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EastCountySports.com |
Helix sophomore Nick Ledesma (13) hit his 5th
and 6th home runs as the
Highlanders rallied to beat Steele Canyon in the final game of
the regular season
for both teams (5-22-03). Steele Canyon catcher Devon Duby also
hit a 3-run
homer in the game. (Photo by Travis Downs)
EastCountySports.com
SANTEE - West Hills was rated no better
than a longshot before the Grossmont
North League season began. Albeit a bit streaky, coach JARROD
CARMAN's Wolf
Pack clawed its way to a co-championship - the first league pennant
in the
14-year history of the baseball program. Three runs in the 7th
inning broke a 2-2
tie and lifted the Wolf Pack to a title-clinching 5-3 victory
over host Santana
in Thursday's (May 20) regular-season finale.
The Wolf Pack (14-13, 8-4) won 5 of its
last 6 games to tie Grossmont (17-11,
8-4) for the Grossmont North League crown.
"It's just been a different atmosphere
around here than we've had in the past
year," Carman said. "We've been on a great streak ever
since that (May 8) El
Capitan game (which the Pack won 6-5) at home. It seems like the
coaching
staff and the kids kind of got on the same page all of sudden."
Senior CLAY COULTER has been the Wolf Pack's
driving force all year. He came
up big again in Thursday's must-win battle against archrival Santana.
Coulter
gave the Pack a 2-0 lead with a 2-run home run in the 1st inning,
doubled home
a run in the pivotal 7th, and pitched three solid innings in relief
to snag
his 3rd win in 4 decisions.
"The biggest thing is we've started
to get production out of the entire
lineup," Carman said. "Clay was carrying us early in
the year, (shortstop DUSTIN)
BEECHLER carried us in the middle of the year, and then, toward
the end, we
finally got everybody going, everybody believing that we can win."
EDDIE PRYOR rationed the Sultans (16-12,
7-5) to 2 hits and one earned run
over the first 4 innings.
"Eddie did an outstanding job of keeping
us close," Carman said. "We didn't
have to go to Clay too soon."
Coulter gave up three hits but no earned
runs after taking over on the mound
in the 5th inning.
Nearly lost in the West Hills celebration
was the fact that Santana could
have secured a share of the league title had the Sultans been
able to sack the
Pack in Thursday's regular season finale.
The Sultans contributed to their own demise.
A three-base throwing error on a
sacrifice bunt by MATT LUNA following BEN HOFFARD's single leading
off the
7th inning, set the table for West Hills' winning surge. By the
time the Sultans
retrieved the high throw to first base that rolled into the right
field
corner, Hoffard had scored and Luna was standing at third.
"That error broke our backs," Santana coach JERRY HENSON admitted.
Coulter doubled in Luna to make it 4-2.
The Pack tacked on another insurance
run thanks to three consecutive walks by Santana pitching.
The Sultans, who rallied from a 2-0 deficit
and eventually tied the game on
CHEYENNE GILES' RBI single in the 4th inning, made one final charge
in the
bottom of the 7th.
Two West Hills errors helped keep the Sultans
alive. NICK CARAVEO's RBI
double cut the Pack's lead to 5-3. Santana had the tying runs
on base when Coulter
got the final out.
"We were struggling at the beginning
of the year," Beechler recalled. "But
once league came around we started to turn it on. Now, we want
to carry that
into the playoffs."
VALHALLA 8, MONTE VISTA 2 - There is something special that continues to set
this Valhalla team apart from the Norsemen squads of the past.
An air of
confidence without raging cockiness or apathy. This is a goal-oriented
group
that has played with consistency.
The Norsemen (22-6, 14-1) snapped a 1-1
tie with 5 runs in the 4th inning and
continued on for their 11th straight victory in Thursday's (May
21) Grossmont
South League finale. The first-time Grossmont South League champions
figure
to be named the top seed for the San Diego CIF Division II playoffs,
which
begin Tuesday (May 27).
Doubles by TOMMY McCLAIN and JUSTIN SHEPARD
broke the tie and ignited the
decisive 4th inning for Valhalla. EDDIE MAPULA added an RBI single
and ZACK
BARGER tripled in a pair of runs. Barger finished the game 3-for-3
with 3 RBI.
SEAN O'SULLIVAN needed only 51 pitches to
complete the first 5 innings, as he
notched his 8th win in nine decisions. The sophomore right-hander
scattered 5
hits and did not allow an earned run. He struck out 5 and walked
none (as
usual).
"Sean told me he didn't have any adrenaline
today," Valhalla coach STEVE
PERDUE said. "He just gutted it out. That's what good pitchers
do, and he's one of
the best in town."
GARRETT EDGE finished the job, checking
the Monarchs (10-17, 5-10) on 2 hits
over the final 2 innings.
One of the highpoints in Valhalla's latest
conquest was the work of McClain
behind the plate. The sophomore receiver was 2-for-4 with an RBI
and threw two
runners out attempting to steal.
DALLAS HUBBARD and NICK DECARO had 2 hits
apiece for Monte Vista, which
finished 10-17 overall and 5-10 in league play. Hubbard helped
give the Monarchs
the early lead when he singled, took third on a throwing error
and scored on
MARK COGLEY's base hit in the 1st inning.
GRANITE HILLS 3, MOUNT MIGUEL 2 - Coach ERNIE REYES and the visiting
Matadors gambled with the score tied 2-2 and runners at second
and third with two
outs in the bottom of the 7th of Thursday's (May 22) Grossmont
South League
finale.
KEVIN JAMES, who earlier this spring set
the Granite Hills record for RBI in
a season, was next to bat. Instead of having reliever JOEY STREET
intentionally walk James, the Mount Miguel skipper challenged
his senior right-hander to
retire James and send the game into extra innings.
James foiled the plans as he singled to
left-center field, scoring RYAN
MARQUIS with the game-winner. It was James' 45th RBI.
Marquis started the winning rally with a
single, advanced to second on SEAN
PEPIN's sacrifice and to third on JOHN COIT's groundout. The Matadors
intentionally walked CASEY CRAIG, who stole second. That set the
stage for James'
heroics.
Granite Hills' pitchers ANTHONY YBARRA and
MATT SPENCER combined to fire a
1-hitter at the Matadors (14-14, 6-9), who are on the bubble for
a possible
SDCIF Division II playoff berth.
MICHAEL McLAUGHLIN, who rationed the Eagles
(18-8, 9-6) to 4 hits and one
earned run over 6 innings while striking out 7, delivered Mount
Miguel's only hit
with a 4th inning single.
"They are a very tough team when McLaughlin
is on the mound," Granite Hills
coach JAMES DAVIS said. "He's one of the best pitchers in
the county."
HELIX 14, STEELE CANYON 9 - The Highlanders nearly saw their SDCIF Division
II playoff hopes go up in smoke in Thursday's (May 23) Grossmont
South League
finale.
After falling behind Steele Canyon 7-1 in
the opening four innings, the
Highlanders finally found their feet and scrambled back to collect
their 10th
league victory, which brought them a second-place finish in the
six-team circuit.
Helix turned to the long ball to reverse
the momentum with six runs in the
5th inning. AARON BAILEY followed singles by RAY RIVERA and ROBERT
STEVENS with
his third home run of the season, and NICK LEDESMA hit his second
homer of the
game and 6th of the season with a man aboard to tie it 7-7.
The Cougars (7-20, 1-14) regained the lead
with an unearned run in the bottom
of the 5th.
An RBI double by Bailey tied the game 8-8
in the 6th. BRIAN RICARD's two-run
single put the Highlanders (13-15, 10-5) in front to stay.
"Bailey is one of the hottest players
in East County right now," Helix coach
COLE HOLLAND said. And Ledesma, gives us a left-hand-hitting power
stick."
Stevens pitched three innings of relief
to log his second victory of the
season. His other win was a complete-game effort against league-champion
Valhalla
- the Norsemen's lone setback in 15 Grossmont South League starts.
Steele Canyon played its entire first varsity season on the road.
"I'm proud of how our kids hung in
there through all the adversity we've
had," Cougars coach PHIL MITTRY said. "We finished strong,
and hopefully we gained
a lot of confidence by doing so."
The Cougars also started fast in their finale
at Helix. A two-run single by
DONALD ARTHUR and a three-run home run by DEVON DUBY gave Steele
Canyon a 6-0
edge in the 3rd inning.
BRYER BIDEGAIN, who was 2-for-3 with three
steals, ripped a solo home run to
give the Cougars a 7-1 advantage in the 4th.
EL CAPITAN 14, EL CAJON VALLEY 0 - Those who might wonder whether El
Capitan senior BRANDON RAUCH had run into a power outage need
only check the
production the muscular outfielder has generated in his last three
games.
Here's the Rauch line for his last 13 at-bats:
5 home runs, 13 RBI, a double,
a single and 8 runs scored.
Even the spacious El Cajon Valley ballpark
could not contain Rauch in
Thursday's (May 22) Grossmont North League finale. He slugged
a pair of two-run
homers - one in the 3rd inning and another in the 5th.
Rauch leads San Diego County with 14 home
runs, one more than Horizon's Zack
Robinson, who broke the San Diego CIF record for RBI in a season
with 63.
Robinson logged six RBI in the Panthers' 12-1 rout of La Jolla
Country Day on
Thursday, giving one more than the 62 that Grossmont High's TODD
CADY charted in
1990.
TRAVIS LOPEZ and KYLE WELLS combined to
pitch the 4-hit shutout for the
Vaqueros (22-8, 7-5), who tied Santana for third place in the
Grossmont North.
"These last four games our kids really
got their confidence back," El Capitan
coach STEVE VICKERY said. "They've got their attitude back
where it was,
We're ready for the playoffs."
(05-22-03/Rev. 5-25-03)
Christian's Josh Allen scores easily on a base
hit during the Patriots' win on Wednesday (5-21-03).
