Fourth title in 2015 sweetest for Patriots

By Bill Dickens
Updated: June 20, 2015

Photo courtesy of Coach Beezer. Christian High’s Baseball team wins the CIF-San Diego Section Division III title.

By Bill Dickens
© East County Sports.com
ALCALA PARK (6-6-15) — Christian wasn’t short of dramatics in Friday’s (June 5) San Diego Section Division III championship game at USD’s Fowler Park against Del Norte.

Fact is, the Patriots scored 2 runs in the bottom of the 7th to squeeze out a 5-4 victory over the Nighthawks and take the crown. Christian earned its third section title in six years.

In their latest conquest, which hoisted their school record to 29-2, the Patriots overcame a 2-run deficit in the final frame as KYLE STOWERS hit a game-winning sacrifice fly to shower his teammates with CIF championship passes all around.

It wasn’t as easy as it sounds, though. Del Norte scored 3 runs in the top of the 7th, leaving Christian on the brink of defeat.

BRYCE JURRIES blanked the Nighthawks on 2 hits over the first five innings before caving in in the 6th.

But the Nighthawks came storming back, doing all of their scoring in the final two frames with an upset in mind.

After Del Norte wrestled the lead away from Christian with 3 tallies in the final frame, Christian made a last ditch comeback.

There was little time for Christian to hang their head, however, as No. 9 hitter NATE CAZARES blasted a leadoff home run over the 385-foot right field fence to tie it up.

Obviously stunned by the leadoff homer, the Nighthawks’ Parker Lappin then followed by hitting TREVOR HOWELL, which put the potential winning run on base. ZACH HOGUEISSON singled and Lappin hit another batter, WILL HAIL, to load the bases. Stowers stepped up and hit a sacrifice fly, allowing Howell to cruise home with the game winner, emptying the bench in a dogpile.

It was the third run that Howell scored in the game.

“I wanted to win this one for the seniors,” said Stowers, who delivered his 4th game winning RBI. “We’re a team that’s really worked on game situation hitting, and we came up big this time. They threw me a fastball up and in, and I was ready to jump on it.”

The last time the Patriots won a CIF title was in 1997.

“That was a really good team,” Patriots coach MIKE MITCHELL said. “Several members of that team came to the game today.”

Which team was better?

“This is probably the best team I’ve ever had,” the coach replied.

June 6, 2015
SDCIF Finals
PATRIOTS 5, NIGHTHAWKS 4
Del Norte        ab r h bi  Christian       ab r h bi
Young lf-cf       4 2 3 0   Howell ss        1 3 1 0
Abrenica 2b       3 0 2 0   Hogueisson rf    3 0 2 1
Kidwell cf-lf     3 0 1 2   Hail c           2 0 0 0
Connors 1b        4 0 0 0   Stowers cf       3 0 1 1
Siaweleski dh     3 0 0 0   Ledgerwood 3b    2 0 0 0
Koehmstedt ss     0 0 0 0   Wehsener 1b      3 0 2 0
Falk p            1 0 0 0   Jurries p        3 0 1 0
Lavin pr          0 0 0 0   Jarvis p         0 0 0 0
Rollins rf        2 1 1 0   Meza 2b          3 0 0 0
Lappin cf-p       3 1 1 0   Cazares dh       3 2 1 1
Kimbrell c        2 0 0 0   Hester lf        0 0 0 0
Brower ph         0 0 0 1
TOTALS           25 4 8 3   TOTALS          23 5 8 3
 
   Del Norte (16-17) 000 001 3 – 4 8 2
   Christian  (29-2) 101 010 2 – 5 8 1
   (Two outs when winning run scored.)
 
GWRBI-Stowers (4).
E-Abrenica, Falk, Howell. DP-DN 1, Chr 1. LOB-DN 5, 
Chr 7. 2B-Abrenica, Hogueisson. HR-Cazares (1) 7th, 
solo. SB-Howell, Young. S-Hogueisson, Rollins. SF-
Kidwell, Hail, Stowers, Brower.
 
PITCHING SUMMARY
Del Norte           ip  h  r er bb so
 Falk              3.0  2  2  1  3  4
 Lappin  L(6-4)    2.2  5  3  2  1  1
 Hylton            0.2  1  0  0  0  0
Christian
 Jurries           6.2  7  4  3  2  2
 Jarvis  W(7-0)    0.1  1  0  0  0  1
HBP by-Hylton (Howell), by Jurries (Falk, Rollins), 
by Lappin (Stowers).
Hylton faced 3 batters in the 7th.

Patriots in line for fourth title this year

By Bill Dickens
© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (6-3-15) — The Christian High Patriots mauled Mater Dei Catholic 16-6 in Tuesday’s (June 2) semifinals to qualify for the San Diego Section CIF Division III finals at USD’s Fowler Field on Friday (June 6) at 3:30.

