Eagles, ‘Dawgs earn Falcon Fiesta wins

By Nick Pellegrino
Updated: April 9, 2023

Courtesy, YouTube

2023 EAST COUNTY PREP SOFTBALL\L

By Nick Pellegrino
ECS Senior writer

EL CAJON — When it comes tohitting, Granite Hills owns a lot more than record-setting slugger Sohia Mujica/

Introducing the Eagles’ Makayla Tileia, a fellow junior, who put on her own hitting display on Saturday (Apr. 8). Hines batted 3-for-4 and drove in three runs, leading Granite Hills to a 7-3 come-from-behind triumph over the Scripps Ranch Falsons in (Torrey Pines) Falcon Fiesta competition.

Trailing 3-2, Granite Hills (10-3 overall) took the lead in the fifth inning, then added three more markers in the sixth to pull away. Scripps Ranch slipped to 2-7-1. following a slow 0-5-1 start to the season.

A air of errors by the Eagles allowed Scripps to take the lead in the fourth, but the Eagles immediately bounced back, reclaiming the leadin the fifth on RBI singles by freshman Makayla Tileia to tie, then Hines to secure the lead.

An inning later, Tileia was struck by a pitch with the bases loaded to force Mujica (single) home for an insurance ru. Hines, the flex player, then lined a hard grounded single through the pitching circle and into center field, bringing home both shortstop Kiki Sandoval and courtesy runner Marilynn Lewis.

Tileia , the pitcher, finished with a complete-game effort without striking out a Scripps Ranch batter. She only allowed one earned run following an unproductive, error-filled outing by both defenses.

A quartet of Eagles — Hines, Mujica, Sandoval and Tileia — all finished eigh two hits each. Sandoval and lewis scored twice.

Granite Hills returns to Grossmont Hills League action on Wednesday at Helix in a critical contest between clubs which are both winlessin early GHL play.

Ramona 3, Steele Canon 2

RAMONA- While Granite Hills avoided an early bid by Scripps Ranch, Steele Canyon couldn’t do the same. After the Cougars pulled in front, 2-0, the Ramona Bulldogs scored twice to tie in the fifth inning,then once in the seventh to walk-off the Cougars, 3-2, on Saturday (Apr. 8) in Falcon Fiesta pool-play action.

Both ballclubs are 8-4 overall, while Ramona also owns a tie.

The winning run was unearned following a lead error by the Cougars. Ramona then followed with a double by shortstop Brenna Kutz, an intentional walk, then a game-winning, walk-off sacrifice fly by Nevaeh Haywood, who gained the pitching victory.

Steele Canyon iopened with singleruns in the first and fifth frames, needing just two batters to get on the scoreboard.

Senior shortstop Jazmin Williams slapped a ground single, then took three bases when the Ramona defense messed up on a sacrifice bunt by Emma Shellstrom, throwing the ball away down the right-field line.

In the fifth, it took three battters to score.

Center fiekder Kendall Drake double to left, moving to third on an error,. The freshman then scored on a sacrifice fly by senior catcher Gabrielle Ortega Alves.

However, Steele Canyon only posted four hits on the day — two by Drake — allowing Ramona a chance to rally in the fifth. The ‘Dawgs puulled even on the first Lutz double for a run, then she scored the game-tying run on a double to left by Kethry Schreiber (who took third on the throw home).

Haywood fiished by striking out seven Cougars in her completegame victory, allowing just one earned run. Shellstrom struck out four Ramona batters, but the one unearned run allowed made her the losing pitcher.

Next week, Steele Canyon plays a series of games away from home, going to Mater Dei Catholic in Thursday, then nuetrl-site tournament games Saturday against Mt. Carmel and Olympian.

Ramona also played three times next week, but all in Avocado League action, beginning Monday at San Marcos at 3:30 p.m.

Del Norte 6, Patrick Henry 0

DEL CERRO – Patrick Henry’s Izzy Ervin (So) registered three hits, but that’s all the rest of the team collected against Del Norte senior pitchers Sophie Roberts and Natalie Beckwith, who fired a shutout against the host Patriots, 6-0, on Saturday (Apr. 8).

Roberts hurled the first three innings; Bechwith went final four frames to garner the triumph.

Nighthawks freshman Brookln Giaime knocked in three runs, Giaime, the first baseman, knocked in the game’s opening run in the second on a ground ball to the left of the shortstop, leaving the defender no choice but to throw to first base while the run scored.

Giaime, also aded a 2-run single to center in the fifth to cap the scoring, one of 12 hits by the Nighthawks.

In the first, Patrick Henry’s top opportunity to score caame on singles by senior shortstop Jenel Mallari and Erwin, the second baseman, with one ou,t but both Patriots were stranded on a pair of Roberts strikeouts.

Del Norte (10-1-1 overall) has now won 8 straight, including five by shutout. The Nighthawks have a huge North County Coastal League contest at Torrey Pines on Tuesday.

Patrick Henry (4-7-1) meets host Bonita Vista in a tournament rain makeup game on Monday, then opens Western League action at home against Mission Bay on Tuesday. Both start at 4 p.m.

DID YOU KNOW: Del Norte is not the first San Diego County high school to be nicknamed the Nighthawks. In the 1970s, San Diego Unified schools used to offer night high school, with Madison’s day program was always known as the Warhawks, but the night school was the Nighthawks.