Cougs, Lions uncover batting firepower

By Nick Pellegrino
Updated: April 14, 2025

Helix at Eastlake / Photo by Nick Pellegrino

2025 EAST COUNTY PREP BASEBALL

East County Sports.com

Grossmont Valley League

Steele Canyon 13, West Hills 6

JAMUL – There is no waffling when it come to the bats of Steele Canyon.

Through 13 ballganes, the Cougars have scored a Rockies-like total of 34 runs. They have been shutout twice, and limited to a single run on four occasions.

Ouch!

However, Steele Canyon’s Grossmont Valley League opener on Monday (Apr. 14) was anything but. The Cougars registered their highest run total in three season in dismantling West Hills, 13-6.

The previous best was exactly three years ago, stopping Scripps Ranch, 12-2, on Apr. 14, 2022. Before that, the best was two weeks earlier in a 15-1 verdict over Clairemont on Apr. 5, 2022.

While the Steele Canyon bats are fidning the light, the West Hills pitching staff continued to struggle.

The Wolf Pack walked nine batters, hit four batters, tossed a pair of wild pitches, then received little support on six errors.

Double Ouch!

Still, seven of th Cougars runs were earned, so they still bettered the Pack run production.

Inlcuded a pair of RBI by designated hitter Julian Cervantes. Center fielder Tommy Rimoldi posted two of the team’s seven hits, while third baseman Logan Page belted a double.

For West Hills (5-10 overall, 0-1 GVL), which has dropped 6-of-7, saw right fielder No.44 (not listed on roster) drive in two runs.

Steele Canyon (4-10, 1-0) saw winning pitcher Hunter Haase strike out 10 Wolf Pack batters in his four innings.

Summit League

Liberty Charters 15, Ocean View Christian 0

ALPINE – Liberty Charter’s Summit Legaue opener was expected to be challenging, faacing Ocean view Christian of Chula Vista, which owned the best non-league record in the circuit and was already 1-0 in ;eague play.

Looks can, sometimes, look deceiving.

Liberty Charterpiycther Brody Harris limited the visiting Ptriots to just one basehit, while the Lions tallied six times in the third inning to mount a 9-0 cushion, racing to an easy 12-0 verdict.

Harris, a senior right-hander, struck out 16 OVC batters — the total is berlieved to be a school record.

Harris also drove in four runs with a triple and a double, matching the four RBI of teammate Drake Keehl, his catcher.

Meanwhile, third baseman Isaac Anderson collected three hits for the Lions (7-7 overall, 1-1 league). OVC fell to 6-2 (1-1).

Valley League

Ramona 13, Valley Center 4

RAMONA – The Ramona Bulldogs were already trailing in the Valley League after gaining a first-week bye while the rest of th ;eleague were in action last week.

However, the Dawgs were quick to play catch up, pushing their run total to 34 runs over their last two starts, including Monday’s (Apr. 14) 13-4 whipping of the Valley Center Jaguars, one of the ballclubs ahead of Ramona in the standings.

Earlier, Ramona tallied a season-bets 21 runs against Castle Park. On this occassion, .the Bulldogs scored multiple runs in five of their six trips to the plate.

Austin Jarrett smacked a 2-run triple, Jakob Coxen added an RBI doubl, and sophomore Tallon Ogilive registered a trio of run-scoring singles.

Winning pitcher Jakob Coxen went 4.2 innings, striking out eight batters from the Jags (11-5, 2-1).

Ramona (9-5, 1-0) moves to within a half-game of idle Escondido (13-2, 2-0).

City League

Coronado 10, at Christian 1

EL CAJON – No matter where San Diego City Coonference officials place Christian High, so always seem to be placed in same league withe Coronado.

And whay not? Over the past decade, the Patriots-Islanders series among the conference’s best,

However, not in Monday’s (Apr. 14) City League opener.

Pitching for the Island Boys allowed just five Christian hits, then Coroando posted four runs in the thir dinning to moiunt a 6-1 lead in take the firstgame of this week’s three-game set.

The sseries continues Tueday at Silver Strand Elementary School — yes, they have a regulation ballpark — then return to Christian on Thursday.

Down 2-0, the Pats cut the deficit in half on an RBI single by Joey Nuner, bringing home Xander Molina.

Christian (10-5 overall, 0-1 league) elected to utiized a bullpen game for the ipener, and save the team’s best arms for later in the series against s Coronado 12-4, 1-0).

Western League

Point Loma 4, Patrick Henry 3

POINT LOMA – This Western League opoener sae Point Loma, owners of the best non-league record among the five schools, confirmed their status as top dog by breaking a tied ballgane with a run in the sixth inning to edge the Patrick Henry Patriots.

Point Loma, the defending CIF-San Diego Section Division 2 titlists, saw senior Michael Hall lift a sacrifice fly to right fiekd with the bases loaded, scoring Phoeix Brant with the go-ahead run,

Patrick Henry had an opportunity in the seventh on a double by Jimmy Gunnm but Brandt, the Pointers pitcher

, escaped with a game-ending strikeout to finish hius cimplete game.

Brand also belted his own double, batting 2-for-2 with a walk and scoring twice.

Patrick Henry was down 2-0, but pulled even, then were down 3-2 before again catching the Dogs.

The Gunn brothers — Brady and Jimmy — registered the RBI to tie inthe second inning.
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In the fourth, Brady Gunn recirded another RBI single.

Patrick Henry (9-6-1 overall, 0-1 league) also received a double from Cody Cappeltti. Point Loma is 11-3-1 (1-0 league).

Non-League

Eastlake 8, Helix 3

CHULA VISTA – At Michael Martinez Field, book-end home runs by Joel Vargas and Angel Laya gave Eastlake a 6-3 lead, as the Titans skated past the visiting Helix Highlanders.

Vargas, a freshman, smacked a solo shot in the first inning. Then in the fourth, Laya smacked a shot beyond the trees in right field — an estimatede 400-plus-foot shot to give Eastlake (9-6-1) a 3-game unbeaten streak (2-0-1).

TYhe struggling bats of Helix (7-9) could only muster runs on a bases-loaded walk to Maddox Richardson, then an RBI single by frosh Romeo Briones to move to within 4-2 in the fourth.