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Norsemen, Matadors, Wolf Pack win

2019 EAST COUNTY PREP BASEBALL

Division III
VALHALLA 5, OLYMPIAN 2
RANCHO SAN DIEGO – Valhalla Norsemen
starting pitcher Riley O’Sullivan must
feel jinxed. Despite solid numbers, the
senior is often deprived of a victory
for a variety of reasons, including the
school’s incredible streak of winning
in extra innings, leaving him with no
decision.

So when the visiting Eagles tallied a
pair of unearned runs in the 2nd
inning, O’Sullivan simply did all he
could do — and he finally got win No. 5
of the season.

Backed by his complete-game 5-hitter,
O’Sullivan struck out 10 batters, then
the offense closed with five unanswered
runs to claim Wednesday’s (May 15) CIF
Division III first-round ballgame.

Of course, nothing came easily for
O’Sullivan; the three tie-breaking runs
didn’t score until the 6th inning.

Tied at 2-all, O’Sullivan registered
three strikeouts in the top of the 6th,
so his teammates immediately responded
for the victory.

Luke Clark lined a lead single to
center, then O’Sullivan worked a one-
out walk. A fielder’s choice took out
Clark, but Kyle Casper followed with a
line single to right to plate
O’Sullivan with the go-ahead run.

And when Trey Henige followed with a 2
-run single, O’Sullivan overcame a
short rest on the bench to close-out
the triumph with a pair of strikeouts.

Valhalla (21-7) needs one additional
victory to tie for the most by the
program since capturing the CIF crown
in 2006. That opportunity comes Friday
in the winner’s bracket semifinals
against Mira Mesa, which nipped
University City, 7-6, by scoring twice
in the bottom of the 9th inning.

Olympian (17-11) saw their bottom-five
hitters each collect one hit each,
while the top four went a composite 0-
for-12 against O’Sullivan (5-2).

The Norsemen got even with single runs
in the 3rd and 5th frames. Ethan Dunnam
singled in Casper to get on the
scoreboard, then Casper, who batted 2-
for-4 with a walk and scored three
times, stole home plate to knot the
contest at 2-all.

DIVISION IV
WEST HILLS 11, TRI-CITY CHRISTIAN 1
OCEANSIDE – Wolf Pack manager Mickey
Deutschman felt right at home at
MiraCosta College, the site of many
wars with his San Diego Stars semipro
and summer collegiate ballclub he
operates.

The comfort level carried over to his
players, especially starting pitcher
Kyle Dobyns. The sophomore equaled a
season-high with seven strikeouts to
bounce the second-seeded Eagles.

Dobyns yielded just three hits over his
5.1 innings. Gavin Kondyra entered in
relief to register the final five outs.

“Kyle took the ball and knew what he
needed to do — he pitched like a
veteran,” said Deutschman. “When the
rest of the ballclub realized Kyle was
relaxed, they relaxed, too, playing
great defense behind him.”

West Hills sprinted to a 6-0 cushion.
When Dobyns was tagged for an unearned
run in the 5th inning, the Pack posted
five more runs to make it a romp.

The offense center around center
fielder Kole Klingerman, who posted his
second consecutive 3-for-4 outing in
CIF play. Klingerman and catcher Andrew
Ritayik each registered a pair of RBI

Meanwhile, West Hills left fielder
Jacob Villanueva, who recorded his
first hit of the season in Tuesday’s
play-in game, collected two additional
base hits, including a double. He also
scored three times.

It’s the first time West Hills (13-14
overall) has captured two postseason
games in the same year since 2012. The
only time the Wolf Pack won three times
in a playoff year: 2003, the season of
their only league title.

For West Hills to establish a school
record, the No. 10 seeds will need to
play the rest of their CIF games on the
road as the lowest remaining seed in
the D-4 field. he next Wolf Pack game
is Friday at third-seed Mt. Carmel, as
the Sundevils rallied to nip visiting
Sweetwater, 4-3.

Tri-City Christian (17-10-1), champions
of the small-school Pacific League over
Foothills Christian, equaled their
largest setback by margin (10) since
falling to a team from Illinois at a
spring break tournament in Moon River,
Ariz.

