Ross is greeted after his first home run on Tuesday.
2021 EAST COUNTY PREP BASEBALL
EastCountySports.com
EL CAJON – Christian High senior Braeden Ross is among the elite players this season in the county.
Ross put his power on display Tuesday afternoon, blasting a pair of home runs to lead Christian High to a 9-4 victory over visiting Cathedral Catholic High.
The 13th-ranked Patriots hit three home runs on the day.
Cathedral picked up a pair of runs in the top of the first, but Ross tied the game with a two-run shot in the bottom half.
“It was a slider,” Ross said. “I thought it had a chance to get out but I hustled out of the box.”
Christian took a 3-2 lead on a two-out single by Hunter Kahl later in the first.
Cathedral scored to tie the game in the top of the second on a double-play grounder.
However, Christian answered with three runs in the bottom of the second when Shane Bailey drew a bases-loaded walk and Xavier Farnum picked up an RBI on the next at-bat when he was hit by a pitch. Moments later, Ross scored on a wild pitch.
Ross hit his second home run of the game in the bottom of the sixth to give Christian a 7-4 lead. He raised his season average to .576 and his RBI count to 13.
“The key for us is to stay consistent with our bats and to make the routine plays,” said Ross, a Cal State Northridge commit. “We let them score runs on plays that should’ve been made.”
Christian High’s Nathan Cena, in his first at-bat of the season, cracked a two-run home run of his own for the final margin in the last of the sixth.
Introducing Nathan Cena! First AB of season is a 2-run HR. Welcome to CHS. Patriots go up 9-4 over Cathedral headed to 7th. pic.twitter.com/J8Za2n0QKE
— CHS Patriots Athletics (@CHS___Athletics) April 28, 2021
Sophomore Vaughn Major had seven strikeouts in five innings of work as the starter to earn the victory after the rough start.
Major had his slider and curveball working to run his record to 4-0 (2.10 ERA). He doubled in the game and also scored a pair of runs.
Aaron Shebloski pitched the final two frames for the Patriots, keeping the Dons at bay in his first varsity pitching appearance.
“He just came out last week once football ended,” Christian High head coach Mike Mitchel said. “Our pitchers battled well because our defense was less than stellar.”
Christian has to turn around and travel to face St. Augustine, the fifth-ranked team in the county, on Wednesday.
SANTANA 9, CANYON CREST ACADEMY 3 – Santana’s Elijah Reber banged out four hits, leading Santana to a 9-3 win over Canyon Crest.
The Sultans, ranked 11th in the county, improved to 11-4 overall.
Reber singled in the first, doubled in the second, singled in the sixth, and singled in the seventh. He drove in two and scored three times.
“The bats have been hot lately,” Reber said. “We are going to keep it rolling through league. It’s going to be a great second half.”
Santana scored on an error in the first inning, but put up four runs in the second inning as singles by Caleb Harris and Tyler Glowacki and a double by Reber knocked in runs.
Dean Landers was the winning pitcher for the Sultans, going five innings, allowing five hits and two runs while striking out six.
“Everyone was able to contribute and help both at the plate and in the field,” said Landers, who went 2-for-3 with two runs scored offensively. “Our pitching staff isn’t afraid to challenge a team and put our guys in a position to win a ball game. And Reber had a day out there. He’s a guy we look to lead the way, whether it be hitting or in the field.”
Harris threw two innings in relief out of the bullpen.
San Diego State-bound senior Tyler Glowacki went 2-for 4 with a walk and two runs batted in for Santana.
