CIF Championships, Division II Final At Tony Gwynn Stadium, SDSU Grossmont Foothillers vs. Helix Highlanders (Slideshow by Tim Soto)

CIF Championships, Division III Final At Tony Gwynn Stadium, SDSU El Capitan Vaqueros vs. Cathedral Catholic Dons (Photo & slideshow by Mark Gabriels)

Aflac All-America Game returns to Petco Park on Aug. 15	Looking For The Boxscores? See Link In Upper-Left Corner of this Page

DIVISION II GROSSMONT 8, HELIX 0 Hillers bomb Helix © East County Sports.com SAN DIEGO (6-6-10) — If this had been a football game it could have been said that Grossmont threw a long touchdown pass in the opening quarter (inning) and then played defense in Saturday’s (June 5) San Diego CIF Division II championship game at SDSU’s Tony Gwynn Stadium. Although the skies were clear, what No. 1 seed Grossmont did to No. 2 Helix in this, the fourth meeting between the two Grossmont Hills League rivals, was like a lightning strike. With one out in the 1st inning, the Foothillers hammered out seven straight hits, including a 2-run single by TYLER TIMMER, as they jumped on top of the Highlanders 7-0. Overall, nine Grossmont batters reached base without interruption as Helix chipped in with a walk and a two-base scoring error. That was more than enough for 6-foot-5, 230-pound junior right-hander JOE MUSGROVE, who fired a complete game 2-hitter as Grossmont clipped Helix 8-0. “Any time you get Joe on the mound with a lead like that, he’s going to be hard to beat,” said Hillers coach JIM EARLEY. Musgrove retired the Highlanders in order three times and only twice did he allow as many as two runners on base in a single inning as he posted his 11th win against one loss. “My team definitely picked me up,” said Musgrove. “Everybody came to bat. Everyone was on the same page. It helped to get that big lead – so much comfort.” Musgrove, who verbally committed to San Diego State , split with Helix in two previous outings this year, losing 5-4 and winning 9-1. “This was definitely the team I wanted to face,” he said. “They’re a big rival, so it makes it a little more special. But there’s no cheap teams in the playoffs.” Helix’ offense consisted of singles by RASHAD HARLIN in the 2nd inning and TYLER SOTO in the 6th. Grossmont’s STEVEN BRAULT was one hit short of the cycle as he laced a triple, a double and a single while driving in two runs. Ironically he was the only Grossmont starter who did not score a run. “Any time we can beat Helix it’s a plus,” said Brault. “To beat them in the championship game is all the better. We’re Grossmont. We’re pretty excited.” While most teams doused their coaches in water or Gatorade in post-game celebrations, the Foothillers dumped buckets of ice on the Grossmont hierarchy. That’s about the only thing that could cool the Foothillers off on this afternoon as they claimed their 5th SDCIF Division II championship in the last six years. “There’s no mystery why the same teams are always playing for the championship at the end,” said Earley. “We’re one of those teams. I think we have good coaches. We teach our players how to win and how to play under pressure.” Earley heaped accolades on Hillers pitching coach JEFF COON. “He’s been with us six years and we’ve finished as champions five times,” Earley said. “I think that says a lot about him.” Earley went on to point out that the only time Grossmont has failed to wear the crown over the last six years was in 2009 when El Capitan beat them 5-2 in nine innings. “I don’t know if I’d call that a dynasty but it’s got to be close,” the 2nd year head coach said. “We’re proud of our program and so are our kids. Our goal is to always be playing on the final day of the season.”

DIVISION III EL CAPITAN 4, CATHEDRAL 2 Vaqueros rally to top Dons' unbeaten lefty © East County Sports.com SAN DIEGO (6-6-10) — Undefeated Cathedral Catholic left-hander Daniel Camarena had to be feeling pretty good after blanking top-seeded El Capitan through five innings of Saturday’s (June 5) San Diego CIF Division II championship game at SDSU’s Tony Gwynn Stadium. After all, El Capitan came into the title bout averaging 9.5 runs per contest. The Vaqueros (26-7), who were limited to five singles through five frames, broke loose in the 6th inning, doing all of their scoring in what turned out to be a 4-2 victory over the shell-shocked Dons. After an error on a ground ball to shortstop by SHELDON GABRIELS opened the door, the Vaqueros went to hackin’ against Camarena (8-1). Sophomore CHUCK MOORMAN, who missed the majority of the season due to injury, followed with a double to score Gabriels. BRAD MITCHELL was inserted as a pinch runner for Moorman and one out later scampered to third on a sharp single to right by BROOKS NOBLE. ELDEN WHISMAN then hoisted a fly ball to right field that the Cathedral defender seemed to lose in the sun. Whisman was credited with an RBI double as Mitchell scored the tying run. With two outs Cathedral elected to intentionally walk RYAN McBURNEY to load the bases. The game was in the balance when No. 9 hitter JOSH TULLEDGE stepped into the batter’s box. While Tulledge sports a respectable .324 batting average, he’s hardly been a main cog in the El Capitan offense. In fact he had only 12 RBI in 70 at-bats. Until Saturday. Little did Cathedral know, Tulledge owned a .462 batting average with runners in scoring position. The junior center-fielder delivered the biggest hit of the season for the Vaqueros as he singled in two runs to extend El Capitan’s season-ending winning streak to seven games. “There was a little worry after the first five innings,” Tulledge admitted. “But I knew we were going to come back.” Actually Tulledge finished 2-for-3 in the championship contest. “I’m ecstatic!” he said. “I had a chance to win the game and I came through with what was no doubt the biggest hit of my career.” It was the second straight SDCIF flag for the Vaqueros (last year’s coming at the Division II level via an extra-inning nod over Grossmont). Cathedral Catholic, which entered Saturday’s game with an 11-game winning streak, had won the past two Division III crowns. The Dons (23-10), however, are 0-2 against El Capitan this year. That includes a 4-3 loss in the Hilltop-Lolita’s Invitational. “This is the way we’ve played all year,” said El Capitan coach STEVE VICKERY. “Up and down the lineup we’ve had new heroes.” None of those have been any bigger have been any bigger than Tulledge. “Josh has stayed after practice every single day with about five or six other guys and taken extra batting practice,” Vickery emphasized. “He’s relentless – you always know what you’re gonna get with him. “I’m so proud that it was his turn to be the star today.” Tulledge, Noble and Moorman had two hits apiece for the Vaqueros, who finished with a total of nine hits. “I thought, in about the 3rd inning, that we started to hit the ball a little crisper,” said Vickery. “Then in the 5th inning I thought that was our one shot.” Vickery was probably thinking it was their last shot, considering the Vaqueros had blown other scoring opportunities. El Capitan stranded TYRONE WIGGINS (single) at third base in the opening inning. The Vaqueros left Tulledge at third in the 3rd inning. They had runners at first and second in the 4th but hit into a double play. Then in the 5th inning CURREN FACER walked and McBurney singled him to second. Once again Camarena came up with a big play, picking Facer off second base to diffuse any further El Capitan rumblings in that frame. “There’s a reason that guy is an Aflac guy,” Vickery said of Cathedral Catholic’s ace, who lost for the first time in nine decisions. Only one of the runs Camarena allowed was earned. He deserved a better fate. The El Capitan trio of TROY CONYERS, ANTHONY VIGIL and MICHAEL FLORES combined to pitch a 4-hitter at the Dons. Vigil got only two outs but was rewarded by his 6th win in as many decisions. Flores retired Cathedral 1-2-3 in the frame to earn his 4th save. Although Conyers gave up just two run and four hits in 5 1/3 innings, he was denied his 9th victory in 11 decisions. But he was hardly complaining after the Vaqueros came from behind to finish as champions. “I was pitching good but they were getting some lucky hits,” Conyers said. “And I worked myself into some bad situations, partly because I couldn’t make a play on a ball hit back to the box (in the 2nd inning) and it cost me a run.” None the less Conyers was sturdy enough to keep the Vaqueros within striking distance. “I was feeling good and my stuff looked good,” he said. “But a lot of times I fell behind hitters and that got me into jams. Fortunately for us Tulledge clutched up and that was really awesome.” This was Vickery’s fourth SDCIF championship that goes along nicely with his 588 wins in 31 seasons. “This is as sweet as it gets, trust me,” Vickery said.

