Eric McKnight makes the catch to record the out at first base for West Hills. (Photos by Chris Edwards)

East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (5-25-06) -- A quick check of the East County scorecard in Wednesday's (May 24) first round of the double-elimination San Diego CIF playoffs shows the Inlanders winning four of six games. One of those outcomes involved two Grossmont North League teams that combined for 31 runs. Details below:

GROSSMONT 18, WEST HILLS 13 BOXSCORE -- In a ballgame where almost everything seemingly happened, what was absent might have been more interesting when these Grossmont North League rivals met heads-up in Wednesday's (May 24) first round of the SDCIF Division II playoffs.

The Foothillers finally outlasted the Wolf Pack in a 3-hour, 9-minute marathon which took two hours to simply play the first four innings. So what didn't happen in this fourth meeting between these ballclubs.

Part A:

Grossmont starting pitcher A.J. GRIFFIN failed to extend his streak of nine consecutive complete games. In fact, due to poor defense and an ever-changing strike zone, Griffin never came close, needing dozens of extra pitches before leaving after just four frames. But the Hillers' senior ace did register his 9th victory.

Part B:

The Foothillers, playing at home at cozy Joe Gizoni Field, placed 15 runs on the scoreboard. . . without the aid of a home run. It should be noted that senior right-fielder TREVOR BERRY did cap and match Grossmont's season-high scoring total with a 3-run blast over the short porch in right, a shot which eventually proved to be important after West Hills rallied from an 18-5 deficit.

Part C:

The Wolf Pack (14-14), which was struggled offensively at times all season, scored at least one run in their first six trips to the plate, yet still trailed by as many as 13 runs.

Although Grossmont (23-8) took the victory in the first round in the double-elimination phase of the section playoffs, the Hillers hope the struggles of their pitching staff won't ultimately turn into a negative after running five different hurlers to the mound.

"It has the potential, but I don't think it'll hurt us," said TAYLOR WOHLWEND, who set down all five hitters he faced to close out the combined 31-run, 30-hit affair. "We have a lot of pitchers on this team, so we can overcome anything."

The Grossmont bullpen was primed for action after West Hills rallied from a 4-1 deficit to knot the contest in the 3rd. However, Griffin eventually collected the victory after his offense took advantage of numerous defensive errors and other miscues by the Wolf Pack defense, scoring six times in the 3rd and eight more times in the 4th.

Berry was at the heart of the attack, batting 4-for-5 with five RBI, Included was a go-ahead, run-scoring double in the 1st, another go-ahead RBI single in the 3rd, then a pair of hits in the 4th capped by his 3-run blast.

"We were all up because it was a playoff game, and I had been taking a lot of extra batting practice in the cage," explained Berry. "We won, but defensively we were a little shaky -- we let our pitchers down -- but we will do well next time."

If Grossmont's glove work was considered "shaky," then the D-work of West Hills could be considered a mine field after finishing with five errors, several throws to the wrong base, missing the cutoff or relay man . . . the list went on and on.

Despite falling into a hole -- crater? -- the Pack showed resilience by scoring four times in the 5th and 6th frames to keep Grossmont's bullpen busy. SHAIN STONER accounted for three runs during the stretch with a sacrifice fly for a run in the 5th, then a two-run double in the 6th.

However, Wohlwend came in to shut the door. Although a chopper by STEPHEN STRASBURG brought home a run, the Hillers registered the out, one of five straight by Wohlwend to close the victory.

"That's why we love the game," said Grossmont coach ROB PHILLIPS, although he might have been chewing on his words just a little bit. "I just hope this game doesn't come back to bite us somewhere down the road."

Among the biggest individual offensive totals for the Hillers were four RBI by BRIAN HAAR, while Griffin batted 3-for-4 with two RBI.

"It was 18-5 in the 4th inning and I just told the guys this game is out of hand," West Hills coach SCOTT "HOPPY" HOPGOOD said. "At this point you can pack it in or we can battle back."

Second baseman TRAVIS IRVIN went 4-for-4 with four runs scored, while Strasburg, AARON RICHARDSON and KOREY HOOPER had two hits each for West Hills (14-14), which refused to fold.

"The guys kinda rallied and we were aggressive with the sticks all day," Hopgood said. "In the last half of the game we scored eight to Grossmont's four. Basically, I just started the game over in the 4th inning. Grossmont didn't throw out any scrubs to pitch."

VALHALLA 5, RAMONA 3 BOXSCORE -- In one of the bigger upsets of Wednesday's (May 24) first round of the Division III SDCIF Playoffs, the visiting Norsemen (22-9) rode the pinpoint pitching of senior southpaw ERIC JULIENNE to a key victory over the third-seeded Bulldogs (22-7) in North County.

"Eric pitched his best game of the year," said Valhalla senior outfielder JEFF SOPATA, who capped the Norsemen's scoring effort with a two-run home run in the 5th inning to cast Valhalla into a 5-0 lead.

Foremost in the Valhalla upset was the manner in which the Norsemen handled Ramona ace James Meador (7-2). While Meador managed 11 strikeouts, he was touched up for six hits and all five runs during his six-inning stint.

Julienne, a cool senior southpaw, was at his best as he shut down the Bulldogs on seven hits while striking out nine and walking none.

"My team functioned well behind me," said Julienne, who now has a three-year career record of 20-3, including a 7-2 senior slate. "My curveball had more of a cut to it. It was the way I like it where the bottom falls out and it lands in the dirt."

Julienne rationed Ramona to seven singles but did not walk anyone and struck out seven.

"I worked ‘em with my curveball and changeup, and finished them off with my fastball," Julienne said. "They hit a lot of soft groundballs and a bunch of choppers, but my defense was there to make the plays. I think we're sitting in a good position right now."

Valhalla took the lead in the 2nd inning. JASON KUTZLER's RBI single sparked a 3-run rally. GREG GARCIA drove in two more with a base hit.

In the 5th inning TOMAS KARAGIANES led off with a single and after two strikeouts, Sopata blasted a home run over the right center field fence to make it 5-5.

Sopata handed out accolades to Ramona pitcher Meador, who struck out 11 but walked four, gave up six hits and was burned for five runs (three earned) as he absorbed only his second loss in nine decisions.

"He's one of the best pitchers, if not the best, we've faced all year," said Sopata.

Ramona jumped on Julienne in the bottom of the 7th, as Meador -- a .500 hitter -- singled in a pair of runs with two outs.

"He's definitely a tough out," said Julienne.

Sopata had nothing but praise for his teammate.

"He was around the plate all day," Sopata said of Julienne. "He made them hit his pitch and kept them guessing. He had great movement on his pitches and I'm sure glad that I didn't have to hit against him."

GRANITE HILLS 6, EASTLAKE 2 BOXSCORE -- Senior CODY CRAWFORD knows his role in a scheme devised by coach JAMES DAVIS that has sent Granite Hills streaking. The Eagles (22-7) have won nine in a row, 15 of 16 and 18 of 20.

Nice momentum for a team seeded third in the rugged San Diego CIF Division I playoffs.

One might think that Crawford would feel confined by being limited to hitting only. Not so.

"I've been a DH (designated hitter) most of my (high school) career except for my sophomore year when I played first base," Crawford said. "I hurt my arm so I haven't played in the field since then."

With his game limited exclusively to the offensive side, Crawford must find a way to stay in the game when his teammates are in the field.

"It puts a lot of pressure on since that's all that you do," Crawford admitted. "But once you get used to it, it's not that bad."

Crawford followed a two-out double by JOSH MILLER in the 3rd with a mammoth home run to dead center field that gave Granite Hills a 5-0 advantage. Crawford's fourth home run hit the upper half of the Eagles' “Green Monster” and would have traveled more than 400 feet if not obstructed.

Winning pitcher ERIC KRAUSE predicted -- and took credit for his call -- that Crawford would clear the fences in this particular at-bat.

"I knew it was gone when I hit it because I could see the guys coming out of our dugout (for the traditional home plate greeting)," Crawford said. "Eric made the call. It was amazing. It was a fastball up and away. It felt good because I made good contact."

Krause pitched a complete game 7-hitter for his 10th win against one loss.

"He battled and found a way to get it done," Davis said. "Good teams like this (Eastlake) can make you look like you're off your game. This is probably the most Eric has been challenged all year."

The challenges grow bigger for the Eagles, who travel to Fallbrook (25-4-1) on Friday (May 26) at 4 p.m. The Warriors pulverized Mira Mesa 18-0 in Wednesday's first round.

Vinny Nazzal (2) of El Capitan legs out an infield hit to help build a 4-0 lead over St. Augustine. (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

ST. AUGUSTINE 6, EL CAPITAN 4 BOXSCORE -- Third-seeded El Capitan failed to hold a 4-0 lead with its ace pitcher on the mound, as visiting St. Augustine pilfered a Division III victory in Wednesday's (May 24) opening round of the SDCIF playoffs.

"We really haven't hit well this year, but we still had an opportunity to win this game 4-2," El Capitan coach STEVE VICKERY said as his Vaqueros out-hit the Saints 9-8. "We were feeling pretty good after five innings because we had our best pitcher up."

Apparently St. Augustine was not impressed.

With one out in the 6th inning, St. Augustine's Domonique Johnson got on base on an error and stole a base on an 0-2 count.

"Cristian hung a curveball and Clay Vogan hit a flare," Vickery said. "It was a gutsy call because we'd already caught them stealing twice."

The Saints' Gunnar Terhune hit an infield single on a high hop over third base, scoring Johnson. Mike Zoellner followed with a single up the middle and Ryan Ortiz hit a changeup down the line in left field for a double to score Vogan and Terhune, pushing the score to 5-4 in favor of St. Augustine (20-9).

Vickery made a pitching change and NICK McCARTHY intentionally walked Dylan Graham. One out later Matt Gabbard had the count at 0-2 and Zoellner scored on a wild pitch.

In the 7th inning on a bang-bang play, VINNY NAZZAL hit a ground ball to short and apparently made it safely to first.

Not so, said the base ump.

"I thought he was safe," said Vickery, who was supported by coaching onlookers such as MARK SMELKO, now an assistant coach at San Diego Mesa College.

RYAN INVERSO picked up the Vaquero's offense by hitting a single to left with one out.

St. Augustine made a pitching change, bringing in their big gun, TRAVIS McCRACKEN, who shut out heavy-hitting Steele Canyon in the play-in round.

McCracken was primed for the task, as he struck out AUSTIN RAUCH on a 3-2 curveball.

BRYSON LUKACIK kept the Vaqueros' chances alive with a base hit. A wild pitch moved the runners up, putting the tying run on second base. MILES REAGAN walked on a full count to load the bases.

GABE LOPEZ, on a 2-2 count hit a high chopper up the middle.

"The shortstop made a swipe tag and the ump called him out," said Vickery. "So instead of having bases loaded there at the end, it could have been 6-5. The game was decided on a very controversial call. Basically, we got screwed."

Vickery knew that the game, which started 20 minutes late, was subject to sub-par umpiring.

"The umpiring was prominent in this game," said Vickery. "Our scheduled umpire got in a traffic accident on his way to the game, so the first base ump was a late addition."

Vickery will not qualify as the chairman of this umpire's fan club.

Shane Stonovic (left) tossed a complete game, while Austin Murray slides safely into third base, leading Christian past Lutheran in CIF Div. IV action. Both players are seniors. (Christian High courtesy photos)

CHRISTIAN 7, THE BISHOP’S 2 BOXSCORE -- The pesky Patriots, who continue to confuse the so-called experts on their validity were on the upswing in Wednesday's (May 24) Division IV playoff opener.

Once again, senior southpaw SHANE STANOVIC -- who claims he hates to pitch -- was effectively wild and hard to hit. This has proven to be a successful modus operandi for a guy who would prefer to own the outfield and swing the bat.

Stanovic (3-0), who pitched a 2-hitter in his last outing against Madison, limited the Knights (15-10) to three hits as he struck out 7 and walked 6 in a complete game effort.

"Stanovic was tough today," said Christian coach MIKE MITCHELL.

The Patriots broke the game open in the 5th inning with three runs. The knockout blow was ADAM PERRY's clutch two-out, two run single that extended the Patriots' lead to 5-1. Stanovic tagged on an RBI single to make it 6-1.

One of Christian's latest additions to the lineup is freshman TAYLOR EICHHORST. Undaunted by facing varsity competition, Eichhorst -- a freshman who spent the season battering JV pitching -- clubbed a solo home run to give the Patriots (16-11) a 2-0 advantage in the 4th. EDDIE YOUNG added an RBI single in the same inning.

Eichhorst, in his first varsity start, went 3-for-4. The brother of former Grossmont High School star John Eichhorst hit four home runs for Christian's junior varsity squad.

Senior GRANT MILLS also mustered up 3 hits in 4 at-bats for the Patriots.

West Hills' Aaron Richardson (3) clouts the first of his two homers against San Pasqual, although Golden Eagles outfielder Jon Bernetskie (right) nearly makes a spectacular catch at the barrier. (Photos by Chris Edwards) FOR MORE PHOTOS, CLICK LINK IN CLASSIFIEDS

First baseman Chad O'Donnell applies the tag as Christian picked-off this Lutheran baserunner in the Patriots' 13-2 pasting. (Christian High courtesy photo)

Valhalla's Gavin McCarthy trots in with an uncontested run vs. Valley Center. (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (5-24-06) -- Six Inland teams begin the San Diego CIF double-elimination playoffs begin on Wednesday (May 24). Three others were eliminated in Tuesday's (May 23) Play-In round.

The still-active list looks like this: No. 3 seed Granite Hills (21-7) hosts Eastlake (19-11) in Division I; West Hills (14-13) meets No. 1 seed Grossmont (22-8) for the fourth time this season at Joe Gizoni Field in Division II; El Capitan (18-11) entertains Eastern League co-champion St. Augustine (19-9) and Valhalla (21-9) travels to third-seeded Ramona (22-6) in Division III; and No. 3 seed Christian (15-11) welcomes Coastal South power Bishop's (18-7-1). All games begin at 4 p.m. except Christian which starts 30 minutes earlier.

East County casualties in the Play-In round were Santana (22-10) -- a 7-2 loser at Brawley; Steele Canyon (13-16), blanked by St. Augustine 5-0 at Hickman Field; and Helix (12-18), which dropped a tight battle at Mission Hills 6-4.

WEST HILLS 9, SAN PASQUAL 5 BOXSCORE -- While AARON RICHARDSON was proving himself to be a primetime player in Tuesday's (May 23) San Diego CIF Play-In game, such notables as ERIC McKNIGHT and STEPHEN STRASBURG were nearly lost in the shuffle.

