Eric McKnight makes the catch to record the out at first base for West Hills. (Photos by Chris Edwards)

East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (5-25-06) -- A quick check of the East County scorecard in Wednesday's (May 24) first round of the double-elimination San Diego CIF playoffs shows the Inlanders winning four of six games. One of those outcomes involved two Grossmont North League teams that combined for 31 runs. Details below:

GROSSMONT 18, WEST HILLS 13 BOXSCORE -- In a ballgame where almost everything seemingly happened, what was absent might have been more interesting when these Grossmont North League rivals met heads-up in Wednesday's (May 24) first round of the SDCIF Division II playoffs.

The Foothillers finally outlasted the Wolf Pack in a 3-hour, 9-minute marathon which took two hours to simply play the first four innings. So what didn't happen in this fourth meeting between these ballclubs.

Part A:

Grossmont starting pitcher A.J. GRIFFIN failed to extend his streak of nine consecutive complete games. In fact, due to poor defense and an ever-changing strike zone, Griffin never came close, needing dozens of extra pitches before leaving after just four frames. But the Hillers' senior ace did register his 9th victory.

Part B:

The Foothillers, playing at home at cozy Joe Gizoni Field, placed 15 runs on the scoreboard. . . without the aid of a home run. It should be noted that senior right-fielder TREVOR BERRY did cap and match Grossmont's season-high scoring total with a 3-run blast over the short porch in right, a shot which eventually proved to be important after West Hills rallied from an 18-5 deficit.

Part C:

The Wolf Pack (14-14), which was struggled offensively at times all season, scored at least one run in their first six trips to the plate, yet still trailed by as many as 13 runs.

Although Grossmont (23-8) took the victory in the first round in the double-elimination phase of the section playoffs, the Hillers hope the struggles of their pitching staff won't ultimately turn into a negative after running five different hurlers to the mound.

"It has the potential, but I don't think it'll hurt us," said TAYLOR WOHLWEND, who set down all five hitters he faced to close out the combined 31-run, 30-hit affair. "We have a lot of pitchers on this team, so we can overcome anything."

The Grossmont bullpen was primed for action after West Hills rallied from a 4-1 deficit to knot the contest in the 3rd. However, Griffin eventually collected the victory after his offense took advantage of numerous defensive errors and other miscues by the Wolf Pack defense, scoring six times in the 3rd and eight more times in the 4th.

Berry was at the heart of the attack, batting 4-for-5 with five RBI, Included was a go-ahead, run-scoring double in the 1st, another go-ahead RBI single in the 3rd, then a pair of hits in the 4th capped by his 3-run blast.

"We were all up because it was a playoff game, and I had been taking a lot of extra batting practice in the cage," explained Berry. "We won, but defensively we were a little shaky -- we let our pitchers down -- but we will do well next time."

If Grossmont's glove work was considered "shaky," then the D-work of West Hills could be considered a mine field after finishing with five errors, several throws to the wrong base, missing the cutoff or relay man . . . the list went on and on.

Despite falling into a hole -- crater? -- the Pack showed resilience by scoring four times in the 5th and 6th frames to keep Grossmont's bullpen busy. SHAIN STONER accounted for three runs during the stretch with a sacrifice fly for a run in the 5th, then a two-run double in the 6th.

However, Wohlwend came in to shut the door. Although a chopper by STEPHEN STRASBURG brought home a run, the Hillers registered the out, one of five straight by Wohlwend to close the victory.

"That's why we love the game," said Grossmont coach ROB PHILLIPS, although he might have been chewing on his words just a little bit. "I just hope this game doesn't come back to bite us somewhere down the road."

Among the biggest individual offensive totals for the Hillers were four RBI by BRIAN HAAR, while Griffin batted 3-for-4 with two RBI.

"It was 18-5 in the 4th inning and I just told the guys this game is out of hand," West Hills coach SCOTT "HOPPY" HOPGOOD said. "At this point you can pack it in or we can battle back."

Second baseman TRAVIS IRVIN went 4-for-4 with four runs scored, while Strasburg, AARON RICHARDSON and KOREY HOOPER had two hits each for West Hills (14-14), which refused to fold.

"The guys kinda rallied and we were aggressive with the sticks all day," Hopgood said. "In the last half of the game we scored eight to Grossmont's four. Basically, I just started the game over in the 4th inning. Grossmont didn't throw out any scrubs to pitch."

VALHALLA 5, RAMONA 3 BOXSCORE -- In one of the bigger upsets of Wednesday's (May 24) first round of the Division III SDCIF Playoffs, the visiting Norsemen (22-9) rode the pinpoint pitching of senior southpaw ERIC JULIENNE to a key victory over the third-seeded Bulldogs (22-7) in North County.

"Eric pitched his best game of the year," said Valhalla senior outfielder JEFF SOPATA, who capped the Norsemen's scoring effort with a two-run home run in the 5th inning to cast Valhalla into a 5-0 lead.

Foremost in the Valhalla upset was the manner in which the Norsemen handled Ramona ace James Meador (7-2). While Meador managed 11 strikeouts, he was touched up for six hits and all five runs during his six-inning stint.

Julienne, a cool senior southpaw, was at his best as he shut down the Bulldogs on seven hits while striking out nine and walking none.

"My team functioned well behind me," said Julienne, who now has a three-year career record of 20-3, including a 7-2 senior slate. "My curveball had more of a cut to it. It was the way I like it where the bottom falls out and it lands in the dirt."

Julienne rationed Ramona to seven singles but did not walk anyone and struck out seven.

"I worked ‘em with my curveball and changeup, and finished them off with my fastball," Julienne said. "They hit a lot of soft groundballs and a bunch of choppers, but my defense was there to make the plays. I think we're sitting in a good position right now."

Valhalla took the lead in the 2nd inning. JASON KUTZLER's RBI single sparked a 3-run rally. GREG GARCIA drove in two more with a base hit.

In the 5th inning TOMAS KARAGIANES led off with a single and after two strikeouts, Sopata blasted a home run over the right center field fence to make it 5-5.

Sopata handed out accolades to Ramona pitcher Meador, who struck out 11 but walked four, gave up six hits and was burned for five runs (three earned) as he absorbed only his second loss in nine decisions.

"He's one of the best pitchers, if not the best, we've faced all year," said Sopata.

Ramona jumped on Julienne in the bottom of the 7th, as Meador -- a .500 hitter -- singled in a pair of runs with two outs.

"He's definitely a tough out," said Julienne.

Sopata had nothing but praise for his teammate.

"He was around the plate all day," Sopata said of Julienne. "He made them hit his pitch and kept them guessing. He had great movement on his pitches and I'm sure glad that I didn't have to hit against him."

GRANITE HILLS 6, EASTLAKE 2 BOXSCORE -- Senior CODY CRAWFORD knows his role in a scheme devised by coach JAMES DAVIS that has sent Granite Hills streaking. The Eagles (22-7) have won nine in a row, 15 of 16 and 18 of 20.

Nice momentum for a team seeded third in the rugged San Diego CIF Division I playoffs.

One might think that Crawford would feel confined by being limited to hitting only. Not so.

"I've been a DH (designated hitter) most of my (high school) career except for my sophomore year when I played first base," Crawford said. "I hurt my arm so I haven't played in the field since then."

With his game limited exclusively to the offensive side, Crawford must find a way to stay in the game when his teammates are in the field.

"It puts a lot of pressure on since that's all that you do," Crawford admitted. "But once you get used to it, it's not that bad."

Crawford followed a two-out double by JOSH MILLER in the 3rd with a mammoth home run to dead center field that gave Granite Hills a 5-0 advantage. Crawford's fourth home run hit the upper half of the Eagles' “Green Monster” and would have traveled more than 400 feet if not obstructed.

Winning pitcher ERIC KRAUSE predicted -- and took credit for his call -- that Crawford would clear the fences in this particular at-bat.

"I knew it was gone when I hit it because I could see the guys coming out of our dugout (for the traditional home plate greeting)," Crawford said. "Eric made the call. It was amazing. It was a fastball up and away. It felt good because I made good contact."

Krause pitched a complete game 7-hitter for his 10th win against one loss.

"He battled and found a way to get it done," Davis said. "Good teams like this (Eastlake) can make you look like you're off your game. This is probably the most Eric has been challenged all year."

The challenges grow bigger for the Eagles, who travel to Fallbrook (25-4-1) on Friday (May 26) at 4 p.m. The Warriors pulverized Mira Mesa 18-0 in Wednesday's first round.

Vinny Nazzal (2) of El Capitan legs out an infield hit to help build a 4-0 lead over St. Augustine. (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

ST. AUGUSTINE 6, EL CAPITAN 4 BOXSCORE -- Third-seeded El Capitan failed to hold a 4-0 lead with its ace pitcher on the mound, as visiting St. Augustine pilfered a Division III victory in Wednesday's (May 24) opening round of the SDCIF playoffs.

"We really haven't hit well this year, but we still had an opportunity to win this game 4-2," El Capitan coach STEVE VICKERY said as his Vaqueros out-hit the Saints 9-8. "We were feeling pretty good after five innings because we had our best pitcher up."

Apparently St. Augustine was not impressed.

With one out in the 6th inning, St. Augustine's Domonique Johnson got on base on an error and stole a base on an 0-2 count.

"Cristian hung a curveball and Clay Vogan hit a flare," Vickery said. "It was a gutsy call because we'd already caught them stealing twice."

The Saints' Gunnar Terhune hit an infield single on a high hop over third base, scoring Johnson. Mike Zoellner followed with a single up the middle and Ryan Ortiz hit a changeup down the line in left field for a double to score Vogan and Terhune, pushing the score to 5-4 in favor of St. Augustine (20-9).

Vickery made a pitching change and NICK McCARTHY intentionally walked Dylan Graham. One out later Matt Gabbard had the count at 0-2 and Zoellner scored on a wild pitch.

In the 7th inning on a bang-bang play, VINNY NAZZAL hit a ground ball to short and apparently made it safely to first.

Not so, said the base ump.

"I thought he was safe," said Vickery, who was supported by coaching onlookers such as MARK SMELKO, now an assistant coach at San Diego Mesa College.

RYAN INVERSO picked up the Vaquero's offense by hitting a single to left with one out.

St. Augustine made a pitching change, bringing in their big gun, TRAVIS McCRACKEN, who shut out heavy-hitting Steele Canyon in the play-in round.

McCracken was primed for the task, as he struck out AUSTIN RAUCH on a 3-2 curveball.

BRYSON LUKACIK kept the Vaqueros' chances alive with a base hit. A wild pitch moved the runners up, putting the tying run on second base. MILES REAGAN walked on a full count to load the bases.

GABE LOPEZ, on a 2-2 count hit a high chopper up the middle.

"The shortstop made a swipe tag and the ump called him out," said Vickery. "So instead of having bases loaded there at the end, it could have been 6-5. The game was decided on a very controversial call. Basically, we got screwed."

Vickery knew that the game, which started 20 minutes late, was subject to sub-par umpiring.

"The umpiring was prominent in this game," said Vickery. "Our scheduled umpire got in a traffic accident on his way to the game, so the first base ump was a late addition."