Reed's reprisal raises Highlanders
Helix to meet nemesis Grossmont
in Saturday's CIF Division II finale

© East County Sports.com
LA MESA (6-4-10) — The Helix Highlanders will be making their first appearance in the San Diego CIF finals since 1999, thanks to the late inning heroics by junior JAKE REED.

Faced with having to come through the losers’ bracket after an opening round loss, the Highlanders closed with a rush, posting four straight victories to earn their ticket to the Division II championship game.

“This is the greatest feeling of my life,” declared Reed after high-stepping his way the final 90 feet as he delivered his fifth game-winning hit. He was then smothered by his exuberant teammates that tumbled into a human dogpile in front of home plate.

It appeared that the Highlanders were going to win easily as they took a 4-0 lead after three innings. Reed contributed an RBI double as Helix eased out to a 2-0 edge in the opening frame.

Valhalla was called for three balks in the game. The first one plated Helix’ second run to make it 2-0 after one inning.

In the 3rd inning winning pitcher DYLAN NICKERSON led off with a walk and scampered to third when MAURO OLIVARRIA singled off the left-center field fence. ARMONDO RODRIGUEZ then doubled home Nickerson to make it 3-0. Olivarria scored on DIEGO REYNOSO’s squeeze bunt.

Valhalla (17-17) could easily have folded at this point, considering that Nickerson had blanked them on one hit through the first three innings.

Didn’t happen.

BRYCE MOSIER led off the 4th inning with a crisp single to center. DANNY HAWKSLEY then launched a rocket over the center-field fence to cut the Highlanders’ lead in half.

Nickerson (7-1) quickly regained his poise and retired the next seven hitters in succession. He received a golden glove play by first baseman TYLER SOTO, who robbed CISCO TELLEZ of a double leading off the 6th.

“I owe Soto for that one,” said Nickerson, who pitched a complete game 6-hitter.

He certainly did, as the Norsemen went on to score two runs to tie the game in that inning.

Mosier walked and Hawksley followed with a sinking line drive to center field. The ball caught the Helix defender between bounces and skipped past him to the fence. That allowed Mosier to score and Hawksley to sprint all the way to third base.

Nickerson then hit Hensley with a pitch and surrendered a single to right to WILL COOMBS that knotted the game at 4-4.

Although the Norsemen had Nickerson on the ropes he made the big pitch to escape as the Highlanders turned a soft line drive by JOSH AUSTEL into an inning-ending double play.

“Dylan was Dylan…again,” said Helix coach COLE HOLLAND. “He was just dealing, like he always does. He’s a great high school baseball pitcher. He’s not gonna light up a radar gun but he can throw three pitches for strikes at any time in the count.”

Nickerson is 15-4 in his two varsity seasons at Helix.

“I’m just a finesse guy trying to hit my spots,” said Nickerson. “I had good command of my offspeed stuff today, especially my changeup. I was able to keep them off balance.”

Nickerson walked one and struck out seven as the Highlanders defeated the Norsemen for the 4th time in six meetings.

“Dylan threw an amazing game,” said Reed. “You’ve gotta give it up to Dylan – he’s the heart of our team.”

Given the 7th inning situation, Valhalla was looking for Reed to bunt Soto into scoring position. However, Holland did not give Reed the bunt sign.

“I just had a feeling… I was willing to play the hunch,” Holland said.

Of course the coach is never surprised by anything Reed does. The senior third baseman has delivered five game winning hits this season and set up several more winning scenarios for the Highlanders.

Valhalla’s struggles this season have been well-documented. Credit to the Norsemen is due as they have been clawing their way from underdog mode most of the season.

“Our team has a lot of pride,” said Tellez, who was tabbed as the Norsemen’s top pitcher but was shut down 10 games into the season due to an arm injury. “We made a nice comeback and took it to the bottom of the 7th… we were that close to going to the playoffs.

“Yeah, we lost today but nobody gave us a shot to go as far as we did. I don’t think we have anything to be ashamed of.”

Both teams finished with six hits. Hawksley collected two, making him 4-for-7 over the last two games. Three of those hits went for extra bases.

“There was no give-up on either side,” said Valhalla coach MIKE WILSON. “Both teams just kept on battling. They proved that on Tuesday and we gave it a shot today. It came down to one big swing at the end of the game.”

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (6-2-10) — Grossmont (26-7) and El Capitan (25-7) high schools qualified for Saturday’s (June 5) San Diego CIF championship quadruple header at San Diego State’s Tony Gwynn Stadium with come-from-behind victories in Tuesday’s (June 1) fourth round of postseason play.

The Foothillers erased a 2-0 Westview lead with five runs in the 6th inning capped by WILL SOTO’s grand slam to earn a 5-2 victory over the Wolverines.

The Vaqueros punched their ticket to the Division III finals by overcoming an early 4-0 deficit to edge University City, 5-4, in Lakeside.

This will mark the sixth consecutive season that the Foothillers will play for the golden ring in the Division II bracket. They captured four straight crowns (2005-08) at that level before falling to El Capitan 5-2 a year ago.

El Capitan moves into the Division III arena where it will tangle with two-time defending champion Cathedral Catholic (22-9) at 1 p.m. at Tony Gwynn Stadium.

Only one piece of the championship puzzle remains unsolved. That involves upstart Valhalla (17-16) and No. 2 seed Helix (22-10-1) in a Division II “extra” slated for Thursday (June 3) in La Mesa at 3:30 p.m. The winner moves on to face Grossmont in an All-East County duel for that title.

Grossmont's Colter Rios is safe at third base in Tuesday's 5-2 triumph over Westview, advancing the Foothillers to Saturday's CIF Division II championship game at SDSU. (Photo by Tim Soto)
CIF Championships, Pool Final Westview Wolverines at Grossmont Foothillers (Slideshows by Tim Soto (left) and Gary Sos)

GROSSMONT 5, WESTVIEW 2 – While some players resent batting at the tail end of the batting order, Grossmont junior left fielder WILL SOTO is comfortable hitting in that slot.

“I see myself as a second lead-off man,” said Soto, who is batting at a .344 clip (33-for-96). “My goal every game is to get on base and then use my speed so the guys at the top of the order can drive me in.”

Against Westview (17-16), Soto flexed up – used his power to knock out the visiting Wolverines Tuesday (June 1) at Joe Gizoni Field.

Trailing 2-0, Grossmont’s offense came to life in the bottom of the 6th. JOE MUSGROVE walked and JON HOWARTH ran for him. BRETT ETHERTON singled to left and winning pitcher ROBBY NESOVIC slashed a single up the middle to push Howarth across the plate to break the shutout bid by Westview’s Devin Garrett.

TYLER TIMMER loaded the bases for the Foothillers with a bunt single, setting the stage for Soto’s electrifying blast.

“It came as kind of a surprise to me because I’m not known for my power,” said Soto of his second homer of the season.

Soto’s shot heard around East County came on a 2-1 pitch from Wolverines reliever Jake Brosemer.

“He already threw me one fastball, so I was locked in on him throwing another,” Soto said. “He came in with a fastball middle-in. That’s what I was looking for. I knew I made solid contact and just had that feeling it was going out.

“One thing is for sure – this was the hardest ball I’ve ever hit.”

No doubt Soto’s game-winning clout was scrapbook material.

“You always hope you can help your team in a big way like this,” he said. “I’m just glad I had my opportunity to do so.”

Nesovic rationed the Wolverines to three hits and two runs over six innings to post his 6th win in nine decisions.

Westview tested Grossmont’s bullpen in the 7th, loading the bases with one out.

Musgrove came on in relief to douse the flames by recording back-to-back strikeouts to earn his 5th save.

“How could Musgrove not be the East County Player of the Year?” pondered Foothillers coach JIM EARLEY. “What’s he got – about 60 percent of our (26) wins? The guy delivers in the clutch on the mound and with the bat.”

Limited to three hits by Austel though the first six innings, the second-seeded Highlanders (23-10-1) made the most of a couple of breaks in the final frame to pull out a victory and force a winner-takes-all duel on Thursday (June 3) with the visiting Norsemen for a berth in Saturday’s (June 5) SDCIF Division II finals.

Austel helped lead to his downfall by hitting two batters with pitches (giving him three for the game). With one out he nicked ARMONDO RODRIGUEZ to provide Helix with a flickering flame of a possible comeback.