McKnight, a sophomore first baseman, broke a 2-2 tie with a two-run double into the right-center field gap during a six-run 3rd inning for the Wolf Pack.

"I hit a fastball up and out," McKnight said of his go-ahead blow. "We made a lot of early adjustments when we realized their pitcher (Kyle Knapp) couldn't throw his breaking ball for a strike. We just sat on the fastball and it paid off."

Richardson hit the first of his two home runs of the season -- a solo delivery in the 2nd inning and a two-run hoist in the 3rd. After exhibiting his power, Richardson received a pair of walks from the beleaguered San Pasqual pitching staff in his final two at-bats.

On top of that, Richardson capped off a strikeout-fest by a trio of West Hills pitchers that included Strasburg and BRIAN RITAYIK. Together they whiffed 13 North County Eagles (16-14).

When West Hills' Travis Irvin (4) finds little space to reach home plate, he flops over the top of San Pasqual catcher Michael Lazcano. (Photos by Chris Edwards) MORE PHOTOS, CLICK LINK IN CLASSIFIEDS

"I think the guys came out a little tight (making four errors in the first two innings)," West Hills coach SCOTT ‘HOPPY' HOPGOOD said. "But after Richardson's first home run the guys kinda loosened a little bit. Then we went to banging, which was good to see.

"When we swing the bats, we are a very dangerous team."

Richardson followed McKnight's clutch double with his second home run. But the Wolf Pack wasn't through. TRAVIS IRVIN blooped a double just inside the left field foul line and scored on MICHAEL HALL's base hit for a six-run 3rd inning and a 7-2 lead.

San Pasqual battled back with three runs in the 4th to keep the outcome in doubt. It was during that Eagles' flurry that Strasburg was replaced on the mound, leaving with two outs, two runners on and the Wolf Pack on top by five.

Strasburg, who was buzzing the ball at about 91 mph, had thrown 90 pitches. But the West Hills coaches believed their ace had seen enough.

"Strasburg was hitting the black on the inside of the plate, but wasn't getting the call," West Hills pitching coach MICKEY DEUTSCHMANN said. "That caused his pitch count to climb."

It didn't matter, as West Hills had plenty of relief help, including Richardson who struck out four in two hitless innings.

Norsemen pitcher Ryan O'Sullivan allowed just one run in his complete-game performance. (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

VALHALLA 6, VALLEY CENTER 1 BOXSCORE -- Sophomore RYAN O'SULLIVAN took the bite out of the visiting Valley Center Jaguars in Tuesday's (May 23) SDCIF Division III Play-In game.

O'Sullivan scattered 5 hits and struck out 8 as he won his sixth game in nine decisions.

The Norsemen erupted for three runs in the 2nd inning aided by a key Valley Center error.

At the forefront of the rally was O'Sullivan, who singled and stole second. One out later DAVID SMITH drew a walk and GAVIN McCARTHY hit a ground ball to second base that the Jaguars attempted to turn into an inning ending double play. Valhalla's Smith made an aggressive slide into second base that resulted in the Valley Center second baseman throwing the ball into left field.

O'Sullivan scored on the play, leaving Valhalla runners at the corners.

An attempted pickoff of McCarthy at first base by Valley Center pitcher Brandon Aiona went awry, allowing Smith to score and McCarthy to advance to third. McCarthy eventually scored on the front end of a double-steal that also involved DEVIN AZEVEDO.

Valhalla broke the game open in the 4th. Azevedo drove one run with a double and eventually scored on a wild pitch.

The Norsemen executed their second double-steal of the game in the 5th inning with O'Sullivan coming home and JEFF SOPATA going to second base.

Colin McDonald (21) slides and scores for Christian High on a pitch to the backstop. (Christian High courtesy photo)

CHRISTIAN 13, LUTHERAN 2 BOXSCORE -- Sophomore EDDIE YOUNG accounted for 8 runs -- 4 RBI and 4 runs scored -- to lead Christian past the Knights of Lutheran in Tuesday's (May 23) Play-In game of the SDCIF Division IV playoffs on the Patriots' diamond.

As lop-sided as the final score turned out to be, the game was knotted at 3-3 going into the bottom of the 3rd.

SHANE STANOVIC, who will attend San Diego Christian College next season, spanked a triple to center field and scored on Young's single to left to put the Patriots in front. Young eventually scored on a balk, giving Christian a 5-3 edge by the end of the 3rd.

In the bottom of the 4th it was Young again that lanced Lutheran. His seventh home run of the season was a 3-run rocket that helped Christian take a 9-3 advantage.

Young was 3-for-3, raising his season average to .511 and his RBI count to 34.

GRANT MILLS pitched two shutout innings in relief to garner his fifth win in eight decisions.

BRAWLEY 7, SANTANA 2 BOXSCORE -- The 240 mile trek into the Imperial Valley had nothing to do with the outcome of Tuesday's (May 23) Play-in Round of the SDCIF Division III playoff game.

"We had a dropped fly ball and threw another ball into the dugout that really hurt us," Santana coach JERRY HENSON said. "It had nothing to do with the heat or playing under the lights. All in all, Brawley just played a better ballgame."

Santana (22-10) was pleased that it did not have to play during the afternoon sun.

"When we stopped to eat dinner in El Centro it was 96 degrees," Henson said. "Come game time, though, the temperature had dropped, and we were happy about that. But the bugs were so thick that we thought we were in a snowstorm, but knew better because if the heat."

Even with those distractions Henson could not make excuses for the Sultans' early exit from the SDCIF Division III playoffs.

There are those who might blame the veteran skipper for not starting senior JOHN BASNIGHT against Brawley. Basnight, who has been nagged by various injuries, has been handled with kid gloves by Henson and pitching coach PAT CAVALCANTE.

The plan was to start Basnight in game two of the playoffs.

"I'm not going to second-guess myself," said Henson, who lost his ace pitcher to grades two weeks ago. You have to have more than one guy on the hill to go anywhere, and we had to prove that we did."

Those plans were foiled by Imperial Valley League champion Brawley, which capitalized on every Santana miscue.

Things started out on the right foot for Santana, which took a 1-0 lead on CHRIS DIAZ' single up the middle in the 1st inning.

Brawley tied it in the bottom of the 2nd.

Santana charged in front again as NICHOLAS SICA hit the first of his three hits, stole second and scored on a throwing error to put Santana back in front 2-1.

After that Santana's offense went flat and Brawley scored five runs in the bottom of the 3rd inning -- thanks to two Santana errors -- to take control of the game.

"If you can't score more that two runs and play better defense than we did, it's not likely that you're going to go very far in the playoffs," Henson said.

Santana managed to out-hit the Wildcats 9-7. Eight of those safeties belonged to Diaz, Sica and RICHARD MARTINEZ.

"We played this game at a local armory and the field was huge," said Henson. "We hit a lot of long fly balls and Brawley's outfielders played deep and caught ‘em. If this game had been played at Santana, we would have had two or three home runs and would have won the game. But that's the breaks when you finish fourth in your league and have to play on the road."

MISSION HILLS 6, HELIX 4 BOXSCORE -- Even though the Highlanders were knocked out of the San Diego CIF playoffs, Helix coach COLE HOLLAND wasn't bitter or angry. Obviously disappointed, Holland made it clear that he was pleased by the Highlanders' effort as their season came to an end.

"It was the best game we've played all year," said Holland. "I was happy with the way we played. It was the most intensity we've shown all year."

Leading 1-0, the Highlanders (12-18) surrendered three runs to the Grizzlies (20-10) in the bottom of the 2nd and were forced into the chase role thereafter. The key hit for Mission Hills was Ryan Suzukawa's two-run single that broke a 1-1 deadlock.

An RBI single by Helix pitcher ERIC PONCE in the 3rd inning closed the gap to 3-2. Ponce's pitching counterpart Gerald Casanada got that run back on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the inning.

Helix's final run of the season came on JEREMY PETERSON's RBI single in the 4th inning. That stroke sliced the Grizzlies' advantage to a single marker.

The struggle remained that tight until Mission Hills pushed across two runs to secure the victory on Brian Haley's two-run double in the 6th inning.

Holland's troops were denied by a trio of defensive gems by the Mission Hills.

"Mission Hills made three diving catches in the outfield, all with runners in scoring position," Holland lamented. "Then we lost a ball in the sun. It made a huge difference."

The Highlanders welcomed DEREK ANCRUM back to the lineup after a three-game absence due to a knee injury suffered against Mount Miguel. He went 1-for-2.

Ponce accounted for three of Helix's eight hits.

ST. AUGUSTINE 5, STEELE CANYON 0 BOXSCORE -- St. Augustine is known for its hitting prowess, not its pitching. Steele Canyon has followed a similar script.

But it was the Saints' Travis McCracken who had the last word. The senior southpaw blanked the visiting Cougars on three hits Tuesday (May 23) at Hickman Field to propel St. Augustine into Wednesday's first round of the San Diego CIF Division III double elimination tournament.

It was the first time in 29 games that Steele Canyon had failed to score. Only three times had the Cougars scored two or fewer runs prior to McCracken's knock-out punch.

"I can't believe we got shutout," said Steele Canyon coach PHIL MITTRY.

"McCracken threw strike after strike after strike."

Not that McCracken set a record for strikeouts, but his pinpoint control helped the Saints play error-free defense.

Beck Wheeler's 3-run double spiked the Saints to a 3-0 lead in the 1st inning.

"McCracken looked good and we got in a hole early," said Mittry. "He was ahead on almost every hitter. There wasn't much we could do."

Steele Canyon's top hitters on the season drew blanks. GARRETT JENNER accounted for two of the Cougars three hits. ERIC CARRILLO got the other.

"We didn't put a whole lot of balls in play," said Mitty. "They didn't have to make too many tough plays."

East County Sports.com
SAN DIEGO (5-20-06) -- The buzz during Friday's (May 19) San Diego CIF baseball seeding meeting was "who was going to get stuck traveling to Brawley" in Tuesday's (May 23) Play-In round of the Division III playoffs.

Turns out Santana (22-9) got the "short end of the straw," as the Sultans, who spent much of the season ranked among the Top 10 in the various county polls, will be obliged to test the Imperial Valley League champion Wildcats (17-7) on desert soil at 6:30 in the evening.

Santana will "take a big yellow bus" 240 miles roundtrip to open the playoffs.

"We're ready," Santana coach JERRY HENSON said. "We have to play somewhere. We are looking forward to going to Brawley."

Henson did offer one suggestion in jest to SDCIF Commissioner DENNIS ACKERMAN about possibly floating his team a loan to cover travel expenses.

"What's gas now -- $3.50 a gallon?" Henson said.

Maybe Henson should compare numbers with Palo Verde Valley (6-13) which has to travel from Blythe to Marian Catholic (8-21) for a Division IV Play-In game in Imperial Beach. The Yellow Jackets will cover 450 miles roundtrip to meet that engagement.

Henson said he had not personally seen the Wildcats in action, but added that his assistant coaches had done so.

Meanwhile, defending champion Grossmont (22-8) was awarded the No. 1 seed in Division II; Granite Hills (21-7) claimed the No. 3 seed in Division I; El Capitan (18-11) was No. 4 in the highly competitive Division III; and Christian (14-11) grabbed the No. 3 rung in Division IV. Grossmont, Granite Hills and El Capitan avoid the play-in round with a bye, while the Patriots are in the 16-team Division IV which offers no byes.

Those with byes jump into the double-elimination tournament on Wednesday (May 24).

Other East County teams qualifying for post-season play include West Hills (13-13), which hosts San Pasqual (16-13) in a Division II Play-In game at 4 p.m. Helix (12-17) travels to Mission Hills (19-10) in another Division II Play-In affair at 4.

Included in Division III Play-In games is a potential slugfest between Steele Canyon (13-15) and St. Augustine (18-9) at Hickman Field at 3:30 p.m. and Valhalla (20-9) hosting Valley Center (17-13) at 4:30 p.m.

Following a lead walk, the Braves' Clifton Thomas swipes his 50th base against Santana. (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

Thomas reaches 50, caught in 51 attempt Santana gains playoff momentum East County Sports.com EL CAJON (5-19-06) -- While El Cajon Valley superstar center-fielder CLIFTON THOMAS was on a rampage toward breaking the San Diego CIF base-stealing record, the visiting Santana Sultans were gaining momentum with a major offensive outburst in Thursday's (May 18) 17-0 Grossmont North League season ender. Thomas was able to swipe his 50th bag after leading off the bottom of the 1st with a bunt single. When he tried to tie the section record 51 steals established by Eric Chavez' (Mt. Carmel, in 1995), he was cut down by catcher NICHOLAS SICA at third base. BOXSCORE "It would have been nice to get the record but I didn't get it," Thomas said. "Hopefully, I'll get to where Chavez is someday." That's a hefty goal considering Chavez is a starting third baseman for the Oakland A's. But not impossible, as several pro scouts have taken notice of Thomas. "Preparation and coaches helping me after practices, and all the hard work helped get me where I am now," said Thomas. Perhaps overshadowed but not ignored was Santana's offensive onslaught. The Sultans (22-9, 6-6 GNL) raked two El Cajon Valley pitchers for 17 hits. JOHN BASNIGHT led the charge, driving in five runs with a home run, two sacrifice flies and a single. "I was going to make Thomas earn everything he got," said Basnight, who shut the Braves out on one hit while striking out six over 3 1/3 innings. "I wasn't just going to hand it to him." KYLE CULVER blanked the Braves on one hit over 1 2/3 innings and was rewarded with his fourth win in five decisions. JOSH POND pitched the final two innings and did not allow a hit while striking out three. Santana stole six bases in the first two innings while en route to building a 6-0 lead. CHRIS DIAZ drove in four runs with a two-run single, an RBI double and a sacrifice fly. Sultans leadoff hitter JON TIPPIN was the prototype leadoff hitter, reaching base in all four of his at-bats and circling the bases for four runs. He also had a double, an RBI single, and stole two bases. "It was a good day to work on our swing and get toned for CIF," said Tippin. Senior RICHARD MARTINEZ was 4-for-4 with five runs scored and two stolen bases for Santana. "We're hoping for a top four seed so we can get a first-round bye," Tippin said. "We've struggled toward the end of the season but we're ready to come out firing for the playoffs."

El Cajon Valley's Clifton Thomas can only bow his head in disappointment after failing in his record-breaking attempt to match the CIF-SDS single-season record for stolen bases. (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

East County Sports.com
SPRING VALLEY (5-19-06) -- BILLY SYLVESTER used to be what one East County baseball coach called "Bench Life." That coach who coined the phrase was referring to players who spend the majority of the season riding the pine and are called upon to contribute in spot roles.