Vickery will not qualify as the chairman of this umpire's fan club.

Shane Stonovic (left) tossed a complete game, while Austin Murray slides safely into third base, leading Christian past Lutheran in CIF Div. IV action. Both players are seniors. (Christian High courtesy photos)

CHRISTIAN 7, THE BISHOP’S 2 BOXSCORE -- The pesky Patriots, who continue to confuse the so-called experts on their validity were on the upswing in Wednesday's (May 24) Division IV playoff opener.

Once again, senior southpaw SHANE STANOVIC -- who claims he hates to pitch -- was effectively wild and hard to hit. This has proven to be a successful modus operandi for a guy who would prefer to own the outfield and swing the bat.

Stanovic (3-0), who pitched a 2-hitter in his last outing against Madison, limited the Knights (15-10) to three hits as he struck out 7 and walked 6 in a complete game effort.

"Stanovic was tough today," said Christian coach MIKE MITCHELL.

The Patriots broke the game open in the 5th inning with three runs. The knockout blow was ADAM PERRY's clutch two-out, two run single that extended the Patriots' lead to 5-1. Stanovic tagged on an RBI single to make it 6-1.

One of Christian's latest additions to the lineup is freshman TAYLOR EICHHORST. Undaunted by facing varsity competition, Eichhorst -- a freshman who spent the season battering JV pitching -- clubbed a solo home run to give the Patriots (16-11) a 2-0 advantage in the 4th. EDDIE YOUNG added an RBI single in the same inning.

Eichhorst, in his first varsity start, went 3-for-4. The brother of former Grossmont High School star John Eichhorst hit four home runs for Christian's junior varsity squad.

Senior GRANT MILLS also mustered up 3 hits in 4 at-bats for the Patriots.

West Hills' Aaron Richardson (3) clouts the first of his two homers against San Pasqual, although Golden Eagles outfielder Jon Bernetskie (right) nearly makes a spectacular catch at the barrier. (Photos by Chris Edwards) FOR MORE PHOTOS, CLICK LINK IN CLASSIFIEDS

First baseman Chad O'Donnell applies the tag as Christian picked-off this Lutheran baserunner in the Patriots' 13-2 pasting. (Christian High courtesy photo)

Valhalla's Gavin McCarthy trots in with an uncontested run vs. Valley Center. (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (5-24-06) -- Six Inland teams begin the San Diego CIF double-elimination playoffs begin on Wednesday (May 24). Three others were eliminated in Tuesday's (May 23) Play-In round.

The still-active list looks like this: No. 3 seed Granite Hills (21-7) hosts Eastlake (19-11) in Division I; West Hills (14-13) meets No. 1 seed Grossmont (22-8) for the fourth time this season at Joe Gizoni Field in Division II; El Capitan (18-11) entertains Eastern League co-champion St. Augustine (19-9) and Valhalla (21-9) travels to third-seeded Ramona (22-6) in Division III; and No. 3 seed Christian (15-11) welcomes Coastal South power Bishop's (18-7-1). All games begin at 4 p.m. except Christian which starts 30 minutes earlier.

East County casualties in the Play-In round were Santana (22-10) -- a 7-2 loser at Brawley; Steele Canyon (13-16), blanked by St. Augustine 5-0 at Hickman Field; and Helix (12-18), which dropped a tight battle at Mission Hills 6-4.

WEST HILLS 9, SAN PASQUAL 5 BOXSCORE -- While AARON RICHARDSON was proving himself to be a primetime player in Tuesday's (May 23) San Diego CIF Play-In game, such notables as ERIC McKNIGHT and STEPHEN STRASBURG were nearly lost in the shuffle.

McKnight, a sophomore first baseman, broke a 2-2 tie with a two-run double into the right-center field gap during a six-run 3rd inning for the Wolf Pack.

"I hit a fastball up and out," McKnight said of his go-ahead blow. "We made a lot of early adjustments when we realized their pitcher (Kyle Knapp) couldn't throw his breaking ball for a strike. We just sat on the fastball and it paid off."

Richardson hit the first of his two home runs of the season -- a solo delivery in the 2nd inning and a two-run hoist in the 3rd. After exhibiting his power, Richardson received a pair of walks from the beleaguered San Pasqual pitching staff in his final two at-bats.

On top of that, Richardson capped off a strikeout-fest by a trio of West Hills pitchers that included Strasburg and BRIAN RITAYIK. Together they whiffed 13 North County Eagles (16-14).

When West Hills' Travis Irvin (4) finds little space to reach home plate, he flops over the top of San Pasqual catcher Michael Lazcano. (Photos by Chris Edwards) MORE PHOTOS, CLICK LINK IN CLASSIFIEDS

"I think the guys came out a little tight (making four errors in the first two innings)," West Hills coach SCOTT ‘HOPPY' HOPGOOD said. "But after Richardson's first home run the guys kinda loosened a little bit. Then we went to banging, which was good to see.

"When we swing the bats, we are a very dangerous team."

Richardson followed McKnight's clutch double with his second home run. But the Wolf Pack wasn't through. TRAVIS IRVIN blooped a double just inside the left field foul line and scored on MICHAEL HALL's base hit for a six-run 3rd inning and a 7-2 lead.

San Pasqual battled back with three runs in the 4th to keep the outcome in doubt. It was during that Eagles' flurry that Strasburg was replaced on the mound, leaving with two outs, two runners on and the Wolf Pack on top by five.

Strasburg, who was buzzing the ball at about 91 mph, had thrown 90 pitches. But the West Hills coaches believed their ace had seen enough.

"Strasburg was hitting the black on the inside of the plate, but wasn't getting the call," West Hills pitching coach MICKEY DEUTSCHMANN said. "That caused his pitch count to climb."

It didn't matter, as West Hills had plenty of relief help, including Richardson who struck out four in two hitless innings.

Norsemen pitcher Ryan O'Sullivan allowed just one run in his complete-game performance. (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

VALHALLA 6, VALLEY CENTER 1 BOXSCORE -- Sophomore RYAN O'SULLIVAN took the bite out of the visiting Valley Center Jaguars in Tuesday's (May 23) SDCIF Division III Play-In game.

O'Sullivan scattered 5 hits and struck out 8 as he won his sixth game in nine decisions.

The Norsemen erupted for three runs in the 2nd inning aided by a key Valley Center error.

At the forefront of the rally was O'Sullivan, who singled and stole second. One out later DAVID SMITH drew a walk and GAVIN McCARTHY hit a ground ball to second base that the Jaguars attempted to turn into an inning ending double play. Valhalla's Smith made an aggressive slide into second base that resulted in the Valley Center second baseman throwing the ball into left field.

O'Sullivan scored on the play, leaving Valhalla runners at the corners.

An attempted pickoff of McCarthy at first base by Valley Center pitcher Brandon Aiona went awry, allowing Smith to score and McCarthy to advance to third. McCarthy eventually scored on the front end of a double-steal that also involved DEVIN AZEVEDO.

Valhalla broke the game open in the 4th. Azevedo drove one run with a double and eventually scored on a wild pitch.

The Norsemen executed their second double-steal of the game in the 5th inning with O'Sullivan coming home and JEFF SOPATA going to second base.

Colin McDonald (21) slides and scores for Christian High on a pitch to the backstop. (Christian High courtesy photo)

CHRISTIAN 13, LUTHERAN 2 BOXSCORE -- Sophomore EDDIE YOUNG accounted for 8 runs -- 4 RBI and 4 runs scored -- to lead Christian past the Knights of Lutheran in Tuesday's (May 23) Play-In game of the SDCIF Division IV playoffs on the Patriots' diamond.

As lop-sided as the final score turned out to be, the game was knotted at 3-3 going into the bottom of the 3rd.

SHANE STANOVIC, who will attend San Diego Christian College next season, spanked a triple to center field and scored on Young's single to left to put the Patriots in front. Young eventually scored on a balk, giving Christian a 5-3 edge by the end of the 3rd.

In the bottom of the 4th it was Young again that lanced Lutheran. His seventh home run of the season was a 3-run rocket that helped Christian take a 9-3 advantage.

Young was 3-for-3, raising his season average to .511 and his RBI count to 34.

GRANT MILLS pitched two shutout innings in relief to garner his fifth win in eight decisions.

BRAWLEY 7, SANTANA 2 BOXSCORE -- The 240 mile trek into the Imperial Valley had nothing to do with the outcome of Tuesday's (May 23) Play-in Round of the SDCIF Division III playoff game.

"We had a dropped fly ball and threw another ball into the dugout that really hurt us," Santana coach JERRY HENSON said. "It had nothing to do with the heat or playing under the lights. All in all, Brawley just played a better ballgame."

Santana (22-10) was pleased that it did not have to play during the afternoon sun.

"When we stopped to eat dinner in El Centro it was 96 degrees," Henson said. "Come game time, though, the temperature had dropped, and we were happy about that. But the bugs were so thick that we thought we were in a snowstorm, but knew better because if the heat."

Even with those distractions Henson could not make excuses for the Sultans' early exit from the SDCIF Division III playoffs.

There are those who might blame the veteran skipper for not starting senior JOHN BASNIGHT against Brawley. Basnight, who has been nagged by various injuries, has been handled with kid gloves by Henson and pitching coach PAT CAVALCANTE.

The plan was to start Basnight in game two of the playoffs.

"I'm not going to second-guess myself," said Henson, who lost his ace pitcher to grades two weeks ago. You have to have more than one guy on the hill to go anywhere, and we had to prove that we did."

Those plans were foiled by Imperial Valley League champion Brawley, which capitalized on every Santana miscue.

Things started out on the right foot for Santana, which took a 1-0 lead on CHRIS DIAZ' single up the middle in the 1st inning.

Brawley tied it in the bottom of the 2nd.

Santana charged in front again as NICHOLAS SICA hit the first of his three hits, stole second and scored on a throwing error to put Santana back in front 2-1.

After that Santana's offense went flat and Brawley scored five runs in the bottom of the 3rd inning -- thanks to two Santana errors -- to take control of the game.

"If you can't score more that two runs and play better defense than we did, it's not likely that you're going to go very far in the playoffs," Henson said.

Santana managed to out-hit the Wildcats 9-7. Eight of those safeties belonged to Diaz, Sica and RICHARD MARTINEZ.

"We played this game at a local armory and the field was huge," said Henson. "We hit a lot of long fly balls and Brawley's outfielders played deep and caught ‘em. If this game had been played at Santana, we would have had two or three home runs and would have won the game. But that's the breaks when you finish fourth in your league and have to play on the road."

MISSION HILLS 6, HELIX 4 BOXSCORE -- Even though the Highlanders were knocked out of the San Diego CIF playoffs, Helix coach COLE HOLLAND wasn't bitter or angry. Obviously disappointed, Holland made it clear that he was pleased by the Highlanders' effort as their season came to an end.

"It was the best game we've played all year," said Holland. "I was happy with the way we played. It was the most intensity we've shown all year."

Leading 1-0, the Highlanders (12-18) surrendered three runs to the Grizzlies (20-10) in the bottom of the 2nd and were forced into the chase role thereafter. The key hit for Mission Hills was Ryan Suzukawa's two-run single that broke a 1-1 deadlock.