Then came the key play of the game. DIEGO REYNOSO sliced a pop fly into short right field. The Valhalla right-fielder came charging in while the Norsemen’s second baseman was backpedaling to the outfield. The two nearly collided but the ball bounced off the right-fielder’s glove for a gift single for Reynoso.

That seemed to motivate the Highlanders with the spark they needed. BRANDON LEWIS followed with a sharp groundball single to left field, loading the bases. Leadoff hitter KACY SMITH smacked the first pitch he saw from Austel for a 2-run single. That tied the game at 2-2.

Valhalla elected to issue an intentional walk to TYLER SOTO, which once again loaded the bases. Austel then nailed JAKE REED with a 2-1 curveball to force in Lewis with the game-winning run.

That’s gotta be a rarity… a walk-off hit-by-pitch.

“We just weren’t able to find it, but this time somehow we pulled it out in the 7th,” said Reed.

Reed (6-5) scattered nine hits over seven innings while striking out five.

“I didn’t throw very well, I didn’t have very good command,” Reed admitted. “It seems like every time we play them they score in the 1st inning.”

And so they did in this, the fifth meeting between the two teams where Helix holds a 3-2 edge.

“Honestly I thought we were doomed, going into that last inning,” Reed acknowledged. “But you never know with us. We kind of identify ourselves as a scrappy team and we find a way to come back and fight our way through games like that.”

Four batters into the game, however, it looked like Valhalla was going to win in a runaway. With one out BRYCE MOSIER, DANNY HAWKSLEY and AUSTIN HENSLEY delivered consecutive singles, staking Valhalla to a 1-0 lead. All three balls were hard hit.

Valhalla, which left 10 runners on, left the bases loaded in the 3rd and the 5th innings.

“It’s just disappointing because we played so well for 6 1/3 innings,” said Valhalla coach MIKE WILSON. “We hit the ball well today. But leaving 10 guys on base – 8 in scoring position – to me, that’s the game. It’s a little frustrating. I didn’t think one run would hold up, and obviously two runs didn’t hold up either.”

Helix coach COLE HOLLAND was ecstatic about the offensive thrust supplied by the bottom of his batting order in the final frame.

“We got three key knocks by our sophomores that turned the game around,” Holland said. “That’s huge for us. That’s the first time these guys have been in a playoff atmosphere like this.”

Hawksley paced Valhalla ’s attack with three hits including a pair of doubles.

“This was a tough loss but we’ll get over it,” said Hawksley. “We know we’re the better team. I think we’ll be even more intense when we face these guys on Thursday.”

SHELDON GABRIELS, who is 13-for-18 for a batting average of .722 over the last four (playoff) games, slugged his 11th home run and a triple in four at-bats to help the Vaqueros get off the floor.

The turnaround inning for the Vaqueros was in the 4th when they overcame a 4-1 deficit. CHUCK MOORMAN lined a solo home run over the left-field fence to cut the Centurions’ (21-100 lead in half. BROOKS NOBLE followed with a double to right field. An infield single by CURREN FACER put the tying runs on base for the Vaqueros.

Two outs later TYRONE WIGGINS laced an 0-2 pitch over the left-center field fence for a 3-run homer for the deciding blow in the El Capitan victory. It was Wiggins’ East County leading 13th home run.

It was not surprising to see El Capitan ’s offense rear up and score the necessary runs for the victory. What was more impressive was the pitching of ANDREW RIGGINS (6-1), who turned in a complete game victory – the first of his high school career.

“I felt really, really proud of him for what he has accomplished,” said El Capitan coach STEVE VICKERY. “After the 1st inning, when he was overthrowing pitches and was wild in the strike zone, he absolutely was masterful. He only threw 59 pitches in the last six innings after throwing 27 pitches in the 1st. He held onto his composure.”

Perhaps the key play of the game for El Capitan came in the 3rd inning as the Centurions loaded the bases with one out and a 4-0 lead.

“As we brought the ball in (from Gustavo Villasenor’s single), we did the old hidden ball trick and got Sean Baumes at second base,” said Vickery. “Then, with runners at first and third, we picked off Villasenor at first base so we escaped that in the 3rd inning.”

Nobody plays a more diversified defense than top-seeded El Capitan.

“We have come a long way – not just being mentally tough but just never giving in to a situation,” Vickery noted. “All of our team rallied around Riggins. I don’t ever see any panic on any of our players’ faces.”

MADISON 15, CHRISTIAN 2 – No sugar coating was necessary after the host Warhawks earned a berth to the SDCIF Division IV championship game after extending their postseason shutout string of the Patriots into double digits.

"They're just a way better team than us," said Christian coach MIKE MITCHELL, who saw his team fail to advance to the SDCIF title game for the first time in three seasons. "That's all I need to say."

Better pitching saw Taylor Patrick carry a shutout into the 5th inning, eventually tossing a complete-game 5-hitter. Coupled with a shutout in the teams' first postseason meeting, Madison lasted 11 2/3 innings before allowing a run to the Patriots.

And when you throw in a pair of triples by Warhawks centerfielder Mitchell Esser, including a bases-loaded clearing shot during a 5-run rally in the 1st, the main source of conversation in the stands was limited to summer plans and the exchanging of cell numbers.

For the ballgame, Esser drove in four runs, helping Madison mount a 13-0 advantage by the 4th inning.

"We came into the game knowing all about their pitchers," noted Esser. "We were prepared because we wanted to get the jump on them early."

Madison, which captured its only SDCIF title in 1976, opened the game with an infield single, then saw two batters get hit by a pitch to load the bases, which Esser promptly cleared with his shot to left-center field. He later opened the 3rd inning with another three-base hit when the Warhawks pushed the lead to 7-0.

An inning later, Madison first baseman Jake Merrill clubbed a 2-hit single to cap another big rally to make it 13-0.

In the 6th, Madison shortstop Corey Oswalt, an all-county nominee despite being only a freshman, pounded a 2-run homer past the 380-foot barrier in left-center.

Christian broke the scoreless streak with a 2-out rally in the 5th.

MICHAEL POTEET walked, stole second base, then scored on a basehit to right field by mid-game substitute PHIL JOHNSTON.

In the 7th, Poteet accepted a 1-out walk, moving to third base when the catcher threw the ball into center field after a wild pitch. Poteet later scored on a line double to left by senior catcher MICHAEL GRUBER in his final high school at-bat.

ERICK ALLEN posted two of the Patriots' five hits.

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (5-30-10) — The charged-up Helix Highlanders received plenty of spark from their battery of catcher DIEGO REYNOSO and pitcher MAURO OLIVARRIA in Saturday’s (May 29) San Diego CIF Division II elimination game against Grossmont Hills League rival Steele Canyon.

The second-seeded Highlanders (22-10-1) sprinted to a 6-0 lead after three innings and then breezed to a 7-1 victory over the Cougars (16-16-1) in a game played at Granite Hills High.

Reynoso was a double threat as he went 3-for-3 with a double, a run and an RBI.

“I’ve been in a slump for awhile,” said Reynoso, who began the week hitting .333. “I think the key was getting the lead early. I think it broke them down.”

Probably Reynoso’s biggest play of the game was something that is not reflected in the boxscore. The sophomore receiver took the air out of a bases loaded Steele Canyon rally in the 6th inning when he picked a runner off third base for the second out, taking away the Cougars’ last gasp.

After that Olivarria struck out BRAD BOEHMKE to all but bring an end to the Cougars’ season.

“Even though he’s a sophomore, Diego calls every pitch,” said Helix coach COLE HOLLAND. “He and Mauro work really well together. They were on the same page all day long and I don’t think we (coaches) made one trip out there (to the mound) the whole game.” They didn’t.

Olivarria (3-3) retired the first 11 batters he faced and had a no-hitter going after four innings.

“Mauro is real nonchalant out there,” Holland noted. “He does what we want. He doesn’t look at who’s hitting – he gets the sign and he throws the pitch.”

Olivarria turned in a complete game 3-hitter.

“Nobody told me I had a no-hitter going and I didn’t even notice,” Olivarria said. “All three of my pitches were working, especially my changeup.”

Actually Steele Canyon ’s first hit came in the 5th inning when a WES JUDISH pop-up fell between first baseman TYLER SOTO and second baseman DYLAN NICKERSON, untouched. It should have been a routine out. Judish eventually scored the Cougars’ only run.