That was when Sylvester was a junior. Role player personified. BOXSCORE

While he waited for his chance to step up to the plate, Sylvester knew how to keep the atmosphere light inside the Granite Hills dugout. Practical jokes and impromptu one-liners were Sylvester's specialties.

"I forgot how much Billy verbalized in our dugout last year," Granite Hills coach JAMES DAVIS said. "When I took him out of the game early today (in Thursday's May 18 regular-season finale at Mount Miguel), he wasn't very happy. Then he began to chirp like he did all of last year. It almost bugged me this time."

Good thing Sylvester is now a starter -- for more reason than one.

The Eagles' 6-foot, 203-pound right fielder wiped out a 2-0 Mount Miguel lead with a three-run homer in the 2nd inning.

"That was one of the longest home runs we've hit all year," Davis said. "Billy is swinging the bat as well as he has all year right now."

Sylvester added an RBI single in the 4th and walked and scored in the 5th as Grossmont South League champion Granite Hills (21-7, 14-1 GSL) opened up a 10-run spread.

The bottom third of the Granite Hills batting order provided the muscle in this win, the Eagles' eighth straight and 14th in 15 starts.

LOUIS CAZARES continued his torrid hitting, driving in three runs with a double and a single in three at-bats.

AUSTIN COLEMAN also clubbed a solo home run for the Eagles.

Senior southpaw GARRETT RUSSELL (7-0) checked the Matadors on two hits over five innings. He struck out six and then left matters to the Eagles' bullpen.

Granite Hills is seeking a No. 3 seed in the San Diego CIF Division I playoffs. The seeding meeting is Friday night (May 19).

Mount Miguel (4-23, 0-15 GSL) took a 2-0 lead in the 1st inning on CHRIS FREEMAN's two-run single. The Matadors would garner only two hits in the final six innings.

STEELE CANYON 10, HELIX 7 BOXSCORE -- Steele Canyon coach PHIL MITTRY can only wonder what might have been. Foremost in his mind had to be early season injuries that depleted his pitching staff, and a defense that was unsure at best.

One thing Mitty's Cougars (13-15, 8-7 GSL) could deliver with consistency was offensive firepower.

"We could have had 18 wins if we could play some defense," grumbled Mittry. "We were a sieve on defense but our offense took charge and every time (Helix) got a run or two we got them right back with the stick. Our offense carried us today -- it was a definite positive. We didn't play good defense. And it was all things that we worked on yesterday (in practice), too."

This was an all too familiar scenario for Steele Canyon, which is hoping to gain a spot in the SDCIF Division III playoffs.

"We're hoping for the No. 11 or 12 seed in the playoffs," Mittry said.

In the Cougars latest victory DANNY HARRIS was the point man. The senior shortstop crashed a two-run home run in the 1st inning and a two-run shot in the 6th, raising his Steele Canyon record total to 11 for the season.

MIKE LANGE joined the Cougars' home run parade with a solo shot in the 1st, and WILL MURRAY hoisted a two-run blast that gave Steele Canyon a 6-2 lead in the 3rd.

ERIC CARRILLO, who has come on to contribute offensively over the last third of the season, chipped in a two-run double to stretch Steele Canyon's lead to 8-2 in the 5th.

"Carrillo had a big double late in the game to pad the lead a little bit," said Mittry.

Only three of Helix' seven runs were earned as ANDREW BRUDER, NICK TODARO and Harris combined for the Cougars victory.

RAUL RITCHIE was 2-for-3 with two RBI to lead the Highlanders (12-17, 5-10 GSL), who will surely make the Division II playoffs but are a longshot for a first round home game.

"We actually hit the ball really well, they just hit the ball better," said Helix coach COLE HOLLAND. "We had runners in scoring position in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 7th and left the bases loaded in the 2nd and 3rd. We had our opportunities but we couldn't shut them down on the mound."

Taylor Wohlwend (top) pitched five solid inning to lead the Foothillers to their second straight shutout, while Bryan Haar (bottom) blasted his seventh home run in a 15-0 pasting of West Hills to cap the regular season. (Photo by Chris Edwards)

GROSSMONT 15, WEST HILLS 0 BOXSCORE -- Even when he's not pitching, Grossmont senior A.J. GRIFFIN is a factor.

Griffin, who started at first base, accounted for five runs as he went 2-for-3 including a two-run homer in Grossmont's 6-run 4th inning Thursday (May 18) at home.

Sophomore JOSH SIMMS drove in four runs with two-run singles in the 3rd and 4th innings as Grossmont stacked up a 14-0 advantage.

BRIAN HAAR slugged his seventh home run with nobody on in the 3rd, and KYLE SECCIANI celebrated a 3-for-3 effort.

TYLER WOHLWEND blanked the Wolf Pack (13-13, 7-5 GNL) on two hits while striking out eight during a five-inning stint to post his sixth win in nine decisions.

"Everything we did seemed to click," said Grossmont coach ROB PHILLIPS, whose Grossmont North League champion Foothillers (22-8, 10-2 GNL) have won 18 of their last 21 games.

Phillips believes Grossmont is worthy of the top seed in the SDCIF Division II playoffs. The Foothillers are sure to draw competition from Palomar League runner-up Westview (23-8) for the pole position.

VALHALLA 5, MONTE VISTA 4 BOXSCORE -- Host Valhalla overcome a 4-2 fifth inning deficit with single markers in the final three innings of Thursday's (May 18) Grossmont South League finale.

The decisive play was a dropped fly ball by the Monte Vista left fielder where the sun was an obvious factor. That Monte Vista muff of DAVID SMITH's drive scored RYAN O'SULLIVAN with the winning tally with two outs in the bottom of the 7th.

The narrow victory kept Valhalla (20-9, 12-3 GSL) on course for a possible top four seed in the SDCIF Division III playoffs that begin next week.

On the other side of the coin, the disheartening loss left Monte Vista (11-16, 6-9 GSL) on the bubble for a playoff berth.

Valhalla senior ace ERIC JULIENNE had a rocky outing, surrendering four runs and five hits in five innings. Freshman reliever TREVOR FRANK blanked the Monarchs on two hits and struck out three over the final two innings to gain the victory.

GOLDIE SIMMONS was 4-for-4 with two RBI to pace Monte Vista.

Christian High catcher Matt Hart gets barrel-rolled by Madison's Will Cotton. Hart hung on to the ball for the out, while Cotton was promptly ejected. The Warhawks still went on to win 13-4, capturing the 2006 Central League baseball championship. (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

East County Sports.com
SAN DIEGO (5-18-06) -- It took host Madison a short time to make it a long afternoon for the Christian High Patriots in Wednesday's (May 17) Central League championship showdown. BOXSCORE

After the Warhawks booted a double-play ball to hand the Patriots two 1st inning runs, Madison sent a dozen batters to the plate in the bottom of the inning to take a 7-2 lead.

It was all Madison on this day as the Warhawks (18-8, 11-1 CTL) wrapped up their third straight league championship.

Christian (14-11, 9-3 CTL) missed a shot to tie Madison for the league laurels as the regular season came to an end.

"All you can ask is to be there at the end -- to have a chance at the championship," Christian coach MIKE MITCHELL said. "If you are there at the end anything can happen. Turns out today just wasn't our day."

Speaking of sad endings, Christian leadoff hitter ADAM PERRY had his 21-game hitting streak snapped. Perry walked in his first two at-bats and scored two runs. His best shot to extend his hitting skein, which ranks sixth in San Diego CIF history, came in his third at-bat when he ripped a one-hopper inches wide of the first base bag for a foul ball in the 4th inning.

Christian trailed 10-2 after two innings so the suspense was over in a hurry.

"We had a couple of key errors and a few walks and you can't do that against a team that can swing it like Madison does," Mitchell said. "They got out in front and didn't give us a sniff after that."

Hillers, Eagles collect league crowns
Thomas faces Santana for stolen bases record

East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (5-17-06) -- Two of East County's three league championships were decided Tuesday (May 16) when Grossmont captured the Grossmont North League flag with a 7-0 nod over visiting El Capitan, and Granite Hills made it back-to-back Grossmont South League crowns by blitzing visiting Valhalla 9-0. Underdog Christian goes after a share of the Central League title Wednesday (May 17) at Madison. If the Patriots come out on top they would share the title with the Warhawks, but a Christian victory technically would make the Pats unofficial champions by virtue of having beaten the Warhawks in two of three meetings.

Grossmont's A.J. Griffin went the distance to blank El Capitan, 7-0, for his 9th straight complete game. (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

GROSSMONT 7, EL CAPITAN 0 BOXSCORE -- It was all about A.J. GRIFFIN for the Foothillers as the senior right-hander logged his 9th straight complete gamein securing the Foothillers' first league title since 2002.

Griffin, a 6-foot-4, 205-pound right-hander, hurled his second shutout in his string of complete games that includes a 2-0 win over No. 7 Mission Bay during the Lions Tournament. Griffin's uninterrupted string of complete games is one shy of the unofficial San Diego Section record set by Point Loma High's David Wells (now a veteran major leaguer) during the 1982 season.

"A.J. has matured a ton since the first game of the year to where he is now," said Grossmont coach ROB PHILLIPS. "He has become the leader we've needed so badly. Once a week you can count on A.J. to go out there and give us seven innings of quality pitching."

Griffin, who has won 8 of 11 decisions, has lowered his ERA to 1.42 as he continues his mastery over El Capitan (18-11, 7-5 GNL).

"We have not scored off Griffin in 18 innings, dating back to the CIF championship game last year," said El Capitan coach STEVE VICKERY.

"I'm disappointed that we didn't compete better. Griffin on the mound just dominated us."

It was a bit of a balancing act for Griffin at the outset, as the Vaqueros put runners at second and third in the opening inning. Griffin responded by dealing an inning-ending strikeout.

El Capitan had two runners on in the second inning with two down but, once again, Griffin slammed the door.

"We left eight on base, all in the first four innings," said Vickery ruefully.

Griffin limited the Vaqueros to three hits, walked two and struck out seven.

"The thing I like most about winning this game is it meant we didn't back into a title. We went out and got it," said Phillips.

Grossmont (21-8, 9-2 GNL banged out 4 doubles and a triple as it pinned a loss on El Capitan ace CRISTIAN GARCIA (7-3).

"It felt good to win the championship by beating El Cap," Griffin said. "We rolled in to their place to clinch the championship after Garcia rolled in to our yard and shut us out."

Grossmont did not appear to be a contender for any kind of championship ring at the outset. The Foothillers lost 5 of their first 9 decisions.

"With the start that we had I thought to myself ‘This is going to be a long year,'" Griffin said. "It was so disappointing in my sophomore and junior years because we were so close both times. Going into each of those seasons I thought we would win league."

Grossmont has won 17 of its last 20 games.

"We started to turn it on during the Lions Tournament," Griffin said. "Now we're playing ball and shutting people down."

The Foothillers broke a scoreless tie in the 3rd inning. KYLE SECCIANI doubled and AUGIE WILLIAMS was hit by a pitch with one out. The Vaqueros' Garcia tried to pick off Williams at first but his throw was wide of the mark and careened down the right field line. Secciani scored on the miscue. BRYAN HAAR added an RBI single in the inning, giving Grossmont a 2-0 edge.

Grossmont broke the game open in the 4th inning, rattling off five hits in succession against Garcia.

"That hasn't happened to Cristian all year," said Vickery.

Griffin started the inning with a base hit but was cut down stealing on a strong throw from Vaqueros catcher AUSTIN RAUCH. So it looked like Garcia was going about his business.

Grossmont had other ideas. TREVOR BERRY singled to left, NICK SOBEL followed with a soft liner to right, where the El Capitan right-fielder attempted to make a diving catch to no avail. Thus, Sobel wound up with a triple and an RBI as the Foothillers pushed their lead to 3-0.

DEREK BAUM doubled to right to score Sobel, and JUSTIN MASON followed suit to put the game all but out of reach for El Cap.

The Foothillers tacked on single runs in the next two innings on an RBI double by Haar and a scoring fly ball by JOSH SIMMS.

"We've had difficulties driving in runs with runners in scoring position," Phillips admitted. "But we got some key hits to put us on top. And that's all A.J. needed."

GRANITE HILLS 9, VALHALLA 0 BOXSCORE -- When TRAVIS TAIJERON was asked to assume the catching duties at Granite Hills had to know he was replacing the East County Player of the Year -- NICK MONETTE.

In the early games of this season Taijeron was a defensive liability behind the plate. Granite Hills coach JAMES DAVIS contemplated making a change, but kept extending the reins to Taijeron.

Credit Davis for his patience.

It's a strong possibility that Taijeron will be named Grossmont South League Player of the Year. The junior slugger currently leads the San Diego CIF with 14 home runs, which include 6 round-trippers in his last four games.

Taijeron supplied the key blast that defused Valhalla's bid for a fourth-straight (co- or otherwise) Grossmont South League championship in Tuesday's (May 16) encounter.

The power-hitting catcher hammered a 3-run homer in the bottom of the 1st that provided the Eagles (20-7, 13-1 GSL) with the momentum they wouldn't lose.

Taijeron's key home run came at the expense of Valhalla sophomore pitcher RYAN O'SULLIVAN.

"I was feeling it a little bit when I came out today," said Taijeron. "I was looking for a first-pitch fastball and he threw it letter-high. It was a nice pitch and he kind of left it there."

Taijeron wasted little time hoisting O'Sullivan's effort over the 390 sign in straightaway center-field. "I wasn't sure it was going out until I saw the center-fielder stop, and then I knew it was going out."

Junior right-hander ERIC KRAUSE doesn't need many runs to post a victory. He proved that again on Tuesday as he blanked the Norsemen for the second time in as many starts. He struck out 10 and allowed only three hits as he raised his record to 9-1.

"This was a nice win, a nice thing to do, to clinch a championship on your home field against your rival," said Davis, who has led the Eagles to three championships in his five years at the Granite Hills helm.

AUSTIN COLEMAN followed Taijeron's 2-for-4 effort with a pair of doubles and a single. LOUIS CAZARES blooped a 2-run single in the 3rd inning to give Granite Hills a 5-0 lead, and went on to finish 2-for-2.

Like Taijeron, BRIAN HUMPHRIES finished with two hits.

MONTE VISTA 8, HELIX 3 BOXSCORE -- Senior DANNY DeANDA kept Monte Vista's playoff hopes alive in Tuesday's (May 16) Grossmont South League victory over the visiting Highlanders.