An RBI single by Helix pitcher ERIC PONCE in the 3rd inning closed the gap to 3-2. Ponce's pitching counterpart Gerald Casanada got that run back on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the inning.

Helix's final run of the season came on JEREMY PETERSON's RBI single in the 4th inning. That stroke sliced the Grizzlies' advantage to a single marker.

The struggle remained that tight until Mission Hills pushed across two runs to secure the victory on Brian Haley's two-run double in the 6th inning.

Holland's troops were denied by a trio of defensive gems by the Mission Hills.

"Mission Hills made three diving catches in the outfield, all with runners in scoring position," Holland lamented. "Then we lost a ball in the sun. It made a huge difference."

The Highlanders welcomed DEREK ANCRUM back to the lineup after a three-game absence due to a knee injury suffered against Mount Miguel. He went 1-for-2.

Ponce accounted for three of Helix's eight hits.

ST. AUGUSTINE 5, STEELE CANYON 0 BOXSCORE -- St. Augustine is known for its hitting prowess, not its pitching. Steele Canyon has followed a similar script.

But it was the Saints' Travis McCracken who had the last word. The senior southpaw blanked the visiting Cougars on three hits Tuesday (May 23) at Hickman Field to propel St. Augustine into Wednesday's first round of the San Diego CIF Division III double elimination tournament.

It was the first time in 29 games that Steele Canyon had failed to score. Only three times had the Cougars scored two or fewer runs prior to McCracken's knock-out punch.

"I can't believe we got shutout," said Steele Canyon coach PHIL MITTRY.

"McCracken threw strike after strike after strike."

Not that McCracken set a record for strikeouts, but his pinpoint control helped the Saints play error-free defense.

Beck Wheeler's 3-run double spiked the Saints to a 3-0 lead in the 1st inning.

"McCracken looked good and we got in a hole early," said Mittry. "He was ahead on almost every hitter. There wasn't much we could do."

Steele Canyon's top hitters on the season drew blanks. GARRETT JENNER accounted for two of the Cougars three hits. ERIC CARRILLO got the other.

"We didn't put a whole lot of balls in play," said Mitty. "They didn't have to make too many tough plays."

East County Sports.com
SAN DIEGO (5-20-06) -- The buzz during Friday's (May 19) San Diego CIF baseball seeding meeting was "who was going to get stuck traveling to Brawley" in Tuesday's (May 23) Play-In round of the Division III playoffs.

Turns out Santana (22-9) got the "short end of the straw," as the Sultans, who spent much of the season ranked among the Top 10 in the various county polls, will be obliged to test the Imperial Valley League champion Wildcats (17-7) on desert soil at 6:30 in the evening.

Santana will "take a big yellow bus" 240 miles roundtrip to open the playoffs.

"We're ready," Santana coach JERRY HENSON said. "We have to play somewhere. We are looking forward to going to Brawley."

Henson did offer one suggestion in jest to SDCIF Commissioner DENNIS ACKERMAN about possibly floating his team a loan to cover travel expenses.

"What's gas now -- $3.50 a gallon?" Henson said.

Maybe Henson should compare numbers with Palo Verde Valley (6-13) which has to travel from Blythe to Marian Catholic (8-21) for a Division IV Play-In game in Imperial Beach. The Yellow Jackets will cover 450 miles roundtrip to meet that engagement.

Henson said he had not personally seen the Wildcats in action, but added that his assistant coaches had done so.

Meanwhile, defending champion Grossmont (22-8) was awarded the No. 1 seed in Division II; Granite Hills (21-7) claimed the No. 3 seed in Division I; El Capitan (18-11) was No. 4 in the highly competitive Division III; and Christian (14-11) grabbed the No. 3 rung in Division IV. Grossmont, Granite Hills and El Capitan avoid the play-in round with a bye, while the Patriots are in the 16-team Division IV which offers no byes.

Those with byes jump into the double-elimination tournament on Wednesday (May 24).

Other East County teams qualifying for post-season play include West Hills (13-13), which hosts San Pasqual (16-13) in a Division II Play-In game at 4 p.m. Helix (12-17) travels to Mission Hills (19-10) in another Division II Play-In affair at 4.

Included in Division III Play-In games is a potential slugfest between Steele Canyon (13-15) and St. Augustine (18-9) at Hickman Field at 3:30 p.m. and Valhalla (20-9) hosting Valley Center (17-13) at 4:30 p.m.

Following a lead walk, the Braves' Clifton Thomas swipes his 50th base against Santana. (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

Thomas reaches 50, caught in 51 attempt Santana gains playoff momentum East County Sports.com EL CAJON (5-19-06) -- While El Cajon Valley superstar center-fielder CLIFTON THOMAS was on a rampage toward breaking the San Diego CIF base-stealing record, the visiting Santana Sultans were gaining momentum with a major offensive outburst in Thursday's (May 18) 17-0 Grossmont North League season ender. Thomas was able to swipe his 50th bag after leading off the bottom of the 1st with a bunt single. When he tried to tie the section record 51 steals established by Eric Chavez' (Mt. Carmel, in 1995), he was cut down by catcher NICHOLAS SICA at third base. BOXSCORE "It would have been nice to get the record but I didn't get it," Thomas said. "Hopefully, I'll get to where Chavez is someday." That's a hefty goal considering Chavez is a starting third baseman for the Oakland A's. But not impossible, as several pro scouts have taken notice of Thomas. "Preparation and coaches helping me after practices, and all the hard work helped get me where I am now," said Thomas. Perhaps overshadowed but not ignored was Santana's offensive onslaught. The Sultans (22-9, 6-6 GNL) raked two El Cajon Valley pitchers for 17 hits. JOHN BASNIGHT led the charge, driving in five runs with a home run, two sacrifice flies and a single. "I was going to make Thomas earn everything he got," said Basnight, who shut the Braves out on one hit while striking out six over 3 1/3 innings. "I wasn't just going to hand it to him." KYLE CULVER blanked the Braves on one hit over 1 2/3 innings and was rewarded with his fourth win in five decisions. JOSH POND pitched the final two innings and did not allow a hit while striking out three. Santana stole six bases in the first two innings while en route to building a 6-0 lead. CHRIS DIAZ drove in four runs with a two-run single, an RBI double and a sacrifice fly. Sultans leadoff hitter JON TIPPIN was the prototype leadoff hitter, reaching base in all four of his at-bats and circling the bases for four runs. He also had a double, an RBI single, and stole two bases. "It was a good day to work on our swing and get toned for CIF," said Tippin. Senior RICHARD MARTINEZ was 4-for-4 with five runs scored and two stolen bases for Santana. "We're hoping for a top four seed so we can get a first-round bye," Tippin said. "We've struggled toward the end of the season but we're ready to come out firing for the playoffs."

El Cajon Valley's Clifton Thomas can only bow his head in disappointment after failing in his record-breaking attempt to match the CIF-SDS single-season record for stolen bases. (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

East County Sports.com
SPRING VALLEY (5-19-06) -- BILLY SYLVESTER used to be what one East County baseball coach called "Bench Life." That coach who coined the phrase was referring to players who spend the majority of the season riding the pine and are called upon to contribute in spot roles.

That was when Sylvester was a junior. Role player personified. BOXSCORE

While he waited for his chance to step up to the plate, Sylvester knew how to keep the atmosphere light inside the Granite Hills dugout. Practical jokes and impromptu one-liners were Sylvester's specialties.

"I forgot how much Billy verbalized in our dugout last year," Granite Hills coach JAMES DAVIS said. "When I took him out of the game early today (in Thursday's May 18 regular-season finale at Mount Miguel), he wasn't very happy. Then he began to chirp like he did all of last year. It almost bugged me this time."

Good thing Sylvester is now a starter -- for more reason than one.

The Eagles' 6-foot, 203-pound right fielder wiped out a 2-0 Mount Miguel lead with a three-run homer in the 2nd inning.

"That was one of the longest home runs we've hit all year," Davis said. "Billy is swinging the bat as well as he has all year right now."

Sylvester added an RBI single in the 4th and walked and scored in the 5th as Grossmont South League champion Granite Hills (21-7, 14-1 GSL) opened up a 10-run spread.

The bottom third of the Granite Hills batting order provided the muscle in this win, the Eagles' eighth straight and 14th in 15 starts.

LOUIS CAZARES continued his torrid hitting, driving in three runs with a double and a single in three at-bats.

AUSTIN COLEMAN also clubbed a solo home run for the Eagles.

Senior southpaw GARRETT RUSSELL (7-0) checked the Matadors on two hits over five innings. He struck out six and then left matters to the Eagles' bullpen.

Granite Hills is seeking a No. 3 seed in the San Diego CIF Division I playoffs. The seeding meeting is Friday night (May 19).

Mount Miguel (4-23, 0-15 GSL) took a 2-0 lead in the 1st inning on CHRIS FREEMAN's two-run single. The Matadors would garner only two hits in the final six innings.

STEELE CANYON 10, HELIX 7 BOXSCORE -- Steele Canyon coach PHIL MITTRY can only wonder what might have been. Foremost in his mind had to be early season injuries that depleted his pitching staff, and a defense that was unsure at best.

One thing Mitty's Cougars (13-15, 8-7 GSL) could deliver with consistency was offensive firepower.

"We could have had 18 wins if we could play some defense," grumbled Mittry. "We were a sieve on defense but our offense took charge and every time (Helix) got a run or two we got them right back with the stick. Our offense carried us today -- it was a definite positive. We didn't play good defense. And it was all things that we worked on yesterday (in practice), too."

This was an all too familiar scenario for Steele Canyon, which is hoping to gain a spot in the SDCIF Division III playoffs.

"We're hoping for the No. 11 or 12 seed in the playoffs," Mittry said.

In the Cougars latest victory DANNY HARRIS was the point man. The senior shortstop crashed a two-run home run in the 1st inning and a two-run shot in the 6th, raising his Steele Canyon record total to 11 for the season.

MIKE LANGE joined the Cougars' home run parade with a solo shot in the 1st, and WILL MURRAY hoisted a two-run blast that gave Steele Canyon a 6-2 lead in the 3rd.

ERIC CARRILLO, who has come on to contribute offensively over the last third of the season, chipped in a two-run double to stretch Steele Canyon's lead to 8-2 in the 5th.

"Carrillo had a big double late in the game to pad the lead a little bit," said Mittry.

Only three of Helix' seven runs were earned as ANDREW BRUDER, NICK TODARO and Harris combined for the Cougars victory.

RAUL RITCHIE was 2-for-3 with two RBI to lead the Highlanders (12-17, 5-10 GSL), who will surely make the Division II playoffs but are a longshot for a first round home game.

"We actually hit the ball really well, they just hit the ball better," said Helix coach COLE HOLLAND. "We had runners in scoring position in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 7th and left the bases loaded in the 2nd and 3rd. We had our opportunities but we couldn't shut them down on the mound."

Taylor Wohlwend (top) pitched five solid inning to lead the Foothillers to their second straight shutout, while Bryan Haar (bottom) blasted his seventh home run in a 15-0 pasting of West Hills to cap the regular season. (Photo by Chris Edwards)

GROSSMONT 15, WEST HILLS 0 BOXSCORE -- Even when he's not pitching, Grossmont senior A.J. GRIFFIN is a factor.