Steele Canyon’s first legitimate hit came in the 6th when CLAYTON ROYER lined a single to right field. The Cougars’ final hit was a single to right center by Judish.

An RBI triple by JAKE REED and a dropped fly ball by the Cougars helped stake Helix to a 2-0 first inning lead. The Highlanders added three more runs in the 2nd. Reynoso led off with a single and advanced to third on a double by BRANDON LEWIS.

Once again the Cougars helped out by uncorking a wild pitch to score Reynoso. TYLER SOTO’s sacrifice fly plated Lewis. KACY SMITH walked and stole second where he subsequently scored on a base hit by Nickerson.

Olivarria enjoyed the early cushion.

“That helps, big-time,” he said.

The Highlanders were unbeaten in four games against the Cougars, posting three wins to go along with the controversial tie.

“In our last two games we were able to put the pressure on early – scored six runs in the first two innings against Ramona and got five in the first two against Steele Canyon,” Holland said. “That’s huge when you get in the playoffs.”

Helix will host Valhalla (17-15) on Tuesday (June 1) at 3:30 p.m. The Highlanders need a win over the Norsemen to force a Thursday elimination game. A sweep will send Helix to the Division II SDCIF championship game on Saturday (June 5).

CHRISTIAN 5, FRANCIS PARKER 4 – It’s a good thing that MICHAEL POTEET doesn’t hover over his pitching stats. The junior right-hander might be stunned and unwilling to pitch if he realized that 18 of the 29 runs he has allowed in 34 1/3 innings this season are unearned.

But despite the lack of support by the defense, Poteet almost always gives a solid pitching performance. He did it again in Saturday’s (May 29) San Diego CIF Division IV third round elimination game against Francis Parker at San Diego High.

Poteet (3-2) and the Patriots (17-14) were cruising 5-0 after five innings. Poteet could well have ended up with a shutout had the Patriots not committed an error to open the door for four unearned Francis Parker runs in the bottom of the 6th.

“It’s been like that all year for Michael,” said Patriots coach MIKE MITCHELL. “I don’t know what it is but we always seem to make a critical error when he’s pitching.”

Poteet allowed only three hits over 5 2/3 innings while striking out nine. He can thank sophomore SHANE DILLON for coming through with his second save of the season. The 6-foot-5, 175-pound Dillon got the final out on a fly ball in the 6th inning and then retired the Lancers (21-11) in order in the bottom of the 7th.

“It’s not like our defense just fell apart,” Mitchell said. “But you could see that Michael was running out of gas and we didn’t need to ask him to get ‘extra’ outs.

Extra outs means more pitches, and that’s never good.”

Poteet was the ideal leadoff hitter for the Patriots, reaching base in all four at-bats – he was hit twice and walked twice. The upside is he scored two runs without putting his bat on the ball.

Poteet was hit with the first pitch of the game and eventually scored on a single by his sophomore brother, CODY POTEET.

On the first pitch of the 2nd inning JOSH SUFFRIDGE hammered his fourth home run of the season.

“He hit that one pretty good – I think it landed on the (Interstate 5) freeway,” Mitchell said.

Christian began to pull away with two runs in the 4th inning.

KYLE HARRIS doubled to left, Michael Poteet was hit by a pitch and the Lancers committed their only error of the ballgame when they muffed a ground ball off the bat of JOSH WOLFSON to load the bases. MICHAEL GRUBER banged a 2-run single to make it 4-0.

An inning later Suffridge just missed a second home run as he doubled off the top of the left-center field fence. He eventually scored on a wild pitch.

By winning, Christian will travel to Madison on Tuesday (June 1) to face the top seeded Warhawks (24-8) at 3:30. The Patriots need a win in that game to force a second contest on Thursday (June 3), which would also be played at Madison.

If the Patriots can execute a sweep of the Warhawks they will go to Tony Gwynn Stadium on Saturday (June 5) to defend their SDCIF Division IV crown. That’s a tall order considering Madison have won all three meetings between the teams this season.

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (5-29-10) — Senior reliever Brian Paznokas couldn’t pinpoint the last time he delivered a pitch for the Grossmont Foothillers.

“Maybe a month ago,” he said.

Nevertheless, the 6-foot-1, 215-pound left-hander exhibited no signs of rust as he retired six batters in a row to save an 8-5 victory over visiting Point Loma in Friday’s (May 28) second round of the San Diego CIF Division II playoffs.

By winning for the 11th time in their last 12 outings, the top-seeded Foothillers (25-7) advance to Tuesday’s (June 1) semifinals. They need one more win to qualify for the section finals for the sixth consecutive season.

Meanwhile, against upset-minded Point Loma (18-12), the Foothillers hammered out a 6-0 lead after three innings and it figured to be smooth sailing after that with junior ace JOE MUSGROVE right-hander on the mound.

Musgrove escaped with his 10th win in 11 decisions despite surrendering five runs on nine hits in five innings. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound right-hander was clearly not himself as he struck out only one batter.

“No question Paznokas picked us up,” Grossmont coach JIM EARLEY said. “It’s not like we’d forgotten about him. He’s a huge part of our team even though his value can’t be measured in wins and innings.

“Given that we haven’t had much opportunity to let him pitch, we were concerned about his control... whether he’d be able to throw strikes. But he came though for us.”

Paznokas admitted being nervous when he took over for Musgrove in the 6th. He struck out the first batter he faced and his confidence began to swell after that.

“Getting that first strikeout made all the difference,” Paznokas said. “I’ve been on the varsity for three seasons. I am used to pitching under pressure. We’re in the playoffs now and the pressure is intense. I was just glad they had the confidence to give me the ball in a crucial situation.”

Grossmont racked up 4 runs in the 2nd inning. Musgrove led off with his 9th home run of the season which resulted in his East County-leading sixth game-winning RBI. MATT HEMPHILL (double), WILL SOTO (ground out) and EVAN POTTER (single) also picked up RBI in that frame.

A run-scoring single by ROBBY NESOVIC and a sacrifice fly by TYLER TIMMER extended Grossmont’s advantage to 6-0.

After Point Loma chewed the Foothillers advantage in half with three runs in the top of the 4th, Grossmont countered in the bottom of the frame with RBI singles by BRETT ETHERTON and Nesovic to keep the momentum in the Hillers dugout.

VALHALLA 6, STEELE CANYON 5 – It’s all about adrenalin at Valhalla these days. The Norsemen, who at midseason were only 8-12, including

0-6 in the Grossmont Hills League, figured to chalk this season up as ‘also rans.’

Key injuries to the pitching staff had all but brought an end to Valhalla ’s season. But exuberant first-year head coach MIKE WILSON convinced his team not to give up.

This is no hocus-pocus. The Norsemen (17-15) have won 7 of their last 8, including three playoff games without a loss. That spike in their record has left them as close as one victory shy of reaching the SDCIF Division II championship game at Tony Gwynn Stadium on Saturday (June 5).

“It’s exciting,” Valhalla senior DANNY HAWKSLEY said. “I haven’t had a feeling like this since Little League All-Stars.”

Hawksley, who was 2-for-4 with an RBI, credited coach Wilson for providing a positive direction.

“I’ve never had a more motivating coach,” Hawksley said of Wilson, who took over the Valhalla reins after a lengthy stint as an assistant coach at Cathedral Catholic. “It’s unbelievable to think where we are now as compared to the beginning of the season.”

In Friday’s (May 28) SDCIF Division II second-round game, played before the largest crowd in Valhalla memory, the Norsemen took a 3-2 lead over visiting Steele Canyon after one inning.

CISCO TELLEZ provided the spark for Valhalla by slashing a triple into the left-center field gap. He scored on a base hit by BRYCE MOSIER. The Norsemen loaded the bases when Hawksley singled and WILL COOMBS was hit by a pitch. JOSH AUSTEL followed with a 2-run single, giving Valhalla the early lead.

The teams traded runs all afternoon before the Norsemen came out on top.

“The key word here is ‘advance’ and that’s what we did,” said Wilson. “This was a battle game. We did some things we haven’t done all year, but you have to do things like that to beat teams in our conference – which I believe is the best in the county.

“Everybody is always talking about the North County teams,” he continued. “And that’s fine, but I don’t think they can dismiss the teams in our (GHL) league. All they have to do is look and see who’s still alive.”

This is the fourth meeting between these teams, with each side winning two.

