Griffins claim battle of unbeatens in 9th, stop No. 1 Saddleback

By Nick Pellegrino
Updated: February 6, 2025

2025 GROSSMONT COLLEGE BASEBALL

ECS staff report

Griffins: now 5-0… yet remain un anked!

MISSION VIEJO – Ignore the Super Bowl odds — this baseball adage is far moire predictible: when a leadoff batter walks, that player usually scores.

Statistics don’t lie, which is why the Groffmont College baseball remained unbeaten through five ballgames.

In a battle between unbeaten ballclubs on Thursday (Feb. 7), Griffins third baseman Simon Griffin accepted a leadoff base-on-balls to open the ninth inning, eventually coming home with the go-ahead run in a 4-3 verdict over host top-ranked Saddleback College. BOXSCORE

Griffin, a sophomore out of Madison, advanced to second base on a sacrifice bunt by center fielder Anthony Matthiesen (Helix), then broke the deadlock when shortstop Noah Manasan (Canyon Hills), the No. 9 hitter, slapped an RBI single up the middle.

Saddleback: now 6-1

Manasan raised his batting average to .353, gaining an RBI for the third straight contest.

Meanwhile, clean-up hitter Nico Newhan (Maranatha Christian), the second baseman, batted 3-for-4 to raise his average to .435, the second-best on the balclub.

Grossmont relief pitcher Xavier Franco, who registered the final out in the bottom of the eighth inning to prevent the Bobcats from taking the lead, then also pitched the nionth to gain his first victory of the season.

The other pitching standout was Ryan Ellis (Patrick Henry), who entered in the fourth, evetually firing 4.0 innings of two-hit, shutout ball to keep the Griffins in the ballgame after the teans wre deadlocked at 3-all through three frames.

CCCAA South;and Rankings (Jan. 28) — 1. Saddleback, 2. Santa Ana, 3. Cerritos, 4. Palomar, 5. Golden West, 6. Mt. San Antonio, 7. Riverside, 8. Cuesta, 9.Cypress, 10. Long Beach, 11. Glendale, 12, L.A. Valley, 13. Fullerton, 14. Santa Barbara, 15. Allan Hancock, 16. Southwestern, 17. Chaffey, 18. College of the Canyons, 19. Pasadena, 2p. Mt. San Jacinto.

From the view of Saddleback (6-1 overall), the Bobats blew the contest.

With Grossmont already holding a 1-0 lead on a basehit by designated hitter Noah Tenbrook (Cathedral Catholic, .450) in the first, the Griffins were gifted a pair of unearned runs in the third before the Bobcats pulled even in the home-half of the inning.

Then the lead walk in the ninth was obviously hurtful. OTHER VIEWS (coming Friday)

Grossmont (5-0) take the weekend off, then open a season-long, 6-game homestand on Tuesday (Feb. 11) by hosting Irvine Valley College at Noel Michelson Field, starting at 1 p.m.

Note: Saddleback entered at 6-0 after whipping Southwestern, Grossmont’s Pacific Coast Athletic Conference rival, 12-2… On Friday (Feb. 7), the Bobcats travel to Palomar, the 4th-ranked club in the Southland… According to the latest (Jan. 28) CCCAA rankings, Grossmont remains unranked depsite its perfect record. POLL