Griffin, who started at first base, accounted for five runs as he went 2-for-3 including a two-run homer in Grossmont's 6-run 4th inning Thursday (May 18) at home.

Sophomore JOSH SIMMS drove in four runs with two-run singles in the 3rd and 4th innings as Grossmont stacked up a 14-0 advantage.

BRIAN HAAR slugged his seventh home run with nobody on in the 3rd, and KYLE SECCIANI celebrated a 3-for-3 effort.

TYLER WOHLWEND blanked the Wolf Pack (13-13, 7-5 GNL) on two hits while striking out eight during a five-inning stint to post his sixth win in nine decisions.

"Everything we did seemed to click," said Grossmont coach ROB PHILLIPS, whose Grossmont North League champion Foothillers (22-8, 10-2 GNL) have won 18 of their last 21 games.

Phillips believes Grossmont is worthy of the top seed in the SDCIF Division II playoffs. The Foothillers are sure to draw competition from Palomar League runner-up Westview (23-8) for the pole position.

VALHALLA 5, MONTE VISTA 4 BOXSCORE -- Host Valhalla overcome a 4-2 fifth inning deficit with single markers in the final three innings of Thursday's (May 18) Grossmont South League finale.

The decisive play was a dropped fly ball by the Monte Vista left fielder where the sun was an obvious factor. That Monte Vista muff of DAVID SMITH's drive scored RYAN O'SULLIVAN with the winning tally with two outs in the bottom of the 7th.

The narrow victory kept Valhalla (20-9, 12-3 GSL) on course for a possible top four seed in the SDCIF Division III playoffs that begin next week.

On the other side of the coin, the disheartening loss left Monte Vista (11-16, 6-9 GSL) on the bubble for a playoff berth.

Valhalla senior ace ERIC JULIENNE had a rocky outing, surrendering four runs and five hits in five innings. Freshman reliever TREVOR FRANK blanked the Monarchs on two hits and struck out three over the final two innings to gain the victory.

GOLDIE SIMMONS was 4-for-4 with two RBI to pace Monte Vista.

Christian High catcher Matt Hart gets barrel-rolled by Madison's Will Cotton. Hart hung on to the ball for the out, while Cotton was promptly ejected. The Warhawks still went on to win 13-4, capturing the 2006 Central League baseball championship. (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

East County Sports.com
SAN DIEGO (5-18-06) -- It took host Madison a short time to make it a long afternoon for the Christian High Patriots in Wednesday's (May 17) Central League championship showdown. BOXSCORE

After the Warhawks booted a double-play ball to hand the Patriots two 1st inning runs, Madison sent a dozen batters to the plate in the bottom of the inning to take a 7-2 lead.

It was all Madison on this day as the Warhawks (18-8, 11-1 CTL) wrapped up their third straight league championship.

Christian (14-11, 9-3 CTL) missed a shot to tie Madison for the league laurels as the regular season came to an end.

"All you can ask is to be there at the end -- to have a chance at the championship," Christian coach MIKE MITCHELL said. "If you are there at the end anything can happen. Turns out today just wasn't our day."

Speaking of sad endings, Christian leadoff hitter ADAM PERRY had his 21-game hitting streak snapped. Perry walked in his first two at-bats and scored two runs. His best shot to extend his hitting skein, which ranks sixth in San Diego CIF history, came in his third at-bat when he ripped a one-hopper inches wide of the first base bag for a foul ball in the 4th inning.

Christian trailed 10-2 after two innings so the suspense was over in a hurry.

"We had a couple of key errors and a few walks and you can't do that against a team that can swing it like Madison does," Mitchell said. "They got out in front and didn't give us a sniff after that."

Hillers, Eagles collect league crowns
Thomas faces Santana for stolen bases record

East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (5-17-06) -- Two of East County's three league championships were decided Tuesday (May 16) when Grossmont captured the Grossmont North League flag with a 7-0 nod over visiting El Capitan, and Granite Hills made it back-to-back Grossmont South League crowns by blitzing visiting Valhalla 9-0. Underdog Christian goes after a share of the Central League title Wednesday (May 17) at Madison. If the Patriots come out on top they would share the title with the Warhawks, but a Christian victory technically would make the Pats unofficial champions by virtue of having beaten the Warhawks in two of three meetings.

Grossmont's A.J. Griffin went the distance to blank El Capitan, 7-0, for his 9th straight complete game. (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

GROSSMONT 7, EL CAPITAN 0 BOXSCORE -- It was all about A.J. GRIFFIN for the Foothillers as the senior right-hander logged his 9th straight complete gamein securing the Foothillers' first league title since 2002.

Griffin, a 6-foot-4, 205-pound right-hander, hurled his second shutout in his string of complete games that includes a 2-0 win over No. 7 Mission Bay during the Lions Tournament. Griffin's uninterrupted string of complete games is one shy of the unofficial San Diego Section record set by Point Loma High's David Wells (now a veteran major leaguer) during the 1982 season.

"A.J. has matured a ton since the first game of the year to where he is now," said Grossmont coach ROB PHILLIPS. "He has become the leader we've needed so badly. Once a week you can count on A.J. to go out there and give us seven innings of quality pitching."

Griffin, who has won 8 of 11 decisions, has lowered his ERA to 1.42 as he continues his mastery over El Capitan (18-11, 7-5 GNL).

"We have not scored off Griffin in 18 innings, dating back to the CIF championship game last year," said El Capitan coach STEVE VICKERY.

"I'm disappointed that we didn't compete better. Griffin on the mound just dominated us."

It was a bit of a balancing act for Griffin at the outset, as the Vaqueros put runners at second and third in the opening inning. Griffin responded by dealing an inning-ending strikeout.

El Capitan had two runners on in the second inning with two down but, once again, Griffin slammed the door.

"We left eight on base, all in the first four innings," said Vickery ruefully.

Griffin limited the Vaqueros to three hits, walked two and struck out seven.

"The thing I like most about winning this game is it meant we didn't back into a title. We went out and got it," said Phillips.

Grossmont (21-8, 9-2 GNL banged out 4 doubles and a triple as it pinned a loss on El Capitan ace CRISTIAN GARCIA (7-3).

"It felt good to win the championship by beating El Cap," Griffin said. "We rolled in to their place to clinch the championship after Garcia rolled in to our yard and shut us out."

Grossmont did not appear to be a contender for any kind of championship ring at the outset. The Foothillers lost 5 of their first 9 decisions.

"With the start that we had I thought to myself ‘This is going to be a long year,'" Griffin said. "It was so disappointing in my sophomore and junior years because we were so close both times. Going into each of those seasons I thought we would win league."

Grossmont has won 17 of its last 20 games.

"We started to turn it on during the Lions Tournament," Griffin said. "Now we're playing ball and shutting people down."

The Foothillers broke a scoreless tie in the 3rd inning. KYLE SECCIANI doubled and AUGIE WILLIAMS was hit by a pitch with one out. The Vaqueros' Garcia tried to pick off Williams at first but his throw was wide of the mark and careened down the right field line. Secciani scored on the miscue. BRYAN HAAR added an RBI single in the inning, giving Grossmont a 2-0 edge.

Grossmont broke the game open in the 4th inning, rattling off five hits in succession against Garcia.

"That hasn't happened to Cristian all year," said Vickery.

Griffin started the inning with a base hit but was cut down stealing on a strong throw from Vaqueros catcher AUSTIN RAUCH. So it looked like Garcia was going about his business.

Grossmont had other ideas. TREVOR BERRY singled to left, NICK SOBEL followed with a soft liner to right, where the El Capitan right-fielder attempted to make a diving catch to no avail. Thus, Sobel wound up with a triple and an RBI as the Foothillers pushed their lead to 3-0.

DEREK BAUM doubled to right to score Sobel, and JUSTIN MASON followed suit to put the game all but out of reach for El Cap.

The Foothillers tacked on single runs in the next two innings on an RBI double by Haar and a scoring fly ball by JOSH SIMMS.

"We've had difficulties driving in runs with runners in scoring position," Phillips admitted. "But we got some key hits to put us on top. And that's all A.J. needed."

GRANITE HILLS 9, VALHALLA 0 BOXSCORE -- When TRAVIS TAIJERON was asked to assume the catching duties at Granite Hills had to know he was replacing the East County Player of the Year -- NICK MONETTE.

In the early games of this season Taijeron was a defensive liability behind the plate. Granite Hills coach JAMES DAVIS contemplated making a change, but kept extending the reins to Taijeron.

Credit Davis for his patience.

It's a strong possibility that Taijeron will be named Grossmont South League Player of the Year. The junior slugger currently leads the San Diego CIF with 14 home runs, which include 6 round-trippers in his last four games.

Taijeron supplied the key blast that defused Valhalla's bid for a fourth-straight (co- or otherwise) Grossmont South League championship in Tuesday's (May 16) encounter.

The power-hitting catcher hammered a 3-run homer in the bottom of the 1st that provided the Eagles (20-7, 13-1 GSL) with the momentum they wouldn't lose.

Taijeron's key home run came at the expense of Valhalla sophomore pitcher RYAN O'SULLIVAN.

"I was feeling it a little bit when I came out today," said Taijeron. "I was looking for a first-pitch fastball and he threw it letter-high. It was a nice pitch and he kind of left it there."

Taijeron wasted little time hoisting O'Sullivan's effort over the 390 sign in straightaway center-field. "I wasn't sure it was going out until I saw the center-fielder stop, and then I knew it was going out."

Junior right-hander ERIC KRAUSE doesn't need many runs to post a victory. He proved that again on Tuesday as he blanked the Norsemen for the second time in as many starts. He struck out 10 and allowed only three hits as he raised his record to 9-1.

"This was a nice win, a nice thing to do, to clinch a championship on your home field against your rival," said Davis, who has led the Eagles to three championships in his five years at the Granite Hills helm.

AUSTIN COLEMAN followed Taijeron's 2-for-4 effort with a pair of doubles and a single. LOUIS CAZARES blooped a 2-run single in the 3rd inning to give Granite Hills a 5-0 lead, and went on to finish 2-for-2.

Like Taijeron, BRIAN HUMPHRIES finished with two hits.

MONTE VISTA 8, HELIX 3 BOXSCORE -- Senior DANNY DeANDA kept Monte Vista's playoff hopes alive in Tuesday's (May 16) Grossmont South League victory over the visiting Highlanders.

Maybe it wasn't single-handed, but the 6-foot, 205-pound DeAnda launched his third and fourth home runs of the season to plate four runs in addition to pitching 4 1/3 innings to garner the win.

"I told my seniors this could be the last two games of their high school careers," said Monte Vista coach LARRY RINEHART. "I guess it was sort of a challenge, and they rose up to meet it."

Both of DeAnda's home runs -- a 3-run shot in the 1st and a solo blast in the 5th -- were well up the steep bank beyond the right field fence.

"Danny's first home run landed up on the top of the bank by the fence in front of the tennis courts," Rinehart noted.