EastCountySports.com
EL CAJON - El Capitan's JORDAN ANDERSON
isn't a household name in the
Grossmont Conference, but the senior first baseman is a major
contributor to East
County's No. 1 offensive team. Anderson accounted for 7 runs,
swatting his 5th
home run and two singles Wednesday (May 21) as El Capitan won
its third
straight Grossmont Conference Tournament championship with a 9-7
victory over
visiting Mount Miguel.
"He is just an outstanding athlete,"
El Capitan coach STEVE VICKERY of
Anderson, who is 5-for-7, raising his season average to .400 (36-for-90).
"Last year
he had a motivation problem, but this year he's put more effort
into it -
worked his butt off. And he's just been on fire the last month."
El Capitan (21-8) can use all the offense
it can muster. The Vaqueros built a
6-1 lead in the first two innings, but then had to hold on as
their defense
crumbled and their pitching faltered in the late innings.
"We've got about a week to get our
defense and pitching straightened out,"
Vickery said, noting that the Vaqueros may play their first post-season
game as
earlier as Tuesday (May 27).
The Vaqueros grabbed a 3-1 lead in the 1st
inning as JUSTIN SNYDER and
Anderson walked and BRANDON RAUCH followed with a booming two-out
home run over the
left-center field fence. It was Rauch's 3rd home run in two games
and his East
County-leading 12th of the season.
"Brandon showed some patience and hit
a 1-2 curveball with authority,"
Vickery said. "It was nice to see."
RBI singles by Anderson and JORDAN ABRUZZO
along with a Mount Miguel error
helped stake the Vaqueros to a 6-1 lead after two innings.
Doubles by KYLE WELLS and Snyder set the
stage for Anderson's three-run blast
and a 9-3 lead for El Capitan.
The Matadors (14-13), who are on the bubble
for a Division II playoff berth,
loaded the bases in the 6th inning on consecutive singles by JOEY
STREET,
JAVIER BROWN and TOMMY TOLEDO. A wild pick-off throw handed the
Matadors two runs,
cutting the Vaqueros' lead to 9-5. After ISAAC CASTELLANOS' sacrifice
fly
scored Toledo, El Capitan made a second errant pick-off, handing
the Matadors
yet another run.
DUSTIN CHURCH eventually restored order,
collecting the final 6 outs to earn
his 4th save for starter NICK REAGAN (2-1).
It was a tough day for Mount Miguel, which
played without junior standout
MICHAEL McLAUGHLIN, who was forced to sit out the game for a previous
ejection.
CHRISTIAN 10, KEARNY 3 - Christian senior BRIAN SCHROEDER turned in another
powerful pitching performance in Wednesday's (May 21) regular-season
finale
for the Patriots (16-11, 7-6), who finished second in the Eastern
League after
disposing of visiting Kearny (14-12, 6-7).
Schroeder, who is regarded by many experts
to be the top high school pro
prospect in San Diego County, needed only 92 pitches to earn his
8th win and log
his East County-best 7th complete game.
"Brian threw 72 strikes and only 20
balls, which is something that I've never
seen before," Christian coach MIKE MITCHELL said. "He
had only one 3-ball
count and that came in the 7th inning. Then he hit the guy with
a slider that
broke so sharp that hit him on the foot."
Not that Schroeder was ever in any serious
trouble. Four of Kearny's 6 hits
came in the 3rd inning when the Komets (14-12, 6-7) cut Christian's
lead to 4-3.
After that, Mitchell aligned his defense
into a BARRY BONDS shift for the
final 4 innings, and that helped Schroeder blank the Komets on
2 hits.
"We had our third baseman positioned
30 feet off the foul line, our shortstop
behind second base, our second baseman in the (right side) hole
and our first
baseman behind first base," Mitchell said.
Christian garnered all the offense it needed
in the 1st inning. Schroeder's
RBI triple off the center-field fence scored TIM MARTIN and gave
the Patriots a
1-0 edge. Schroeder scored on an error. BRANDON ABELL singled
in a third run
and JOEL MATTHEWS' squeeze bunt made it 4-0.
EDDIE LISTANDER's RBI double made it 5-3
in the 4th inning. DONNY PARKER's
2-run double coupled with Matthews' run-scoring single extended
the Patriots'
advantage to 8-3 in the 5th.
Christian figures to land the No. 2 seed
behind Marian Catholic in the San
Diego CIF Division IV playoffs that begin next week.
(05-21-03)
EastCountySports.com
EL CAJON - Coach ROB PHILLIPS' Grossmont
Foothillers secured a share of the
Grossmont North League championship when they sailed past the
visiting
Sultans 11-4 in their regular-season finale Tuesday (May 20) at
Joe Gizoni
Field. It was Grossmont's 10th circuit crown in 14 seasons and
their second
in a row. Santana, meanwhile, can earn a share of the league laurels
with a
victory over West Hills on Thursday (May 22). By the same token,
a West Hills
win would make the Wolf Pack co-champions with the Foothillers.
MATT PASSANISI's grand slam keyed a 7-run
1st inning, as Grossmont (17-11,
8-4) jumped in front of the Sultans and never looked back.
Santana starter JOSH ATWELL, who had rationed
the Hillers to one earned run
in two previous appearances totaling 7 innings, could not get
an out this
time. He faced only 4 batters and left trailing 2-0 after JAMES
BEEBE singled
in ALBERT GENOVESE and RICK SILVA, both of whom had walked.
BRANT RUSTICH also got a piece of Atwell
with a single to center that loaded
bases. That blow extended Rustich's East County-best hitting streak
to 19
games.
Seven Foothillers batted and scored before
the Sultans recorded an out. Two
infield errors didn't help matters for the Sultans (16-11, 7-4).
TOMMY
WILEY, the third Santana pitcher in the opening inning, finally
restored
order, retiring the first three Hillers he faced.
JUSTIN BAUM's RBI single made it 8-0 in
the 2nd inning and Passanisi's RBI
double followed by Silva's run-scoring single made it 10-0 after
three frames.
Grossmont, which came into the game with
a .339 team batting average,
collected 11 hits off six Santana pitchers.
Although the Sultans kept pecking away,
Rustich was in control on the mound.
The 6-foot-6, 230-pound right-hander earned his 7th win with his
third
complete game. He was touched up for nine hits, including JOSH
MAZZOLA's 7th
home run - a solo shot to right-center - in the 4th inning.
EL CAPITAN 24, WEST HILLS 6 - Based on their last two outings, it should be
safe to assume that the Vaqueros (20-8, 6-5) have put their hitting
shoes
back in place.
After staggering through a late-season slump
of 6 losses in 7 starts - El
Capitan has resumed its offensive ways that once made the Vaqueros
the No.
2-ranked team in San Diego County.
Led by the RAUCH brothers - BRANDON and
AUSTIN - the Vaqueros rocked four
West Hills pitchers for 20 hits, including 5 home runs. Coupled
with their
second game rout of Eastlake last Saturday, the Vaqueros have
generated 43
runs and 37 hits over the last 13 innings.
The Rauch family combined for 6 hits - 3
of them home runs - 8 RBI and 6 runs
scored in 8 at-bats. Senior Brandon Rauch took over the East County
home run
lead with his 10th and 11th round-trippers, which helped him garner
6 RBI.
JORDAN ABRUZZO accounted for 7 runs with
his 8th home run, a single, walk and
was hit by a pitch. JASON GUZMAN, who allowed only one earned
run in 5
innings of pitching, was 3-for-4 with a pair of singles and his
9th home run
of the season.
"We had as good a day swinging the
bat as we've had all season," El Capitan
coach STEVE VICKERY said.
After ex-Vaquero MARCUS SCHAER's RBI single
gave West Hills a 1-0 lead in the
1st inning, El Capitan erupted for 5 runs in the bottom of the
opening frame.
JORDAN ANDERSON's RBI tied the game and NIK GARCIA's 2-run double
launched
what was to be an El Capitan onslaught.
It's too late for a league championship
for El Capitan, which has not
finished lower than second place in a circuit chase in 12 years.
Best these
Vaqueros can do is tie for 3rd .
But then there are the San Diego CIF Division II playoffs.
For West Hills, a chance for a share of
the school's first league pennant
remains a possibility.
STEELE CANYON 7, MOUNT MIGUEL 3 - DONALD ARTHUR and MAX OSTBERG combined to
twirl a 3-hitter and red-hot CHRIS ALVAREZ drove in 3 runs Tuesday
(May 20)
as Steele Canyon posted its first Grossmont South League victory
in school
history at the expense of the host Matadors.
The victory snapped a 12-game losing streak
for coach PHIL MITTRY's Cougars
(7-19, 1-13) who have played their entire schedule on the road.
"We've been playing well, and I figured
we'd get one eventually," Mittry
said. "If one guy didn't get the job done, the next guy picked
us up."
Steele Canyon put the pressure on from the
outset, scoring 2 runs in the top
of the 1st inning. BRYAN KIDA walked, stole second and scored
on Alvarez's
single, which extended his hitting streak to 8 games. Alvarez
eventually
scored on a wild pitch.
The Matadors (14-12, 6-8) fought back in
the bottom of the 1st as ADRIAN
PEREZ doubled and eventually scored on the front end of a double
steal.
Alvarez walked and scored on an error in
the 3rd inning and then made it 4-1
with an RBI single in the 5th.
Mount Miguel did not go quietly. In the
5th inning, ADRIAN BISHOP singled in
a run and MICHAEL McLAUGHLIN doubled in another, making it a one-run
game.
With the taste of victory on the tip of
their tongue, the Cougars punched in
3 more runs in the 6th inning. Kida singled in the first tally,
another
scored on a fielder's choice and Alvarez tacked on the final run
with an RBI
single.
-
VALHALLA 3, GRANITE HILLS 2 - EDDIE MAPULA's bloop single
in the bottom of
the 7th inning scored GARRETT ALLYN with the winning run Tuesday
(May 20) as
the Grossmont South League-champion Norsemen (21-6, 13-1) completed
a
three-game season series sweep of arch-rival Granite Hills.
The Norsemen are the hottest team in East
County, riding a 10-game winning
streak.