Maybe it wasn't single-handed, but the 6-foot, 205-pound DeAnda launched his third and fourth home runs of the season to plate four runs in addition to pitching 4 1/3 innings to garner the win.

"I told my seniors this could be the last two games of their high school careers," said Monte Vista coach LARRY RINEHART. "I guess it was sort of a challenge, and they rose up to meet it."

Both of DeAnda's home runs -- a 3-run shot in the 1st and a solo blast in the 5th -- were well up the steep bank beyond the right field fence.

"Danny's first home run landed up on the top of the bank by the fence in front of the tennis courts," Rinehart noted.

For awhile Helix (12-16, 5-9 GSL) refused to fold. An RBI double by starting pitcher ERIC PONCE gave the Highlanders a 1-0 advantage in the top of the 1st. After that, though, the Highlanders were playing catch-up.

Once again, in the 4th, a base hit by Ponce set up an RBI double by JEREMY PETERSON, leaving the Highlanders down only 3-2.

Monte Vista (11-15, 6-8 GSL), seeking a spot in the SDCIF Division III playoffs, showed the Highlanders that the Monarchs were not going to buckle under.

A base hit by ANTHONY MARCON, followed by BO AGUILAR's first home run of the year, extended Monte Vista's advantage to 5-2.

For good measure DeAnda hit a solo home run to lead off the 5th and GOLDIE SIMMONS and SPENCER REED rapped RBI singles in the 6th to salt away the win.

"I'd like to think that we should be considered for the playoffs, as we've played 14 games against teams that have been ranked in the Top 10," said Rinehart.

STEELE CANYON 16, MOUNT MIGUEL 6 BOXSCORE -- Heavy-hitting DANNY HARRIS enjoyed another of his many hitting sprees Tuesday (May 16) to help lead the playoff-hopeful Cougars past visiting Mount Miguel.

Harris, who just missed hitting for the cycle, whacked a 2-run triple in the 2nd and a 2-run double in the 3rd after driving in a run with a single in the 1st frame.

No one has questioned Steele Canyon's ability to hit. But the Cougars (12-15, 7-7 GSL), who are bidding for a SDCIF Division III playoff spot, do not have "stopper-type pitching," are a long-shot for post-season play.

"We knew we had to win today to have a shot at the playoffs," said Steele Canyon PHIL MITTRY. "We took care of business -- it was a good day."

Steele Canyon put this game out of reach in the first three innings as the Cougars gained a 12-4 advantage.

Senior MIKE LANGE belted a 3-run home run in the 6th inning to cap the scoring for the Cougars.

CHRIS FREEMAN was 2-for-3 with 3 RBI for Mount Miguel (4-22, 0-14 GSL).

WEST HILLS 13, EL CAJON VALLEY 3 BOXSCORE -- This Grossmont North League game was over after three innings on Tuesday (May 16), as the Wolf Pack registered its second-highest offensive output of the season.

Unsung hero TRAVIS IRVIN drove in 5 runs for the Wolf Pack. The senior second baseman, who came into the game batting only .213, broke loose for a career day. Irvin collected 3 hits, including a 2-run homer in the 3rd inning that extended West Hills' lead to 11-0.

"Irvin had a huge game -- a great day at the plate," said West Hills coach SCOTT "HOPPY" HOPGOOD. "He looked very, very sharp today. There were a couple of (four year) colleges here to see both Irvin and (SHAIN) STONER, and they both performed very well today.”

"I think the guys are starting to hit their stride right now. We understood we had to take care of business," he said.

Stoner, batting in the leadoff spot, was 3-for-4 with a double and 2 RBI. AARON RICHARDSON drove in three runs, including the first two, with a base hit in the 1st inning.

JON EDDY started the game and pitched four shutout innings, limiting the Braves (1-25, 0-11 GNL) to two hits while striking out five.

"Eddy was solid on the hill," said Hopgood. "He gives us a chance to win every game."

Once again, El Cajon Valley's senior center-fielder CLIFTON THOMAS was a superstar. Thomas was 4-for-4 in stolen bases, which raised his season total to 49 thefts. He has one game remaining in his high school career to break the San Diego CIF record for most stolen bases in a season held by Mt. Carmel's Eric Chavez (currently a starting third baseman for the Oakland A's).

Thomas, who needs two steals to tie Chavez' section record of 51 set in 1995, has been thrown out only four times this year. He'll go for the record in Thursday's (May 18) regular season finale against the Santana Sultans, who have been one of the more successful teams in denying him on the basepaths.

Against West Hills Thomas was 3-for-4, including his sixth home run of the season. That effort raised his batting average to an East County best .584 (45-for-77) and extended his hitting streak to 14 games.

CAMERON SINES was 2-for-3 with a double for El Cajon Valley.

Grant Mills drives home the game-winning run, movng the Patriots within one game of Central League leading Madison. The teams meet again Wednesday to decide the league championship. (Christian High courtesy photo)

East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (5-16-06) -- Pennant fever is bubbling over at Christian High today. BOXSCORE

The Patriots barged back into the Central League pennant race Monday (May 15) with a last-inning 3-2 victory over runaway favorite Madison.

GRANT MILLS, who has been among the hottest hitters in the Christian High lineup the past week (7-for-15, 7 RBI), stroked a single to left field that scored SHANE STANOVIC with the game-winning run in the bottom of the 7th inning.

That's not surprising considering Mills is 7-for-15 with 7 RBI over his last four games, including 2-for-4 with his third game-winning in Monday's (May 15) win over the Warhawks (16-8, 10-1 CTL).

Stanovic, who admittedly prefers batting to pitching, held the Hawks to two hits and two runs over 6 1/3 innings. The senior southpaw struck out seven, but walked eight. He was bailed out of a 7th inning jam by TODD JONES, who got the final two outs and was rewarded with his 5th win in seven decisions.

"Stanovic did a great job pitching," said Christian coach MIKE MITCHELL. "He was struggling with his control but made the big pitches when he had to. We played good defense today. Our kids were really fired up."

Where Stanovic did his best work was at the top third of the Madison lineup. The Warhawks' top three hitters, all of whom rank among the San Diego Section's leading hitters, were collectively 1-for-6.

That one safety was a big blow, though. Adrian Hutchison, who came into this game batting at a .596 clip, spoiled Stanovic's bid for a no-hitter with a two-run home run that tied the game 2-2 in the 6th inning, Hutchison's homer was his sixth of the season and Madison's first hit in the game.

ADAM PERRY proved his 21-game hitting streak is no fluke as he pumped out three hits in four at-bats. Perry broke a scoreless tie with his 4th home run with two outs in the 3rd inning, keeping his hitting streak alive. Only five players in the 45 year history of the San Diego Section have compiled hitting streaks longer than Perry's.

In the 5th inning, DANNY MITCHELL's two-out single in left field got the Patriots started for a second run. Perry followed Mitchell's lead with a base hit to left field, and Stanovic followed suit for the RBI and a 2-0 Christian lead.

The Patriots (14-10, 9-2 CTL), who face Madison for the final time on Wednesday (May 17) in Kearny Mesa at 3 p.m., can gain a piece of the championship with a victory.

Granite Hills catcher Travis Taijeron catches the ball and applies the tag on Mike Lange of Steele Canyon during a collision at home plate, holding the ball to the umpire. But was Lange safe or out?... DOUBLE-CLICK the final photo to find out. (Photos by Adolfo Villanueva) FOR MORE PHOTOS, GO TO CLASSIFIED ADS AND CLICK THE LINK

Illness fails to stop Sultans pitcher

East County Sports.com
SANTEE (5-14-06) -- In a game of measured importance two teams offered anemic attacks and hoped that their pitching would carry them into victory lane. That was the scenario of the Grossmont North League clash between El Capitan and Santana Saturday (May 13). BOXSCORE

The two teams combined for just 8 hits, but it was RICHARD MARTINEZ' line-drive RBI single to right field that broke a 2-2 tie and gave the Sultans a much-needed 3-2 victory.

It was an heroic effort by Martinez, who could hardly answer the bell due to illness. But the senior right-hander, realizing that his predominantly underclassmen team had lost back-to-back crucial decisions due to loss of key personnel, stepped to the mound and delivered.

Santana's Ryan Brosnan (in purple) gets into second base for the steal while El Capitan's Shane Sullenger goes over the top of Brosnan to flag down the ball (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

Martinez limited the Vaqueros to 2 hits and 2 runs in 4 2/3 innings before sophomore BRANDYN BELL picked up the ball and blanked the Vaqueros on one hit over the final 2 1/3 innings.

It was sort of a two-way street, as Martinez delivered the game-winning RBI and Bell closed the door to earn his sixth win in eight decisions.

"I'm sure Richard would rather have not pitched because he wasn't feeling very well," Santana coach JERRY HENSON said. "But he came through. He took a no-hitter into 5th inning and got the first two guys out before giving up a single up the middle to (RYAN) INVERSO."

The game was tied 2-2 when Inverso broke up the no-hitter. But the Sultans (21-9, 5-6 GNL) in the bottom of the 5th parlayed El Capitan's only error, a hit-and-run single by RYAN STUTZ, and Martinez' clutch hit into the winning margin.

"Yeah, this is a big win, but they're all big wins from now on," said Henson, whose Sultans figure to end the campaign with 22 wins. "When we go to the seeding meeting, I doubt if many teams have as many wins as we will. I think we deserve a home game in the opening round, and maybe more."

"One thing for sure is I know our kids haven't quit, despite the adversity we've had."

El Capitan, fresh off celebrating coach STEVE VICKERY's 500th win two days earlier, took a 1-0 lead on Inverso's sacrifice fly in the 3rd inning. The Vaqueros, who collected only three hits, added a second run in the 4th inning on CRISTIAN GARCIA's sacrifice fly.

"Once again we weren't able to drive in runners in scoring position. It's been a problem for our team all year," Vickery said.

El Capitan pitcher KYLE KING deserved a better fate, as he limited the Sultans to 5 hits -- four of which were of the infield variety.

HELIX 7, VALHALLA 3 BOXSCORE -- The once dormant Helix attack was alive for the fourth game in a row Saturday (May 13), as the Highlanders hammered out 10 hits and upset No. 6-ranked Valhalla in a Grossmont South League encounter.

The pivotal frame in this battle was the 4th, when the Highlanders (12-15, 5-8 GSL) broke a 2-2 tie with a 5-run outburst. KARLIS THORPE laced an RBI single, RANDY PEREZ followed with a run-scoring base hit, and MATT COBB drew a bases loaded walk for another run. ERIC PONCE capped the inning with a 2-run single.

"We are peaking at the right time," said Helix coach COLE HOLLAND. "We beat two good (Valhalla) pitchers today and our last four games we've got 48 hits. That's because we're being more aggressive at the plate and working at getting hitter's counts."

Holland was emphatic as the Highlanders used a diversified attack.

"We had eight different guys get hits, six different guys had RBI and six different guys scored runs," the Scotties' skipper said. "That's a good thing. It makes it hard for our opponents to focus on one guy."

MAHI LABASTIDA fell one out short of a complete game, checking the Norsemen (19-8, 11-2 GSL) on 6 hits while allowing only two earned runs. SALONZO GRIER came on to get the final out for his first save.

"Mahi threw a great game," said Holland. "He did what we wanted him to do, which is keep them off balance. If you're going to give up a home run, make sure nobody is on base."

Valhalla fell into Holland's game plan, as JEFF SOPATA led off the Norsemen's 2nd inning with his fourth home run, and TOMAS KARAGIANES cracked a solo shot in the 3rd.

"That ball that Karagianes hit (over the left field fence) is farther than anybody has hit one at Helix this year," Holland commented. "Rarely do solo home runs break your back. We preach that to our pitchers all the time. Just throw strikes and challenge people."

Karagianes was the only Norseman to have more than one hit as Valhalla totaled 5 against two Helix pitchers.

"Helix came out swinging and I think they had the hot hand," Valhalla coach STEVE PERDUE said. "I think what happened was due more to them than us."

The Norsemen, who have won three straight Grossmont South League titles can keep their streak intact with a victory at Granite Hills on Tuesday (May 16).

"We're in a must-win situation now if we want to take the league title," Perdue said. "If we win and wind up co-champs, we'll be the No. 1 representative from our league going into the playoffs since we would have beaten Granite Hills two out of three."

GRANITE HILLS 7, STEELE CANYON 3 BOXSCORE -- Led by power-hitting junior catcher TRAVIS TAIJERON, the Eagles muzzled the host Steele Canyon Cougars in Saturday's (May 13) Grossmont South League action in Rancho San Diego.

Taijeron belted his 13th home run -- the 5th in his last three games -- to tie El Capitan's AUSTIN RAUCH for the San Diego CIF lead. Taijeron's latest home run followed a single by BRIAN HUMPHRIES in the 7th inning.

"It's like I said before, I admire the job he's done with a bat but I'm even more impressed at how well he's performed behind the plate," said Granite Hills coach JAMES DAVIS. "Travis made two great blocks at the plate that resulted in outs. He also turned in a 5-2-3 double play. He's vastly improved since the beginning of the year -- gives us a tremendous presence on the field."

No. 7 ranked Granite Hills (19-7, 12-1 GSL), which has won 15 of its last 17 games, can lock up the Grossmont South League championship with a victory over Valhalla on Tuesday (May 16) in the Eagles' lair.

While Valhalla was suffering an upset loss to Helix on Saturday (May 13), the Eagles were curbing the Cougars on the pitching of GARRETT RUSSELL (6-0) and ERIC KRAUSE.

The Eagles took a 1-0 lead on Humphries' second home run of the year in the 1st inning. BILLY SYLVESTER's RBI single made it 2-0 in the 2nd inning. The Eagles picked up an unearned run in the top of the 3rd, but Steele Canyon countered with ROSS EPPERSON's RBI double in the bottom of the 3rd.

When all was said and done though, it was Taijeron's 2-run homer in the 7th that curtailed any kind of late rally plans by Steele Canyon (11-15, 6-7 GSL).

"We battled them," said Steele Canyon coach PHIL MITTRY. "We had two guys thrown out at the plate. We played shoddy defense. You can't give a good team like Granite Hills opportunities. We didn't take advantage of our opportunities."

GROSSMONT 8, EL CAJON VALLEY 1 BOXSCORE -- This was sort of the calm before the storm Saturday (May 13) as the Foothillers bowled over the visiting Braves in a Grossmont North League encounter at Joe Gizoni Field.