Steele Canyon started fast with RBI singles in the top of the 1st by BRAD BOEHMKE and ANTHONY SORRENTINO.

After Valhalla countered to take the lead, the Cougars tied it 3-all with a leadoff double by CLAYTON ROYER to right-center and an RBI single by JESSE JENNER.

In the top of the 4th Steele Canyon (16-15-1) took its only lead of the contest, 4-3, on a sacrifice fly by Royer.

Valhalla tied it in the bottom of the inning on a groundout by Hawksley.

The Norsemen produced their decisive rally in wild and wooly fashion in the 5th inning. RYAN PETERSEN led off with a walk and Coombs followed with a single. Petersen was erased at third on Austel’s fielder’s choice for the first out. Pinch hitter CHRIS WILKEY beat out an infield chopper to the right side for a single. The throw to first was wide of the bag and eluded Cougars pitcher TREVOR McKINLEY, allowing Coombs to score.

McKinley retrieved the ball and threw home. However, that throw was wide of the mark and went to the backstop in the vicinity of the Steele Canyon dugout. Austel rounded third with a full head of steam and scored before the Cougars could recover.

Even after all that calamity Steele Canyon came firing back in the 6th inning.

JAKE WRAGG singled and was sacrificed to second by VINNY SORRENTINO. Mishler then singled to center to score Wragg. But that’s all the offensive energy Steele Canyon could produce as Valhalla reliever ROBBIE SCHMIDT pitched the final three innings to earn his first varsity win.

“This is the most exciting game I’ve played in my high school career,” Hawksley said. “We had a huge crowd and a great game. That’s inspiring. I’m just glad we finished on top.”

“You know, the guy just throws strikes and wins game,” Holland said of Nickerson, who has won six of seven pitching decisions. “He’s not flashy, just smooth. It’s almost like he’s taken for granted. You always know what you’re gonna get when Dylan’s on the mound.”

Not that Holland is complaining.

Nickerson pitched a complete game 7-hitter in Friday’s (May 28) SDCIF Division II second round encounter, scattering 7 hits and allowing only 2 earned runs to eliminate the Ramona Bulldogs (21-10).

Not many teams are better at manufacturing runs than Helix (21-10-1). The Highlanders don’t have a bunch of big-boppers. They have to play small ball and they play it well.

The big stick in the Highlanders’ lineup against Ramona was ARMONDO RODRIGUEZ, who was 3-for-4 with 2 doubles and 3 RBI in four at-bats to carry Helix’ offensive torch.

Rodriguez, a senior right-fielder, ripped a 2-run double to help the Highlanders take a 3-0 lead in the opening frame. He also doubled in a run in the 2nd frame as Helix garnered a 6-1 advantage.

In the 5th inning Rodriguez sparked a 2-run rally with a base hit. KACY SMITH and TYLER SOTO each collected an RBI in that frame to put the game out of reach.

“This was a typical Helix game where we had to manufacture our runs,” Holland said.

Holland, however, heaped accolades on Rodriguez.

“He had a great day swinging the bat, but I think his defensive play in the 1st inning was his biggest contribution,” Holland noted.

Rodriguez made a key defensive catch to rob Ramona of at least one run in the opening frame that could have developed into a big inning.

“That was a great play,” Holland said. “He jumped up against the fence to take away an extra-base hit. I think that play right there set the tone for us.”

Helix will take on Grossmont Hills rival Steele Canyon for the fourth time in Saturday’s (May 29) third round at Granite Hills at 2 p.m. The loser goes home.

In the previous three meetings the Highlanders won two and tied one. It’s not often that two teams will meet four times, which put the pressure on the Highlanders and gives hope to the Cougars.

Sophomore TROY CONYERS was the leader of the El Capitan band, belting his 6th and 7th home runs of the season while pitching six innings to roll his record to 8-2.

Junior SHELDON GABRIELS continued his torrid hitting for the Vaqueros (24-7), going 4-for-4 with his 10th home run and three RBI.

By claiming victories in its first two playoff games, El Capitan sails into Tuesday’s (June 1) semifinals needing only one win to reach the SDCIF Division III finals at Tony Gwynn Stadium for the second straight season.

One major relief for El Capitan coach STEVE VICKERY is that his players will be able to attend the Senior Prom Saturday night without conflict with the baseball playoffs.

“The really neat thing is I haven’t heard one word about the prom,” Vickery said. “I didn’t hear guys in the clubhouse talking about where they are going to eat or where they were going to rent their tuxes – they were focused on baseball. That’s a really good sign.”

El Capitan overcame a 1-0 deficit with 4 runs in the 2nd inning. CHUCK MOORMAN and BROOKS NOBLE each rifled a first-pitch double to tie the game. CURREN FACER followed with the Vaqueros’ third consecutive double down the left field line to score Noble with the go-ahead run.

RYAN McBURNEY drew a walk. JOSH TULLEDGE – in an effort to advance the runners with a sacrifice bunt – popped the ball up and University City third baseman Gustavo Villasenor made a basket-style catch on the dead run and slid into the dugout. Since Villasenor wound up in the dugout, Facer advanced to third and McBurney to second.

TYRONE WIGGINS brought in Facer with a sacrifice fly. Gabriels then lined a double off the top of the bank in left-center field to score McBurney.

Conyers led off the 3rd inning with a long fly ball that cleared the right-center field fence and landed on Ashwood Street for his 6th home run.

The Vaqueros went on to load the bases on a walk to Noble, a base hit by Facer, and Tulledge was hit by a pitch. That brought Wiggins to the plate and the capacity crowd hadn’t forgotten the junior shortstop had hit two grand slams in the Vaqueros’ previous game, so there were plenty of oohs and ahs in anticipation.

Wiggins came through with a line drive single to centerfield to score two runs, extending the Vaqueros advantage to 7-1.

“It’s almost like the crowd was disappointed that he ‘only’ got a single,” Vickery said. “That’s when you know you’re really hot.”

Gabriels closed the inning with an RBI single – his second two-out hit in the game.

The 5th inning was all about the long ball as Gabriels and Conyers each banged solo home runs to cap El Capitan ’s scoring.

MADISON 4, CHRISTIAN 0 — The battle between two of the most emerging young arms in the county tipped to the side of the host Warhawks in a pairing of former travel ball teammates in Friday's (May 28) SDCIF Division IV winners bracket semifinals in Clairemont Mesa.

Madison freshman left-hander Ian Clarkin (8-1) scattered three hits in tossing a shutout to out-duel Christian sophomore CODY POTEET.

"We were teammates on the Eastlake Gorillas -- he was a year older than me," recalled Clarkin. "I've heard a lot of hype about him and how hard he throws, so I've always wanted to pitch against Cody."

Clarkin struck out six against just one walk, facing just three batters above the minimum. Meanwhile, Poteet faced some wildness issues, allowing a 1st-inning run on a walk and a trio of wild pitches for what proved to be the only score needed by the Warhawks.

"I've waited for this moment for a long time," added Clarkin. "I've dreamed about winning a high school title and we're on our way."

Madison (24-8) is one win away from reaching the Division IV championship game Saturday (June 5) at Tony Gwynn Stadium. Meanwhile, Christian (16-14) must capture three straight games in the challenger bracket to advance to the finals.

The Patriots’ march starts with Saturday's (May 29) elimination game against Francis Parker at San Diego High at 11 a.m.

Poteet provided the Patriots with their lone scoring threat with a double in the 4th inning, otherwise, no one else reached second base.

Meanwhile, Poteet only allowed a single base hit through five frames, as both Warhawks runs scored without the aid of a hit.

"You're going to see those two pitch for a long time -- they're both really talented," said Christian coach MIKE MITCHELL of Poteet and Clarkin. "We kept trying to generate some offense, but couldn't put much together."

The only other Patriots hits were registered by second baseman MICHAEL POTEET and designated hitter MICHAEL KAUFMAN.

MISSION BAY 11, SANTANA 2 – The roof caved in on the No. 4 seeded Sultans in Friday’s (May 28) San Diego CIF Division III second round contest against visiting Mission Bay.

Not known for their scoring prowess during the regular season, the Buccaneers (15-15) erupted for 9 runs in the 2nd inning and then breezed behind the pitching of ace Eric Espinosa.

Santana (20-11), meanwhile, went 0-2 in the postseason tournament.

