Highlanders buck Broncos; Foothillers fall in eight

By ECS Staff
Updated: May 26, 2016

2016 EAST COUNTY PREP BASEBALL

By Bill Dickens
© EastCountySports.com

RANCHO BERNARDO – After an inconsistent start by the Helix Highlanders, coach COLE HOLLAND’s squad finally caught fire and is now making a charge in the San Diego Section Open Division playoffs.

The Highlanders made a statement in Wednesday’s (May 25) contest by bucking the Rancho Bernardo Broncos with a 5-2 victory behind the complete game pitching of CONNOR KONISHI who twirled a 6-hitter, allowing only 2 runs while striking out 6 as he pushed his record to 9-2. Few pitchers have a better record than Konishi.

“We played a really good game and tried not to get caught up in the moment,” said Holland. “To us, it doesn’t matter who we play.”

Helix scores a run on Wednesday.

Of course Helix used a defensive gem to escape an early Rancho Bernardo challenge.

With two on and nobody out for the Broncos, RB slashed a line drive right at shortstop MATTHEW RICHARDSON, who stepped on second base and fired to MICHAEL BROGAN at first to complete a triple play.

“That play really helped kick it up in our dugout,” said Holland. “It kept the momentum on our side.”

Helix took the lead 1-0 in the first inning on a single by JACK STRONACH and a double by Konishi.

Helix added three more runs in third inning. Stronach singled in a run as did HUNTER ISBELL.

ERIC SMELKO put the clamps on the victory with a solo home run in the fifth inning.

Picture courtesy of Monica Buchanan.

EASTLAKE 6, GROSSMONT 5 (8 inn.) – For the majority of the Grossmont High Foothillers and Eastlake High Titans on Wednesday (May 25), the ‘Hillers were in control. But then the seventh inning came.

The Titans ended up winning 6-5 in eight innings at Michael J. Martinez Field on the campus of Eastlake High in a CIF-SDS Open Division first round matchup.

The first inning and a half was quiet. Then the offenses showed up.

In the bottom of the second, Eastlake (27-3) pushed a run across via a couple of singles and a hit batsman.

Grossmont (20-11) unleashed a 2 out rally for the ages. With one out, STEVE OUELLETTE singled to left field. After a strikeout the rally really began. A walk to CALVIN FARRIS, a single by JACKSON HULETT another single JESSE GARCIA, a triple down the right field line by JAYDEN LOMBARDO, a single up the middle by JAIME ARREOLA brought in five runs to give the Foothillers a 5-1 lead.

The Titans loaded the bases with the aid of a couple of singles and an error. A bases loaded walk then brought in the second run of the game for the Blue and Green.

Picture courtesy of Monica Buchanan.

Things went quiet for the next four and a half innings. As the pitchers took control of the game.

Farris went back out to the mound as he attempted to go for the complete game. However, after a single and a walk he was pulled in favor of a reliever. The first pitch from the reliever was a fastball belt high, on the outside corner of the plate. Normally, a good place for a pitch… that is unless that was exactly where the Titan hitter was looking. The result was a three-run home run that cleared the 16-foot-high fence by about 10 feet and tied the game up at 5-all.

In the eighth inning with two outs, a single to center field started the Titan rally. A balk moved him to second. A single over the head of BAILEY VAN EVERY allowed the Titans to pull out the victory.

After La Jolla Country Day (20-9) defeated La Costa Canyon (23-6), the Foothillers will travel to Carlsbad to take on the Mavericks on Friday. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Should Grossmont defeat La Costa Canyon on Friday and LJCD defeats Eastlake, the Titans and Hillers could play again on Saturday (May 28) back at Eastlake (higher seed) at 11:00 a.m.

SDCIF Playoffs – First Round
Open Division
HIGHLANDERS 5, BRONCOS 2
Helix          ab r h bi Rancho Bernardo ab r h bi
Smelko lf       3 1 2 1  Otsuka cf        3 1 2 0
Stronach 3b     4 2 2 0  Williams ss      3 0 0 0
Konishi p       2 1 1 1  Mitchell rf      3 1 1 2
Richardson ss   2 0 0 1  Gorman 3b        3 0 1 0
Isbell c        3 0 1 1  O’Brien dh       3 0 1 0
Padilla dh      3 0 1 0  Kagaan lf        3 0 1 0
Brogan 1b       3 0 1 0  Coast c          2 0 0 0
Mariweather 1b  0 0 0 0  Pelio c          0 0 0 0
Kovalcheck rf   3 0 0 0  Dean 1b          2 0 0 0
Peterson 2b     2 1 0 0  Escobedo 1b      0 0 0 0
Chase           0 0 0 0  Penn             0 0 0 0
                         Sato 2b          2 0 0 0
                         Marquez          0 0 0 0
TOTALS         25 5 8 4  TOTALS          26 2 6 2

  Helix           (19-10) 103 010 0 – 5 8 0
  Rancho Bernardo  (22-9) 000 020 0 – 2 6 1

GWRBI-Stronach (3).
E-Kagaan. DP-Hel 1. Triple Play-Hel 1. 
LOB-Hel 4, RB 8. 2B-Konishi, Brogan. 
HR-Smelko (1) 5^th, solo; Mitchell 5^th, one on. 
SB-Kagaan. S-Smelko. SF-Richardson. 

PITCHING SUMMARY
Helix             ip  h  r er bb so
 Konishi W(9-2)  7.0  6  2  2  2  6
Rancho Bernardo
 Penn   L        3.0  5  4  3  0  1
 Marquez         4.0  3  1  1  0  4
HBP by-Penn (Peterson, Konishi), by Konishi (1).

TITANS 6, FOOTHILLERS 5 (8 inn.)
Grossmont                        Eastlake
Name       pos  ab  r   h   bi   Name            pos  ab  r  h  bi
Pineda      2b  4   0   0   0    Escobedo        p/cf  5  2  3  0
Ouellette   ss  4   1   2   0    Pietilla-Wiggs  lf    4  2  2  1
Lopez       3b  4   0   1   0    Ramirez         ss    4  1  2  3
Farris      p   3   1   0   0    Schmitt         3b    3  1  2  0
Romero      p   0   0   0   0    Jones           rf    2  0  0  0
Hulett      rf  4   1   1   1    Rivera          2b    4  0  1  0
Garcia      1b  4   1   2   1    Leonhardt       1b    4  0  0  0
Lombardo    c   4   1   1   1    Reyes            c    4  0  1  0
Arreola     dh  4   0   2   1    Terry           cf/p  4  0  0  0
Van Every   lf  3   0   0   0               
Totals         34   5   9   4    Totals                34  6 11 4

Grossmont (20-11)    005  000  00   —     5   9  1
Eastlake  (27-3)     011  000  31   —     6  11  3

E — Panela, Jones (3).  DP — Foothillers 1.  
LOB — Foothillers 6, Titans 8.
2B — Lombardo.  3B — Escobedo.  
HR — Ramirez, 7th, 2 on.

PITCHING SUMMARY
Grossmont               ip   h   r    er  bb  so
  Farris                 6+  7   4    3    2    3
  Romero L  (6-3)       1.2   4   2   2    0    0
Eastlake                ip   h   r    er  bb  so
 Escobedo                3   7   5    5    1    2
 Terry  W                5   2   0    0    0    2
HBP — by Farris (Jones, Schmitt).