The 10th-ranked Foothillers (20-8, 8-2 GNL), who have won 16 of their last 19 games, are facing their toughest week of the season as they travel to Lakeside to challenge El Capitan on Tuesday (May 16) at 4 p.m. A victory over the Vaqueros would spell out a championship for the Grossmont. A loss would make Thursday's (May 18) regular season finale a must-win situation for the Foothillers.

Grossmont broke a 1-1 tie with 5 runs in the bottom of the 3rd inning to subdue the Braves. KYLE SECCIANI singled, stole second and advanced to third on a balk. A.J. GRIFFIN's single cashed in Secciani. DEREK BAUM followed with a two-run homer to left-center and after a walk to TREVOR BERRY, NICK SOBEL slugged his second homer in as many games.

El Cajon Valley crowd-pleaser CLIFTON THOMAS was unable to add to his county-leading 45 steals and was thrown out attempting to do so for only the fifth time this season.

Thomas did bang out a single to extend his hitting streak to 13 games. But Thomas' speed on defense was where the El Cajon Valley senior excelled in Saturday's contest.

"One of our kids got picked off at second and after a couple of throws between the second and third basemen, Thomas ran in from center field and asked for the ball," Grossmont coach ROB PHILLIPS said. "That guy is so fast. He stepped into the run down and asked for the ball. Then he bare-handed the ball and ran our guy with little to no effort. It was impressive."

Always the focal point of any game, Thomas also made a miraculous laid out catch that resulted in a sacrifice fly for BRYAN HAAR and a 7-1 lead for the Foothillers.

More proof of Thomas' superior speed was his making a beeline to the El Cajon Valley dugout when a swarm of bees buzzed Gizoni Field. El Cajon Valley was aligned on defense when suddenly the flyby guys sent players scurrying. Thomas beat all of his teammates to cover.

MISSION BAY 12, CHRISTIAN 1 -- Talk about an early knockout . . . It took 15 batters and about 22 minutes for the visiting Buccaneers (23-4) to put the Patriots (13-10) on the canvas in Saturday's (May 13) non-league game in El Cajon.

Mission Bay scored 11 runs in the opening inning and it was game, set, match.

The outlook might have been a lot more palatable for Christian had the Patriots not muffed a double-play ball that would have left the Bucs scoreless in the 1st inning. That misplay left the door open and Mission Bay barged in like the characters in one of those Capital One credit card commercials.

Mission Bay's first hit was a grand slam by Ricardo Moran. Sequoyah Stonecipfer stroked a two-run single and Manny Cordeiro clubbed a three-run homer in the opening frame that included only four Buccaneer hits.

A pair of back-breaking errors plus eight walks and two hit batters by five Christian High pitchers allowed Mission Bay to dominate the game despite muscling up just six hits.

Christian High senior ADAM PERRY rapped a lead single in the 5th inning to extend his hitting streak to 20 games, which ties him with BRANT RUSTICH (Grossmont, 2003) and Haas Pratt (Rancho Bernardo, 2000) for sixth place in the San Diego CIF record book.

Monte Vista second baseman David Palacios moves into position to tag out a Mount Miguel baserunner. (Photos by Chris Edwards)

GRANT MILLS was 2-for-2 for the Patriots, giving him a 5-for-11 week with a pair of doubles, a home run and six RBI.

Another reason why Christian was unable to keep pace with Mission Bay was Patriots coach MIKE MITCHELL was stockpiling his pitching for a two-game showdown against Madison with the Central League title hanging in the balance. Round one is slated for Monday (May 15) at Christian at 3 p.m.

MONTE VISTA 9, MT. MIGUEL 5 (8 inn.) BOXSCORE -- For some reason, perhaps because it is a battle of Spring Valley rivals, the cellar-dwelling Mount Miguel Matadors give the Monarchs of Monte Vista a hard time.

While Monte Vista did sweep the three-game Grossmont South League series from the Matadors, two of the games went into extra innings including Saturday's (May 13) encounter. Previous intra-city battles resulted in a one-run Monte Vista victory and a 15-12 slugfest captured by the Monarchs (10-15, 5-8 GSL).

DANNY DeANDA broke a 5-5 deadlock with a bases-loaded single that plated two runs in the 8th inning of the latest meeting. DeAnda also clubbed an RBI double in Monte Vista's 4-run 1st inning.

ANTHONY LOPEZ was a double-threat for Monte Vista, collecting three hits and toiling the final three innings to earn his third pitching nod in four decisions.

But as proud as the Monarchs are about mashing the Matadors (4-21, 0-13 GSL) they still find themselves as a longshot at securing a post-season berth.

JOSHUA BARROWS was 3-for-4 with three RBI for Mount Miguel.

East County Sports.com
SAN DIEGO (5-13-06) -- This late season non-league affair Friday (May 12) in South Bay had probable playoff overtones, as both the Foothillers (19-8) and Aztecs (17-8) are in the SDCIF's Division II.

No. 10 Grossmont (19-8), which earlier won a game with just one hit, extended its offense to include two hits in edging Montgomery, 2-1. One of those safeties was a booming home run by NICK SOBEL into a fierce head wind blowing in from left.

"That was some shot," said Grossmont coach ROB PHILLIPS. "Not many balls get out of there when the wind is blowing in like it was today."

Sobel's home run is the fourth in two games for Grossmont, which had not gone deep since the Lions Tournament in mid-April prior to that.

One of Sobel's other home runs was a tape-measure job at Mission Bay during the Lions Tournament.

Top: The Patriots' Todd Jones slides under the tag of Hoover's Eric Hyde to gain second base. Bottom: Grant Mills whips a 3-run homer to top the Cards. (Christian High courtesy photos)

That was enough for TAYLOR WOHLWEND (5-3), who spun a five-hitter and struck out eight.

Wohlwend worked from a stretch much of the early innings, but did not give in.

CHRISTIAN 12, HOOVER 2 BOXSCORE -- GRANT "General" MILLS was in charge of things during Friday's (May 12) Central League contest against Hoover at Christian High.

Mills, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound senior right-hander twirled a complete-game four-hitter and struck out 10.

More than that, though, was his offensive contributions. Mills erased a 2-0 deficit with a three-run homer in the 1st inning.

"It was an absolute bomb," Christian coach MIKE MITCHELL said.

But Mills had more to offer. Following consecutive walks to ADAM PERRY, SHANE STANOVIC, EDDIE YOUNG and CHAD O'DONNELL to make the score 4-2, Mills clouted another shot to center field. This one bounced over the fence for a ground rule double and two RBI. An RBI single by MATT HART closed the inning, leaving the Patriots (13-9, 8-2 CTL) on top 7-2.

"It was nice to see Mills swing the bat in clutch situations, Mitchell said. "He's been a consistent pitcher for us all season."

Perry extended his hitting streak to 19 games with a line-drive single to right field in the 6th inning. Perry's streak ties him with El Capitan's Paul Wardell (1997) for eighth-longest in the San Diego CIF record book. The SDCIF record is held by San Diego Padres' first baseman Adrian Gonzalez (Eastlake, 1999).

El Capitan's Nick McCarthy scores on a wild pitch, despite the efforts by Clifton Thomas of El Cajon Valley. (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

VICKERY'S VICTORIES
Career Varsity Baseball Victories by El Capitan head coach Steve Vickery:	5	0	0
El Capitan manager Steve Vickery (old guy in middle) celebrates his 500th career coaching victory with the rest of the Vaqueros. (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)
East County Sports.com EL CAPITAN 11, EL CAJON VALLEY 3 -- There were two headliners in Thursday's (May 11) Grossmont North League game at El Capitan. BOXSCORE Vaqueros coach STEVE VICKERY celebrated his 500th coaching victory as El Capitan (18-9, 7-3 GNL) closed to within one-half game of idle Grossmont (18-8, 7-2 GNL) with their fifth straight win. "It's been a pretty good run," said Vickery, who spent his initial five seasons at Valhalla before returning to his alma mater in 1985. Now in his 27th season as a high school baseball skipper, Vickery becomes only the fourth SDCIF coach to reach the 500-win plateau. Nine league titles and two SDCIF crowns are part of the Vickery legacy at El Capitan with possibly more still to come. "Our kids really wanted to get this, probably too much," Vickery said. "I appreciate that. It took us a while to relax and put the ball in play, keep pressure on them." El Capitan starting pitcher NICK McCARTHY was playing good old country hardball as he toiled six innings to earn his third win against one loss, The 6-foot, 230-pound McCarthy struck out six, walked none and allowed only two earned runs. McCarthy, ticketed to Cal State-San Marcos, also laced an RBI double in the Vaqueros' six-run 5th inning. Nearly lost in the hubbub of Vickery's milestone victory was a pair of run-scoring hits by DAMIAN GARCIA. The senior right fielder tied the game with an RBI single in the 1st and drove in two more with a double in the 5th. This was no gimme win for the Vaqueros as El Cajon Valley senior southpaw CLIFTON THOMAS asked for the ball and the chance to play spoiler. Normally the Braves' catch-everything center fielder, was up to the challenge. "Today was nervous time," Vickery said. "Once we saw Thomas was starting on the mound, wow, we knew this was no cinch (victory). He's a competitor. He's tough, won't give in." Thomas struck out eight batters in the first three innings, But El Cajon Valley (0-9, 1-23) was still on the short-end of a 4-3 score at that point due to key errors and walks. Thomas was 3-for-3 against El Capitan, which included a lead double and a steal of third base (his 45th in 49 attempts) in the 1st inning. Thomas, who hit his county-best sixth triple, was a home run shy of hitting for the cycle as he scored twice and drove in a run. Thomas is six thefts shy of the SDCIF season record held by Mt. Carmel's Eric Chavez (now the Oakland A's third baseman). Talk about one against the world . . . "Clifton is a gamer who wants the ball in big games," El Cajon Valley coach WAYNE WEIGHTMAN said. "He threw, he hit and he ran until he was physically spent. He's carried this team all season until he's had nothing left to offer."

Taijeron in pair of battles

East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (5-12-06) -- Granite Hills catcher TRAVIS TAIJERON suddenly has immersed himself into two pennant races. While his Eagles won't decide the Grossmont South League battle with Valhalla until next week, Taijeron is waging an individual battle for the San Diego CIF home run crown.

Meanwhile, on other East County fronts, Valhalla dunked Mount Miguel 9-3 to maintain its share of the Grossmont South lead with Granite Hills and El Capitan veteran baseball coach STEVE VICKERY gained his 500th coaching victory as the Vaqueros nailed visiting El Cajon Valley 11-3.

GRANITE HILLS 8, HELIX 3 -- For the second straight game, Taijeron slugged a pair of home runs, giving him a dozen long balls and 36 RBI for the season. BOXSCORE

With four homers over his last seven at-bats, the junior backstop now trails section leader AUSTIN RAUCH of El Capitan by one.

"It would mean a lot to me -- I've been trying to catch (Rauch) for some time," said Taijeron, who batted 3-for-4 with six RBI against the Highlanders and has six hits and eight RBI in his last two games. "I'm focused and feeling very comfortable right now."

The display of power started right out of the chute.

Following a JOSH QUERIONES single and a walk to BRIAN HUMPHRIES, Taijeron made it 3-0 three batters into the game by going with the pitch to the opposite field to right.

In the 4th, following a two-run double by Humphries for a 5-0 lead, Taijeron pulled the ball over the fence in left for a 7-0 Eagles advantage. The blow came moments after Humphries stole third, as the Helix pitching coach came to the mound to discuss the upcoming 2-2 pitch.

However, with the pitcher delivering to the plate out of the stretch rather than the windup, Taijeron quickly jumped on a fastball.

"It's not just me -- we're all playing like we want to win right now," added Taijeron. "The guys are really going at it."

Any chance of a Helix comeback was nixed by the Eagles' defense, which turned three double plays. Included was a nice short-hop grab by third baseman AUSTIN COLEMAN in the 6th, starting an around-the-horn twin-killing to halt a Scotties rally after the lead was trimmed to 7-3.

"We had a shaky start defensively this season, but we've all stepped up," said Coleman, who also backhanded a chopper to throw out a Helix batter to open the 7th. "I've never been the best fielder around, but it's all coming together."

Any signs of selfish play were eliminated in the 6th when Taijeron stepped into the box with an opportunity to clout a third homer. However, with Humphries on second base following his second double of the ballgame, Taijeron smoothly stroked a run-scoring single instead of going for the bomb, capping his six-RBI performance and allowing Humphries to score his third run of the contest.

Queriones lasted just 4 1/3 innings on the mound, yet captured the victory after allowing just one run on four hits. DARREN GAY finished off the final 2 2/3 frames.

Trailing 7-0, Helix (11-15, 4-8 GSL) got on the board in the 5th on a fielder's choice grounder by MATT COBB. One inning later, the Scotties registered four straight basehits by DERRIC MILLER, JEREMY PETERSON, MAHI LABASTIDA and RAUL RITCHIE, the latter two driving in runs.

However, Coleman's first key grab started the inning-ending double play.

Helix shortstop RANDY PEREZ went 2-for-3 with a double, while Miller robbed Taijeron of a perfect 4-for-4 outing by racing into foul territory in right to scoop a shot down the line.

WEST HILLS 6, SANTANA 5 BOXSCORE -- As far as crosstown rivals go, the annual Santee battles between Santana and West Hills are as heated as they get.

Plenty of chatter out of both dugouts and an endless email intimidation on both sides.

None of that matters when it comes to action on the field.

Host West Hills scored four times in the bottom of the 7th inning to deal Santana a stunning one-run loss. The victory gives the Wolf Pack (12-12, 6-4 GNL) a 2-1 season series edge over Santana (20-9, 4-6 GNL).

Sophomore switch-hitter DAVID BRISTOL had his first varsity hit -- a shot to right field -- in his second varsity at-bat to start the Wolf Pack rally in the bottom of the 7th.

Three walks -- which all came on full count pitches -- helped set the stage for AARON RICHARDSON's game-winning line drive single to left field that scored the tying and winning runs for the Wolf Pack.

"The guys just went crazy," exuded Pack coach SCOTT "HOPPY" HOPGOOD. "We scored four in the bottom of the 7th against our crosstown rival. It was a must-win for us to retain a chance at the title."

West Hills trails second-place El Capitan by one game and front-running Grossmont by 1-1/2 games heading into the final week of the season. West Hills closes the regular season against last-place El Cajon Valley, and Grossmont. A league title would appear to be remote at this point, but victories mean prime playoff seeding. So West Hills has plenty to play for.

Santana starter JOHN BASNIGHT -- nagged by a muscle injury underneath his shoulder blade most of the season -- turned in a masterful six-inning performance that included 10 strikeouts. Santana's problem was they could not gain any relief help for its starter.