“Two of our three hits were back-to-back in the 2nd inning, and that was all,” said Sultans coach LARRY OEDEWALDT.

Oedewaldt was talking about a single by CHRIS CAMARDA followed by CAMERON BALOUGH’s sixth home run in the 2nd inning.

© East County Sports.com
LAKESIDE (5-27-10) — TYRONE WIGGINS doesn’t have the build of a long ball hitter, standing in at 5-foot-10 and weighing 175 pounds.

Nonetheless the El Capitan junior shortstop leads East County with a dozen home runs. Three of those circuit clouts came in Wednesday’s (May 26) San Diego CIF Division III first round 29-8 knockout of visiting Mission Bay (14-15).

Wiggins gave a record performance, whacking three home runs – two of them grand slams – while driving in 9 runs in the Vaqueros’ record-breaking scoring feast.

“I don’t think I’ve ever dreamed of having a game like this,” said Wiggins.

Wiggins’ 3 home runs tied an El Capitan record set by CHRIS WALSTON (2002, vs. Mount Miguel) and his 9 RBI broke a record set by TATE VELAU (8, 1981 vs. Christian).

Every ball Wiggins hit was on the line, even the ones that resulted in an out.

El Capitan sent 13 players to the plate in the 1st inning to take a 9-0 lead. Eight consecutive players got on base – seven by hits and one by a walk. Wiggins, who was 2-for-2 in the inning delivered the big hit – a grand slam to deep left-center field.

Even though Mission Bay countered with 5 runs in the top of the 2nd, it didn’t matter because El Capitan’s onslaught continued.

RYAN McBURNEY hammered the first of his two home runs in the bottom of the 2nd inning to not only extend the Vaqueros’ lead to 11-5, but to swing the momentum back to the Lakeside nine.

“This was a critical part of the game,” said El Capitan coach STEVE VICKERY. “It took away some of Mission Bay’s momentum. That set the tone for the rest of the game for our kids.”

El Capitan sent 11 batters to the plate in the 3rd inning while scoring 8 runs.

Wiggins hit two home runs in that inning alone, beginning with a leadoff shot to deep center field. He closed the frame with his second grand slam – an El Capitan record.

“It was unbelievable,” Wiggins said.

Wiggins hit home runs to all three fields.

“They threw me a lot of curveballs,” he said. “The first home run I hit in the 3rd inning was a low curveball down around my ankles and I was able to get a good swing on it. I hit it to just to the left of the 404 sign in center field and it wound up in the top of the parking lot. I don’t think I hit it as well as I hit my grand slam in the 1st inning. I think that was about as far as I’ve ever hit a ball.”

McBurney lofted his second home run of the contest – a 3-run shot in the 4th inning – to help the Vaqueros take a 22-5 lead.

Remember now, this is supposed to be playoff baseball and the Vaqueros were on fire.

“This was the biggest game of my high school career,” said McBurney, who was 3-for-4 and accounted for 10 runs (scoring 4 and driving in 6).

“I’m not kidding myself. I’ve struggled a lot of the season,” he added. “But it feels good to come on strong when it really counts. We want to go back-to-back.”

McBurney was referring to the Vaqueros claiming a second straight Division II SDCIF championship.

“We want to prove we’re the real deal,” he said.

BROOKS NOBLE scored 5 runs – by going 3-for-5 with the bat – tying an El Capitan record set by SHANE SULLENGER (2007 vs. El Cajon Valley ).

El Capitan (23-7) scored in every inning en route to tying the school scoring record of 29 runs it established against El Cajon Valley in 1999. Furthermore the Vaqueros scored a home run in every inning except the last one.

El Capitan’s prom is scheduled for Saturday (May 29) night, which could become a problem for the baseball Vaqueros. A victory over University City (20-8) on Friday (May 28) would propel the Vaqueros into Tuesday’s (June 1) semifinals –one win shy of qualifying for the division championship.

“I’m hoping we won’t have to play on Saturday – I can go scout games and the guys can go to the prom,” Vickery said.

Grossmont right fielder Brett Etherton leaps at the barrier to haul in a drive by Westview.

CIF Championships, First Round Westview Wolverines at Grossmont Foothillers (Photo & Slideshow by Tim Soto)

The Hillers broke a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the 2nd inning. BRETT ETHERTON led with a single to left and ROBBY NESOVIC walked. TYLER TIMMER laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt to advance the runners. CODY SOS followed with a single up the middle, driving in both runners and staking Grossmont to a 3-1 lead. An RBI single to right center by WILL SOTO made it 4-1.

That was enough for Grossmont pitchers STEVEN BRAULT, MARK VASQUEZ and JOE MUSGROVE to give the Foothillers their 10th win in 11 decisions.

Among the heroes on the Grossmont side was Timmer, who hammered a 3-run homer to key a 4-run 5th inning, vaulting the Foothillers to an 8-2 lead in the 5th inning.

The bottom third of the Grossmont lineup was 5-for-7 with 6 RBI and 3 runs scored. At the forefront of the group was Timmer.

“This is the playoffs and we want to give our pitchers support,” said Timmer. “He threw three straight fastballs and I choked up and hit one out.”

Even though it’s a double elimination tournament, Timmer realizes the advantage of winning the first game.

“It’s good to get a leg up,” he said. “No doubt, it helps our pitching staff.

Sos finished with three hits as did leadoff man EVAN POTTER.

The Foothillers, who have won 12 of their last 14, will host Point Loma (18-11) on Friday (May 28) with a chance to reach the semifinals on Tuesday (June 1).

“It’s so important to win the first one,” said Sos. “That gives us leverage going into Friday’s game. If we can win that one, we’ll only be one game away from Tony Gwynn Stadium (the championship round).

STEELE CANYON 2, RAMONA 1 – For those who wonder why we play the game, Wednesday’s (May 26) opening round of the San Diego CIF Division II double elimination tournament at Ramona is a perfect reason.

Struggling Steele Canyon (16-14-1), which eliminated Patrick Henry in the Play-in round after closing the regular season with five straight losses, raised some eyebrows after stunning No. 3 seeded Ramona (21-9).

Despite being outhit 10-5 in the game, the visiting Cougars mustered up enough energy to deal Ramona ace Cody Willingham only his second loss in 11 decisions.

Steele Canyon broke a scoreless tie in the 4th inning as WES JUDISH doubled off the right-center field fence and scored when ANTHONY SORRENTINO lined a double down left field line.

The Cougars doubled their lead an inning later. TAYLOR MISHLER laced a leadoff double. One out later Ramona coach DEAN WELCH intentionally walked JESSE JENNER. What Welch didn’t count on was Willingham also walked BRAD BOEHMKE to load the bases with one out.

Judish then drove a ball to deep right field that the Bulldogs’ Kyle Gray managed to run down for the second out. Mishler scored easily on the play to make it 2-0.

In the bottom of the 4th Niklas Skinner led off with an infield single and scored for Ramona when Brady Wilson doubled off the fence in right-center.

Steele Canyon starter junior MICHAEL CEDEROTH, whom Cougars coach TODD SNYDER projected would be the ace of the staff, finally lived up to expectations. A 6-foot-6, 200-pound right-hander, Cederoth scattered seven hits and struck out four during a 4 2/3 innings stint to log his second win in six decisions.

“Cederoth has been clocked at 94 mph and that’s always gonna attract attention,” Snyder said. “We’ve been trying to get him to relax and find a balance point where he can drive off his back leg. Much of the season he’s just been flying out of control.

“Considering that he can throw the ball so hard – plus his tremendous height – he has a really good downward plane,” Snyder added. “I think he’s been able to show this a little bit in his last two starts. If he gets a good off-speed pitch he could be something special.”

Snyder also credited Mishler, one of four seniors on the team for helping bring the team together at the start of the playoffs.

“He’s become the leader we’ve definitely needed all year,” Snyder said.

Mishler was 2-for-2 in the leadoff spot in the win over Ramona.

Snyder also noted that the Cougars have committed only one error in their two playoff games.

“And our batters have only missed one sign in the last two games. These are things that we weren’t doing for a lot of the season,” he said. “I think the results speak for themselves.”

Senior reliever TREVOR McKINLEY blanked the Bulldogs on three hits over the final 2 1/3 innings to register his second save.

Both were home runs resulting in six RBI. To boot, Mosier has also scored four runs.

