Vaqueros, Norsemen drop tourney games

By Ramon Scott
Updated: March 17, 2018

Valhalla players / photo by Don De Mars Photography

2018 EAST COUNTY PREP BASEBALL

EastCountySports.com staff report

POWAY – The El Capitan Vaqueros have won both their home games so far this season, but a tough road schedule has them taking their lumps when leaving Lakeside.

On Friday afternoon, El Cap traveled up to Poway, but after an early 2-0 lead, the Vaqueros left with a 7-3 loss to the now-top 10 ranked Titans, which won their fourth-straight, in the Hilltop Tournament.

El Capitan’s AUSTIN BELL doubled home a run in the top of the first. BLAKE “Boomer” PEYTON followed with an RBI single to center for a 2-0 lead.

Poway scored four runs in the third inning after the Vaqueros committed three errors in the frame.

Bell hit his second run-scoring double of the game in the fifth inning to cut a Poway lead to 6-3.

Vaqueros STEVIE MONTEJANO collected three more hits, while SHAYNE CUNNINGHAM added a pair of hits for El Cap.

El Capitan will host Bonita Vista on Monday in the Dickens GMC tourney at 4 p.m.

RANCHO BUENA VISTA 6, VALHALLA 5 – Valhalla rallied twice against the visiting Longhorns, but went winless in five starts at the season-opening 31st annual Hilltop-Lolita’s Tournament.

After RBV extended an early 2-0 lead to 4-0 in the top of the fourth, the Norsemen scored three in the bottom of the inning, starting with a ground single to right by senior COLE HOWARD, which scored senior TANNER SMITH (walk).

The ‘Horns picked up two more in the top of the fifth, but Valhalla answered right back on an RBI double by sophomore KYLE CASPER, which scored junior JONAH ST. CLAIRE (walk), then on a run-scoring single by senior JACOB BARBA, bringing home Casper.

Casper kept his team in the game with two strong innings of late relief, allowing just one hit and striking out three.

Valhalla will host Christian High on Monday at 3:30 in the Bill Dickens bracket of the Grossmont-Mesa-City Tournament.