Santee teams post easy triumphs

By Nick Pellegrino
Updated: March 2, 2022

2022 EAST COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL

ECS staff report

SANTEE — Two of the three high school softball teams based in Santee came away as winners on Tuesday (Mar. 1), as Santana and Foothills Christian high schools came out on top.

Santana 10, Bayfront Charter 4
SANTEE — A major hitting display from Santana senior Kassidy Harper including a pair of doubles and a triple, good for five RBI, leading the host Sultans past Bayfront Charter, the runners-up from last season’s CIFSDS Division V playoffs.

Madison Jordan and Haley Oceguera,both seniors, also added two hits each for the Sultans.

Trailing early on an error and an an RBI double by the Sharks’ Iliana Romero. the Sultans (3-4) posted consecutive 4-run rallies to sink the Sharks of Chula Vista, ending a mild 2-game losing streak. Bayfront dropped to 1-4, but against all upper-division schools.

Despite being down by a pair of runs the Sultans would cut into the deficit in the bottom half of the inning when Harper knocked in Samantha Sullivan (2 R) on a double to center field making 2-1.

Harper again would strike damage against the Sharks with a double to left field that cleared the bases scoring Taylinn Warren (1-4, 2 R), Sullivan, and Madison Jordan (2-3, 2R), the next batter Haley Oceguera (2-4, RBI, SB) followed by driving in Harper to extend the lead to 5-2.

The Sharks would answer with another run in the top of the third inning when Carolina Vidrio knocked in Zoe Andrade on a sacrifice fly to make it 5-3.

Even though the lead was now only a couple of runs the Sultans were not done as they took advantage of a pair of opportunities in the bottom of the third inning when McKenna Miller scored on an error and Carissa Ruiz would come into score on a passed ball. The Sultans would tack on a couple more runs in the inning when Jordan hit a ball to right field for a base hit but the ball was misplayed allowing Warren to race in which was followed by an RBI triple by Harper that scored Jordan to make it 9-3.

Bayfront added what would be their final run in the top of the fourth inning on another sacrifice fly.

Aurella Dawson got the starting nod for the Sultans and picked up the victory. On the day she went four innings in which she allowed four runs of which two were earned on five hits while striking out three on the day. Coming into the game in relief, Ashtyn Niemiec went three innings and didn’t allow any runs or hits.

With the win, the Sultans improve 3-4 and will next play on March 8th when they travel to Mission Bay for tournament action.

Foothills Christian 17, Crawford 0
SANTEE — The unbeaten Foothills Christian Knights recorded one of the biggest shutout victories in program history following Tuesday’s (Mar. 1) verdict over Will C. Crawford High at Town Center Community Park (Santee ASA fields).

The blanking was the fourth-largest in school annuals. The record is 25-0 of Escondido Adventist in 2019.

The Knights’ hitting star was freshman Reese Winchester, who recorded six RBI in her second-ever varsity start. Winchester rifled a pair of doubles on 3-for-3 hitting.

IIn addition, senior Carly Robbins and freshman Gabby Wolford had four hits each for the Knights,

The ballclubs own transposed records. Foothills Christian is 2-0 overaa; the Crawford Colts are 0-2.

El Capitan 16 Point Loma 0 (5 inn.)
POINT LOMA — It was all El Capitan on the night after they scored in every inning and racked up seventeen hits in their convincing victory on Tuesday evening over the Pointers.

Firing up the offense for the Vaqueros in the first inning was Ava Gall (4-4, R, 2 RBI, HR) who lined an RBI single to center field but the ball was misplayed which allowed Hailey Mulligan (2-3, 3R, 2B) to race home to make it 1-0, the next batter Brooke Horn (2-2, RBI) would draw a walk which allowed Addison Leone to score making it 2-0, which was followed by an RBI triple by Maddie Taylor (2-4, 3R, 2 RBI, 2B, 3B) and Jojo Christiaens (2-3, R, 4 RBI, HR) would follow up with an RBI single to make it 4-0.

El Capitan would add more in the top of the second inning when Gall once again did the damage as she drove in a run on base hit to right field which was followed by Mulligan scoring on a Pointers wild pitch to make it 6-0.

Christiaens would hit a two-run homer over the left-field fence in the top of the third to extend the lead to 8-0.

Moving to the top of the fourth inning, Horn would drive in Mulligan, the next batter Taylor doubled in Leone making it 11-0. The Vaqueros would add a couple more runs which included an RBI single by Thorne.

Gall would again strike for the Vaqueros in the top of the fifth inning when she blasted a solo home-run and later Zoey Michalek Rosales (1-1, 3R, 2 RBI, 2B) finished things off with a two-run double.

Horn garnered the victory for the Vaqueros as she allowed no runs on four hits while striking out four over five innings of work.

The Vaqueros with the win improve to 2-1.

Canyon Hills (Serra) 2, Christian 0
TIERRASANTA — The program at Canyon Hills High (formerly Serra) has undergone wild swings between being a CIF contender or a sub=-par program.

Consider the Rattlers (formerly Conquistadors) on an up swing.

On Tuesday (Mar. 1), freshman pitcher Natalye Debus spun a 1-hitter to paced the hosts to a 2-0 verdict over the Christian Patriots.

The lone Christian hit was a single by another frosh, Tyler Krystek. Otherwise, Debus was in control, registering 10 strikeouts against just one walk.

Pitching was the name of the game for both teams but unfortunately in a game where only one team wins the Canyon Hills Rattles were the victors as they limited the Christian Patriots to only one hit on the day.

The lone hit on the day for the Patriots would come in the top of the first when Tyler Krystek led off with a single to center field, she would steal second base but unfortunately would be stranded.

Canyon Hills would score the first run of the game in the bottom of the third inning on a two-out base hit to lead 1-0. They would later in the contest add another run on a solo homer in the bottom of the sixth inning to lead 2-0.

Natalye Debus took the circle for the Rattlers and picked up the win as she only allowed zero runs on one hit, striking out ten and walking one.

Kate Manes who took the circle for the Patriots went six innings, allowing four hits and two runs while striking out one and walking one.

— Compiled by Adam Paul and Nick Pellegrino