"That's the best Basnight has pitched all season," said Santana coach JERRY HENSON. "He's a gamer who had them beat. He wanted to stay in to finish, but I couldn't leave him in there any longer because his pitch count was too high. He gave everything he had, and I'm proud of him for that."

West Hills, hoping for a high seed in the SDCIF Division II playoffs, must have been happy to see Basnight leave the mound three batters into the 7th inning.

"We'd heard rumors that Basnight was injured, but he looked pretty dang good," said Hopgood. "He pitched his tail off. He was on today."

With the game tied 1-1 going into the 3rd inning, Santana erupted for 4 runs.

RICHARD MARTINEZ smashed a one-out triple into right center and scored on a Basnight base hit to give the Sultans the lead. Later in the inning RYAN BROSNAN stroked an RBI single, followed by RAYMOND MAUSER's run-scoring triple. NICHOLAS SICA lined a double just inside the left field line to extend Santana's advantage to 5-1.

"(Santana) really brought the sticks in the 3rd inning," said Hopgood. "They didn't hit anything soft in that inning."

All of Santana's thrust was at the expense of West Hills senior southpaw Richardson, who struck out 6 and allowed four earned runs over a six inning span.

Richardson didn't give up a hit after the 3rd inning, but welcomed the relief of BRIAN RITIYAK, who pitched a perfect 7th inning to gain the win.

Although Santana has been eliminated from the Grossmont North League race, the Sultans still have a chance to play spoilers and can look forward to a berth in the SDCIF Division III playoffs.

"I appreciate the effort my players are giving me," Henson said. "They haven't given up, and I know I can count on them to give a strong finish."

STEELE CANYON 8, MONTE VISTA 1 BOXSCORE -- Senior ROSS EPPERSON turned in his finest pitching performance of the year in Thursday's (May 11) Grossmont South League game as the Cougars (11-14, 6-6 GSL) kept their playoff flame burning.

The quarterback of the Steele Canyon football team, Epperson scattered 6 hits and struck out four during a six-inning stint that led to his first win of the season. MARK BELLATTI pitched a scoreless 7th to give the Cougars their fourth win in the last six starts.

"Epperson pitched really well today," said Steele Canyon coach PHIL MITTRY. "He's finally getting some innings under his belt and is starting to look better. He was on base four times. He's the catalyst on offense -- gets on base and makes things happen."

Epperson also added two stolen bases, giving him 22 for the season -- second highest in East County.

Leading 2-1 after two innings Steele Canyon used a double by MIKE LANGE, a walk to ERIC JENNER, a wild pitch, a sacrifice fly by WILL MURRAY and a base hit by Bellatti to open a 4-1 lead in the 3rd.

Epperson helped himself out with an RBI single in the 5th that made it 7-1.

"Epperson was tough on us, didn't make many mistakes," said Monte Vista coach LARRY RINEHART.

DAN DeANDA was 3-for-3 for the Monarchs (9-15, 4-8 GSL).

"Whenever you play Monte Vista it's always scary," said Mittry. "Anybody can come back."

VALHALLA 9, MOUNT MIGUEL 3 BOXSCORE -- Think about this. Padres reliever Trevor Hoffman is without a save opportunity for a couple of weeks, so he remains inactive.

Extreme? Perhaps.

Valhalla coach STEVE PERDUE is proud to dub freshman fireballer TREVOR FRANK as his closer. But the Norsemen starters have routinely gone so deep into the game that young Frank has only been able to sit and watch the majority of the time.

So, in an effort to give Frank some pitching time, Perdue elected Thursday (May 11) to give the 5-foot-10, 160-pound freshman right-hander his second start in 10 appearances.

Frank responded with 5 1/3 innings of stout work, checking the Matadors (4-20, 0-10 GSL) on five hits and two earned runs. The youngster struck out six and walked one as he was rewarded with his second win four decisions.

After Valhalla (19-7, 11-1 GSL) broke a 1-1 tie on a bases-loaded walk to DAVID SMITH in the 1st inning, the Norsemen made it 3-1 an inning later on CHRIS THOMAS' RBI single.

JEFF SOPATA's 2-run home run gave Valhalla a 5-1 lead in the 4th, but the Norsemen were not home free.

Mount Miguel rallied for two runs in the 6th to keep the issue in doubt. The Norsemen put the game away though on an RBI single by GREG GARCIA, a sacrifice fly by Sopata and a run-scoring single by Smith in the bottom of the 6th.

Steve Vickery receives a huge hug from longtime assistant coach Mark Noble following his 500th career victory with El Capitan. (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

East County Sports.com
SAN DIEGO (5-11-06) -- Christian High's seniors completed a pair of projects -- one academically and another athletically -- over a 24-hour period that nearly led to their dismissal from the Central League pennant race. BOXSCORE

"All 10 of our seniors had probably a combined 10 hours sleep last night," Christian coach MIKE MITCHELL said. "They had their Senior Projects -- a 10-page paper -- due today and they worked on them all night. So we were a little flat today -- exhausted, really. We didn't do a good job battling adversity."

None the less, the Patriots (12-9, 7-2 CTL) kept their fading title hopes alive by holding off host Hoover 6-5 Wednesday (May 10) at Ted Williams Field.

ADAM PERRY extended his East County-leading hitting streak to 18 games with a bunt single in the Patriots' three-run 5th that snapped a 3-3 tie. Perry's bunt followed base hits by DANNY MITCHELL and SHANE STANOVIC. CHAD O'DONNELL then slugged a two-run single to give Christian a 5-3 lead.

The Patriots, who failed to maintain leads of 2-1 and 3-2, picked up another run in the 5th when MATT HART was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. That was a big one as Hoover (5-17, 1-8 CTL) staged a two-run comeback after two were out in the 6th.

"They had guys on base every single inning," Mitchell said. "We never got them out 1-2-3. Their guys actually hit the ball better than we did, but we made the plays when we had to."

GRANT MILLS, primarily a starting pitcher, pitched a scoreless 7th inning with two strikeouts to earn his first save.

TODD JONES worked the first 5 2/3 innings, striking out 11 and scattering 11 hits to gain his 4th win in six decisions.

Christian has two home games remaining this week: Friday against Hoover (at 3 p.m.) and Saturday against No. 3-ranked Mission Bay (21-4) at 1 p.m.

El Capitan left-fielder Vinny Nazzal (2) was part of two important plays which kept West Hills off the scoreboard. Top: Nazzal can't do anything but watch a drive by the Pack's Stephen Strasburg miss going out of the park by inches (see the dent in the yellow railing). Bottom: Nazzal later makes this shoestring catch to rob another Wolf Pack batter. (Photos by Chris Edwards)

East County Sports.com
RANCHO SAN DIEGO (5-10-06) -- If it's true that one man's trash is another man's treasure, then Valhalla High outfielder JASON KUTZLER may have exemplified the old adage by discovering a gold mine. BOXSCORE

After a discarded bat was found by a member of the coaching staff, Kutzler commandeered the bat as his own and put it to good use. The senior slugged three extra-base hits -- including a career-first two home run game -- powering the Norsemen to a 10-5 pasting of Steele Canyon.

"It was the first time I used it because my other bat was dead -- there were no more hits in it," explained Kutzler. "I feel good with this bat."

Actually, the magic stick was found more than a week ago, but Kutzler didn't step into the batter's box with it until Tuesday (May 9). Teammates joked why the senior didn't use it sooner after lifting the second pitch of the game over the left-field fence, then started a 6-run rally in the 5th with a two-run bomb which short-hopped the "Great Wall of SC" in deep left.

"I just feel so comfortable with it," he added. "And that's my first 2-homer game in my life -- not even in Little League did I do that."

Not bad for a leadoff batter better known for getting on base with singles or walks.

"No, I'm happy where I'm at in the batting order," Kutzler noted. "I'm not a power hitter and never will be. Besides, I get to see better pitches when I'm leading off."

Kutzler's second homer -- his fourth of the season -- pushed the Norsemen's advantage to 5-1. Three Cougars wild pitches later gave Valhalla two additional runs, left-fielder JEFF SOPATA followed with an RBI single, then catcher TREVOR FRANK belted a 2-run double for a 9-1 cushion.

Meanwhile, Valhalla pitcher ERIC JULIENNE tossed six solid innings, striking out five batters. He escaped a shaky opening frame still tied at 1-all after allowing three hits, then limited Steele Canyon (10-14, 5-6 GSL) to five additional hits the rest of his outing.

Cougars shortstop DANNY HARRIS busted out of a mild slump with two hits and three RBI, capped by a long homer which also short-hopped "The Wall" in left in the 7th.

"Danny's been scuffling the last 2-or-3 games, but he showed he's getting out of it," said Steele Canyon coach PHIL MITTRY. "He's starting to get going like he did at the beginning of the season."

Along with Harris, third baseman CODY MINICH, first baseman MIKE LANGE and centerfielder GARRETT JENNER registered two hits each.

For Valhalla (18-7, 10-1 GSL), infielder DAVID SMITH went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles, driving in three runs with a 2-run single in the 3rd, and a sun-double in the 7th when a Cougars outfielder lost the ball in the sun.

Is El Capitan first baseman Nick McCarthy (44) getting a little too friendly with West Hills baserunner Shain Stoner (6), drawing a laugh on a late, late tag on a pickoff attempt. (Photo by Chris Edwards) FOR MORE PHOTOS, CLICK LINK IN CLASSIFIEDS

EL CAPITAN 3, WEST HILLS 0 BOXSCORE -- In a game that resulted in El Capitan coach STEVE VICKERY's 499th win, Tuesday's (May 9) Grossmont North League contest was marked with a lack of clutch hitting.

Frustration was paramount in this one. Host West Hills (11-12, 5-4 GNL) was 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position. The visiting Vaqueros (17-9, 6-3 GNL) had one more chance -- 1-for-11 -- with runners in scoring position, and that made the difference.

Freshman TANNER RUST broke a scoreless tie with a 2-run single in the 6th inning.

"We got one clutch hit and that was the difference in the ballgame," said Vickery, who hopes to become only the fourth coach in the 45-year history of the San Diego Section to reach 500 victories when the Vaqueros host El Cajon Valley on Thursday (May 11).

AUSTIN RAUCH made it 3-0 with a tape-measure home run in the top of the 7th.

"It was an unbelievable bomb," said Vickery of Rauch's San Diego CIF-leading 13th home run. "He absolutely crushed that ball. That ball had to go about 420 feet because it went over the trees and across the street (despite a crossing wind) in left field."

All that firepower was more than enough for senior pitcher CRISTIAN GARCIA, who posted his fourth complete game and seventh victory in nine starts. The senior right-hander, who will attend UC Riverside next year, struck out 13 and walked one while scattering 7 hits.

"Cristian was able to turn it up a notch when he had to," said Vickery.

Nobody knows that better then West Hills coach SCOTT "HOPPY" HOPGOOD.

"We hit the ball well against Garcia, but too often we had crucial strikeouts," Hopgood said. "That's a credit to Garcia."

West Hills, which has suddenly lost three straight league games, had scoring chances in five of seven innings. The Wolf Pack left runners at second and third in the 1st inning. An inning later a blast by STEPHEN STRASBURG missed by a couple of feet of getting the Wolf Pack the early lead, as it hit the yellow piping in left-center field.

"Strasburg hit a laser, a ball hit so hard that it put a dent in the tubing. It bounced back for a double instead of going over for a home run," Hopgood said. "That's tough luck."

Added Vickery, "Strasburg hit the ball so hard I thought he was going to knock down the fence. We were lucky it was only a double."

West Hills' futility continued in the 4th when AARON RICHARDSON ripped a one-out triple, only to stand at third and watch the next two batters strike out.

In the 6th inning SHAIN STONER stung a one-out double, and also was frozen at second base as the next two Pack batters made outs.

"That Stoner kid gives us fits," Vickery said of the West Hills shortstop who went 2-for-3. "We have no idea what pitch to throw to get him out. And on top of that he makes great play after great play."

With the game tied 0-0 in the 5th, Stoner shut down an El Capitan scoring threat with a heads-up defensive play with bases loaded.

"Stoner made it look routine," Vickery said. "But it was a difficult play when he speared a high hopper in the hole at shortstop and threw to third base for a force out to end the inning."

Stoner's play robbed the red-hot RYAN INVERSO of his 10th straight hit and a possible game-winning RBI. Inverso is 9-for-11 in his last three games.

El Capitan has won four straight and eight of nine games.

Grossmont's A.J. Griffin struckout nine in a complete-game victory over Santana. (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

GROSSMONT 7, SANTANA 2 BOXSCORE -- Grossmont senior standout A.J, GRIFFIN has battled Foothillers' coach ROB PHILLIPS for the right to take his turn at-bat throughout the season.

Finally, Griffin proved his point with the bat. He gave Grossmont (18-8, 7-2 GNL) a lead in the 2nd inning when he slugged a two-run home run. But he didn't stop there as he laced a solo homer in the 4th to make it 5-1 in Grossmont's favor.

Griffin finished the game 2-for-3 and now has a .305 batting average (17-for-56), but Phillips emphasizes that Griffin's future is as a pitcher.

In addition to his two home runs, Griffin pitched his eighth straight complete game. The USD-bound right-hander scattered 9 hits and struck out 9 as he won for the seventh time in 10 decisions. Griffin has struck out 72 batters in his last 56 innings. Over that course he has allowed only 8 earned runs and 37 hits.

"Griffin is a very good pitcher," noted Santana coach JERRY HENSON. "We've faced him all three times in all three league games (losing to the Foothillers twice). We had more hits but didn't put our hits together."

Grossmont holds a one game lead in the Grossmont North with three games to play, but the Foothillers are far from locked into a championship. First baseman NICK LONGMIRE may be lost for the season, as he suffered a wrist injury when hit by a pitch against West Hills on Saturday (May 6).

Kyle Secciani (17) scores for Grossmont while West Hills catcher Josh Pichette can do nothing but wait for the ball. (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

That is a severe blow for the Foothillers, as Longmire is one of their top power hitting offensive threats, RBI man and stolen base guy.

For slumping Santana, CHRIS DIAZ continues to be a bright spot. He was 3-for-4 against the Foothillers and is 7-for-14 over his last three games.

GRANITE HILLS 10, MONTE VISTA 1 BOXSCORE -- The Eagles banged a season-high five home runs -- two by catcher TRAVIS TAIJERON -- as they mauled host Monte Vista in Tuesday's (May 9) Grossmont South League action.