After smashing a grand slam in Valhalla’s 17-1 rout of Mar Vista in Tuesday’s Play-in round, Mosier belted a key two-run shot in the 5th inning that hiked visiting Valhalla’s advantage to 3-0 in Wednesday’s (May 26) first round of Division II double-elimination competition.

Mosier’s blow was the difference as Valhalla (16-15) rode the complete-game pitching of junior right-hander RYAN PETERSEN to a 3-2 upset of No. 2 seeded Helix (20-10-1) in La Mesa.

“That’s by far my biggest hit of the year,” Mosier said of his clutch long distance blast. “Batting in the No. 2 hole I see a lot of fastballs. That’s why I’m an aggressive hitter. I don’t wait for the so-called perfect pitch. I just put a swing on the first good pitch I see.”

Petersen has become a stalwart on an injury-riddled Valhalla pitching staff.

“Ryan’s off-speed pitch was on the money,” said Mosier. “He’s not afraid to throw it no matter what the count. And he was able to throw it for strikes today. He made them hit his pitch.”

He induced 14 ground ball outs in posting his third win in five decisions.

Valhalla and Helix have split four meetings. The Norsemen can take solace in the fact that they’ve beaten Helix ace JAKE REED twice.

“I guess that says something about us, considering Jake is one of the top pitchers in the county,” Valhalla coach MIKE WILSON said.

Reed’s first pitch of Wednesday’s playoff tilt was driven down the left field line by CISCO TELLEZ for a double. Still it appeared that Reed was going to escape unscathed before AUSTIN HENSLEY lined an RBI single to right field.

However, both coaches agreed that Reed pitched well enough to win. The junior right-hander retired a dozen Norsemen on ground balls while striking out three.

“The way we swung the bats today we couldn’t have beaten anybody,” Helix coach COLE HOLLAND said. “We were absolutely anemic at the plate.”

CHRISTIAN 5, FRANCIS PARKER 0 – When the Christian High Patriots play defense they more often than not have enough pitching and offense to come away with a victory.

Case in point was Wednesday’s (May 26) SDCIF Division IV showdown with Francis Parker (20-10) at Alliant International University.

Supported by a spotless defense, the 6-foot-5, 215-pound ERICK ALLEN spun a nifty three-hit shutout at the Lancers. The senior right-hander struck out six and issued three walks.

Two of Parker’s three hits came in the 1st inning after the Patriots (16-13) had taken a 1-0 advantage on doubles by MICHAEL GRUBER and CODY POTEET.

“Erick threw a great game today,” Patriots coach MIKE MITCHELL understated.

“He gave up only one hit over the final six innings. That’s pretty good.”

Although Parker clobbered Christian 10-1 in April, Mitchell believed his squad – at full strength for the first time this season – was capable of turning the tables in the more critical rematch.

In Friday’s (May 28) SDCIF second round, Christian will travel to No. 1 seed Madison, a team the Patriots defeated last year 5-4 to win the Division IV championship.

Four Santana errors undermined the complete-game pitching of Santana ace KYLE HAYES (8-4), who scattered 7 hits yet was tagged for three unearned runs and the loss.

Things started out well for the Sultans as they scored twice in the bottom of the 1st. CORY HOSFORD was hit by a pitch – a school-record 19th time – to provide the spark. One out later, Hayes laced a breaking ball from University City starter Vince Rizzo (6-2) over the right field fence for his 10th round-tripper of the campaign.

Hayes hammered his 11th home run – a solo shot in the 6th inning – to pull the Sultans to within a single run. After that Santana’s offense faded.

“I think their pitchers threw about five curveballs all day,” Santana coach LARRY OEDEWALDT said. “Most everything else they threw were fastballs.”

CODY SMITH stroked a double in three at-bats to stretch his hitting streak to 24 games. The Santana senior center fielder has hit safely in all but one of the Sultans’ 30 games.

Twelve Sultans struck out 12 times against two University City pitchers.

“We had only two good swings the whole game,” Oedewaldt lamented. “We just didn’t play good baseball.”

The upside for the Sultans is this is a double-elimination tournament. Santana (20-10) will get another chance Friday (May 28) when the Sultans host Mission Bay in an elimination game at 3:30 p.m.

Postseason party opens with split

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (5-26-10) — East County executed a split of the six Play-in games involving Inland teams on Tuesday (May 25). Valhalla, Steele Canyon and Christian advance to Wednesday’s (May 26) first round of the double-elimination San Diego CIF playoffs.

Meanwhile, West Hills, Monte Vista and Foothills Christian were eliminated.

VALHALLA 17, MAR VISTA 1 – Few teams have done a better job of conquering adversity than coach MIKE WILSON’s Valhalla Norsemen this year.

This is a Valhalla team that went through a 2-8 stretch during the middle of the season. This is a club that lost the services of its top two pitchers and opened the Grossmont Hills League season 0-6.

This is a club that could easily have folded, yet now sports a 15-15 record.

“We don’t care who you throw at us, we know we can hit,” said Valhalla coach MIKE WILSON. “When we’re healthy – which we haven’t been most of the season – we feel we have a great team.”

“When you look at how poorly we started it’s easy to believe we could have folded up shop,” Wilson said. “But these guys aren’t quitters. They’re hungry – they want to beat people. I know we can do it with the bats, it’s just a matter of having enough pitching.”

JOSH AUSTEL, who overcame an injury only to lose five of his first six decisions, has won three straight for the Norsemen. He limited Mar Vista (19-11) to three hits and no earned runs over five innings as the Norsemen mauled the Mariners 17-1 in Tuesday’s (May 25) SDCIF Play-in round.

DANNY DAVIS made his pitching debut for Valhalla and spun two hitless innings.

The Norsemen had 12 different players scoring and 15 hits distributed throughout the lineup. Six different Norsemen drove in runs, led by four each by AUSTIN HENSLEY and BRYCE MOSIER and three by BRETT MILLER.

Valhalla broke a 1-1 tie with three runs in the 3rd inning. CISCO TELLEZ doubled and DANNY HAWKSLEY singled to put runners at the corners. AUSTIN HENSLEY hit a 3-run shot – his 4th of the year – to the deepest part of the park over the wall in the left-center field gap.

Valhalla broke the game open with eight runs in the 5th inning, sending 14 men to the plate. The big blow was Mosier’s grand slam

“We’re hitting the ball as well as anybody,” Wilson said. “But if we’re going to keep going, we have to keep swinging it.”

STEELE CANYON 8, PATRICK HENRY 4 – Just making it to the San Diego CIF Division II playoffs had to be incentive enough for TODD SNYDER’s Cougars, who closed the regular season with five straight losses.

In spite of the skid to the finish line the Cougars found their feet and overcame a 4-0 deficit in Tuesday’s (May 25) playoff victory at Patrick Henry.

No one has questioned whether Steele Canyon can hit. The Cougars (15-14-1) seemed to have overcome the late season slump by pounding out 16 hits against five Patrick Henry pitchers to qualify for the double elimination tournament that begins on Wednesday (May 26).

The Cougars will be up against a major challenge when they travel to Ramona to face Bulldogs SDCIF strikeout leader Cody Willingham (107 Ks) at 3:30 in North County.

Steele Canyon came out swinging against Patrick Henry (17-12) but took three innings to find their groove. The Cougars tied it in the 4th as TAYLOR MISHLER and JESSE JENNER singled in two apiece.

The Cougars’ onslaught continued in the 5th inning. Once again Mishler came up big with a single to center to give Steele Canyon a 5-4 edge. CLAYTON ROYER chipped in with a two-out RBI single to make it 6-4.

In the 6th inning, winning pitcher BRAD BOEHMKE hammered a leadoff home run on a 1-2 pitch and WES JUDISH followed with a back-to-back shot on a 1-0 pitch.

Boehmke came on in relief and held the Patriots to three hits and two runs to earn his 6th win in 10 decisions.

“It started off how our typical games have been going lately,” said Cougars assistant coach MARK BRUDER. “Finally in the 4th inning we started to swing the bats. Our defense was outstanding – they made all the plays. We didn’t allow a fly ball until the 6th inning.”

CHRISTIAN 14, HOLTVILLE 1 – New season. Better results. And that’s what Christian coach MIKE MITCHELL hopes post-season play brings his Patriots (15-13).

An 8-run 1st inning – the Patriots most productive frame of the season – put this SDCIF Division IV win on ice for Christian.

