Homers, Henry power Eagles over Hillers

By Ramon Scott
Updated: May 3, 2023

2023 PREP BASEBALL

By Ramon Scott

EastCountySports.com

GRANITE HILLS 2, GROSSMONT 0 — The seventh-ranked Eagles got solo home runs from sophomore Tommy Entrekin and junior Talon Tucker in the first two frames, and junior star Chandler Henry took over from there, dealing a four-hit shutout with 10 strikeouts and one walk as Granite Hills shut out the host Foothilllers in a Grossmont Hills League game on Tuesday.

Granite Hills (12-6, 5-3 GHL) won the key game, which gave the Foothillers a 4-4 mark in GHL play.

For Entrekin, it was his second home run of the season, while the homer for Tucker was his first of the season.

Meanwhile, Henry won for the second time this season, lowering his ERA to 1.59. Opponents are hitting just .130 against the San Diego State-bound right-hander.

STEELE CANYON 7, SANTANA 1 — The host Cougars had a pair of hurlers combine for a no-hitter, and Steele Canyon dealt the Sultans a key Grossmont Hills League defeat, thanks to a six-run third.

Starter J.T. Henrie almost went the distance, allowing a run in the fourth. He went 6 2/3 innings, walking seven and striking out five.

Hunter Haase came in to record the final out.

Senior Kaden Strobel hit a grand slam home run to give the Cougars a 6-0 lead. The homer was his first of the season. He entered the game with just one previous RBI on the year.

Caleb Entrekin and Henrie each drove in a run in the third.

Luke Nash drove in the only run for the Sultans.

Santana still remains atop the GHL standings, but the Sultans fell to 6-2 (13-8 overall).

Steele Canyon (11-12) earned their second league win of the season.

WEST HILLS 8, EL CAPITAN 7 — The Wolf Pack held off the host Vaqueros for the key Grossmont Valley League win on Tuesday afternoon.

West Hills trailed 3-2 after one inning, but took a 7-3 lead in the top of the fourth. The Pack led 7-6 through six innings.

West Hills (13-10) improved to 5-1 in the GVL, while El Capitan (16-7) fell to 4-2 in league play.

Senior T.K. Madera drove in three runs for West Hills in the three-hole with two hits, including a double, while No. 2 batter Joey Monetti drove in two runs for the Wolf Pack. Monetti also had two hits, including a triple.

Pack leadoff man John Leija, a junior, was quite a catalyst with three base hits and three runs scored.

Junior Nate Hikes drove in the decisive run with two out in the top of the sixth with a single to score Leija, which gave West Hills a two-run lead.

Junior Shane Stevens earned the win, going 5 2/3 innings, while striking out nine.

Senior Eron Drake pitched the final inning to earn the save.

For El Capitan, sophomore Landon Harbach and senior Filippo Meazza each drove in a pair of runs.

Junior Brody McAuliffe had three hits, two runs, and an RBI for the Vaqueros. He recorded a steal of home on the back end of a double steal in the bottom of the sixth inning to make the score 8-7.

MONTE VISTA 5, VALHALLA 4 (9) — The Monarchs scored three in the bottom of the ninth after the Norsemen had two in the top of the frame to take the lead in extra innings.

The win kept Monte Vista (14-9) on pace with West Hills atop the Grossmont Valley League at 5-1. Valhalla (14-9) fell to 3-3 in league play.

Gavin Daley had the game-winning hit with a one-out single to left. Daley has a team-high 16 RBI this season.

Tyler Lemen, a senior, had a double and drove in three runs for the Monarchs, including an RBI on a fielder’s choice in the ninth that allowed him to reach and tie the game.

Senior Oscar Ortega had a hit and RBI and scored two runs. He reached on an error during the game-winning rally.

Junior David Rodriguez was insane on the hill, dealing 8 1/3 innings to pick up the win.

Cian Kettere, a senior, earned the save.

Junior Julian Jerjees and sophomore Mace Wheeler each had a pair of hits and drove in a run for the Norsemen.

CHRISTIAN 12, LA JOLLA 11 — The 14th-ranked Patriots won in the bottom of the seventh inning when Arthur Brown singled home the game-winning run.

The Patriots led 6-0 after two innings, but the Vikings eventually took the lead in the top of the sixth inning, 9-8.

Christian scored three in the bottom of the sixth to take an 11-9 lead, only to see the visitors tie the game at 11-all in the top of the seventh inning.

Shane Bailey, in the leadoff spot, had two hits, two runs, and two RBI for the Patriots.

Xavier Farnum and Vaughn Major each drove in a pair for the Pats. Major had a triple in the game.

Nate Cena had three hits, a run, and an RBI for Christian High.

Christian (16-8), which defeated La Jolla, 4-0, on Monday, improved to 7-1 in Eastern League play, one game ahead of second-place Coronado. The Patriots and Vikings meet again on Thursday.

The Patriots and Islanders then close out the season with a three-game set next week.

In the win over the Vikings on Monday, three Patriot hurlers combined on a one-hitter.

Junior Brody Gundert allowed just one hit in six innings, striking out seven. Cena got two outs in the seventh for the save.