felt good. He just looked at me, and said, 'Sure.'"

When Richardson recorded the final out, his teammates poured out of the dugout to offer congratulations.

"I didn't realize I'd thrown a no-hitter until coach Hopgood grabbed my hand and offered his congratulations," Richardson said. "I'm just glad it didn't rain."

Granite Hills coach JAMES DAVIS was impressed by Richardson's effort.

"We had some good hacks at him early on, but you have to give him credit," Davis said. "He had a sharp curveball and good placement of his fastball. His breaking ball wasn't its usual 12-to-6, but it was good enough to get our guys to swing at it."

AARON GAGNON led West Hills (5-4) with a two-run single in the 1st inning. That would be all the runs the Wolf Pack would need. The Pack tacked on an unearned run on an error in the 3rd inning and a fourth run on STEPHEN STRASBURG's double in the 5th.

Granite Hills (4-4) scored its lone run in the 6th inning as TRAVIS TAIJERON stole third and scored on a throwing error.

JOE MELLO was 3-for-3 for West Hills.

STEELE CANYON 10, EL CAJON VALLEY 2 BOXSCORE -- Injury-riddled Steele Canyon keeps finding ways to stay competitive. Injuries to half its pitching staff and now having senior standouts shortstop DANNY HARRIS (groin) and outfielder JOE INZONE (wrist) on the shelf only makes matters more challenging for Cougars coach PHIL MITTRY.

Mittry is proving to be a pretty adept juggler.

"At the beginning of the year we looked at our team and figured we'd get pretty good (offensive) production from our lineup," Mittry said. "Of course that lineup has changed since our initial evaluation."

The scoring punch has not. The Cougars (5-4) stole nine bases -- four by ROSS EPPERSON -- as they rolled past host El Cajon Valley in Tuesday's (Mar. 28) Grossmont Conference Tournament game called after six innings by darkness.

Epperson keyed Steele Canyon's 3-run 1st inning rally with a leadoff walk and a pair of stolen bases. CODY MINICH followed with a walk and steal and MIKE LANGE's scoring fly ball allowed the Cougars to draw first blood. WILL MURRAY's RBI single doubled the advantage and GARRETT JENNER's run-scoring double made it 3-0.

El Cajon Valley (0-11) turned the state's No. 1 base-bandit CLIFTON THOMAS loose in the bottom of the 1st. Thomas was hit by a pitch and continued onto second and third with his 24th and 25th steals of the campaign to tie with Johnny Newton of La Verne's Calvary Baptist.

Freshman ABEL CERVANTES brought Thomas home with a ground ball out.

Minich smacked a two-run single in the 4th to stretch Steele Canyon's lead to 5-1.

Cervantes hammered his first varsity home run in the 5th inning to keep the Braves in contention.

Steele Canyon broke the game open with five runs in the 6th inning. The key blows