Griffins enter 3C2A’s on Home Run streak

By Nick Pellegrino
Updated: April 25, 2025

Courtesy, Vanilla Gorrilla Photography

2025 GROSSMONT COLLEGE BASEBALL

East County Sports. com

BALBOA PARK – With due respect to Grossmont College third base Nico Newhan, the second-leading home run hitter in California. Griffins first baseman M.J. Sweeney is currrently the hottest power hitting in the state.

Sweeney, a product of St. Augustine High who is headed to Wichita State next season, slugged his seventh homer in the month of April, capping Grossmont’s 11-5 triumph over San Diego City.

The verdict capped Grossmont’s 5-game sweep in Pacific Coast Athletic Conference action by scoring 55 total runs (11.0 per contest).

Home Run Leadrs

Sweeney now owns 13 home euns entering the 3C2A playoffs, ranking in a tie for seventh place in California.

He posted two bombs in each of the last three PCAC 3-game series.

Newhan rates among three sluggers with 16 homers, one shy of the 17 by Justin Tillar of the Cypress Chargers.

Gane stuff

Grossmont raced to a quick 5-1 before the Knoghts twice moved to within two at 5-3 and 705.

The Griffins then turned on their motor once again, scoring once in the seventh before Sweeney put the game away with his 3-run blast to lef tin the ninth. Sweebwt finished with four RBI.

Grossmont leadoff batter Noah Libed, the left fielder, posyed a near perfecxt day at the plate to ingite the offense. Libed batted 3-for-4 and walked twice, scoring four times.

Meanwhile, cleanup batter acob Embleton went 2-for-4, with a triple and a double.

On the bottom half of the battinbg card, second baseman Noah Manasan and catcher Anthony Thomas both recorded two RBI.

Noah Tenbrook finished with a pair of sacrifice bunts, and Libed stole a pair of bases.

On the mound, Griffins starter Johnny Nuanez re-gained his ballclub kead with his sixth victory. With the early lead, Nunez went the minimum five innings to prepqare him for postseason action.

Eyan Ellis followed with four solid frames of relief to collect the save, yielding just one earned run while strikig out six Knights batters.

Ellis has committed with Cal State Northridge.

Grossmont (29-10 overall, 19-6 OPCAC) finishes in second place, four full games ahead of Southwestern.

Despite several rain-outs that were not played, the Griffins’ 29 wins are the school’s most since going 32-10 in 2017 and 31-12 in 2016.

San Diego City (8-28, 3-22 PCAC0 finishes with its poorest record in the 21st Century (previous low was 8-25 in 2014 and 2019).

Knights center fielder Orlando Arellano, the leadoff batter, batted 3-for-4, oncluding a 2-run double.

Howeevr, a half-dozem SDCC [itchers yielded 14 walks and hit three batters — that’s 17 bonus baserunners handed to the G-House.