"I think this win should secure us
the No. 1 seed (in the SDCIF Division II
playoffs)," Valhalla coach STEVE PERDUE said. "The really
neat thing about it
is now we don't have to go down to Friday night's (May 23) playoff
seeding
meeting and beg to get in. That's a first for Valhalla."
Sophomore JOSH STEWART limited the usually
heavy-hitting Eagles (17-8, 8-6)
to 8 hits -7 of them singles - in 6 innings. But it was reliever
GARRETT EDGE
(4-2), who struck out 2 of the 3 batters he faced in the top of
the 7th, who
received the win.
Granite Hills took the early lead in the
2nd inning as KEVIN JAMES, DONNY
ANDERSON and JEREMY CLARK singled for a 1-0 advantage.
Valhalla wasted little time retaliating
in the bottom of the 2nd. A fielder's
choice and the first of DREW GARCIA's two doubles set the stage
for Allyn's
game-tying RBI single. JASON HINTON's base hit scored Garcia to
give the
Norsemen a 2-1 advantage.
The Eagles tied it 2-2 on Clark's RBI single in the 6th inning.
"The fact that Jeremy Clark could play
at all is a plus for us," Granite
Hills coach JAMES DAVIS said. "He hasn't taken batting practice
for three
weeks (because of a sore back). Yet, he steps into our lineup
and is the most
productive guy we have. He asked me if I'd let him play, and I
told him it
was his call. Having him back in there is sure going to help us."
Anderson, who turned in his usual steady
pitching performance, was the
hard-luck loser for the 4th time in seven decisions.
HELIX 4, MONTE VISTA 1 - When the season began, Helix center fielder NICK
LEDESMA was taking his swing for the Highlanders' junior varsity
team. About
one-third of the way into the season, Helix skipper COLE HOLLAND
promoted
Ledesma to the varsity.
Since joining the varsity, Ledesma has been
a steady contributor, batting at
a .279 clip. One thing he has provided is the ability to hit the
long ball.
None of Ledesma's 4 home runs was any bigger than his 3-run shot
that broke a
1-1 tie in the bottom of the 6th inning in Tuesday's (May 20)
key Grossmont
South League victory over the visiting Monarchs (10-16, 5-9).
Ledesma's "shot heard around La Mesa"
could well have been a bases-empty
blow. With a runner at first base and nobody out in the 6th, RYAN
HULBERT hit
a line drive that Monte Vista left fielder NICK DECARO appeared
to make a
diving catch for the out. The base umpire ruled Decaro's effort
a catch. The
Monte Vista senior jumped to his feet and fired to first base
to nail
pinch-runner NATE METROKA for an apparent double play.
Holland hustled out of the Helix dugout
to challenge the call. The plate
umpire eventually overruled the base umpire and reversed the call.
The
result: Hulbert was awarded a single and Metroka advanced to second
base.
The runners advanced on BRIAN RICARD's sacrifice and scored on
Ledesma's
game-winning "Big Fly."
AARON BAILEY turned in his second impressive
pitching effort, handcuffing the
Monarchs on 2 hits and no earned runs over 6 innings for his 4th
win in 5
decisions. ROBERT STEVENS set the Monarchs down in order in the
7th to log
his East County-high 5th save.
(05-20-03)
EastCountySports.com
SANTEE - MATT LUNA has done a little bit
of everything for West Hills, which
is driving toward its first Grossmont North League pennant in
the 16-year
history of the program. Coach JARROD CARMAN turned the ball over
to Luna in
hopes the 5-foot-7 junior right-hander could pitch deep into Monday's
(May
19) makeup game against visiting El Cajon Valley. Luna did not
disappoint. He
needed only 75 pitches to complete a 2-hit shutout as the Wolf
Pack belted
the Braves 12-0 for its 5th straight victory.
Luna, who had pitched a total of 11 2/3
innings prior to Monday, rationed the
Braves (6-19, 0-11) to singles by RANDY SMITH (in the 4th) and
JOSH BOWEN (in
the 6th).
"We needed Matt to eat up innings for
us," Carman said. And Luna did so in
stingy style. No walks until the 7th when he issued a pair of
free passes,
but escaped unscathed.
Senior DUSTIN BEECHLER tied a West Hills
record with his 6th triple of the
season during a 6-run 4th inning that broke the game open. Earlier
in the
game, Beechler gave the Pack a jumpstart with a 2-run double in
the 1st
inning. His 2-for-3 outing raised his East County-leading average
to .500
(39-for-78).
CODY DENNIS ripped a 2-run home run that
made it 4-0 in the 2nd inning, and
continued on for a 3-for-3 batting binge that extended his hitting
streak to
five games. The Wolf Pack's senior right fielder is hitting at
a .571 clip
over that stretch.
"We're hitting the ball real well right
now," said Carman, noting that his
squad has scored 46 runs in its last 4 starts.
Conference Championship change
The Grossmont Conference North-South Tournament,
which began on March 25,
championship game will be conducted on Wednesday, May 21 - the
second-to-the-last-day of the regular season - at El Capitan's
Hostetler
Field. The Vaqueros, winners of the five-game Grossmont North
pool, will host
Mount Miguel, the Grossmont South pool winner, at 4 p.m.
The game was originally ticketed for Mount
Miguel, but was changed because
it's the Grossmont North's turn to host the tournament championship
game. The
conference's 11 teams annually alternate the host role.
(05-19-03)
Grossmont's Casey Williams' (18) attempts to
steal home (5-17-03) but is called out, as West Hills catcher
Andrew Nichols (1) stretches to apply the tag. Evan Amador watches
the action in the game won by West Hills on 5-17-03. (Photo
by Travis Downs)
EastCountySports.com
EL CAJON - The hottest race in East County
remains in the Grossmont North
where three teams still have a shot at that league championship
heading into
the final week. Only one game separates Santana, Grossmont and
West Hills in
this horse race. A tri-championship is possible, but it would
appear that
Santana has the slight edge in the stretch run. The Sultans (16-10,
7-3), who
lead Grossmont and West Hills by a half-game, travel to Grossmont
on Tuesday
(May 20) and close out at home against West Hills on Thursday
(May 22).
Meanwhile, Valhalla locked up exclusive rights to its first league
title in
29 years when it beat Helix to secure the Grossmont South pennant.
Christian
lost an extra-inning battle to Morse, which left the Patriots
as a long shot
to repeat as Eastern League champions.
-
VALHALLA 3, HELIX 2 - When Valhalla's SEAN O'SULLIVAN is
on the mound,
opponents bristle. For good reason. The sophomore right-hander
rarely has an
off-night, as is indicated by his 7-1 pitching record.
However, the visiting Highlanders (11-15,
8-5) put the pressure on early as
RAY RIVERA singled, advanced to second on DREW FOY's sacrifice
bunt and
scored on ROBERT STEVENS' single in the 3rd inning. MATT POWELL
followed with
an RBI double to give JESSE GARCIA a 2-0 cushion.
Although the Norsemen (20-6, 12-1) were
trailing, unlike past Valhalla teams,
they refused to fold. A walk to JASON TALIA set up a game-tying
home run by
DREW GARCIA in the 4th inning.
"This is a completely different Valhalla
team," Norsemen coach STEVE PERDUE
said. "In years past, we would have lost a game like this.
But the guys on
this club are hungry. They want to win and they'll do whatever
it takes to do
that. They don't quit."
The Norsemen broke the 2-2 tie in the bottom
of the 6th as Talia walked and
JOHN CLARK ran for him. Clark moved up 90 feet on Garcia's groundout
and
scored on GARRETT ALLYN's triple into the right field corner.
"Our kids were excited about knowing
that they put themselves in the history
books as Valhalla's first league champions," Perdue said.
"They were a little
bit tight at first when the pressure was really on the other team."
The victory was the 9th straight for Valhalla.
"From a coaching standpoint this was
the highlight of my life," Perdue said.
"But I know for something like this to happen a coach has
to surround himself
with good players and great assistant coaches."
Valhalla, which has two games remaining,
is the odds-on favorite to land the
No. 1 seed in the San Diego CIF Division II playoffs.
WEST HILLS 12, GROSSMONT 8 - The Wolf Pack kept its Grossmont North League
championship options bubbling when it erupted for 6 runs in the
bottom of the
6th inning to erase the visiting Foothillers' 8-6 lead in Saturday's
(May 17)
contest in Santee.
"We knew we were going to hit the ball
well today and score a lot of runs,"
West Hills coach JARROD CARMAN said, noting that Grossmont was
playing its
fourth game of the week. "We're starting to hit the ball
well as a group.
We've scored 34 runs in our last three games."
West Hills leadoff man BEN HOFFARD was 3-for-5
with a double and his first
varsity home run that closed a 6-3 deficit to one run in the 4th
inning.
"This was a huge win for us because
it has a lot to do with who is going to
win league," Hoffard said.
As for his home run Hoffard said: "It
was a pitch up in the zone and I went
up for it. I got ahold of it and pulled it enough to get it out.
I knew as
soon as I hit it that it felt so nice."
CLAY COULTER pitched 4 2/3 innings in relief,
limiting the Foothillers
(16-11, 7-4) to 5 hits and 2 runs as he notched his second win
in three
decisions. As a hitter, the SDSU-bound Coulter clubbed a 2-run
home run in
the 1st inning as part of his 2-for-3, 3 RBI outing.
"Clay pitched tremendously today,"
Carman said. "He pitched out of jams,
pitched around the right hitters and made the pitches when he
had to. We
turned a couple of double plays in his support. We don't quit."
LENNY COR REIA was 3-for-4 with 3 RBI for
West Hills (12-12, 6-3),
including a game-tying RBI single in the 5th inning and a 2-run
double in the
6th.
JAMES BEEBE was Grossmont's top offensive
threat as he drove in 5 runs with a
pair of doubles and a single.
BRANT RUSTICH gave Grossmont a 4-3 lead
in the 3rd inning with his 9th home
run of the season, which extended his hitting streak to 18 games.