Christian will be shooting for its third section title in six years if successful against the winner of Falbrook-Del Norte in Wednesday’s (June 3) semifinal.

“I don’t see it, but people criticize our 28-2 record, claiming that we don’t play a tough schedule,” noted Patriots coach MIKE MITCHELL. “We don’t choose who we play. It’s our job to beat whoever is on our schedule.”

Mitchell pointed out that his Patriots are 2-1 against the Top 4 seeds in Division III.

Even more impressive is the Patriots defeated Eastlake in the Aztec-Foothiller final, captured the City Conference Tournament crown and the Disney Tournament in Orlando, Fla.

The Patriots, ranked No. 3 in the county, ripped off 17 hits as they defeated Mater Dei for the third time this season. They wiped out a 3-0 deficit with an 11-run spread in the 3rd inning. Fourteen Patriots came to bat in that pivotal frame.

Leadoff man TREVOR HOWELL, a four-year starter, was 3-for-4 with 2 RBI and 2 runs scored.

“When we go on the field we expect to win,” said Howell, who has a scholarship to Utah Valley University of the Western Athletic Conference.

Christian established a school record with a 28-2 mark, breaking a 26-2-1 finish in 1997.

“We knew we had a good ballclub, going in,” said the Patriots’ CHRISTIAN MEZA, a four-year starter for the team. “It’s just been a matter of earning respect.” Meza, a middle infielder, went 2-for-3 with 2 hits, including a double and 2 RBI.

Howell, perhaps the most versatile player on the Patriots’ roster, stakes his talent as a shortstop. He played shortstop, catcher and pitcher against the Crusaders.

“I can’t think of a better way of finishing my high school career,” Howell said. “I’ve grown up catching – love the position because I’m involved in every play. But I don’t mind playing the other positions either. Whatever it takes for us to win, that’s what I want to do.”

Sophomore ZACH HOGUEISSON whacked a 2-run homer to cap the 11-run 3rd inning as the Patriots turned the game into a blowout.

Designated hitter NATE CAZARES was 3-for-3 with a double, 2 RBI and 2 runs scored.

Centerfielder KYLE STOWERS chipped with a pair of doubles and 2 runs scored.

Probably the clutch hit of the game was a 2-run single to center by BRYCE JURRIES that broke a 3-3 tie.

June 2, 2015
SDCIF Semifinals
PATRIOTS 16, CRUSADERS 6
Mater Dei          ab r h bi  Christian     ab r h bi
Velez c             2 1 1 0   Howell c-ss    4 2 3 2
Amaya p-rf          4 1 2 1   Gershow ph     1 0 0 0
Calamanares ss      4 1 2 0   Hogueisson rf  4 1 2 2
Villafranco 2b      2 1 1 1   Jarvis ph      1 0 0 0
Skillman 3b         1 0 0 0   Hail p-c       4 1 1 2
Golembiewski rf     2 0 1 0   Stowers cf     4 2 2 0
Rodlahn 1b          4 1 1 0   Ledgerwood lf  2 3 1 0
Lopez cf            4 0 2 2   Wehsener 1b    3 1 1 1
Ireland dh          2 0 0 0   Jurries 3b     4 1 2 3
Machado lf          0 0 0 0   Meza ss-2b     3 3 2 2
Aleksandravicius lf 2 1 0 0   Cazares dh     3 2 3 2
                              Griffin 2b     0 0 0 0
                              Contreras ph   0 0 0 0
                              Neilsen ph     1 0 0 0
                              Keltner lf     0 0 0 0
TOTALS            27 6 10 4   TOTALS     34 16 17 14
 
   Mater Dei (11-22) 2 0 1  001 2 –  6 10 0
   Christian  (28-2) 00(11) 320 x – 16 17 1
 
GWRBI-Jurries (5).
E-Meza. DP-Chr 1. LOB-MDC 9, Chr 4. 2B-Ledgerwood, 
Stowers 2, Meza, Cazares. HR-Hogueisson (4) 3rd, one 
on. SB-Velez. S-Skillman. SF-Villafranco.
 
PITCHING SUMMARY
Mater Dei         ip  h  r er bb so
 Amaya  L        2.2  8  8  8  1  1
 Bracamontes     0.1  3  3  3  0  0
 Golembiewski    3.0  6  5  5  2  2
Christian
 Hail            2.1  5  3  2  3  2
 Bessone W(4-1)  3.2  2  1  1  2  2
 Howell          1.0  3  2  2  1  0
HBP-by Amaya (Meza). WP-Amaya 2, Golembiewski 2.

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