Key hits in the breakout inning included two-run doubles by MICHAEL KAUFMAN and SHANE DILLON.

Overall the Patriots pounded out 15 hits against hapless Holtville (12-11).

“We had nine guys with RBI and 11 guys with hits,” Mitchell noted. “That is a very good sign for us.”

Christian packed plenty of power as JOSH SUFFRIDGE clubbed a two-run homer to help Christian extended its lead to 11-0 in the 2nd frame. Senior stalwart catcher MICHAEL GRUBER slugged a solo shot in the 3rd.

“We hit the ball as well as we have in a long, long time,” Mitchell said.

Sophomore T.J. JURRIES, making his varsity debut, delivered a pinch-hit RBI double for the Patriots.

Five Patriots shared the pitching shores with starter MICHAEL POTEET picking up his second win in four decisions.

POINT LOMA 2, WEST HILLS 1 – The visiting Wolf Pack narrowly missed an upset of Point Loma and its ace right-hander Connor Baits (9-2) in Tuesday’s (May 25) San Diego CIF Division II Play-In game at Dana Middle School.

West Hills (11-16), one of the surprise success stories in East County, did everything but beat the Pointers’ sophomore ace. However, credit goes to Baits – who spun a complete-game 7-hitter with 7 strikeouts – and a hard-nosed defense behind him for allowing the Pointers (17-11) to advance into Wednesday’s (May 26) first round against the 4th-seeded Falcons (24-6) at Scripps Ranch.

Key to the game was Point Loma’s defense, which cut down three West Hills runners attempting to score from 3rd base.

In the 1st inning, the Pack started fast. DAVID BRYAN led off with a single and scampered to third on MIKE CARLIN’s double down the right field line. With the Pointers’ infield playing back at standard depth indicating they were willing to allow the speedy Bryan to score, TONY SPEARS slashed a one-hopper at third baseman Campbell Wear.

“We were going on contact, daring them to make a play,” West Hills coach JASON FOWLER said. “It was a bang-bang play at the plate, but Wear made a perfect throw and they were able to get our fastest runner for the first out.”

Agony continued for the Wolf Pack as THOMAS HEGNER stroked a single to left field. Point Loma fielder Dylan Morris scooped the ball and came up throwing.

“What can I say – he fired a perfect one-hopper to (Point Loma senior catcher Sean Stepina),” Fowler said. “It was a bang-bang deal again, but Carlin was out.”

Point Loma bunched four of its 10 hits for its only two runs in the 5th inning off West Hills starter NICK PEASE. Sophomore Jackson Leslie laced his second double of the game to break a scoreless deadlock. Stepina followed with an RBI single to make it 2-0.

West Hills wasted little time cutting the deficit in half an inning later. Hegner walked and raced home on a one-out double by ALEX PARSONS. After TIM SEABOCH ran for Parsons, BRANDON BYRD whistled a two-out single to right field. As Seaboch was steaming toward home plate carrying the tying run, junior right fielder Kelle Urbon took the ball one hop and returned it to catcher Stepina on a single bounce to erase Seaboch for the final out of the frame.

Even in the 7th, West Hills was still alive and kicking. The Pack had runners at first and second with two outs only to go down swinging.

“We might have snuck into the playoffs, but we showed that we belong,” Fowler said. “We proved that we can play with the best. We made Point Loma make the plays and they were able to do so. That is a credit to them and frustration to us.

“Overall though, I cannot say enough good things about this team.”

Point Loma coach Jon Posternack has nothing but praise for the upstart Wolf Pack.

“They played a lot better than their record,” he said. “We needed our best game to get past these guys.”

MISSION BAY 6, MONTE VISTA 5 – Monarchs coach CHAD WILLIAMS shares the kind of frustration West Hills coach JASON FOWLER experienced in both coaches’ first round of postseason play.

Monte Vista (14-16) rebounded from an early 4-1 deficit to tie the game with three runs in the 3rd frame of Tuesday’s (May 25) SDCIF Division III Play-in round game. Four of the Monarchs seven hits came in that inning.

JOEY GONSALVES and IVAN PARMA singled. After Gonsalves advanced on a wild pitch, JOHN BALAJADIA produced a sacrifice fly cutting the deficit to 4-2. Pitcher NICK SABO singled to put runners at first and second. Parma and Sabo advanced to third and second respectively on CARLOS OCHOA’s groundout.

That set the stage for KEVIN STARLING’s basehit to score both runners and tie the game.

An inning later Monte Vista took the lead. Singles by LUIS LEBRON and Parma put runners at the corners. Lebron coasted home on a wild pitch to make it 5-4.

A two-out rally in the bottom of the 5th put Mission Bay (14-14) in position to tie it. Robert Phiakeo and Michael Austin singled. Harvy Bersalona then lined a single to right field.

Monte Vista right fielder JUSTIN AQUINIGOC fielded the ball cleanly and threw what appeared to be a perfect peg to the plate. For some reason the Monarchs cutoff the throw, allowing Phiakeo to score easily to make it 5-5.

“I have no idea why we cut that throw,” said Williams. “I think if we hadn’t cut it we’d have got the guy at the plate. It’s things like that that make the game so frustrating. But we’re here to teach and make sure things like that don’t happen again.”

Mission Bay scored what proved to be the winning run without a hit in the top of the 7th.

Monte Vista had a chance to come back in the bottom of the frame as it put the tying run at second base with only one out and its Nos. 3 and 4 hitters coming up.

“I thought we were in pretty good shape about then,” said Williams.

Unfortunately his big guns failed to deliver and the Monarchs; season came to an end.

“It was an exciting playoff game for us – all except for the outcome,” Williams said. “Our seniors played well – Parma (3-for-4) and Starling. I feel sorry for them that it ended this way.”

Williams noted that the Monarchs will return seven starters and 14 players overall next season.

MATER DEI 10, FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 2 – For 4 ½ innings things were going well for the visiting Foothills Christian Knights in Tuesday’s (May 25) Play-in round of the San Diego CIF Division IV playoff encounter.

A two-run single by JR ATTERBURY lifted the Knights (11-15) into a 2-1 lead in the top of the 5th inning.

It’s what happened in the bottom of the 5th that spelled doom for Foothills Christian.

A throwing error by the Knights loaded the bases for the Crusaders (14-15-1). Junior Alex Robles made Foothills Christian pay for that miscue as he launched a grand slam, hoisting Mater Dei into a 5-2 lead it would not lose.

That blow came off Foothills starter DEREK DEYLING.

“Derek is the hard luck kid of East County,” Foothills coach DAVE LEWIS said.

No other details were available.

© East County Sports.com
LINDA VISTA (5-23-10) — Grossmont (23-7) and El Capitan (22-7) have been seeded No. 1 in their respective divisions of the San Diego CIF playoffs which start on Tuesday (May 25). Both teams draw a first-round bye and do not begin post-season action until Wednesday (May 26).

Ten teams will represent East County in the 52-team tournament.

One glaring deletion from the post-season party list is Granite Hills, which failed to qualify SDCIF action for the first time in 25 seasons. The Eagles (12-15), who finished third in the GHL, missed snagging the No. 12 seed in Division I when San Diego High (14-15) won the Central League championship. The Cavers’ conquest in that circuit qualified coach Sean Tucker’s club for an automatic berth.

The last time Granite Hills was denied a ticket to the playoffs was 1986. And the Eagles had a solid record at 15-9, finishing third in the Grossmont 3A League at 11-5. Only two teams represented the Inland loop that post-season – champion Santana and runner-up Valhalla. The Sultans went on to capture the SDCIF 3A crown.

For the record, Granite Hills won the SDCIF Division championship three years ago. Poway has taken the last two.

Meanwhile, El Capitan – winner of last year’s SDCIF Division II Gold – is looking to annex the Division III title this spring.

Grossmont, which has four of the past five Division II pennants, hopes to get back on track now that El Capitan has taken a different path to glory.

Not to be overlooked in the East County-laden Division II bracket is No. 2 seed Helix (19-9-1). The Scotties, who have won two of three from the top-seeded and league rival Foothillers, are seeded No. 2.

Six East County teams (see bracket) will play in Tuesday’s (May 26) Play-in Round. The winner’s there will advance to the double elimination tournament, which features eight teams in four divisions.

All games begin at 3:30 p.m. unless noted.