GVL, Pacific clubs seek CIF berths

By Nick Pellegrino
Updated: May 13, 2022

2022 EAST COUNTY PREP BASEBALL

ECS staff report

Foothills Christian 17, Orange Glen 1
SPRING VALLEY — Foothills Christian senior Colby Johnson fell a triple short in hitting for the cycle, but his home run and double were good for three RBI, leading the Knights to a 17-1 spanking of hapless Orange Glen to cap the Pacific League season slate on Thursday (May 11).

Johnson struck early. Following a lead walk to Dustin “Dusty” Baker, Johnson went deep on a liner to center field for a 2-0 lead.

“This team has put on a special run towards the end of the season,” said Johnson. “It hasn’t mattered who we’ve played, we go out and play our best and have fun. I’m proud of the effort this team has given.”

“Taylor (Casey), Billy (Temple) and John (Popka) all went in and did their jobs great on the mound today. We aren’t sure if we are in playoffs yet, but with the confidence we have right now, we are ready to keep playing. I’m beyond thankful to be apart of this team with all of our seniors leaving.”

The Knights went on to collect 16 hits in just four team at-bats in the mercy rule-shortened contest.

Foothills Christian scored seven times in the first, then five more in the third for a 14-0 cushion. Thus, starting pitcher Taylor Casey was pulled, but received the victory on the CIF sportsmanship rule. He allowed one hit and struck out five Patriots batters in his two innings.

Dustin “Dusty” Baker, the second baseman, also drove in three runs in handing Orange Glen (2-27 overall, 0-8 league) their 22nd consecutive loss.

Meanwhile, Foothills Christian (15-13, 6-2 league) finished one game behind league champion Maranatha Christian,

Inregards to the CIF Division III championship, the Knights are on the bubble to not make the playoffs. As of 8 p.m. Thursday, the CIF Computer Power Index listed the Knights at No. 13, but only the top 12 ballclubs advance to postseason play.

Unfortunately, the a potential tie-breaker could be a ballgame from late February, when Hilltop scored four times in the bottom of the seventh to take a 10-9 walk-off win over FCHS.

West Hills 11, El Capitan 3
LAKESIDE — The West Hills Wolf Pack became the second straight ballclub to capture the Grossmont Valley League title with an undefeated record, capping a 10-game slate by stopping host El Capotan, 11-3, Thursday (May 12) at Hostetler Field.

Santana,which was elevated to the Grossmont Hills League this season, accomplished the feat in 2021.

The Wolf Pack, trailing 1-0 right out f the gate, tallied 11 unanswered run before the Vaqueros countered with a air of late, cosmetic runs.

Center fielder Connor Evans recorded five RBI in his final regular-season outing, batting 2-for-4 with a home run and a double. The bomb was a 3-run shot to right to mount a 7-1 cushion in the third inning.

Meanwhile, catcher Conner Tanga added two RBI and a pair of runs on 3-for-4 hitting as part of a 14-hit attack by West Hills.

El Capitan (16-12, 7-3 GVL) saw senior Cole Winsor, the GVL home run champion this season, added on with his fifth blast of the season, a leadoff shot in the sixth in his final at-bat at home unless El Cap can secure a home CIF playoff date.

Meanwhile, West Hills (20-7-1, 10-0 GVL) also reached 20 victories for the first time in school history. They now hope to approach the school mark for the deepest postseason run, when the Pack gained a semifinals berth under late head coach Mickey Deutschman in 2019.

Valhalla 10, Monte Vista 0
SPRING VALLEY — Valhalla pitchers David Gordon and Riley Hughes combined on a 4-ht shutout, pacing the Norsemen to a 10-0 decision over host Monte Vista to cap the Grossmont Valley League slate on Thursday (May 11).

Gordon finished his six innings by striking out four Monarchs batters. As the cleanup batter, Gordon also drove in a game-best three runs on three hits, including a air of doubles,

The ballgame remained 3-0 for most of the afternoon until Valhalla tallied six times in the six th inning to pull away, allowing the Norsemen to catch El Capitan to finish in a tie for second place in the GVL standings.

Valhalla (13-15 overall, 703 GVL) also received two hits from sophomore Julian Jerjees.

Monte Vista (11-18, 4-6 GVL), which received a pair of stolen bases by Tyler Leme, finished in fourth place.

Mount Miguel 2, ECVHS 1
EL CAJON — The long losing streak in league games by El Cajon Valley was on the brink of getting snapped, but the visiting Mount Miguel Matadors held on for a 2-1 verdict in Grossmont Valley League play.

It was the season finale for both ballclubs.

The Matadors held a 2-0 advantage until the Braves broke through inn the sixth, as the Braves were seeking to snap a string of losses in league play (70) dating back to 2015.

Mount Miguel pitchers Daniel Guzman and Jr. Ettleman made a 2-0 lead stand up. Guzman pitched a 3-hit shutout for three innings,m striking out six Braves batters.

In the second, Steve Gulley led off by reaching on an error, later coring on a sacrifice fly by Julian Lopez.

Two innings later, the first three batters reached on a pair of single and then Gullet was hit by a pitch. Paul Maxwell followed with another sac fly, also to center field.

ECVHS tried to comeback in the fifth, but Ettleman picked off a runner at first base. But in the sixth, the Braves broke through after a bug oay in the top of the sixth.

With Matadors runners on the corners, a failed double steal saw ECVHS register the out at the plate, as pitcher Chris Cosio fired the ball to catcher Eddie Cazarez for the third out.

Cazarez then walked to lead off, then bunted along by Ruben Cosio, Next up was Chris Cosio, who singled to place runners on the corners, but whenthe basehit was booted in the outfield Cazarez scored.

However, Ettleman escaped the jam with an inning-ending ground ball to Eric Sandoval at First base. Ettleman registered a 1-2-3 in the seventh, also capped on a roller to Sandoval.

Mount Miguel (6-22 overall, 2-8 GVL) saw Daniel Guzman finish with half of the ballclub’s four hits.

ECVHS (4-17-1, 0-10 GVL) received a 4itter from Chris Cosio in his complete-game effort. The senior registered eight strikeouts. Ruben Cosio finished the regular season in a virtual tie for second place in the lGVL batting race at .390 batting average.