For awhile Helix (12-16, 5-9 GSL) refused to fold. An RBI double by starting pitcher ERIC PONCE gave the Highlanders a 1-0 advantage in the top of the 1st. After that, though, the Highlanders were playing catch-up.

Once again, in the 4th, a base hit by Ponce set up an RBI double by JEREMY PETERSON, leaving the Highlanders down only 3-2.

Monte Vista (11-15, 6-8 GSL), seeking a spot in the SDCIF Division III playoffs, showed the Highlanders that the Monarchs were not going to buckle under.

A base hit by ANTHONY MARCON, followed by BO AGUILAR's first home run of the year, extended Monte Vista's advantage to 5-2.

For good measure DeAnda hit a solo home run to lead off the 5th and GOLDIE SIMMONS and SPENCER REED rapped RBI singles in the 6th to salt away the win.

"I'd like to think that we should be considered for the playoffs, as we've played 14 games against teams that have been ranked in the Top 10," said Rinehart.

STEELE CANYON 16, MOUNT MIGUEL 6 BOXSCORE -- Heavy-hitting DANNY HARRIS enjoyed another of his many hitting sprees Tuesday (May 16) to help lead the playoff-hopeful Cougars past visiting Mount Miguel.

Harris, who just missed hitting for the cycle, whacked a 2-run triple in the 2nd and a 2-run double in the 3rd after driving in a run with a single in the 1st frame.

No one has questioned Steele Canyon's ability to hit. But the Cougars (12-15, 7-7 GSL), who are bidding for a SDCIF Division III playoff spot, do not have "stopper-type pitching," are a long-shot for post-season play.

"We knew we had to win today to have a shot at the playoffs," said Steele Canyon PHIL MITTRY. "We took care of business -- it was a good day."

Steele Canyon put this game out of reach in the first three innings as the Cougars gained a 12-4 advantage.

Senior MIKE LANGE belted a 3-run home run in the 6th inning to cap the scoring for the Cougars.

CHRIS FREEMAN was 2-for-3 with 3 RBI for Mount Miguel (4-22, 0-14 GSL).

WEST HILLS 13, EL CAJON VALLEY 3 BOXSCORE -- This Grossmont North League game was over after three innings on Tuesday (May 16), as the Wolf Pack registered its second-highest offensive output of the season.

Unsung hero TRAVIS IRVIN drove in 5 runs for the Wolf Pack. The senior second baseman, who came into the game batting only .213, broke loose for a career day. Irvin collected 3 hits, including a 2-run homer in the 3rd inning that extended West Hills' lead to 11-0.

"Irvin had a huge game -- a great day at the plate," said West Hills coach SCOTT "HOPPY" HOPGOOD. "He looked very, very sharp today. There were a couple of (four year) colleges here to see both Irvin and (SHAIN) STONER, and they both performed very well today.”

"I think the guys are starting to hit their stride right now. We understood we had to take care of business," he said.

Stoner, batting in the leadoff spot, was 3-for-4 with a double and 2 RBI. AARON RICHARDSON drove in three runs, including the first two, with a base hit in the 1st inning.

JON EDDY started the game and pitched four shutout innings, limiting the Braves (1-25, 0-11 GNL) to two hits while striking out five.

"Eddy was solid on the hill," said Hopgood. "He gives us a chance to win every game."

Once again, El Cajon Valley's senior center-fielder CLIFTON THOMAS was a superstar. Thomas was 4-for-4 in stolen bases, which raised his season total to 49 thefts. He has one game remaining in his high school career to break the San Diego CIF record for most stolen bases in a season held by Mt. Carmel's Eric Chavez (currently a starting third baseman for the Oakland A's).

Thomas, who needs two steals to tie Chavez' section record of 51 set in 1995, has been thrown out only four times this year. He'll go for the record in Thursday's (May 18) regular season finale against the Santana Sultans, who have been one of the more successful teams in denying him on the basepaths.

Against West Hills Thomas was 3-for-4, including his sixth home run of the season. That effort raised his batting average to an East County best .584 (45-for-77) and extended his hitting streak to 14 games.

CAMERON SINES was 2-for-3 with a double for El Cajon Valley.

Grant Mills drives home the game-winning run, movng the Patriots within one game of Central League leading Madison. The teams meet again Wednesday to decide the league championship. (Christian High courtesy photo)

East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (5-16-06) -- Pennant fever is bubbling over at Christian High today. BOXSCORE

The Patriots barged back into the Central League pennant race Monday (May 15) with a last-inning 3-2 victory over runaway favorite Madison.

GRANT MILLS, who has been among the hottest hitters in the Christian High lineup the past week (7-for-15, 7 RBI), stroked a single to left field that scored SHANE STANOVIC with the game-winning run in the bottom of the 7th inning.

That's not surprising considering Mills is 7-for-15 with 7 RBI over his last four games, including 2-for-4 with his third game-winning in Monday's (May 15) win over the Warhawks (16-8, 10-1 CTL).

Stanovic, who admittedly prefers batting to pitching, held the Hawks to two hits and two runs over 6 1/3 innings. The senior southpaw struck out seven, but walked eight. He was bailed out of a 7th inning jam by TODD JONES, who got the final two outs and was rewarded with his 5th win in seven decisions.

"Stanovic did a great job pitching," said Christian coach MIKE MITCHELL. "He was struggling with his control but made the big pitches when he had to. We played good defense today. Our kids were really fired up."

Where Stanovic did his best work was at the top third of the Madison lineup. The Warhawks' top three hitters, all of whom rank among the San Diego Section's leading hitters, were collectively 1-for-6.

That one safety was a big blow, though. Adrian Hutchison, who came into this game batting at a .596 clip, spoiled Stanovic's bid for a no-hitter with a two-run home run that tied the game 2-2 in the 6th inning, Hutchison's homer was his sixth of the season and Madison's first hit in the game.

ADAM PERRY proved his 21-game hitting streak is no fluke as he pumped out three hits in four at-bats. Perry broke a scoreless tie with his 4th home run with two outs in the 3rd inning, keeping his hitting streak alive. Only five players in the 45 year history of the San Diego Section have compiled hitting streaks longer than Perry's.

In the 5th inning, DANNY MITCHELL's two-out single in left field got the Patriots started for a second run. Perry followed Mitchell's lead with a base hit to left field, and Stanovic followed suit for the RBI and a 2-0 Christian lead.

The Patriots (14-10, 9-2 CTL), who face Madison for the final time on Wednesday (May 17) in Kearny Mesa at 3 p.m., can gain a piece of the championship with a victory.

Granite Hills catcher Travis Taijeron catches the ball and applies the tag on Mike Lange of Steele Canyon during a collision at home plate, holding the ball to the umpire. But was Lange safe or out?... DOUBLE-CLICK the final photo to find out. (Photos by Adolfo Villanueva) FOR MORE PHOTOS, GO TO CLASSIFIED ADS AND CLICK THE LINK

Illness fails to stop Sultans pitcher

East County Sports.com
SANTEE (5-14-06) -- In a game of measured importance two teams offered anemic attacks and hoped that their pitching would carry them into victory lane. That was the scenario of the Grossmont North League clash between El Capitan and Santana Saturday (May 13). BOXSCORE

The two teams combined for just 8 hits, but it was RICHARD MARTINEZ' line-drive RBI single to right field that broke a 2-2 tie and gave the Sultans a much-needed 3-2 victory.

It was an heroic effort by Martinez, who could hardly answer the bell due to illness. But the senior right-hander, realizing that his predominantly underclassmen team had lost back-to-back crucial decisions due to loss of key personnel, stepped to the mound and delivered.

Santana's Ryan Brosnan (in purple) gets into second base for the steal while El Capitan's Shane Sullenger goes over the top of Brosnan to flag down the ball (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

Martinez limited the Vaqueros to 2 hits and 2 runs in 4 2/3 innings before sophomore BRANDYN BELL picked up the ball and blanked the Vaqueros on one hit over the final 2 1/3 innings.

It was sort of a two-way street, as Martinez delivered the game-winning RBI and Bell closed the door to earn his sixth win in eight decisions.

"I'm sure Richard would rather have not pitched because he wasn't feeling very well," Santana coach JERRY HENSON said. "But he came through. He took a no-hitter into 5th inning and got the first two guys out before giving up a single up the middle to (RYAN) INVERSO."

The game was tied 2-2 when Inverso broke up the no-hitter. But the Sultans (21-9, 5-6 GNL) in the bottom of the 5th parlayed El Capitan's only error, a hit-and-run single by RYAN STUTZ, and Martinez' clutch hit into the winning margin.

"Yeah, this is a big win, but they're all big wins from now on," said Henson, whose Sultans figure to end the campaign with 22 wins. "When we go to the seeding meeting, I doubt if many teams have as many wins as we will. I think we deserve a home game in the opening round, and maybe more."

"One thing for sure is I know our kids haven't quit, despite the adversity we've had."

El Capitan, fresh off celebrating coach STEVE VICKERY's 500th win two days earlier, took a 1-0 lead on Inverso's sacrifice fly in the 3rd inning. The Vaqueros, who collected only three hits, added a second run in the 4th inning on CRISTIAN GARCIA's sacrifice fly.

"Once again we weren't able to drive in runners in scoring position. It's been a problem for our team all year," Vickery said.

El Capitan pitcher KYLE KING deserved a better fate, as he limited the Sultans to 5 hits -- four of which were of the infield variety.

HELIX 7, VALHALLA 3 BOXSCORE -- The once dormant Helix attack was alive for the fourth game in a row Saturday (May 13), as the Highlanders hammered out 10 hits and upset No. 6-ranked Valhalla in a Grossmont South League encounter.

The pivotal frame in this battle was the 4th, when the Highlanders (12-15, 5-8 GSL) broke a 2-2 tie with a 5-run outburst. KARLIS THORPE laced an RBI single, RANDY PEREZ followed with a run-scoring base hit, and MATT COBB drew a bases loaded walk for another run. ERIC PONCE capped the inning with a 2-run single.

"We are peaking at the right time," said Helix coach COLE HOLLAND. "We beat two good (Valhalla) pitchers today and our last four games we've got 48 hits. That's because we're being more aggressive at the plate and working at getting hitter's counts."

Holland was emphatic as the Highlanders used a diversified attack.

"We had eight different guys get hits, six different guys had RBI and six different guys scored runs," the Scotties' skipper said. "That's a good thing. It makes it hard for our opponents to focus on one guy."

MAHI LABASTIDA fell one out short of a complete game, checking the Norsemen (19-8, 11-2 GSL) on 6 hits while allowing only two earned runs. SALONZO GRIER came on to get the final out for his first save.

"Mahi threw a great game," said Holland. "He did what we wanted him to do, which is keep them off balance. If you're going to give up a home run, make sure nobody is on base."

Valhalla fell into Holland's game plan, as JEFF SOPATA led off the Norsemen's 2nd inning with his fourth home run, and TOMAS KARAGIANES cracked a solo shot in the 3rd.

"That ball that Karagianes hit (over the left field fence) is farther than anybody has hit one at Helix this year," Holland commented. "Rarely do solo home runs break your back. We preach that to our pitchers all the time. Just throw strikes and challenge people."