-
GRANITE HILLS 8, STEELE CANYON 1 - Remember the name KEVIN
JAMES. The
6-foot-2, 190-pound junior first baseman has earned a prominent
place in
Granite Hills' baseball-rich history.
James drove in his 43rd and 44th runs with
a 1st inning single and a 4th
inning sacrifice fly Saturday (May 17) to break the Granite Hills
record for
RBI in a season (of 43) set by JOHN GOULART in 1983.
That's quite an honor, considering the number
of big-name players produced by
the Granite Hills baseball program over the years. We're talking
about
Pittsburgh Pirates All-Star outfielder BRIAN GILES, record-breaking
home run
hitter SHANE SPENCER (Yankees/Cleveland), red-hot Atlanta Braves'
2nd baseman
MARCUS GILES, JOHN BARNES (Red Sox, Twins, Rockies, Pirates),
MIKE REINBACH
(Orioles), and DONNIE CARROLL (No. 2 draft pick of the Dodgers)
to name a few.
"What Kevin has achieved is really
something when you consider the number of
great players we've had at this school," Granite Hills coach
JAMES DAVIS
said. "And he's just beginning, really. He can only get better
if he
continues to work hard."
The Eagles (17-7, 8-5), who had lost 3 of
their previous four starts, put
this win away early with 5 runs in the 1st inning. MARSHALL WYGANT's
two-run
single was the big blow.
MICHAEL SUCH chalked up his 4th win without
a loss as he scattered 7 hits
over 5 innings. ANTHONY YBARRA and MATT SPENCER chipped in with
one scoreless
inning apiece. Spencer struck out the side in the 7th.
CHRIS ALVAREZ, DONALD ARTHUR and DEVON DUBY
contributed 2 hits apiece for
Steele Canyon. Alvarez extended his personal hitting streak to
7 games. The
junior center fielder is 10-for-21 in his current batting spree.
Another pleasing piece to Steele Canyon's
latest outing was the Cougars
turned in their first errorless game on defense.
MORSE 5, CHRISTIAN 4 (9) - The Patriots wasted a brilliant pitching
performance by JOEL ALLEN in Saturday's (May 17) Eastern League
showdown
against the visiting Morse Tigers. Three of the Tigers' runs were
unearned,
but none of that matters in the long run as Morse clinched a tie
for its
second league flag in three years.
The defending league-champion Patriots (15-11,
6-6), who overcame the
fireball pitching of Adam Jones and a 3-1 deficit with three runs
in the
bottom of the 5th inning, can only hope for a share of the title
should Morse
(16-8, 7-4) lose both of its remaining regular-season games.
A one-out single by SEAN RYAN followed by
a walk to TIM MARTIN and a base hit
by BRIAN SCHROEDER loaded the bases in the 5th inning with Morse
leading 3-1.
DANIEL MAGNESS drew the second of his 4 walks to force in a run.
But it was
EDDIE LISTANDER who delivered the key blow - a double into the
right field
corner that scored Martin and Schroeder to put Christian on top
4-3.
Allen was one inning away from slapping
the clamps on the victory for
Christian when Jones blasted the first pitch in the 7th inning
over the
center field fence - despite an over-the-fence dive by Schroeder
- to tie the
game at 4-4.
"I was thinking anything that was a
strike I was going to put a good swing
on," said Jones, who has hit two of his three home runs against
Christian.
"What I really wanted to do was get on (base), because I
know I can run."
Jones stole two bases in the game.
What had to disturb the Patriots was that
Morse scored two of its runs
without benefit of a hit.
"They have real good pitching and they
put the ball in play just enough,"
Christian coach MIKE MITCHELL said. "We gave them too many
chances to score
by hitting batters and booting routine plays. You can't do that
if you expect
to win a championship."
Bruce Billings pitched 4 2/3 innings of
hitless relief to earn his 6th win in
10 decisions for the Tigers.
-
SANTANA 8, EL CAJON VALLEY 3 - Durable SHANE KAUFMAN needed
only 69 pitches
to blank the visiting Braves over the first six innings Saturday
(May 17) and
then held on to complete the job and balance his record at 5-5.
The victory
vaulted Santana (16-10, 7-3) to the top of the Grossmont North
League
standings with two games remaining.
While some teams are looking ahead to the
playoffs, Santana coach JERRY
HENSON said all he and his Sultans "are thinking about is
the next two games.
We want that league title."
The Sultans jumped on El Cajon Valley (6-18,
0-10) for four runs in the
opening inning. JOSH MAZZOLA followed walks to NICK CARAVEO and
JEFF WOODS
with a double, staking Santana to a 2-0 lead. Cleanup hitter RYAN
HOWARD
singled in Mazzola to make it 3-0.
Howard, who later tripled in a run, finished
3-for-4. TOMMY WILEY went
2-for-2 with a triple, giving him 5 hits in his last 5 at-bats
over two games.
OMAR MENDEZ and SHANE MYER had 2 hits apiece for the Braves.
MOUNT MIGUEL 3, MONTE VISTA 1 - Mount Miguel's MICHAEL McLAUGHLIN turned in
one of the strongest pitching performances of the season Saturday
(May 17) as
he pitched a complete-game 3-hitter while striking out an East
County-high 16
batters.
The junior southpaw took a no-hitter into
the 6th inning before surrendering
a two-out double to DALLAS HUBBARD. McLaughlin, who was sitting
on a 3-0 lead
at the time, stemmed the tide with an inning-ending strikeout.
Monte Vista (10-15, 5-8) avoided the shutout
in the 7th inning when MARK
COGLEY was hit by a pitch and advanced to second on a groundout.
JESSE
RODRIGUEZ singled with two outs to score Cogley with the Monarchs
only run.
The Monarchs' MICHAEL McDOLE silenced the
Mount Miguel bats for the first 4
innings. The Matadors (14-11, 6-7) eventually broke up the scoreless
pitching
duel in the 5th inning when JOEY STREET and ISAAC CASTELLANOS
parlayed
doubles for a 1-0 lead.
A single and stolen base by JAVIER BROWN
set the stage for another Mount
Miguel scoring effort in the 6th inning. McLaughlin, who was awarded
his East
County-high 8th victory, helped his own cause with a clutch single
to score
Brown. After McLaughlin advanced to second on a wild pitch, Street
singled to
left to plate the Matadors pitcher for a 3-0 lead.
-
Game One:
EASTLAKE 10, EL CAPITAN 2 - After host Eastlake pounded the
Vaqueros in the
first game of Saturday's (May 17) non-league double-header between
these
sectional rivals, coach STEVE VICKERY and his staff had to wonder
where this
downward spiral was going to end.
Six losses in 7 starts, including four setbacks
in succession. Those kinds of
numbers are foreign to El Capitan's baseball program. Further
frustration
during that slide was 3 of the losses were by 1-run margins and
another was a
2-run defeat in 10 innings.
Game one at Eastlake was pretty ugly, too.
After AUSTIN RAUCH gave the
Vaqueros a 1-0 lead with an RBI double in the 2nd inning, the
Titans teed off
for three home runs in a run-away victory.
A bright spot for El Capitan was the hitting
of ROBBIE ZABIEREK, who was
3-for-4 with a double and one RBI batting in the leadoff spot.
Game Two:
EL CAPITAN 19, EASTLAKE 5 - The
Thundersticks of Lakeside regained their
batting stride in Saturday's (May 17) second game. Despite watching
the
Titans belt another four home runs, the Vaqueros never trailed
as they scored
8 runs in the 4th inning and 7 more in the 5th.
JORDAN ABRUZZO drove in 6 runs with his
7th home run and a pair of doubles as
the Vaqueros (19-8) raked five Eastlake pitchers for 17 hits.
BRANDON RAUCH
broke loose for 4 hits - 3 of them doubles - in 5 at-bats. He
was 1-for-1 as
a pinch-hitter in the opener. JUSTIN SNYDER was 3-for-6 with 2
RBI and scored
3 runs as did Abruzzo and Brandon Rauch. AUSTIN RAUCH reached
base all 5
times - 4 walks and a single - and scored 3 times.
JASON GUZMAN laced a 2-run triple to give
El Capitan a 2-0 edge. Abruzzo's
3-run homer was the capper to the 8-run 4th.
NIK GARCIA's two-run single helped the Vaqueros
extend their lead to 15-3 in
the 5th.
TRAVIS LOPEZ was the beneficiary of the
Vaqueros' offensive onslaught.
Despite giving up 4 solo home runs, the senior right-hander notched
his 5th
win of the year in El Capitan's fifth game of the week. He struck
out 9 and
walked 3 en route to his second complete game in five starts.
Eddie Solis hit three home runs for Eastlake
(17-10) in the twinbill.
(05-17-03)
Christian's Dan Magness singles home a run
with a base hit in the third inning Friday (5-16-03).
EastCountySports.com
SAN DIEGO - BRIAN SCHROEDER kept Christian
High's hopes for a possible second
straight Eastern League championship alive Friday (May 16) when
he and the
Patriots overcame a 4-0 1st inning deficit to dump host Patrick
Henry 6-4.
The victory sets up Saturday's (May 17) title bout between Christian
(15-10,
6-5) and first-place Morse (15-8, 6-4) on the Patriots' field
at 1:30 p.m.
Although Schroeder gave up a 2-run double
to Nate Boman and an RBI single to
Ben Patty, three of Henry's four scores in the 1st inning were
unearned due
to a pair of Christian errors.
Schroeder allowed only three singles after
the rocky 1st inning as he notched
his 30th career win and 7th in 10 decisions this season. The senior
left-hander struck out 9 en route to his 6th complete game in
10 starts.
Junior TIM MARTIN, who began the season
4-for-37 - a .108 batting average -
enjoyed his finest outing of the campaign. The Patriots' center
fielder was
3-for-4 with 2 RBI and 2 runs scored. He also stole a base and
laid down a
perfectly executed suicide squeeze. Martin is 7-for-15 with 5
RBI in his last
five games.
"He couldn't buy a hit for the longest
time," Christian coach MIKE MITCHELL
said. "Now, it looks like he's in a groove. That's where
we need him."
