Wolf Pack rally for So.Cal. championship

By Nick Pellegrino
Updated: June 26, 2021

2021 CIF State Division V-A champion West Hills Wolf Pack.

2021 EAST COUNTY PREP BASEBALL

CIF So. CALIFORNIA DIVISION V-A REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

WEST HILLS 9, WASHINGTON UNION 5

From staff and wire reports

FRESNO —- This will be the quickest long road trip in the history of West Hills Wolf Pack baseball.

The Pack tallied five times in the seventh inning to break a 5-5 deadlock, stunning top-seed Washington Union, 9-5, to claim Saturday’s (June 26) CIF Southern California Division V-A regional baseball championship.

The game-winning rally culminated on a pair of clutch, two-out hits.

With the bases loaded, first baseman Ryan Parker drilled a two-run, go-ahead double to right field. Moments later, catcher Owen Rodgers (walk) came home on a wild pitch, then center fielder Connor Evans stroked a line single to center for an RBI.

West Hills, which allowed a 5-1 lead to disappear before recovering, saw Jacob Villanueva come out of the bullpen to register four consecutive outs to save the victory over Wolf Pack starting pitcher Kyle Dobyns.

With the triumph, West Hills (18-17 overall) finished with a winning record after going unbeaten (6-0) in both CIF sectional and regional competitions. Not bad for a CIFSDS Division IV program which went a mere 2-13 in the Division Open-I-II dominated Grossmont Hills League.

Third baseman Evon Drake, first baseman Ryan Rodgers, and Villanueva, the starting second baseman, each had two of the Pack’s nine base hits.

Washington Union (19-14), which finished third in the Central Section’s North Sequoia League, collected just five hits. Included was a Tyler Martin triple ad a Richard Lopez double.

This was the first Southland regional ever conducted by the CIF.