Karagianes was the only Norseman to have more than one hit as Valhalla totaled 5 against two Helix pitchers.

"Helix came out swinging and I think they had the hot hand," Valhalla coach STEVE PERDUE said. "I think what happened was due more to them than us."

The Norsemen, who have won three straight Grossmont South League titles can keep their streak intact with a victory at Granite Hills on Tuesday (May 16).

"We're in a must-win situation now if we want to take the league title," Perdue said. "If we win and wind up co-champs, we'll be the No. 1 representative from our league going into the playoffs since we would have beaten Granite Hills two out of three."

GRANITE HILLS 7, STEELE CANYON 3 BOXSCORE -- Led by power-hitting junior catcher TRAVIS TAIJERON, the Eagles muzzled the host Steele Canyon Cougars in Saturday's (May 13) Grossmont South League action in Rancho San Diego.

Taijeron belted his 13th home run -- the 5th in his last three games -- to tie El Capitan's AUSTIN RAUCH for the San Diego CIF lead. Taijeron's latest home run followed a single by BRIAN HUMPHRIES in the 7th inning.

"It's like I said before, I admire the job he's done with a bat but I'm even more impressed at how well he's performed behind the plate," said Granite Hills coach JAMES DAVIS. "Travis made two great blocks at the plate that resulted in outs. He also turned in a 5-2-3 double play. He's vastly improved since the beginning of the year -- gives us a tremendous presence on the field."

No. 7 ranked Granite Hills (19-7, 12-1 GSL), which has won 15 of its last 17 games, can lock up the Grossmont South League championship with a victory over Valhalla on Tuesday (May 16) in the Eagles' lair.

While Valhalla was suffering an upset loss to Helix on Saturday (May 13), the Eagles were curbing the Cougars on the pitching of GARRETT RUSSELL (6-0) and ERIC KRAUSE.

The Eagles took a 1-0 lead on Humphries' second home run of the year in the 1st inning. BILLY SYLVESTER's RBI single made it 2-0 in the 2nd inning. The Eagles picked up an unearned run in the top of the 3rd, but Steele Canyon countered with ROSS EPPERSON's RBI double in the bottom of the 3rd.

When all was said and done though, it was Taijeron's 2-run homer in the 7th that curtailed any kind of late rally plans by Steele Canyon (11-15, 6-7 GSL).

"We battled them," said Steele Canyon coach PHIL MITTRY. "We had two guys thrown out at the plate. We played shoddy defense. You can't give a good team like Granite Hills opportunities. We didn't take advantage of our opportunities."

GROSSMONT 8, EL CAJON VALLEY 1 BOXSCORE -- This was sort of the calm before the storm Saturday (May 13) as the Foothillers bowled over the visiting Braves in a Grossmont North League encounter at Joe Gizoni Field.

The 10th-ranked Foothillers (20-8, 8-2 GNL), who have won 16 of their last 19 games, are facing their toughest week of the season as they travel to Lakeside to challenge El Capitan on Tuesday (May 16) at 4 p.m. A victory over the Vaqueros would spell out a championship for the Grossmont. A loss would make Thursday's (May 18) regular season finale a must-win situation for the Foothillers.

Grossmont broke a 1-1 tie with 5 runs in the bottom of the 3rd inning to subdue the Braves. KYLE SECCIANI singled, stole second and advanced to third on a balk. A.J. GRIFFIN's single cashed in Secciani. DEREK BAUM followed with a two-run homer to left-center and after a walk to TREVOR BERRY, NICK SOBEL slugged his second homer in as many games.

El Cajon Valley crowd-pleaser CLIFTON THOMAS was unable to add to his county-leading 45 steals and was thrown out attempting to do so for only the fifth time this season.

Thomas did bang out a single to extend his hitting streak to 13 games. But Thomas' speed on defense was where the El Cajon Valley senior excelled in Saturday's contest.

"One of our kids got picked off at second and after a couple of throws between the second and third basemen, Thomas ran in from center field and asked for the ball," Grossmont coach ROB PHILLIPS said. "That guy is so fast. He stepped into the run down and asked for the ball. Then he bare-handed the ball and ran our guy with little to no effort. It was impressive."

Always the focal point of any game, Thomas also made a miraculous laid out catch that resulted in a sacrifice fly for BRYAN HAAR and a 7-1 lead for the Foothillers.

More proof of Thomas' superior speed was his making a beeline to the El Cajon Valley dugout when a swarm of bees buzzed Gizoni Field. El Cajon Valley was aligned on defense when suddenly the flyby guys sent players scurrying. Thomas beat all of his teammates to cover.

MISSION BAY 12, CHRISTIAN 1 -- Talk about an early knockout . . . It took 15 batters and about 22 minutes for the visiting Buccaneers (23-4) to put the Patriots (13-10) on the canvas in Saturday's (May 13) non-league game in El Cajon.

Mission Bay scored 11 runs in the opening inning and it was game, set, match.

The outlook might have been a lot more palatable for Christian had the Patriots not muffed a double-play ball that would have left the Bucs scoreless in the 1st inning. That misplay left the door open and Mission Bay barged in like the characters in one of those Capital One credit card commercials.

Mission Bay's first hit was a grand slam by Ricardo Moran. Sequoyah Stonecipfer stroked a two-run single and Manny Cordeiro clubbed a three-run homer in the opening frame that included only four Buccaneer hits.

A pair of back-breaking errors plus eight walks and two hit batters by five Christian High pitchers allowed Mission Bay to dominate the game despite muscling up just six hits.

Christian High senior ADAM PERRY rapped a lead single in the 5th inning to extend his hitting streak to 20 games, which ties him with BRANT RUSTICH (Grossmont, 2003) and Haas Pratt (Rancho Bernardo, 2000) for sixth place in the San Diego CIF record book.

Monte Vista second baseman David Palacios moves into position to tag out a Mount Miguel baserunner. (Photos by Chris Edwards)

GRANT MILLS was 2-for-2 for the Patriots, giving him a 5-for-11 week with a pair of doubles, a home run and six RBI.

Another reason why Christian was unable to keep pace with Mission Bay was Patriots coach MIKE MITCHELL was stockpiling his pitching for a two-game showdown against Madison with the Central League title hanging in the balance. Round one is slated for Monday (May 15) at Christian at 3 p.m.

MONTE VISTA 9, MT. MIGUEL 5 (8 inn.) BOXSCORE -- For some reason, perhaps because it is a battle of Spring Valley rivals, the cellar-dwelling Mount Miguel Matadors give the Monarchs of Monte Vista a hard time.

While Monte Vista did sweep the three-game Grossmont South League series from the Matadors, two of the games went into extra innings including Saturday's (May 13) encounter. Previous intra-city battles resulted in a one-run Monte Vista victory and a 15-12 slugfest captured by the Monarchs (10-15, 5-8 GSL).

DANNY DeANDA broke a 5-5 deadlock with a bases-loaded single that plated two runs in the 8th inning of the latest meeting. DeAnda also clubbed an RBI double in Monte Vista's 4-run 1st inning.

ANTHONY LOPEZ was a double-threat for Monte Vista, collecting three hits and toiling the final three innings to earn his third pitching nod in four decisions.

But as proud as the Monarchs are about mashing the Matadors (4-21, 0-13 GSL) they still find themselves as a longshot at securing a post-season berth.

JOSHUA BARROWS was 3-for-4 with three RBI for Mount Miguel.

East County Sports.com
SAN DIEGO (5-13-06) -- This late season non-league affair Friday (May 12) in South Bay had probable playoff overtones, as both the Foothillers (19-8) and Aztecs (17-8) are in the SDCIF's Division II.

No. 10 Grossmont (19-8), which earlier won a game with just one hit, extended its offense to include two hits in edging Montgomery, 2-1. One of those safeties was a booming home run by NICK SOBEL into a fierce head wind blowing in from left.

"That was some shot," said Grossmont coach ROB PHILLIPS. "Not many balls get out of there when the wind is blowing in like it was today."

Sobel's home run is the fourth in two games for Grossmont, which had not gone deep since the Lions Tournament in mid-April prior to that.

One of Sobel's other home runs was a tape-measure job at Mission Bay during the Lions Tournament.

Top: The Patriots' Todd Jones slides under the tag of Hoover's Eric Hyde to gain second base. Bottom: Grant Mills whips a 3-run homer to top the Cards. (Christian High courtesy photos)

That was enough for TAYLOR WOHLWEND (5-3), who spun a five-hitter and struck out eight.

Wohlwend worked from a stretch much of the early innings, but did not give in.

CHRISTIAN 12, HOOVER 2 BOXSCORE -- GRANT "General" MILLS was in charge of things during Friday's (May 12) Central League contest against Hoover at Christian High.

Mills, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound senior right-hander twirled a complete-game four-hitter and struck out 10.

More than that, though, was his offensive contributions. Mills erased a 2-0 deficit with a three-run homer in the 1st inning.

"It was an absolute bomb," Christian coach MIKE MITCHELL said.

But Mills had more to offer. Following consecutive walks to ADAM PERRY, SHANE STANOVIC, EDDIE YOUNG and CHAD O'DONNELL to make the score 4-2, Mills clouted another shot to center field. This one bounced over the fence for a ground rule double and two RBI. An RBI single by MATT HART closed the inning, leaving the Patriots (13-9, 8-2 CTL) on top 7-2.

"It was nice to see Mills swing the bat in clutch situations, Mitchell said. "He's been a consistent pitcher for us all season."

Perry extended his hitting streak to 19 games with a line-drive single to right field in the 6th inning. Perry's streak ties him with El Capitan's Paul Wardell (1997) for eighth-longest in the San Diego CIF record book. The SDCIF record is held by San Diego Padres' first baseman Adrian Gonzalez (Eastlake, 1999).