The Patriots launched their comeback in
the 3rd inning. Martin provided the
initial spark with a single. After Schroeder walked, DANIEL MAGNESS
singled
to right, scoring Martin. EDDIE LISTANDER's sacrifice fly cut
the Henry lead
to 4-2.
In the 4th inning with two outs and SEAN
RYAN at third base, Martin singled
to make it a one-run game. Schroeder followed with the second
of his three
walks and Magness ripped an RBI single to tie the game 4-4. Listander's
RBI
single gave the Patriots the lead.
Christian tacked on an insurance run in
the 5th inning as pinch runner JOSH
OLDENBURG scored on Martin's squeeze.
The Patriots' ability to execute 5 sacrifice
bunts is what seemed to impress
Mitchell most.
"Now that's teamwork," Mitchell
said. "It has to be some kind of a record. I
know it is for any team I've coached (in 20 years)."
(05-16-03)
West Hills second baseman Kyle Vandeweghe (4)
broke a 2-2 tie with an RBI single in the 4th inning, as the Wolf
Pack continued on for a 12-3 victory over El Cajon Valley on Thursday
(5-15-03). (Photo by Travis Downs)
EastCountySports.com
EL CAJON - As the topsy-turvy East County
baseball campaign winds into the
final stretch of the regular-season, only one of the Inland's
three league
pennant races has been decided. Valhalla, by virtue of its 11-4
romp over
Mount Miguel on Thursday (May 15), has clinched its first Grossmont
League
title in the 29-year history of the program. Meanwhile, the Grossmont
Foothillers have soared to the top of the Grossmont North while
pushing El
Capitan into 4th place. Christian trails Morse by one game with
two to play
in the Eastern League.
GROSSMONT 6, EL CAPITAN 5 (9) - Grossmont High coach ROB PHILLIPS and El
Capitan skipper STEVE VICKERY were both in shock following Thursday's
(May
15) dramatic conclusion to one of the most exciting games of the
season.
The Foothillers (16-10, 7-3), who were floating
in oblivion at 1-3 after the
first round of Grossmont North League activity, have suddenly
won six circuit
contests in succession to take up residence in the loop penthouse
with two
games remaining.
"Our goal has always been to get a
top 4 seed (in the San Diego CIF Division
II playoffs)," Phillips said. "Given where were after
the first round, I'm
totally pleased to be where we are now."
El Capitan, once ranked No. 2 in the county,
has lost 5 of its last 6 and has
tumbled into 4th place in the Grossmont North. And those are murky
waters for
the Vaqueros (18-7, 5-5), who have not finished lower than second
place in a
league race in 12 years.
"We were just embarrassing today, so
emotional," Vickery said of the
Vaqueros' latest showing at Grossmont's Joe Gizoni Field. "Everybody
is
trying to win the game themselves."
Yet, El Capitan rallied from a 4-0 deficit
to take a 5-4 lead with a two-out
rally in the 9th inning. JORDAN ANDERSON, truly an unsung hero
for the
Vaqueros, slapped a base hit up the middle to provide the spark.
Grossmont coach Phillips, admittedly paranoid
of the batting ability of El
Capitan senior JORDAN ABRUZZO, ordered an intentional walk, which
moved
Anderson into scoring position. That maneuver backfired as VERN
WENGELER
singled to center, scoring Anderson for a 5-4 El Capitan lead.
The Foothillers, stymied by the serves of
El Capitan starter NICK REAGAN for
the first 8 innings, were allowed to take aim at Vaqueros' reliever
DUSTIN
CHURCH in the bottom of the 9th.
Reagan used just 112 pitches for his longest outing of the season.
"He's the best pitcher El Cap has and
he pitched an awesome game against us,"
Phillips said. For the 3rd through the 8th inning, he didn't give
up a hit. I
think we had only two base runners (on a walk and a hit batter)."
Grossmont's JUSTIN BAUM blasted a game-tying
home run to dead center field to
knot the contest at 5-5 in the bottom of the 9th.
"That's the best ball he's hit in three years," Phillips said.
Following that mammoth blow, the Foothillers
went for more. JOE STAAB singled
up the middle with one out and advanced to second on ALBERT GENOVESE's
sacrifice bunt. Silva followed with a line drive single to score
Staab with
the winning marker.
""We haven't hit the long ball
as much as we have in the past," Phillips
said. "But we've done a lot better job executing the short
game."
The long ball almost made the difference
for El Capitan, which tied the game
4-4 on BRANDON RAUCH's 9th home run of the season with Wengeler
aboard in the
6th inning. However, it was a long day for Rauch who struck out
three times.
Grossmont, which annihilated the Vaqueros
23-2 on Tuesday, jumped in front
1-0 on PAUL HODGE's RBI single in the 2nd inning. An RBI single
by RICK
SILVA, a double steal executed by BRANT RUSTICH and Silva plus
MATT
PASSANISI's RBI single gave Grossmont a 4-0 lead after 3 innings.
Rustich rationed the Vaqueros to three runs
and three hits in 5 2/3 innings.
But it was DONNY SNOW who pitched the final inning to earn his
second win in
as many appearances.
HELIX 5, GRANITE HILLS 1 - In the scope of East County power hitters, the
name RYAN HULBERT doesn't appear on many ballots. But, as far
as Helix coach
COLE HOLLAND is concerned, the senior third baseman is as good
as there is in
terms of delivering in the clutch.
Hulbert hammered an opposite field two-run
home run to right field to give
Helix a 2-0 led in the 1st inning.
"Yeah, my hits have come in bunches," Hulbert said. "When I'm on, I'm on."
No question Hulbert was locked in for Thursday's
(May 15) Grossmont South
League showdown against the visiting Highlanders.
AARON BAILEY's one-out single set the stage
for Hulbert's opposite field home
run off Granite Hills ace DONNY ANDERSON.
"He threw a fastball on the outside
part of the plate and I went with it,"
Hulbert said. "It was right there, and I just reacted to
it."
Hulbert's second blast came in the 6th inning.
"I pulled that one," said Hulbert, who has seven home runs and 19 RBI.
Senior AARON BAILEY, who had pitched only
15 innings all season, cooked up a
complete game against the Eagles, who came in carrying a .344
team batting
average. The 6-foot-2, 245-pound right-hander pitched a complete
game
3-hitter, allowing only one unearned run, while striking out 4
and walking
none.
Helix coach COLE HOLLAND had planned to
divide the innings between three
pitchers. After Bailey retired 9 of the first 10 batters he faced,
Holland
had a change or heart.
"It's not even close - that's the best
he's thrown all year long," Holland
said. "For the first two months of our season we didn't throw
him a lot
because he wasn't throwing strikes, wasn't getting people out
and he was
getting hit pretty hard."
Bailey (3-1) made it look easy against one
of the county's best hitting teams
Thursday as he turned in a complete game 3-hitter.
"It's important to find another pitcher
going into the playoffs," Holland
said. "It's like I keep telling my kids, if we can just get
in (to the
playoffs), I like our chances. A lot of teams are right there
at 10 or 11
wins. If we get in and make it through the first round, and then
it's
anybody's ballgame."
For Granite Hills (16-7, 7-5), which has
lost 4 of its last 5, thoughts of
nailing down a top 4 seed in Division I of the SDCIF playoffs
appears
unlikely.
"At this point, we'd like to just get
a 1st round home game." Granite Hills
coach JAMES DAVIS said.
VALHALLA 11, MOUNT MIGUEL 4 - SEAN O'SULLIVAN took the day off from pitching,
which should have pleased host Mount Miguel. Guess, Valhalla's
sophomore
sensation saved the extra energy for the offensive phase of his
game.
O'Sullivan smashed a 3-run home run in the
1st inning and a grand slam in the
3rd Thursday (May 15) as the rampaging Norsemen (19-6, 11-1) pushed
their
winning streak to eight games. The 7-RBI outburst lifted O'Sullivan's
season
total to 38 - second highest in East County.
The convincing victory assured Valhalla
of no less than a Grossmont South
League co-championship. If the Norsemen - who have won 14 of their
last 16 -
win at least one of their final three, they can claim the circuit
crown
outright. If they run the table, they'll be all but assured of
the No. 1 seed
for the San Diego CIF Division II playoffs.
Not to be overlooked in Valhalla's latest
offensive onslaught is ZACH BARGER,
who was 3-for-3 with a pair or runs scored. The sophomore right
fielder is
6-for-9 in his last three games.
Mount Miguel's frustration began in the
1st inning as two Matadors' pitchers
combined to walk 5 and hit two batters. The only Valhalla connection
was
O'Sullivan's first home run.
The Matadors (13-11, 5-7), who are vying
for one of the 12 SDCIF Division II
playoff berths, chipped away at the Valhalla lead for a couple
of early runs.
ADRIAN BISHOP tripled and scored on ADRIAN PEREZ's groundout in
the 1st
inning.
Mount Miguel cut the deficit to 5-2 in the
2nd, as JOEY STREET singled, moved
up on JEREMY PEREDO's sacrifice bunt and scored on TOMMY TOLEDO's
base hit.
Then the roof fell in for Mount Miguel.
Sophomore right-hander JOSH STEWART allowed
3 runs and 5 hits during a
six-inning stint as he raised his season record to 5-1. He walked
none and
struck out 4.
ISAAC CASTELLANOS, who has only 5 at-bats
this season, clubbed a solo home
run in the 6th inning for the Matadors.
WEST HILLS 12, EL CAJON VALLEY 3 - MATT LUNA's bases-loaded triple sparked a
7-run sixth inning Thursday (May 15) as the visiting Wolf Pack
(11-12, 5-3)
rolled over the Braves to remain in the thick of the Grossmont
North League
pennant race.
Luna finished 4-for-5 with 4 RBI with 2
runs scored, and still found time to
pitch one shutout inning of relief.
"It was a 5-3 game in the 6th inning
until Luna got his big blow," West Hills
coach JARROD CARMAN said after the Wolf Pack won its third game
in a row.