The Eagles are coached by Clay
Klavitter, a former minor-league
catcher-first baseman prospect for the
Seattle Mariners.

DIVISION V
MOUNT MIGUEL 11, CV-HIGH TECH 0
BONITA – At Sweetwater Valley Little League,
the Mount Miguel Matadors won back-to-back playoff games
by shutout for the first time in school history.
The Matadors needed to
travel two freeway exits then over the
Sweetwater River to bury the No. 3 seed
Bruins in a CIF Division V first-round
affair.

Sophomore pitcher Thomas Ringer fired a
6-hitter for his first career shutout,
as the Matadors scored over each of the
first four innings to mount an 8-0
advantage.

Ringer rang up 10 strikeouts, as only
two opponents ever reached second base,
both coming in the final two innings
when the contest was long decided.

One of the Bruins runners was erased
when Matadors first baseman garnered a
line drive to post an unassisted double
play to end the sixth.

Earlier in the fourth, the Bruins
actually had two baserunners, but the
first one was nailed by Mount Miguel
catcher Cameron Beauzec on a stolen
base attempt.

Beauzec also posted a big day at the
plate, including a solo home run. He
went 2-for-4 with a walk, scoring all
three times he reached base. The homer
came in the second to extend the Mount
Miguel lead to 4-0.

Today was a really fun day,” Beauzec said.
“We played very well and had such a great time.”

After hitting just one homer during
the regular season, Beauzec now has two
in postseason action.
“We really located a lot of pitches well and
have been competing at a high level.”Individually I’m just trying to be the best
defensive catcher I can, but also hit the ball hard.”

For Mount Miguel (12-17), the other
nine Matadors to bat all had one hit
each in the 10-hit attack. They next
travel to eastern Escondido to meet No.
2 seed Orange Glen on Friday.

CV-High Tech (15-5), champions of the
small-school Summit League over SD-High
Tech and Foothills Christian, will host
Pacific Ridge of Carlsbad after the
Firebirds fell to Orange Glen.

MORSE 3, MOUNTAIN EMPIRE 2
SKYLINE – A fast start saw the RedHawks secure a
2-0 lead in their first trip to the
plate, but the Tigers got even in the
5th and took the lead in the 6th in
Wednesday’s (May 15) CIF Division V
first-round encounter.

Tigers pitcher Chris Westover yielded
three hits and three walks in the
first, then settled in with three
shutout innings. However, the Morse
bullpen allowed five hits over the
final three frames, yet escaped each
time without allowing a run.

Mountain Empire’s fast start saw its
first four batters — Trevor Elliott
(walk), Jacobe Noland (single), then
Sam Jones and Ian Estrada (both walks)
— reach base for a station-to-station
run.
One out later, center fielder Sean
Hodge lodged an RBI single to right
field. However, the RedHawks would
strand 13 runners, unable to garner
another clutch hit all afternoon.
Estrada, the second baseman, finished
with three base hits, while Elliott,
Noland and Hoge registered two hits
each.

Elliott also pitched a complete game
with 12 strikeouts in firing a 3-
hitter, but was burned by a pair of
unearned runs on a pair of errors in
the fifth.

An inning later, Morse’s also scored on
a bases-loaded walk. Scoring the run
was shortstop Alonzo Durazo.

The top of the inning also saw a pair
of RedHawks ruled out at the plate.
When the RedHawks’ Noland hit what
looked like a go-ahead sacrifice fly to
score Elliott from third base, instead,
Tigers left fielder Lawrence Nelson
fired the ball to catcher Kevin Romero
for a double play.

Two batters later, a single by Estrada
had RBI labled all over it, but Morse
center field Nouhan Edmerson also fired
a strike to Romero at the plate to gun
down another runner.

Morse (17-10 overall) will next meet
Army-Navy, after the Warriors scored a
6-3 upset of CV-Calvary Christian.

That means Mountain Empire (14-6) will
next meet Calvary, their Citrus League
rivals, for a third time this season.
Calvary won the league title over the
RedHawks by virtue of sweeping the
regular-season series.

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