El Capitan's Nick McCarthy scores on a wild pitch, despite the efforts by Clifton Thomas of El Cajon Valley. (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

VICKERY'S VICTORIES
Career Varsity Baseball Victories by El Capitan head coach Steve Vickery:	5	0	0
El Capitan manager Steve Vickery (old guy in middle) celebrates his 500th career coaching victory with the rest of the Vaqueros. (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)
East County Sports.com EL CAPITAN 11, EL CAJON VALLEY 3 -- There were two headliners in Thursday's (May 11) Grossmont North League game at El Capitan. BOXSCORE Vaqueros coach STEVE VICKERY celebrated his 500th coaching victory as El Capitan (18-9, 7-3 GNL) closed to within one-half game of idle Grossmont (18-8, 7-2 GNL) with their fifth straight win. "It's been a pretty good run," said Vickery, who spent his initial five seasons at Valhalla before returning to his alma mater in 1985. Now in his 27th season as a high school baseball skipper, Vickery becomes only the fourth SDCIF coach to reach the 500-win plateau. Nine league titles and two SDCIF crowns are part of the Vickery legacy at El Capitan with possibly more still to come. "Our kids really wanted to get this, probably too much," Vickery said. "I appreciate that. It took us a while to relax and put the ball in play, keep pressure on them." El Capitan starting pitcher NICK McCARTHY was playing good old country hardball as he toiled six innings to earn his third win against one loss, The 6-foot, 230-pound McCarthy struck out six, walked none and allowed only two earned runs. McCarthy, ticketed to Cal State-San Marcos, also laced an RBI double in the Vaqueros' six-run 5th inning. Nearly lost in the hubbub of Vickery's milestone victory was a pair of run-scoring hits by DAMIAN GARCIA. The senior right fielder tied the game with an RBI single in the 1st and drove in two more with a double in the 5th. This was no gimme win for the Vaqueros as El Cajon Valley senior southpaw CLIFTON THOMAS asked for the ball and the chance to play spoiler. Normally the Braves' catch-everything center fielder, was up to the challenge. "Today was nervous time," Vickery said. "Once we saw Thomas was starting on the mound, wow, we knew this was no cinch (victory). He's a competitor. He's tough, won't give in." Thomas struck out eight batters in the first three innings, But El Cajon Valley (0-9, 1-23) was still on the short-end of a 4-3 score at that point due to key errors and walks. Thomas was 3-for-3 against El Capitan, which included a lead double and a steal of third base (his 45th in 49 attempts) in the 1st inning. Thomas, who hit his county-best sixth triple, was a home run shy of hitting for the cycle as he scored twice and drove in a run. Thomas is six thefts shy of the SDCIF season record held by Mt. Carmel's Eric Chavez (now the Oakland A's third baseman). Talk about one against the world . . . "Clifton is a gamer who wants the ball in big games," El Cajon Valley coach WAYNE WEIGHTMAN said. "He threw, he hit and he ran until he was physically spent. He's carried this team all season until he's had nothing left to offer."

Taijeron in pair of battles

East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (5-12-06) -- Granite Hills catcher TRAVIS TAIJERON suddenly has immersed himself into two pennant races. While his Eagles won't decide the Grossmont South League battle with Valhalla until next week, Taijeron is waging an individual battle for the San Diego CIF home run crown.

Meanwhile, on other East County fronts, Valhalla dunked Mount Miguel 9-3 to maintain its share of the Grossmont South lead with Granite Hills and El Capitan veteran baseball coach STEVE VICKERY gained his 500th coaching victory as the Vaqueros nailed visiting El Cajon Valley 11-3.

GRANITE HILLS 8, HELIX 3 -- For the second straight game, Taijeron slugged a pair of home runs, giving him a dozen long balls and 36 RBI for the season. BOXSCORE

With four homers over his last seven at-bats, the junior backstop now trails section leader AUSTIN RAUCH of El Capitan by one.

"It would mean a lot to me -- I've been trying to catch (Rauch) for some time," said Taijeron, who batted 3-for-4 with six RBI against the Highlanders and has six hits and eight RBI in his last two games. "I'm focused and feeling very comfortable right now."

The display of power started right out of the chute.

Following a JOSH QUERIONES single and a walk to BRIAN HUMPHRIES, Taijeron made it 3-0 three batters into the game by going with the pitch to the opposite field to right.

In the 4th, following a two-run double by Humphries for a 5-0 lead, Taijeron pulled the ball over the fence in left for a 7-0 Eagles advantage. The blow came moments after Humphries stole third, as the Helix pitching coach came to the mound to discuss the upcoming 2-2 pitch.

However, with the pitcher delivering to the plate out of the stretch rather than the windup, Taijeron quickly jumped on a fastball.

"It's not just me -- we're all playing like we want to win right now," added Taijeron. "The guys are really going at it."

Any chance of a Helix comeback was nixed by the Eagles' defense, which turned three double plays. Included was a nice short-hop grab by third baseman AUSTIN COLEMAN in the 6th, starting an around-the-horn twin-killing to halt a Scotties rally after the lead was trimmed to 7-3.

"We had a shaky start defensively this season, but we've all stepped up," said Coleman, who also backhanded a chopper to throw out a Helix batter to open the 7th. "I've never been the best fielder around, but it's all coming together."

Any signs of selfish play were eliminated in the 6th when Taijeron stepped into the box with an opportunity to clout a third homer. However, with Humphries on second base following his second double of the ballgame, Taijeron smoothly stroked a run-scoring single instead of going for the bomb, capping his six-RBI performance and allowing Humphries to score his third run of the contest.

Queriones lasted just 4 1/3 innings on the mound, yet captured the victory after allowing just one run on four hits. DARREN GAY finished off the final 2 2/3 frames.

Trailing 7-0, Helix (11-15, 4-8 GSL) got on the board in the 5th on a fielder's choice grounder by MATT COBB. One inning later, the Scotties registered four straight basehits by DERRIC MILLER, JEREMY PETERSON, MAHI LABASTIDA and RAUL RITCHIE, the latter two driving in runs.

However, Coleman's first key grab started the inning-ending double play.

Helix shortstop RANDY PEREZ went 2-for-3 with a double, while Miller robbed Taijeron of a perfect 4-for-4 outing by racing into foul territory in right to scoop a shot down the line.

WEST HILLS 6, SANTANA 5 BOXSCORE -- As far as crosstown rivals go, the annual Santee battles between Santana and West Hills are as heated as they get.

Plenty of chatter out of both dugouts and an endless email intimidation on both sides.

None of that matters when it comes to action on the field.

Host West Hills scored four times in the bottom of the 7th inning to deal Santana a stunning one-run loss. The victory gives the Wolf Pack (12-12, 6-4 GNL) a 2-1 season series edge over Santana (20-9, 4-6 GNL).

Sophomore switch-hitter DAVID BRISTOL had his first varsity hit -- a shot to right field -- in his second varsity at-bat to start the Wolf Pack rally in the bottom of the 7th.

Three walks -- which all came on full count pitches -- helped set the stage for AARON RICHARDSON's game-winning line drive single to left field that scored the tying and winning runs for the Wolf Pack.

"The guys just went crazy," exuded Pack coach SCOTT "HOPPY" HOPGOOD. "We scored four in the bottom of the 7th against our crosstown rival. It was a must-win for us to retain a chance at the title."

West Hills trails second-place El Capitan by one game and front-running Grossmont by 1-1/2 games heading into the final week of the season. West Hills closes the regular season against last-place El Cajon Valley, and Grossmont. A league title would appear to be remote at this point, but victories mean prime playoff seeding. So West Hills has plenty to play for.

Santana starter JOHN BASNIGHT -- nagged by a muscle injury underneath his shoulder blade most of the season -- turned in a masterful six-inning performance that included 10 strikeouts. Santana's problem was they could not gain any relief help for its starter.

"That's the best Basnight has pitched all season," said Santana coach JERRY HENSON. "He's a gamer who had them beat. He wanted to stay in to finish, but I couldn't leave him in there any longer because his pitch count was too high. He gave everything he had, and I'm proud of him for that."

West Hills, hoping for a high seed in the SDCIF Division II playoffs, must have been happy to see Basnight leave the mound three batters into the 7th inning.

"We'd heard rumors that Basnight was injured, but he looked pretty dang good," said Hopgood. "He pitched his tail off. He was on today."

With the game tied 1-1 going into the 3rd inning, Santana erupted for 4 runs.

RICHARD MARTINEZ smashed a one-out triple into right center and scored on a Basnight base hit to give the Sultans the lead. Later in the inning RYAN BROSNAN stroked an RBI single, followed by RAYMOND MAUSER's run-scoring triple. NICHOLAS SICA lined a double just inside the left field line to extend Santana's advantage to 5-1.

"(Santana) really brought the sticks in the 3rd inning," said Hopgood. "They didn't hit anything soft in that inning."

All of Santana's thrust was at the expense of West Hills senior southpaw Richardson, who struck out 6 and allowed four earned runs over a six inning span.

Richardson didn't give up a hit after the 3rd inning, but welcomed the relief of BRIAN RITIYAK, who pitched a perfect 7th inning to gain the win.

Although Santana has been eliminated from the Grossmont North League race, the Sultans still have a chance to play spoilers and can look forward to a berth in the SDCIF Division III playoffs.

"I appreciate the effort my players are giving me," Henson said. "They haven't given up, and I know I can count on them to give a strong finish."

STEELE CANYON 8, MONTE VISTA 1 BOXSCORE -- Senior ROSS EPPERSON turned in his finest pitching performance of the year in Thursday's (May 11) Grossmont South League game as the Cougars (11-14, 6-6 GSL) kept their playoff flame burning.

The quarterback of the Steele Canyon football team, Epperson scattered 6 hits and struck out four during a six-inning stint that led to his first win of the season. MARK BELLATTI pitched a scoreless 7th to give the Cougars their fourth win in the last six starts.

"Epperson pitched really well today," said Steele Canyon coach PHIL MITTRY. "He's finally getting some innings under his belt and is starting to look better. He was on base four times. He's the catalyst on offense -- gets on base and makes things happen."

Epperson also added two stolen bases, giving him 22 for the season -- second highest in East County.

Leading 2-1 after two innings Steele Canyon used a double by MIKE LANGE, a walk to ERIC JENNER, a wild pitch, a sacrifice fly by WILL MURRAY and a base hit by Bellatti to open a 4-1 lead in the 3rd.

Epperson helped himself out with an RBI single in the 5th that made it 7-1.

"Epperson was tough on us, didn't make many mistakes," said Monte Vista coach LARRY RINEHART.

DAN DeANDA was 3-for-3 for the Monarchs (9-15, 4-8 GSL).

"Whenever you play Monte Vista it's always scary," said Mittry. "Anybody can come back."

VALHALLA 9, MOUNT MIGUEL 3 BOXSCORE -- Think about this. Padres reliever Trevor Hoffman is without a save opportunity for a couple of weeks, so he remains inactive.

Extreme? Perhaps.

Valhalla coach STEVE PERDUE is proud to dub freshman fireballer TREVOR FRANK as his closer. But the Norsemen starters have routinely gone so deep into the game that young Frank has only been able to sit and watch the majority of the time.

So, in an effort to give Frank some pitching time, Perdue elected Thursday (May 11) to give the 5-foot-10, 160-pound freshman right-hander his second start in 10 appearances.

Frank responded with 5 1/3 innings of stout work, checking the Matadors (4-20, 0-10 GSL) on five hits and two earned runs. The youngster struck out six and walked one as he was rewarded with his second win four decisions.

After Valhalla (19-7, 11-1 GSL) broke a 1-1 tie on a bases-loaded walk to DAVID SMITH in the 1st inning, the Norsemen made it 3-1 an inning later on CHRIS THOMAS' RBI single.

JEFF SOPATA's 2-run home run gave Valhalla a 5-1 lead in the 4th, but the Norsemen were not home free.

Mount Miguel rallied for two runs in the 6th to keep the issue in doubt. The Norsemen put the game away though on an RBI single by GREG GARCIA, a sacrifice fly by Sopata and a run-scoring single by Smith in the bottom of the 6th.

Steve Vickery receives a huge hug from longtime assistant coach Mark Noble following his 500th career victory with El Capitan. (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

East County Sports.com
SAN DIEGO (5-11-06) -- Christian High's seniors completed a pair of projects -- one academically and another athletically -- over a 24-hour period that nearly led to their dismissal from the Central League pennant race. BOXSCORE

"All 10 of our seniors had probably a combined 10 hours sleep last night," Christian coach MIKE MITCHELL said. "They had their Senior Projects -- a 10-page paper -- due today and they worked on them all night. So we were a little flat today -- exhausted, really. We didn't do a good job battling adversity."