"We've been kind of a streaky team. Hopefully, we can maintain
the streak
we're on for the last couple of weeks of the season."
West Hills finished with 20 hits, including
a 3-for-4 effort by LENNY
CORREIA. The senior catcher/outfielder, who had 2 at-bats all
season, made
his first start of the year, picking up 2 RBI and scoring twice.
"Lenny is usually our bullpen catcher,"
Carman said. "But we had a couple of
our regular outfielders miss practice this week so Lenny got his
chance and
made the most of it."
EDDIE PRYOR followed Luna's key triple with
a three-base hit of his own in
the 6th inning, and finished 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI. Equally
as
important, was his pitching, which encompassed 5 innings and his
third win of
the season.
After West Hills took a 1-0 lead on consecutive
singles by KYLE VANDEWEGHE,
Luna and CLAY COULTER in the 1st inning, the Braves bounced back
to take a
2-1 advantage in the 2nd inning. NICK SPEARS walked and GERARD
HOPPER
doubled. Both runners rode home on ALBERT ARMENDARIZ's single.
The Pack tied the game with an earned run
in the 3rd and grabbed a 5-2 edge
on RBI singles by MARCUS SCHAER, Luna and Pryor.
MONTE VISTA 6, STEELE CANYON 3 (9) - The Cougars clawed oh-so-close to
spoiling Monte Vista's playoff dreams, staging a key comeback
in the 7th
inning of Thursday's (May 15) Grossmont South League encounter
in Spring
Valley.
Steele Canyon (6-18, 0-12) erased the Monarchs'
3-1 lead with two runs in the
bottom of the 7th. BRYAN KIDA singled and scored on CHRIS ALVAREZ's
long
double to left. Alvarez then scored the tying run on DONALD ARTHUR's
two-out
single, sending the game into overtime.
"We had an opportunity to win it in
the 8th," said coach PHIL MITTRY, noting
that the Cougars had the winning run at third with two outs, "but
couldn't
cash him in."
Monte Vista (10-14, 5-7) snapped the 3-3
deadlock, scoring 3 runs in the 9th
inning on just one hit. The Monarchs parlayed an error, two hit
batters and a
walk to force in the go-ahead run as CHRIS ANDERSON received credit
for his
third game-winning RBI.
NICK DECARO then stroked an RBI single to
make it 5-3. JESSE RODRIGUEZ's
sacrifice fly capped the scoring.
B.H. MINNICH sent the Cougars down in order
in the bottom of the 9th to
complete 2 2/3 innings of shutout relief for his second win in
five decisions.
Steele Canyon out-hit Monte Vista 11-6.
Alvarez led the Cougars' charge with
a pair of RBI doubles. BEN LIBSACK, CHRIS RICE and Kida also had
two hits
apiece, while Minnich was the lone Monarch to enjoy a multiple-hit
game.
Monte Vista leadoff man DALLAS HUBBARD saw
his 14-game hitting streak end,
but did manage to score 2 runs.
To make the playoffs, the Monarchs need
to win at least two of their final
three games.
"The only thing we're worried about
is Saturday's (May 17) game against Mount
Miguel," Monarchs coach LARRY RINEHART said.
(05-15-03)
EastCountySports.com
EL CAJON - Four Patriots errors and the
2-hit pitching of Serra's Charles
Nolte knocked host Christian High out of the Eastern League lead
Wednesday
(May 14) as the visiting Conquistadors claimed a 10-6 victory.
Despite the
loss, the defending champion Patriots (14-10, 5-5) are only one
game behind
with three games remaining.
It was no contest as the Conquistadors (14-10,
4-6) carried a 5-1 lead into
the 7th inning.
Christian grabbed a 1-0 lead in the 1st
inning. A DANIEL MAGNESS single and
walks to EDDIE LISTANDER and DONNY PARKER loaded the bases with
two outs,
Nolte brought a run home with a wild pitch.
A muffed double-play ball handed Serra two
runs and the lead in the 3rd
inning. A critical error opened the door to a 3-run outburst for
Serra in the
5th. Alfred Yanez's two-run single was the key blow.
The only bona fide challenge put up by the
Patriots came in the bottom of the
5th inning when Christian loaded the bases on a pair of walks
and a double by
BRIAN SCHROEDER. Nolte pulled the great escape when he coaxed
JOEL ALLEN to
ground into an inning-ending double play.
Both teams scored 5 runs in the 7th inning.
TIM MARTIN's two-run single was
the key hit for the Patriots.
(05-14-03)
El Capitan pinch runner Josh Walston
(30) is forced out at second base as Santana shortstop
Jeff Woods (11) takes the throw during Tuesday's (5-13-03) Grossmont
North League game at El Capitan,
won by the Sultans 6-5. (Photo by Travis Downs)
EastCountySports.com
LAKESIDE - The Santana Sultans showed the
El Capitan Vaqueros and ace pitcher
JASON GUZMAN that they can hit more than fastballs. And hit for
distance,
too. Three of the four home runs the visiting Sultans swatted
out of
Hostetler Field in Tuesday's (May 13) pivotal 6-5 Grossmont North
League
victory came on off-speed pitches.
RYAN HOWARD picked on a Guzman curveball
to drill a two-run home run that
broke a 4-4 tie in the 6th inning and helped the Sultans (15-10,
6-3)
maintain their share of the Grossmont North League lead.
"I was thinking he was going to throw
me a curveball, but I wasn't really
expecting it," explained Howard, who now leads East County
with 6
game-winning RBI.
Earlier in the game, junior teammate TOMMY
WILEY cranked out his first two
home runs of the season. Both solo shots came on changeups - the
first coming
after BRANDON HALEY broke a scoreless tie with a two-run home
run, his 5th of
the campaign.
"It surprised me that he threw the
same pitch both times," said Wiley. "I
kinda figured he was going to stay away from me (pitch outside),
and that's
what he did in my third at-bat. He decided to come inside and
I was able to
pull it down the line (for a single)."
The 3-for-3 day with the bat - only his
second multiple hit game of the year
- was a bonus for Wiley, who pitched 5 innings to log his third
win.
Even a 4-0 lead isn't safe against these
Vaqueros (18-6, 5-4), as the Sultans
discovered. El Capitan launched its comeback in the 4th inning
as JORDAN
ANDERSON led off with a walk and scored on JORDAN ABRUZZO's double.
A Wiley
pitch hit BRANDON RAUCH on the hand, and the Vaqueros' biggest
rally of the
day was still alive.
Guzman blasted a two-run double, pulling
the Vaqueros back into contention at
4-3.
"I've pitched against Guzman since
Pony League and he's always given me
problems," Wiley admitted.
A leadoff single by AUSTIN RAUCH, followed
by JUSTIN SNYDER's bunt single put
the pressure on Wiley in the 5th. Credit the crafty Santana right-hander
for
holding the damage to the minimum. Abruzzo's sacrifice fly with
one out tied
the game 4-4. But Wiley snuffed out the rally when he picked Snyder
off first.
After Howard's home run, and the Vaqueros
closed the deficit to 6-5 with an
unearned run in the 6th inning, the focus was on an exciting conclusion
in
the bottom of the 7th.
Santana closer JOSH ATWELL had arrived on
the scene, but quickly found
himself in a jam as Snyder singled and Jordan Anderson's attempted
sacrifice
bunt was so well placed that he beat it out for a single.
Two on, nobody out and Abruzzo, El Capitan's
hottest hitter, coming to the
plate batting at a .708 clip (17-for-24) with 3 home runs and
14 RBI. The
6-foot-2, 220-pound switch-hitting catcher blasted Atwell's first
pitch out
of sight - over the trees and across Ashwood Street beyond the
right field
fence sailing five feet on the wrong side of the foul pole.
"That ball was hit so well that anyplace
in the park it's a home run if it's
fair," El Capitan third base coach MARK NOBLE said. "It
got out of here in a
hurry and landed in the houses across the street."
El Capitan, which has lost 3 of its last
4, is one game behind front-running
Santana and Grossmont.
"Jordan is the guy we wanted to have
up there," El Capitan coach STEVE
VICKERY said. "He gave us a quality at-bat, but it was just
one of those
deals - the ball was 5 feet foul. That's what happens when your
team is in a
slump."
Abruzzo eventually flied out to center field
as did VERN WENGELER for the
second out in the 7th. It came down to a duel between Atwell and
BRANDON
RAUCH. The Santana closer won as he caught Rauch looking on a
3-2 slider that
nicked the inside corner for the game-ending out.
"The bottom line is like I told our
kids: We have two choices," Vickery
said. "We can either feel sorry for ourselves and panic and
mope around, or
make the decision that we have to come out here and get better."
Another ironic twist in this year's series
of long-time rivals is El Capitan,
which has clubbed 38 home runs in 24 games, has not cleared the
fences a
single time in 17 innings against Santana. The Sultans, who have
hit 23
homers, have stroked 5 off El Capitan pitching.
"Nobody is going to give anything to
you in this league," Vickery said. "I
personally think 8-4 is going to be a tie for the league championship.
And we
still have something to say about it."
How elated were the Sultans to beat the
Vaqueros for the second time in as
many meetings? Designated hitter RAY CHRISTIE did a post-game
flip a-la OZZIE
SMITH to celebrate Santana's latest conquest.
GROSSMONT 12, EL CAJON VALLEY 2 - The Foothillers established early-on that
they weren't about to stumble in El Cajon Valley's yard Tuesday
(May 13), as
they put together five hits for a 5-run 1st inning and continued
on for the
Grossmont North League victory.
Junior RICK SILVA capped the opening inning
with a two-run single. BRANT
RUSTICH (double), MATT PASSANISI (single) and JOE STAAB (single)
also drove
in runs in the 1st frame for the Foothillers (15-10, 6-3).
That would be all the runs PAUL HODGE would
need, as he pitched six strong
innings to earn his second win in three decisions. The junior
right-hander
scattered seven hits, allowed one earned run, walked none and
struck out 5.
