- Community Colleeges: February 16-22
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- ROUND UP: Wolf Pack Take Down Eastlake
- Woodland’s Gem Propels Helix
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- Gallery: Boys Hoops – Week 10
- Vaqs continue qinning ways In tight contest
- VALLEY: Sultans finish undefeated season
- It takes the Pack to sweep Scotties
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- 2018 EAST COUNTY SOFTBALL Schedule / Scores / Standings
- DV: LIONS ROAR TO CHAMPIONSHIP
- Williams, Vaqueros sweep into D3 final
- D2: After walk-off thrill, Sultans slump
- DII: SULTANS HAVE MADDY, MADDY, MAD POWER IN PLAYOFF WIN
- DIII: Vaqueros end Scotties’ upset run
- CIF OPEN DIVISION: SCRIPPS RANCH ROLLS EAGLES
‘Vaq Attack’ etches mark in record book
- Updated: April 9, 2025
El Capitan's Dustin Celeste with one of 19 hits / Photgo by Nick Pellegrino
2025 EAST COUNTY PREP BASEBALL’
East County Sports.com
LAKESIDE – The Hostetler Field scoreboard is currently unoperational.
If the mechanism was functional, it may not have been after El Capitan blazed to an 18-0 lead, whipping Valhalla, 19-5, in Wednesday’s (Apr. 9) Grossmont Hills League opener.
The Vaqueros are tied for first with top-ranked and undefeated Granite Hills, which blanked Helix, 2-0.
El Capitan’s “Vaq Atgtack” came close in establishing several CIF-San Diego Section records.
Led by a pair of triples by Matt Eckis, the offense posted six three-base hits — equally the second-most listed mark in the section record book.
El Capitan tied the 1996 mark set by St. Augustine (vs. University City).
The small-school mark is 7, held by Calvary Christian (although the CIF record online resource doesn’t state which Calvary — there are two) in a 2012 contest with Ocean View Christian.
Eckies became the 29th player to register a pair of triples. Six others hold the mark with three in a single contest, including twice including East County players (but none f romthe Grossmont Conference).
The list includes Josh Barber of Mountain Empire (vs. West Shores in 2007), and Daniel Luckett of Foothills Christian (vs. Lincoln , 2015).
The Vaqueros finished with 37 total bases on 19 hits, also feturing a trio of doubles, then built an 18-0 lead on a 3-run home run by catcher David Vera.
Vera, a senior, also tied for the club lead with four hits, matching the 4-for-4 performance by freshman right fielder Kane Bartley, who belted a double and scored three times.
Oddly, El Capitan (6-7 overall, 1-0 GHL) was retred in order in the first inning. They later scored five times in the second. then addrd nine additional markers in the fourth — capped by Vera’s shot to left field — for the 18-run cushion.
Emilio Fearn-Flores
To be fair to Valhalla (4-10, 0-1 GHL), the Orange were without most of their starting pitching staff and were forced to utilize some young arms.
Norsemen catcher Mace Wheeler shortstop Jesse McCormick and center fielder Tanner Lough posted two hits each, which allowede the Norsemen to score four times in the seventh toprevcent El Cap pitcher Landon Harbach two outs short of a complete game. Harback finished with five strikeouts.
The rout started on a bases loaded walk for a run, then Bartket=y line a 3-run double to right.
- Nick Pellegrino
Grossmont Hills League
Granite Hills 2, Helix 0
EL CAJON – Granite Hills pitcher Luke Bailey captured his fifth straight outing, gaining the Grossmont Conference lead in victories after friing a 5-hit shutout over Helix in the Grossmont Hills League opener for both ballclubs on Wednesday (Aopr. 9).
Bailey (5-0), who is one shy of the CIF-San Diego Section leader in pitching wins, struck out seven Highlanders batters, one short of his season-best.
Bailey made a pair of first-inning runs stand up for the Eagles (9-0-2 overall, 1-0 GHL), w ith Parker Vance the focal point of the offense.
Vance, the clean-up hitting right fielder, followed a two-out basehit by third baseman Tommy Entrekin by clubbing an RBI triple to the deepest portion of center field at Granite Hills Park.
Moments later, Vance came home on a sharp, line single to center by designated hitter Eurijah Schutza/
Otherwise, Helix pitching was tagged for just three additional hits all afternoon.
Vance finished 2-for-4 with a triple and a double.
For Helix, relief pitcher Romeo Briones was a standout. Not only did the freshman close the ballgame with 2,1 innings of no-hit ball, who also collected two of the Scotties five hits.
The two-game set concludes Thursday in La Mesa, starting at 4 p.m.
Non-League
St. Augustine 9, Grossmont 2
KEARNY MESA – At Hickman Field, the St. Augustine Saints snapped a 1-1 deadlock with a go-ahead run in the third inning, but it was a 6-run outburst in the sixth which ultimately downed visiting Grossmont, 9-2, in Wednesday’s (Apr. 9) non-league contest.
St. Augustine freshman Mason Choi paced both sides with a career-best three RBI, moving the Saints to 10-5.
For the Hillers (7-7), Calvin Rivero drove in a run, while Calvin Rivero hit a double and later scored.
Pacific League
Escondido Charter 4, Foothills Christian 2
ESCONDIDO – Four runs by Escondido Charter over the first three innings were enough to give the Pacific League leasing White Tigers a 4-2 decision over visiting Foothills Christian.
Escondido Charter (9-1 overall) moves to 6-0 in league play, standings as the top small-school ballclub in CIFSDS play.
The White Tigers received a two-run double from ilas Telfer in the first, allowing pitcher Liam McGinty to breeze.
McGinty finally exited after the Knights (8-10) ended the shutout bix with both of their runs in the fifth.
Run-scoring songles by sophomore Trevor Cochrum and frosh Jr. Merino drove home junior “Captain” Jack Morgab and soph Johannes Jansen-Granillo, who had two hits.