It was the fourth straight win for the Eagles (17-7, 10-1 GSL), who have won 13 of their last 15 starts. Even with that splurge, Granite Hills remains tied with Valhalla for the Grossmont South League lead. Each of the co-leaders has four league games remaining including a head-to-head meeting on Tuesday (May 16) at Granite Hills.

While the Eagles were on their way to scoring in double figures for the third straight game and the ninth time this season, it was Monte Vista that broke the scoring barrier first. ANTHONY LOPEZ cashed in a Granite Hills error with an RBI-double in the 1st inning.

After that, the Eagles unleashed their power pack. LOUIS CAZARES, who has been on a hitting tear of late, clubbed his second home run with CODY CRAWFORD (single) aboard to give Granite Hills a 2-1 edge in the 2nd inning.

Taijeron tagged a two-out homer to make it 3-1 in the 3rd. Then, Granite Hills poured on the coal with six runs in the 4th.

The big sticks in the Granite Hills break-out inning were JOSH QUERIONES and AUSTIN COLEMAN, each of who blasted a three-run homer.

For good measure, Taijeron tagged his 10th homer -- solo shot -- in the 7th.

"All that power was nice to see," said Granite Hills coach JAMES DAVIS.

Nobody enjoyed it more than Granite Hills pitching ace ERIC KRAUSE, who blew through the Monarchs for 11 strikeouts in six innings to earn his East County-leading 8th win.

"He's not overpowering, but he spots the ball so well," Monte Vista coach LARRY RINEHART said of Krause. "He throws what looks to be a four-seamer that is very effective. It is so inviting to the batter, but by the time it gets to the plate it's out of the strike zone. We chased a lot of those pitches."

HELIX 11, MOUNT MIGUEL 8 BOXSCORE -- Faced with a game of survival, the anemic Helix offense somehow got the transfusion it needed in Tuesday's (May 9) Grossmont South League game at Mount Miguel.

Spiked by RANDY PEREZ' 4-for-4 batting effort that included scoring four times, the Highlanders (11-14, 4-7 GSL) streaked to a 7-0 lead in the 3rd inning.

"Four times Perez led off with a base hit," said a pleased Helix coach COLE HOLLAND.

DEREK ANCRUM drilled two doubles and brought in three runs, while CALEB SCHUMAKER was 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI.

"We hit the ball well for the second game in a row," said Holland. "We've had 29 hits in the last two games. We're happy about that. We're trying to make a run here at the end. That's the good thing about playing in our league -- if you get to the playoffs you won't see anyone any better than our league. Kinda helps you out in the long run."

Key relief pitching by DUSTIN RUNIONS and MAHI LABASTIDA saved the important victory for the Highlanders.

On the verge of a blowout, trailing 9-2, Mount Miguel (4-19, 0-11 GSL) challenged the Highlanders with 5 runs in the 4th inning to close the deficit to 9-7.

"These kids showed character," Mount Miguel coach BYRON GRIGSBY said. "(Helix) jumped out really quick 4-0. Then we had a pep talk in the 4th inning and we scored 5 runs after that. The kids challenged each other to live up to what we're telling them. These kids have matured a whole lot in the game of baseball."

RICKY ARRAY paced the Matadors with a 2-for-3 effort, including a 2-run home run and 3 RBI.

East County Sports.com
SANTEE (5-7-06) -- Grossmont High center-fielder AUGIE WILLIAMS finished on both sides of some incredible bounces of the baseball in Saturday's (May 6) showdown for first place among the Grossmont North League leaders. BOXSCORE

After a routine single bounded well over Williams' head resulting in a go-ahead, 2-run triple for West Hills, the junior created his own high-enough bounce on an infield grounder to barely push across the game-tying run, as the Foothillers scored a pair of unearned runs in the 7th inning to nip the host Wolf Pack, 4-3, in what could be tabbed the most dramatic ballgame of the East County baseball season.

"We didn't do much with the bat, but we took care of business and that's that," said Williams, who's bounder to shortstop stayed airborne just long enough to allow pinch-runner KYLE SECCIANI to slide under the tag of West Hills catcher JOSH PICHETTE.

Two batters later, BRYAN HAAR singled home JUSTIN RUTHERFORD from third base for the go-ahead run.

Hillers reliever TAYLOR WOHLWEND then capped a string of six consecutive strikeouts by punching out the final three batters to gain the victory and lift Grossmont to the undisputed GNL lead.

"It was a great high school baseball game -- Grossmont came out with (its) 'A' game and we came out with our 'A' game," said West Hills coach SCOTT HOPGOOD. "It's just too bad the umpires didn't come out ready for a big game."

The result was a sweep of the two-game set for Grossmont (17-8, 6-2), which did so despite collecting a mere six hits during the series.

This time, West Hills wasted a solid, complete-game by starting pitcher STEPHEN STRASBURG, who struck out six and walked just one, with just one of the four runs allowed being earned.

Grossmont scored single runs in the second and fourth innings to take a 2-0 lead.

TREVOR BERRY opened with a lead single, but was out when a grounder by A.J. GRIFFIN clipped the mound and bounced high, leaving Berry stuck in mid-air with nowhere to go, anticipated the ball would stay on the ground instead of striking him for an automatic out.

Griffin, safe on a rulebook single, moved to third on Baum's double, then scored on a suicide squeeze by NICK SOBEL.

Two innings later, NICK LONGMIRE reached second base on a throwing error, moved to third on Berry's sacrifice bunt, then scored on Griffin's sacrifice fly to centerfield.

The Wolf Pack scored three times in the fourth.

KOREY HOOPER, who collected two of West Hills' six hits, singled, stole second base, then came home on a sharp single to center by JOE MELLO (2-for-3, 2 stolen bases). Four batters later, AARON GAGNON dropped a basehit to center to drive home Stoner, but when the ball caromed over Williams, pinch-runner ADAM DRESHCER also scored and Gagnon gained a triple.

Grossmont thought the ball hit a sprinkler to springboard some 6-to-8 feet over the defender. However, Wolf Pack personnel stated the spot on the field was simply as hard as cement; a broken pipe along the south side of the West Hills campus has yet to be fixed, so water has not been available for the playing fields for several months.

West Hills finished with six stolen bases, while Grossmont stole a pair. The Hillers also lost Longmire in the sixth after he was hit by a pitch in the wrist. His status won't be determined until next week.

Vaqueros catcher Austin Rauch catches a popup after earlier tagging his 12th home run of the season in Game One. (Photo by Chris Edwards)

For El Capitan coach STEVE VICKERY it was two more steps toward the magical milestone of 500 victories. Only three coaches in San Diego CIF history have won as many games as that and Vickery is sure to join the elite group (that includes University's Dick Serrano, Mission Bay's Dennis Pugh and Rancho Bernardo's Sam Blalock) as soon as next week.

Vickery, of course, is focused more on his Vaqueros (16-9), who have caught their second wind and are charting a course to a possible Grossmont North League championship. El Capitan began the season with eight wins in 10 starts only to hit the skids and fall to 9-8. Since then, the Vaqueros have won seven of eight and are tied for second in the Grossmont North League, one game behind first-place Grossmont.

Meanwhile, in the sweep of Top 10 foe Eastlake, the Vaqueros showed the visiting Titans (15-10) why the Grossmont North is a pretty strong league. Eastlake, which is in a three-way tie for first in the Mesa League, is 0-4 against GNL squads.

Kyle King helped pitch El Capitan to a doubleheader sweep of Eastlake. (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

"As a player, you don't experience too many days better than that," Vickery said.

Steady VINNY NAZZAL, who is 12-for-26 (.462) with 10 runs scored over his last 11 games, has been another piece to the El Capitan puzzle.

Another of El Capitan's cast of unsung heroes is SHANE SULLENGER, who was 2-for-6 with three runs scored, two steals and one RBI.

In the opening win over Eastlake, NICK McCARTHY followed a JOSH ROYER single with his second home run of the season giving El Cap a 2-0 edge in the 2nd inning. SDCIF-leader AUSTIN RAUCH matched that effort when he followed a Nazzal single with his 12th homer of the season to make it 4-0.

Tied at 4-4 entering the bottom of the 6th in the nightcap, the Vaqueros capitalized on four walks, a hit batter and an RBI single by DAMIAN GARCIA to forge in front.

Garcia was 2-for-4 in the game, including a two-run homer in the 1st inning.

In the latest go-˜round, Santana led 16-0 after two innings.

El Cajon Valley starter RAY AQUININGOC retired the first two Santana hitters to begin the game. Consecutive singles by JOHN BASNIGHT, CHRIS DIAZ and RYAN BROSNAN followed and Santana led 1-0. It was ALL Sultans after that as NICHOLAS SICA stroked a two-run single and an El Cajon Valley throwing error plated two more.

Diaz crashed a two-run homer and JON TIPPIN and Basnight bashed two-run singles in Santana's 10-run 2nd.

A major plus is the resurgence of Brosnan, who banged out six hits in nine at-bats in two games against the Braves.

Another Santana ace was BRANDYN BELL, who blanked the Braves over five innings on one hit. Bell struck out eight as he notched his 5th win in seven decisions. In addition, Bell was 3-for-4 with the bat.

El Cajon Valley base-bandit CLIFTON THOMAS had a rough outing. The Braves' senior sensation singled to left to begin the ballgame, but was immediately picked off first base by Bell.

Thomas walked in the 4th and attempted to steal second but was cut down by Santana sophomore catcher JUSTIN BUMBAR, playing in his first varsity inning. Thomas was upset by the call by the umpire and was ultimately ejected, which will hamper his bid to become the most prolific base-stealer in San Diego CIF history. Thomas, who has 44 steals, needs eight to break the record set by Mt. Carmel's Eric Chavez (now with the Oakland A's) in 1995.

Due to his ejection, Thomas will miss at least one game and maybe more.

Adam Perry slugged this first-inning homer, extending his hitting streak to 17 games. (Christian High courtesy photo)

East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (5-6-06) -- ADAM PERRY sent a message to the visiting Kearny Komets in the 1st inning of Friday's Cinco de Mayo Central League game. BOXSCORE

Batting in the No. 2 slot in the Christian order, Perry clubbed his third home run of the season to give the Patriots a 1-0 lead while extending his East County-best hitting streak to 17 games. Kearny countered with an equalizing marker in the 2nd inning, but after that the game belonged to the Patriots and pitcher SHANE STANOVIC.

Stanovic, a senior southpaw, combined with relievers JOHN FERREIRA and TODD JONES to hold the Komets to two hits as Christian claimed a 6-2 victory.

"Shane is a pretty good pitcher even though pitching isn't a part of the game he likes the best," Christian coach MIKE MITCHELL said. "He actually throws hard and his curveball is sharp with a hard break to it."

Case in point was four of the pitches Stanovic fired in his 5 2/3 innings were so snappy that they avoided catcher MATT HART for wild pitches. Obviously, if Stanovic elected to concentrate on perfecting his pitching he might turn some heads.

"Shane has made it clear that he would rather hit than pitch," Mitchell said. "He only pitches because we need him to."

Christian's EDDIE YOUNG is as hot as any hitter in East County. The sophomore shortstop has compiled a .630 batting average during a current seven-game hitting streak. Nine of Young's 17 hits have gone for extra-bases including three home runs.

Young's two-run home run -- his sixth -- broke a 1-1 deadlock in the 4th inning.

DANNY MITCHELL doubled and scored on an error to make it 4-1 in the 5th.

Next up for the Patriots is a Wednesday (May 10) trip to Hoover for a Central League game at 3 p.m.

The Foothillers' Nick Longmire climbs the fence to snare a foul popup to help stop West Hills. (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (5-5-06) -- The East County baseball races are turning the corner and headed down the backstretch toward the finish line. Who will end up on top in the Grossmont South and Grossmont North nobody knows. In the City Central League, Christian is a longshot to catch front-running Madison.

Two weeks remain in the regular season. The Grossmont South is a two-horse race between Valhalla (17-7, 9-1 GSL) and Granite Hills (16-7, 9-1 GSL) with five regular-season games remaining. A photo finish is a sure thing in the Grossmont North League where only two games separate the top four teams with a handful to play.

Pitching will probably decide which ballclubs come out on top, as Thursday's (May 4) action feature a near perfect game, while another team tossed a combined 1-hitter... and lost!

SANTANA 17, EL CAJON VALLEY 0 BOXSCORE -- How good is El Cajon Valley senior outfielder CLIFTON THOMAS?

Good enough to spoil a perfect game. The fleet-footed Thomas, the state's leading base-stealer with 44 thefts, was blanked in that department by DALLAS MARTIN and the Sultans (19-7, 3-4 GNL) in Thursday's (May 4) Grossmont North League tilt.

Martin set down the first 18 batters he faced before Thomas led off the 7th inning with his fifth triple of the season. Martin refused to buckle, however, as he left Thomas standing at third by retiring the final three Braves in succession.

"Dallas threw a heckuva ballgame," said Santana coach JERRY HENSON. "We made some good defensive plays behind him. The kids went out and played hard -- played good, solid baseball."

Martin was the main cog in Santana's bid to climb back into the Grossmont North League race. In addition to spinning his fifth complete game. Martin was 4-for-5 with a double and four RBI.

Santana rattled off 22 hits as it scored in all seven innings against the Braves (1-21, 0-7 GNL).

RICHARD MARTINEZ slashed a two-run single to key a six-run 1st inning which was all the Sultans needed and then some.

RYAN BROSNAN snapped out of lengthy slump going 2-for-4 with a triple and two RBI. Freshman RYAN STUTZ had three hits, three runs and two RBI.

Grossmont's A.J. Griffin carried a 1-hitter into the seventh inning, pacing the Foothillers past West Hills. (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

GROSSMONT 4, WEST HILLS 1 BOXSCORE -- These days Grossmont senior right-handed pitcher A.J. GRIFFIN is almost unbeatable no matter what the circumstances, and that is a good thing for the Foothillers, who have been struggling at the plate of late.

Somehow Grossmont managed to use a routine single to center as its only offensive thrust to obtain a key Grossmont North League victory over visiting West Hills.

Talk about making something out of nothing. The Foothillers used some combination of luck and magic to defeat the Wolf Pack and hoist themselves into a tie with West Hills for the Grossmont North League lead.

"For some reason we're trying to be like last year's team that hit 51 home runs," Grossmont coach ROB PHILLIPS said. "The team we have this year doesn't have that kind of power. We are pretty much in a team slump. But I'd rather be lucky than good -- and that's what we are right now. We were fortunate to win this game."

Seven walks and two hit batters plus a throwing error constituted Grossmont's offensive output.