Thirteen walks and two hit batters helped
lead to the Braves (6-16, 0-8)
undoing. A sacrifice fly by JESSE ORTIZ and an RBI single by JOSH
BOWEN
accounted for the El Cajon Valley scoring in the 4th.
It was the fifth-straight league win for
the Foothillers, who are holding
down a share of the North lead with Santana. While ROB PHILLIPS
is pleased
by his team's recent surge - six wins in seven games - he isn't
planning any
post-season celebrations just yet.
"Playing El Cajon Valley is so scary
because they are a capable team that is
overdue," he said.
Now the Foothillers must focus on El Capitan,
which visits Joe Gizoni Field
on Thursday (May 15). The fact that Grossmont pulverized the Vaqueros
23-2
at Hostetler Field on Monday is of small comfort to Phillips.
"It doesn't matter what we did last
time," Phillips said. "Look what they did
to us the first time (winning 11-6). It's starts at 0-0 on Thursday."
(05-13-03)
Grossmont sophomore Matt Passanisi (11)
connects for a 3-run homer in the Foothillers' 23-2 win over El
Capitan on Monday (5-11-03). Passanisi finished with 5 RBI in
the game. (Photo by Rick Hodge)
EastCountySports.com
LAKESIDE - Grossmont coach ROB PHILLIPS
said he was "still in shock" three
hours after his Foothillers flattened 6th-ranked El Capitan 23-2
in a
Grossmont North League game Monday (May 12) that left the circuit
standings
in a shambles. This rout created a three-way tie between the Foothillers,
Vaqueros and idle Santana for the league lead, with West Hills
only one-half
game back.
"We were completely dead in the water
after the first round (of league
play)," said Phillips, whose Foothillers won only one of
their first four
league outings. "Now we're right back in it after going 4-0
in round two."
So why the sudden upswing?
"Our hitters have been more productive
with runners in scoring position,"
Phillips said.
Sophomore MATT PASSANISI drove in 5 runs
with a home run, a single and a walk
for the Foothillers (14-10, 5-3). Passanisi has been sizzling
of late, piling
up 11 RBI and scoring 7 runs with three doubles, two home runs
and a single
in his last 9 at-bats.
Senior BRANT RUSTICH has been equally as
hot. The 6-foot-6, 230-pound
Foothiller pitched 4 innings to earn his 6th win in seven decisions,
and went
3-for-4 with a double and a grand slam at the plate. The UCLA-bound
Rustich
is 8-for-11 with two home runs and 6 RBI in his last three games.
Sophomore southpaw JOEL McGRANAHAN, making
only his 3rd varsity appearance,
blanked the Vaqueros (18-5, 5-3) on 2 hits over the final three
frames to
earn his second save.
Five El Capitan errors allowed the Foothillers
to help themselves to 15
unearned runs in 5th inning of the lopsided victory. Eighteen
batters came to
the plate. Six of them collected hits, including Rustich who pounded
out two.
"Not in all of my 19 years at El Cap
have we ever given up that many runs in
one inning,"
El Capitan coach STEVE VICKERY said. "Our defense (or lack
of it) is really
putting our pitchers in distress. Balls are falling in while our
outfielders
are catnapping in the outfield. That, and we're having trouble
making the
routine plays in the infield."
NIK GARCIA, who was pitching only his second
inning of relief all season, was
touched up for 10 runs (all unearned) in the 5th. To his credit,
though,
Garcia also doubled in El Capitan's only runs of the game in the
4th inning.
VALHALLA 2, MOUNT MIGUEL 1 - Presumptuous perhaps, but the Valhalla Norsemen,
who are closing in on their first ever Grossmont League pennant,
could earn
the No. 1-seed in the San Diego CIF Division II playoffs.
The Norsemen (18-6, 10-1), who have won
seven in a row and 13 of 15, need two
victories in their final four league games to take the league
crown outright.
"There's really no secret for our success,"
said Valhalla coach STEVE PERDUE,
whose Norsemen cracked the Union-Tribune's Top 10 at No. 10 this
week. "We
keep getting good pitching and solid defense."
That was the case in Monday's (May 12) Grossmont
South League makeup game
as the Norsemen held off the upset-minded Matadors (13-10, 5-6),
with GARRETT
EDGE, JOSH STEWART and SEAN O'SULLIVAN combining to pitch a 3-hitter
at
their Spring Valley visitors.
Edge checked the Matadors on 2 hits over
5 innings. Stewart fanned two
batters in a scoreless 6th and O'Sullivan came on to record his
3rd save,
allowing just one hit in the 7th.
Mount Miguel's JOEY STREET was equally as
stingy on the mound, scattering 6
hits over 6 innings, while walking one and striking out 5.
"Joey pitched well enough," Mount Miguel coach ERNIE REYES said.
The Norsemen jumped on Street early. After
the senior right-hander hit
leadoff man JASON HINTON, O'Sullivan followed with a home run
over the right
field fence.
"That's a pretty good poke because of the cross-wind they have here," Reyes.
Street accounted for the bulk of the Mount
Miguel offense, collecting 2 of
the 3 hits. He doubled, stole second and scored on JAVIER BROWN's
groundout
in the 2nd inning.
GRANITE HILLS 8, HELIX 5 - Although neither of these teams has been
mathematically eliminated from the Grossmont South chase, reality
has hit
home. While they are tied for second place with four league games
remaining,
the true focus here is on making the playoffs. Let's face it,
the Eagles and
Highlanders are 3 games behind the hottest team in East County.
Granite Hills (16-6, 7-4) needs to run the
table to stand any kind of chance
of landing a top 4 seed in Division I. The Eagles got a good start
on Monday
(May 12) as they overcame a 4-1 deficit to dump the visiting Highlanders
(10-14, 7-4).
"Our goal is to get 20 wins and then
go down to the seeding and beg to get
that No. 4 seed," Granite Hills coach JAMES DAVIS said.
The Highlanders also need to clean their
plate down the stretch if they
expect to be party to the playoffs.
"We had these guys beat," Helix
coach COLE HOLLAND sighed. "Then we misplayed
a couple of fly balls that went for doubles. You can't give a
team like
Granite Hills extra outs."
Granite Hills went on a doubles blitz to
tie the game in the bottom of the
4th inning. ANDY ROBERTS started the parade with a double off
the center
field fence. DONNY ANDERSON followed with a single, putting runners
at the
corners. WADE FRANCIS smashed a sharp ground ball that first baseman
RAY
RIVERA flagged and fired to catcher MATT POWELL to nail Roberts
at the plate.
Helix starter ROBERT STEVENS struck out
the next batter, but RYAN MARQUIS
provided a clutch 2-run double and then scored the tying marker
when JOHN
COIT doubled.
In the 5th inning, the Eagles forged in
front as CASEY CRAIG walked and KEVIN
JAMES and Roberts singled. NICK MONETTE provided some insurance
coverage when
he doubled in two, giving Granite Hills a 7-4 advantage.
Eight Granite Hills starters contributed
to an 11-hit attack, while nobody in
the Highlanders' order garnered more than one hit apiece.
(05-12-03)
El Capitan senior switch-hitter Jordan
Abruzzo (29) connects for his 6th home
run of the season in a 6-5 loss at West Hills (5-8-03). (Courtesy
photo)
EastCountySports.com
EL CAJON - To get a picture of what kind
of job Mount Miguel's MICHAEL
McLAUGHLIN did in blanking the visiting Granite Hills Eagles 3-0
in
Saturday's (May 10) Grossmont South League contest, check out
these numbers.
Granite Hills came in with a .351 team batting average, having
scored 71 runs
in its previous six games. McLaughlin's heat, melted the Granite
Hills
aluminum.
The Matadors' junior left-hander fired a
2-hitter and struck out 10 to record
his East County-leading 7th victory.
"That's the best I've seen him pitch,"
Granite Hills coach JAMES DAVIS said.
"We've had some pretty well-pitched games against us, and
this was certainly
one of them. He was especially tough on our left-handers."
Averaging just a smidgen less than 10 hits
per game, the Eagles (15-6, 6-4)
could muster just two singles - by SEAN PEPIN in the 4th and JOHN
COIT in the
5th - against McLaughlin.
"Mike threw strikes, worked fast and
really shut them down," Mount Miguel
coach ERNIE REYES said. But the pitcher also had to survive 6
Matadors errors.
Davis noted that McLaughlin baffled the
Eagles "by working up and down,
rather than in and out. And we helped him, too, by chasing some
bad balls."
DANE PONCIANO supplied the offensive punch
for Mount Miguel (13-9, 5-5). He
broke a scoreless deadlock with his 6th home run of the season
in the 4th
inning and then capped a two-run 5th with a sacrifice fly.
Senior ISAAC CASTELLANOS, making his first
varsity start, ignited the
Matadors' 5th inning rally with a single. ADRIAN BISHOP followed
suit and
ADRIAN PEREZ's bunt single loaded the bases. McLaughlin lofted
a fly ball to
center field that was dropped for an error, allowing Castellanos
to trot home
for a 2-0 lead. Ponciano drove a fly ball to the same area that
was caught
this time. But it was deep enough to permit Bishop to score.
"We're basically playing for the (San
Diego CIF Division II) playoffs," said
Reyes, whose Matadors trail Grossmont South-leading Valhalla by
four games
with five to play.
Granite Hills sophomore DONNY ANDERSON was
tagged with his second loss in
five decisions, but pitched well enough to win most games, scattering
7 hits
and allowing only 2 earned runs.
WEST HILLS 10, SANTANA 7 - For a hint as to who will win the Grossmont North
League pennant this year, one might ask the West Hills Wolf Pack.
Coach
JARROD CARMAN's club is pulling off all the upsets of late.
After TOMMY WILEY's two-run single helped
stake visiting Santana to a 4-0
lead in the 1st inning, the Wolf Pack (10-12, 4-3) went to work,
scoring in
five of its six turns at-bat.