None the less, the Patriots (12-9, 7-2 CTL) kept their fading title hopes alive by holding off host Hoover 6-5 Wednesday (May 10) at Ted Williams Field.

ADAM PERRY extended his East County-leading hitting streak to 18 games with a bunt single in the Patriots' three-run 5th that snapped a 3-3 tie. Perry's bunt followed base hits by DANNY MITCHELL and SHANE STANOVIC. CHAD O'DONNELL then slugged a two-run single to give Christian a 5-3 lead.

The Patriots, who failed to maintain leads of 2-1 and 3-2, picked up another run in the 5th when MATT HART was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. That was a big one as Hoover (5-17, 1-8 CTL) staged a two-run comeback after two were out in the 6th.

"They had guys on base every single inning," Mitchell said. "We never got them out 1-2-3. Their guys actually hit the ball better than we did, but we made the plays when we had to."

GRANT MILLS, primarily a starting pitcher, pitched a scoreless 7th inning with two strikeouts to earn his first save.

TODD JONES worked the first 5 2/3 innings, striking out 11 and scattering 11 hits to gain his 4th win in six decisions.

Christian has two home games remaining this week: Friday against Hoover (at 3 p.m.) and Saturday against No. 3-ranked Mission Bay (21-4) at 1 p.m.

El Capitan left-fielder Vinny Nazzal (2) was part of two important plays which kept West Hills off the scoreboard. Top: Nazzal can't do anything but watch a drive by the Pack's Stephen Strasburg miss going out of the park by inches (see the dent in the yellow railing). Bottom: Nazzal later makes this shoestring catch to rob another Wolf Pack batter. (Photos by Chris Edwards)

East County Sports.com
RANCHO SAN DIEGO (5-10-06) -- If it's true that one man's trash is another man's treasure, then Valhalla High outfielder JASON KUTZLER may have exemplified the old adage by discovering a gold mine. BOXSCORE

After a discarded bat was found by a member of the coaching staff, Kutzler commandeered the bat as his own and put it to good use. The senior slugged three extra-base hits -- including a career-first two home run game -- powering the Norsemen to a 10-5 pasting of Steele Canyon.

"It was the first time I used it because my other bat was dead -- there were no more hits in it," explained Kutzler. "I feel good with this bat."

Actually, the magic stick was found more than a week ago, but Kutzler didn't step into the batter's box with it until Tuesday (May 9). Teammates joked why the senior didn't use it sooner after lifting the second pitch of the game over the left-field fence, then started a 6-run rally in the 5th with a two-run bomb which short-hopped the "Great Wall of SC" in deep left.

"I just feel so comfortable with it," he added. "And that's my first 2-homer game in my life -- not even in Little League did I do that."

Not bad for a leadoff batter better known for getting on base with singles or walks.

"No, I'm happy where I'm at in the batting order," Kutzler noted. "I'm not a power hitter and never will be. Besides, I get to see better pitches when I'm leading off."

Kutzler's second homer -- his fourth of the season -- pushed the Norsemen's advantage to 5-1. Three Cougars wild pitches later gave Valhalla two additional runs, left-fielder JEFF SOPATA followed with an RBI single, then catcher TREVOR FRANK belted a 2-run double for a 9-1 cushion.

Meanwhile, Valhalla pitcher ERIC JULIENNE tossed six solid innings, striking out five batters. He escaped a shaky opening frame still tied at 1-all after allowing three hits, then limited Steele Canyon (10-14, 5-6 GSL) to five additional hits the rest of his outing.

Cougars shortstop DANNY HARRIS busted out of a mild slump with two hits and three RBI, capped by a long homer which also short-hopped "The Wall" in left in the 7th.

"Danny's been scuffling the last 2-or-3 games, but he showed he's getting out of it," said Steele Canyon coach PHIL MITTRY. "He's starting to get going like he did at the beginning of the season."

Along with Harris, third baseman CODY MINICH, first baseman MIKE LANGE and centerfielder GARRETT JENNER registered two hits each.

For Valhalla (18-7, 10-1 GSL), infielder DAVID SMITH went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles, driving in three runs with a 2-run single in the 3rd, and a sun-double in the 7th when a Cougars outfielder lost the ball in the sun.

Is El Capitan first baseman Nick McCarthy (44) getting a little too friendly with West Hills baserunner Shain Stoner (6), drawing a laugh on a late, late tag on a pickoff attempt. (Photo by Chris Edwards) FOR MORE PHOTOS, CLICK LINK IN CLASSIFIEDS

EL CAPITAN 3, WEST HILLS 0 BOXSCORE -- In a game that resulted in El Capitan coach STEVE VICKERY's 499th win, Tuesday's (May 9) Grossmont North League contest was marked with a lack of clutch hitting.

Frustration was paramount in this one. Host West Hills (11-12, 5-4 GNL) was 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position. The visiting Vaqueros (17-9, 6-3 GNL) had one more chance -- 1-for-11 -- with runners in scoring position, and that made the difference.

Freshman TANNER RUST broke a scoreless tie with a 2-run single in the 6th inning.

"We got one clutch hit and that was the difference in the ballgame," said Vickery, who hopes to become only the fourth coach in the 45-year history of the San Diego Section to reach 500 victories when the Vaqueros host El Cajon Valley on Thursday (May 11).

AUSTIN RAUCH made it 3-0 with a tape-measure home run in the top of the 7th.

"It was an unbelievable bomb," said Vickery of Rauch's San Diego CIF-leading 13th home run. "He absolutely crushed that ball. That ball had to go about 420 feet because it went over the trees and across the street (despite a crossing wind) in left field."

All that firepower was more than enough for senior pitcher CRISTIAN GARCIA, who posted his fourth complete game and seventh victory in nine starts. The senior right-hander, who will attend UC Riverside next year, struck out 13 and walked one while scattering 7 hits.

"Cristian was able to turn it up a notch when he had to," said Vickery.

Nobody knows that better then West Hills coach SCOTT "HOPPY" HOPGOOD.

"We hit the ball well against Garcia, but too often we had crucial strikeouts," Hopgood said. "That's a credit to Garcia."

West Hills, which has suddenly lost three straight league games, had scoring chances in five of seven innings. The Wolf Pack left runners at second and third in the 1st inning. An inning later a blast by STEPHEN STRASBURG missed by a couple of feet of getting the Wolf Pack the early lead, as it hit the yellow piping in left-center field.

"Strasburg hit a laser, a ball hit so hard that it put a dent in the tubing. It bounced back for a double instead of going over for a home run," Hopgood said. "That's tough luck."

Added Vickery, "Strasburg hit the ball so hard I thought he was going to knock down the fence. We were lucky it was only a double."

West Hills' futility continued in the 4th when AARON RICHARDSON ripped a one-out triple, only to stand at third and watch the next two batters strike out.

In the 6th inning SHAIN STONER stung a one-out double, and also was frozen at second base as the next two Pack batters made outs.

"That Stoner kid gives us fits," Vickery said of the West Hills shortstop who went 2-for-3. "We have no idea what pitch to throw to get him out. And on top of that he makes great play after great play."

With the game tied 0-0 in the 5th, Stoner shut down an El Capitan scoring threat with a heads-up defensive play with bases loaded.

"Stoner made it look routine," Vickery said. "But it was a difficult play when he speared a high hopper in the hole at shortstop and threw to third base for a force out to end the inning."

Stoner's play robbed the red-hot RYAN INVERSO of his 10th straight hit and a possible game-winning RBI. Inverso is 9-for-11 in his last three games.

El Capitan has won four straight and eight of nine games.

Grossmont's A.J. Griffin struckout nine in a complete-game victory over Santana. (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

GROSSMONT 7, SANTANA 2 BOXSCORE -- Grossmont senior standout A.J, GRIFFIN has battled Foothillers' coach ROB PHILLIPS for the right to take his turn at-bat throughout the season.

Finally, Griffin proved his point with the bat. He gave Grossmont (18-8, 7-2 GNL) a lead in the 2nd inning when he slugged a two-run home run. But he didn't stop there as he laced a solo homer in the 4th to make it 5-1 in Grossmont's favor.

Griffin finished the game 2-for-3 and now has a .305 batting average (17-for-56), but Phillips emphasizes that Griffin's future is as a pitcher.

In addition to his two home runs, Griffin pitched his eighth straight complete game. The USD-bound right-hander scattered 9 hits and struck out 9 as he won for the seventh time in 10 decisions. Griffin has struck out 72 batters in his last 56 innings. Over that course he has allowed only 8 earned runs and 37 hits.

"Griffin is a very good pitcher," noted Santana coach JERRY HENSON. "We've faced him all three times in all three league games (losing to the Foothillers twice). We had more hits but didn't put our hits together."

Grossmont holds a one game lead in the Grossmont North with three games to play, but the Foothillers are far from locked into a championship. First baseman NICK LONGMIRE may be lost for the season, as he suffered a wrist injury when hit by a pitch against West Hills on Saturday (May 6).

Kyle Secciani (17) scores for Grossmont while West Hills catcher Josh Pichette can do nothing but wait for the ball. (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

That is a severe blow for the Foothillers, as Longmire is one of their top power hitting offensive threats, RBI man and stolen base guy.

For slumping Santana, CHRIS DIAZ continues to be a bright spot. He was 3-for-4 against the Foothillers and is 7-for-14 over his last three games.

GRANITE HILLS 10, MONTE VISTA 1 BOXSCORE -- The Eagles banged a season-high five home runs -- two by catcher TRAVIS TAIJERON -- as they mauled host Monte Vista in Tuesday's (May 9) Grossmont South League action.

It was the fourth straight win for the Eagles (17-7, 10-1 GSL), who have won 13 of their last 15 starts. Even with that splurge, Granite Hills remains tied with Valhalla for the Grossmont South League lead. Each of the co-leaders has four league games remaining including a head-to-head meeting on Tuesday (May 16) at Granite Hills.

While the Eagles were on their way to scoring in double figures for the third straight game and the ninth time this season, it was Monte Vista that broke the scoring barrier first. ANTHONY LOPEZ cashed in a Granite Hills error with an RBI-double in the 1st inning.

After that, the Eagles unleashed their power pack. LOUIS CAZARES, who has been on a hitting tear of late, clubbed his second home run with CODY CRAWFORD (single) aboard to give Granite Hills a 2-1 edge in the 2nd inning.

Taijeron tagged a two-out homer to make it 3-1 in the 3rd. Then, Granite Hills poured on the coal with six runs in the 4th.

The big sticks in the Granite Hills break-out inning were JOSH QUERIONES and AUSTIN COLEMAN, each of who blasted a three-run homer.

For good measure, Taijeron tagged his 10th homer -- solo shot -- in the 7th.

"All that power was nice to see," said Granite Hills coach JAMES DAVIS.

Nobody enjoyed it more than Granite Hills pitching ace ERIC KRAUSE, who blew through the Monarchs for 11 strikeouts in six inning