Shrum, Eagles feeling fine in division driver’s seat

By Bill Dickens
Updated: May 28, 2016

Granite Hills' Trevor Omahen (4) comes across home with the game-winning run in the bottom of the seventh on Thursday. / photo by Ramon Scott

2016 EAST COUNTY PREP BASEBALL

By Bill Dickens
EastCountySports.com

EL CAJON – With their San Diego Section Division I game with Torrey Pines tied 2-2, the Granite Hills Eagles had the winning run at third base with one out in the seventh inning.

Up stepped DILLAN SHRUM who boasts a .426 batting average. The debate here was whether or not to pitch to Shrum, who was 0-for-2 with a sacrifice fly up to that point in the game.

Granite Hills’ Andrew Brown delivers to Torrey Pines in the seventh inning of the Eagles’ playoff win over the Falcons in El Cajon. / photo by Ramon Scott

The Torrey Pines coaches elected to go after him again, but this time they paid as the Nevada-bound senior slugged a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring TREVOR OMAHEN with the walkoff hit. Omahen was the pinch runner for GARRETT CURRAN, who slugged a pinch hit single, advanced to second on a passed ball and reached third base on JOSH VERDON’s groundout. Omahen re-entered the game as a pinch runner and wound up scoring the game winner.

After more than a month of physical therapy instead of swinging a bat, Shrum returned to the Granite Hills batting order a little more than a week ago. He’d already made his mark as a pitcher.

“There’s no doubt about it, I like hitting rather than pitching,” he said. “I like to bat in situations like this, with the game on the line. I know it was a pressure situation but experience helps, especially in spots like this.”

ANDREW BROWN scattered 6 hits and allowed only one earned run while striking out 3 and walking none.

“I hit my x’s, hit my corners,” said Brown (8-3). “I threw the ball a lot inside today. I hit the zone against guys that had an open stance. It was one of the best games I’ve pitched – probably one of the most important.”

The victory allowed Granite Hills to advance to Tuesday’s (May 31) semifinals against an opponent yet to be determined.

“I’m glad to get the weekend off,” Brown noted. “I think we all could use the rest.)

Granite Hills middle infielders convert a force out during the Eagles’ win over Torrey Pines on Thursday. / EastCountySports.com photo

Granite Hills tied the game in the third inning as JAKE FENN hit a double and BRADEN ANDERSON ran for him. JOSH VERDON singled and set the stage for Anderson to score on the first of Shrum’s sacrifice flies.

Granite Hills took the lead as Fenn drew a one out walk. Omahen singled and Fenn scored on a double by Josh Verdon, tying the game at 2-2. That put the Eagles in position to win the game in the final frame.

“The thing I really like about our team, we kept fighting back,” said Eagles coach JAMES DAVIS. “This was a big game for us and our senior leaders came through.”

Division I
EAGLES 3, FALCONS 2
Torrey Pines    ab r h bi Granite Hills  ab r h bi
Bramlett lf      4 1 2 0  JoVerdon 3b     4 0 2 1
Rutledge rf      2 0 1 1  Shrum lf        4 0 0 2
Cavalosi pr      0 1 0 0  Hazelhurst rf   2 0 0 0
Hurt 3b-ss       3 0 0 0  Cossio 2b       3 0 1 0
Reeves ss-3b     0 0 0 0  Ross dh         3 0 0 0
Trausch 1b       3 0 0 0  BSt.Clair cf    3 0 1 0
Bingham cf       3 0 2 1  ABrown p        3 0 0 0
McCaskill c      3 0 0 0  Fenn c          1 1 1 0
Patrick 2b       3 0 1 0  Anderson pr     0 1 0 0
Galuzzi dh       3 0 0 0  Omahen ss       2 1 1 0
Boone ss         3 0 0 0  Curran ph       1 0 1 0
                          JaVerdon        0 0 0 0
                          Reyes           0 0 0 0
TOTALS          27 2 6 2  TOTALS         26 3 7 3

  Torrey Pines  (19-12) 100 001 0 – 2 6 1
  Granite Hills (21-11) 001 010 1 – 3 7 4

GWRBI-Shrum (6).
E-Patrick, Omahen 3, ABrown.  DP-GH 1. LOB-TP 5, GH 6. 
2B-JoVerdon, Fenn. SF-Rutledge, Shrum, JoVerdon.

PITCHING SUMMARY
Torrey Pines        ip  h  r er bb so
 Sidney   L        6.2  7  3  2  2  4
Granite Hills
 ABrown  W(8-3)    7.0  6  2  1  3  0
WP-ABrown.