DUSTIN BEECHLER, who was 4-for-4 and accounted
for 6 runs, provided the spark
for West Hills' initial comeback step with a single in the 2nd
inning. After
EDDIE PRYOR doubled, ZACK BILBREY singled to score Beechler. NATHAN
WICK
added a sacrifice fly to cut Santana's initial surge in half.
West Hills tied the game on Pryor's RBI
single and CODY DENNIS' run-scoring
double in the 3rd inning.
After a Santana error provided the Pack
with the go-ahead run in the 4th
inning, Beechler supplied the knock-out blow with a three-run
home run.
"We're a decent club when we do the
things we're supposed to do," Carman
said. "We struggled defensively today, but (NICK) RODIECK
was able to get us
out of a couple of jams. His pitching count was up, but he really
came
through for us."
Rodieck allowed only one earned run in 5
innings, as he notched his 5th win.
Three relievers helped finish the job, with MATT LUNA getting
the final two
outs to earn his first save.
Pryor went 3-for-3 for West Hills, which totaled 13 hits for the day.
BRYCE NELSON belted a three-run home run
in the 7th inning for Santana
(14-10, 5-3), which fell one-half game behind front-running El
Capitan in a
Grossmont North League race that has four teams separated by one
game.
NICK CARAVEO was 4-for-4 for the Sultans.
VALHALLA 5, MONTE VISTA 2 - At this stage in the season, it's all about
pitching depth. And the Valhalla Norsemen have their share.
Some might call BEAU WESSEL Valhalla's No.
3 starter, but coach Norseman
coach STEVE PERDUE called him the right man for the job in Saturday's
(May
10) Grossmont South League encounter with the visiting Monarchs.
Wessel, a senior right-hander, pitched five
strong innings, surrendering just
7 hits and 2 runs as he collected his third win in five decisions.
"When you are playing three games a
week you have to have a strong third
starter," Perdue said. "Wessel struggled a little in
the 1st inning and made
a bad pitch in the 3rd, but other than that, he was money."
Steady sophomore JOSH STEWART, normally
Valhalla's No. 2 starter, pitched 2
innings of hitless relief to earn his second save.
Valhalla's DREW GARCIA erased a 1-0 deficit
with a two-run double in the 2nd
inning. A third run scored on a wild pitch.
The Monarchs, who scored on a pair of singles
and ROBERT TIDWELL's sacrifice
fly in the 1st inning, received a solo home run from MARK COGLEY
in the 3rd
to slice the Valhalla advantage to 3-2.
Sophomore MIKE PETRIVELLI, making his first
varsity start, picked up the
Valhalla offense from there. After ZACH BARGER singled, stole
second and
advanced to third on a groundout in the 4th inning, Petrivelli
singled to
extend Valhalla's edge to 4-2.
In the 6th inning, TOMMY McCLAIN doubled
and Petrivelli singled to make it
5-2.
The Norsemen (17-6, 9-1), who have won six
straight and 12 of their last 14,
are sitting atop the Grossmont South with a two-game lead.
EL CAPITAN
12, EL CAJON VALLEY 4 - NIK GARCIA
(left) made the most of a second
chance on Saturday (May 10) and it helped the Vaqueros snap a
season-long
2-game losing streak at the expense of the visiting Braves.
With the Vaqueros leading 4-1 in the 2nd
inning, Garcia popped up a 2-2 pitch
behind the plate. The El Cajon Valley catcher was unable to make
the catch in
foul territory, thus giving Garcia another chance with the bases
loaded. El
Cajon Valley pitcher SHANE MYER delivered ball three, and then
watched Garcia
blast a 3-2 pitch into the student parking lot beyond left field
for a grand
slam and an 8-1 El Capitan cushion.
"Garcia gave us a big lift," El
Capitan coach STEVE VICKERY said. "We were
looking for that big hit that we haven't gotten in our last couple
of games.
And Nik came through."
So did several of the Vaqueros on this afternoon.
After JORDAN ANDERSON drew
a one-out walk in the 1st inning, JORDAN ABRUZZO and VERN WENGELER
hammered
back-to-back doubles giving El Capitan a 2-0 lead. BRANDON RAUCH
capped the
opening inning with an RBI single.
Rauch's single in the 2nd inning upped the
margin to 4-1 before Garcia
delivered the backbreaking blow.
El Capitan broke the game open with 4 runs
in the 6th inning. SHAUN BLAKE's
two-run single was the key blow.
El Cajon Valley's Myer was tagged with the
pitching loss thanks to 5 unearned
runs, but enjoyed a major outing at the plate with 3 hits, including
his
first varsity home run.
The Vaqueros (18-4, 5-2) used the victory
to catapult over Santana into the
Grossmont North League lead.
HELIX 7, STEELE CANYON 5 - The visiting Cougars (6-17, 0-11) took a rare 3-0
lead - thanks in part to ANDREW BOGAN's 2-run triple - in Saturday's
(May 10)
1st inning, but the Highlanders scrambled back to win and moved
into second
place in the Grossmont South League.
"The last time we had a lead of any
kind was against Kearny (April 16) in the
Lions Tournament," Steele Canyon coach PHIL MITTRY said.
"It felt good to
jump out in front."
That advantage, however, was short-lived.
AARON BAILEY walked, stole second
and scored on MATT POWELL's double in the bottom of the 1st. A
pair of
double steals helped the Highlanders knot the score at 3-all in
the 2nd
frame, before Bailey belted a colossal shot over the center field
fence to
give Helix a 4-3 lead in the 3rd inning.
RYAN RELUCIO's 2-run single through the
left side capped the Helix comeback
in the 3rd extending the Highlanders lead to 6-3.
NICK LEDESMA blasted a solo home run in
the 6th inning to stretch the margin
to 7-3 for Helix (10-13, 7-3).
The Cougars refused to go down without a
fight as CHRIS ALVAREZ belted a
2-run home run in the 7th inning. Steele Canyon brought the tying
run to the
plate after DONALD ARTHUR walked on four pitches.
Enter ROBERT STEVENS. The Highlanders' senior
right-hander came on to get a
game-ending strikeout to earn his East County-high 4th save.
Grossmont's Brant Rustich (24) slides safely
at second base as a Brawley defender applies a late tag. The Hillers
split a doubleheader with the
Bulldogs at Joe Gizoni Field on Saturday (5-10-03). (Photo
by Travis Downs)
BRAWLEY 6-1, GROSSMONT 5-17 - Sophomore MATT PASSANISI of Grossmont went
4-for-5, with a home run, 3 doubles, 4 runs scored and 6 RBI as
the
Foothillers split a non-league double-header with the visiting
Wildcats.
Lafayette Lofton's two-run home run broke
a 4-4 tie in the 6th inning of the
opener and Brawley hung on for the victory.
The Foothillers (13-10) stormed back with
a vengeance in the nightcap,
stacking up 17 hits in a lopsided victory. JAMES BEEBE was 3-for-3
with 5
RBI, including a three-run home run to give Grossmont a 14-1 lead
in the 3rd
inning. CHRIS TAKATA was 3-for-3 and scored 4 runs, while TONY
CUSUMANO went
2-for-4 with a home run.
DONNY SNOW and JOEL McGRANAHAN combined
on a 3-hitter while striking out 9.
Snow got the win in his first varsity appearance, while McGranahan
notched
his first save for 3 shutout innings of relief work.
BRANT RUSTICH belted a two-run home run
in a 6-run second inning of game two
and finished the twinbill 5-for-7 with 4 runs scored and 2 RBI.
USDHS 13, CHRISTIAN 2 - The Patriots took a walk on the wild side in
Saturday's (May 10) City Crossover game at the University of San
Diego's
Cunningham Field. Ten walks, one hit batter and 2 errors combined
with 15
USDHS hits spelled disaster for the Patriots (14-9, 5-4), who
were limited to
DANIEL MAGNESS' two-run single in the 5th inning.
USDHS (16-6, 9-0) leads the Western League
by one game over Mission Bay.
Christian, meanwhile, remains in a three-way tie for the Eastern
League lead
with Morse and Patrick Henry. The Western League completed a five-game
sweep
over the Eastern League in Saturday's crossover finale. No other
information
was reported to EastCountySports.com.
(05-10-03)
Mission Bay''s Jared Suwyn is out at
first on a double play, as the scoop is made by Christian 1st
baseman
Daniel Magness (26).
EastCountySports.com
PACIFIC BEACH - The Christian High Patriots
suffered their first shutout of
the season Friday (May 9) as they fell to host Mission Bay 7-0
in a City
Crossover game, but retained a share of the Eastern League lead
nonetheless.
The Patriots had gone 40 games without being blanked. They've
been shut out
only twice in their last 95 starts, dating back to the 2000 season.
None of
that mattered to Mission Bay (21-4), the No. 4-ranked team in
the county this
year.
A quartet of Buccaneers pushed the Patriots
off the plank Friday. Henry
Sanchez, a hard-throwing sophomore southpaw, limited Christian
to 4 hits over
the opening 5 innings before a trio of relievers completed the
job.
On the other side of the coin, Christian
starter JOEL ALLEN struggled with
his control, as he walked 7 and hit two batters during his 4 1/3
innings on
the mound. A pair of fielding errors added to his woes.
"Walks killed us," Christian coach
MIKE MITCHELL said. "They have really
disciplined hitters. And their pitchers threw nothing but strikes.
They
didn't walk anybody."
Allen battled his control from the outset,
as Mission Bay was granted a 1-0
lead in the 1st inning when the Patriots' senior right-hander
walked three
and hit one batter.
The Bucs made it 3-0 in the 3rd as Brock
Ungricht singled up the middle and
scored on Sanchez's 8th home run of the year. Jared Suwyn's bases-loaded
single plated two runs to make it 5-0 in the 5th.
The Patriots (14-8, 5-3), who conclude Crossover
activity on Saturday (May
10) against USDHS at the University of San Diego at 1:30 p.m.,
find
themselves in a three-way tie with Patrick Henry and Morse for
the Eastern
League lead.
(05-09-03)
Christian
pitcher Brian Schroeder (7) leads in receiving congratulations
after the Patriots won on Wednesday.
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