That was good enough for Griffin, who twirled a 3-hitter and delivered his seventh straight complete game.

Grossmont scored two runs in the opening frame on three walks and RBI groundouts by NICK LONGMIRE and JUSTIN MASON.

A two-base throwing error in the 3rd doubled the Foothillers' advantage.

Longmire's single to center in the 3rd inning was Grossmont's only hit. That lack of production had Phillips gnashing his teeth.

West Hills coach SCOTT "HOPPY" HOPGOOD was less than elated with his club's performance.

"Disgusting. That's what this game was," Hopgood said. "I can't tell you how good Grossmont is because we didn't play anybody but ourselves today. I can't tell you how well they hit, I can't tell you about their defense. All I can tell you is we're not good in making adjustments."

Hopgood's assessment of Griffin, who has won six of his last seven, was semi-flattering.

"He got the "W" today, and that's all that counts," Hopgood said. "He threw strikes, and when you do that you win ballgames. It's that simple. We didn't do that and he did. We put ourselves back into a tie for first instead of putting a nail into the lead. We let people stick around. And that's not what championship teams do."

West Hills will host Grossmont on Saturday (May 6) in a battle of Grossmont North League leaders.

GRANITE HILLS 10, MOUNT MIGUEL 1 BOXSCORE -- Granite Hills, a sort of mystery team in terms of strengths and weaknesses, continues to churn out victories. The Eagles have won nine of their last 10 and 12 of 14.

"It's not quite smoke and mirrors, but it's close," Granite Hills coach JAMES DAVIS said.

Give Davis credit for pulling ace right-hander ERIC KRAUSE out of Thursday's (May 4) lopsided game after four innings. Granted, Granite Hills was cruising 7-0 when Davis gave Krause the hook.

"Getting Eric in and out of the game with a minimal number of pitches was a real plus," Davis said.

Krause made only 50 pitches, yet allowed only one hit and registered eight strikeouts. The junior right-hander walked only one as he notched his seventh win against two losses.

BILLY SYLVESTER blasted a three-run homer and LOUIS CAZARES also cracked a three-run shot for Granite Hills.

Cazares has teed off on Mount Miguel pitching for three extra-base hits and seven RBI the past two games.

HELIX 8, STEELE CANYON 1 BOXSCORE -- The Highlanders halted an eight-game losing streak on Thursday (May 4) as ERIC PONCE pitched a complete game 4-hitter.

Ponce was neither spectacular or overpowering, but he was effective. Helix coach COLE HOLLAND graded Ponce's performance a bit higher.

"He was exceptional today," Holland pointed out. "It's not often we get a complete game any more. He was ahead all game -- that helped our defense stay on top of things all game."

Helix turned in its 12th errorless game of the season. Part of that is due to Ponce not walking a single batter.

"We got pitching and great defense," said a happy Holland. "We hit very well. When you do all three, you can win a game. We needed this today. We haven't been playing well since the Lions Tournament and a game like the one we played today can definitely be a shot-in-the-arm. It can set us up for the rest of the season."

Ponce (4-3) blanked the usually heavy hitting Cougars on two hits heading into the 7th inning. Steele Canyon avoided the shutout on two-out doubles by WILL MURRAY and JUSTIN GRAFF.

Helix (10-14, 3-7 GSL) broke a scoreless tie on RBI singles by ZACH TANIDA and JEREMY PETERSON in the 4th inning.

Tanida, who was 4-for-4, picked up a second RBI in the Highlanders' 3-run 5th. He also keyed a 3-run 7th with a leadoff double.

Peterson, who has been mired in a season-long slump, broke out with a 3-for-3 effort and 3 RBI.

Steele Canyon coach PHIL MITTRY had to be stunned by the outcome. "Ponce was really dealing all night," he said. "We couldn't handle him at all."

VALHALLA 4, MONTE VISTA 3 BOXSCORE -- The visiting Norsemen (17-7, 9-1 GSL) did a tight-wire act as they avoided Monte Vista's upset bid by holding onto a 4-0 lead in Thursday's (May 4) Grossmont South League game.

It was the Norsemen's seventh win in their last eight starts. Good enough to keep Valhalla tied with Granite Hills for the Grossmont South lead but not worthy of praise from Valhalla coach STEVE PERDUE.

"(Monte Vista) had us on the ropes," Perdue admitted. "We did just enough to get by."

Sophomore RYAN O'SULLIVAN (5-2) handled the pitching chores for Valhalla, scattering 5 hits in a complete game effort.

Valhalla executed a double steal and an RBI single by JASON KUTZLER to take a 2-0 lead in the 2nd inning. A wild pitch and a second double steal doubled the Norsemen's advantage to 4-0 in the 5th.

Determined not to throw in the towel, the Monarchs somehow wrestled the momentum away from the Norsemen to score a pair of runs in the bottom of the 5th.

An RBI single by MIKE NUSH put the Monarchs on the board. A Valhalla throwing error left Monte Vista behind by only 4-2.

In the 6th inning a run-scoring single by SPENCER REED made it a 4-3 ballgame, but O'Sullivan and the Norsemen turned a double play to short circuit the Monte Vista comeback bid.

Patriots pitcher Austin Murray fires a fastball against Kearny, leading to a 10-3 victory. (Christian High courtesy photo)

East County Sports.com
LINDA VISTA (5-4-06) -- Embarrassed by a 2-1 loss to Crawford earlier in the week, the Christian High Patriots took their vengeance out on host Kearny in Wednesday's (May 3) Central League action.

The Patriots (10-9, 5-2 CTL) pounded out 13 hits as they clubbed the Komets 10-3 to keep their slim chances for a league title alive.

"Ten different guys had hits so that helps," said a satisfied Christian coach MIKE MITCHELL. "(COLIN) McDONALD, (JIMMY) DOSSETT, and (MATT) HART all went 2-for-3. All three guys didn't get a hit versus Crawford."

AUSTIN MURRAY, who had pitched only 10 innings and was making just his second start, checked Kearny (8-15, 4-5 CTL) on a four-hitter over six innings. Only two of the three runs Murray allowed were earned. He struck out 9 and walked four.

JOHN FERREIRA pitched a scoreless 7th to complete the job.

ADAM PERRY stretched his East County-leading hitting streak to 16 games with a 1st inning triple. SHANE STANOVIC slashed a two-run triple in the 2nd inning as Christian took a 5-0 lead.

Murray and Hart broke the game open with two-run singles in the 3rd inning to extend the Patriots advantage to 9-3.

El Capitan's Cristian Garcia (left) tallied 10 strikeouts to shutout Grossmont; Justin Mason tags out Miles Reagan who tried to extend his hit into a double. (Photos by Greg Eichelberger)

East County Sports.com
LA MESA (5-3-06) -- Attempting to separate themselves from the rest of the pack in the middle of the Grossmont South League standings, Steele Canyon seems to have solved its early-season injury woes to move above .500 in league competition by staving off a late rally to nip Helix, 6-5. BOXSCORE

Senior right-hander DANNY HARRIS tossed five solid innings and jump-started the offense with a solo homer en route to a 6-1 advantage.

"We did the job and advanced a lot of runners-- we weren't doing that before," said Harris, who ran his record to 3-2. "And once they were in scoring position, we were able to drive them home."

Five different Cougars knocked in runs, including a pair by Harris. Along with his club-leading 8th homer of the season, the senior walked with the bases loaded to mount its 5-run lead.

The bonus run proved to be important as Helix infielder ERIC PONCE was responsible for driving in all five Highlanders runs. He blasted a two-run homer to centerfield to trim the deficit to6-3 in the fifth.

Ponce later hit into a fielder's choice for another run in the seventh. But when a Cougars toss to first base in an attempt to turn a third double play instead went to the fence, another run scored and turned an easy Steele Canyon victory into a late nailbiter.

However, Steele Canyon reliever ANDREW BRUDER registered the final two outs for his first save of the season.

"Andrew came in clutch to get the game for us," said ERIC CARRILLO, who went 3-for-3 and was hit by a pitch to reach base over each of his four plate appearances. "We almost let go of our early lead, but he came through -- all our pitchers did."

GARRETT JENNER slugged a pair of doubles for the Cougars. Following Harris' homer, he knocked in MIKE LANGE for a quick 2-0 lead out of the shoot. Jenner later ledoff the 5th with another two-bagger off the fence in left-centerfield, advancing on a ground ball to the right side by MARK BELLATTI, then scoring on a single against a drawn-in infield by JUSTIN GRAFF.

Helix received a chance to rally thanks to reliever DUSTIN RUNIONS. He tossed two shutout innings, registering all three outs in the 6th on strikes.

The Vaqueros' Ryan Inverso slams a 2-run homer, pacing El Capitan past Grossmont, 9-0, Tuesday. (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

EL CAPITAN 9, GROSSMONT 0 BOXSCORE -- El Capitan pitcher CRISTIAN GARCIA scattered nine hits, walked one and struck out 10 Tuesday (May 2) as the visiting Vaqueros avenged an earlier loss to host Grossmont to climb back into the Grossmont North League race.

It was the fifth win in the last six starts for El Capitan (14-9, 5-3 GNL), which slumped through a 1-6 mid-season stretch but has bounced back and now has eyes for making the SDCIF Division III playoffs.

"We are the two-time defending champions of our league and we're still champions until somebody takes it away from us," El Capitan coach STEVE VICKERY said. "Even now we control our own destiny. We are still a force in this (race)."

MILES REAGAN and RYAN INVERSO each slammed a two-run home run to spark the El Capitan offense and help the Vaqueros avenge a 2-1 loss to the Foothillers (16-8, 4-2 GNL) four days earlier.

Inverso also contributed a two-run triple in the 3rd inning that gave El Capitan a 3-0 lead.

SHANE SULLENGER slashed a two-run single in the 4th to extend El Capitan's advantage to 7-0.

For Grossmont, it was another day of futility. While the Foothillers matched El Capitan with nine hits apiece, eight Grossmont batters left runners in scoring position.

The Hillers loaded the bases on singles by JOSH SIMMS, AUGIE WILLIAMS and BRYAN HAAR in the 3rd inning, but failed to break through.

With two outs in the 6th, Grossmont filled the bases on singles by DEREK BAUM, A.J. GRIFFIN and Simms. Garcia put out the fire by striking out the side.

"Cristian was able to turn it up a notch when he had to," Vickery said.

VALHALLA 11, MONTE VISTA 3 BOXSCORE -- The Norsemen, who have won two Grossmont South League championships in the past three seasons, turned back the surging Monarchs in Tuesday's (May 2) Grossmont South League meeting.

Monte Vista (9-12, 4-5 GSL) rode a four-game winning into town, but Valhalla (16-7, 8-1 GSL) apparently wasn't impressed. Or at least not intimidated.

The Norsemen scored in five of their six turns at bat as they built a 10-1 lead.

Key blows in the contest included 2-run home runs by RYAN O'SULLIVAN and DAVID FRANK.

The offensive support was more than enough for junior pitcher BOBBY WILKINS, who toiled six innings to garner his sixth win in seven decisions. If there ever was an unsung hero, Wilkins, who struck out six and walked none, would have to be considered.

Freshman TREVOR FRANK pitched a scoreless seventh that included two strikeouts for Valhalla.

WEST HILLS 21, EL CAJON VALLEY 3 BOXSCORE -- The Wolf Pack, averaging 3.8 runs per game, scored a school record 21 runs in Tuesday's (May 2) knockout in Santee.

Remember now, West Hills (11-9, 5-1 GNL), which leads the Grossmont North League, had scored no more than 11 runs in a single game this season. In fact, the Wolf Pack had scored more than five runs three times.

Sophomore ERIC McKNIGHT had a banner day, going 4-for-4 with 4 RBI and 4 runs scored. So did AARON RICHARDSON -- a blue chip left-handed pitcher -- who went 3-for-5 with 5 RBI and 4 runs scored.

"I don't usually let Richardson hit," said SCOTT "HOPPY" HOPGOOD. "He had seven at-bats all year; today he had five. He has always been a powerful guy who can drive the ball. He's an exceptional athlete."

Richardson made a rare start in the outfield for the Wolf Pack. His performance against the Braves might lead Hopgood to offer the Richardson further chances to play a position other than pitcher.

"We got a lot of good work in today. After getting two hits against El Cajon Valley on Saturday, we come out and get 21 runs on 19 hits today. We definitely needed a day like this," said Hopgood.

Another pitcher who is known more for getting people out than in gaining base hits -- JON EDDY -- whacked a 2-run double in the 6th inning to complete a 2-for-2 effort at the plate that included 3 RBI.

"The biggest part of Saturday's (Apr. 29) win (at ECV) is we won on two hits. This was the first game all year that we've had some breathing room," said the Wolf Pack coach.

Junior southpaw BRET SKINNER surrendered 14 hits but completed six innings in his first varsity start to earn his first win.

"Skinner really did well on the mound. He did his job," Hopgood said. "He's a very good pitcher -- has tremendous movement. The big thing was he gave up no walks. It's a lot easier to pitch when you have the run support behind you. It was a great day all the way around -- hitting, pitching, defense."

CLIFTON THOMAS went 3-for-3 with the bat, was 1-for-3 stealing bases and was caught stealing twice.

"When Thomas stole home in the 4th inning, everyone there but the ump thought he was safe," Braves coach WAYNE WEIGHTMAN said. "There was daylight between the glove and Clifton. We're an aggressive team and we run when we think we need to run. We came to the field to play the game. It's all about making adjustments."

GRANITE HILLS 14, MOUNT MIGUEL 1 BOXSCORE -- An 8-run third inning was all the visiting Eagles needed as they buried the Matadors for their eighth win in nine starts in Tuesday's (May 2) Grossmont South League contest. The victory kept the Eagles (15-7, 8-1 GSL) tied with Valhalla for the league lead.

Four Mount Miguel pitchers issued 10 walks -- six of which Granite Hills cashed in for runs.

The biggest bopper for the Eagles was the No. 9 hitter, LOUIS CAZARES, who drove in 4 runs with a double and a triple.

"It's nice to see Louis get off the schneid and get back on track," said Granite Hills coach JAMES DAVIS. "Having his bat contribute only makes us a better ballclub."

JOSH QUERIONES, BILLY SYLVESTER and winning pitcher GARRETT RUSSELL also drove in two runs apiece.

Russell limited the Matadors (4-17, 0-9 GSL) to three hits and one run during a five inning stint as he earned his fifth win without a loss.

"It's all about confidence with him," said Davis of Russell. "Am I surprised by his performance? No. I knew that he had it in him, it was just whether he knew it."

CODY SWANSON blanked the Matadors on one hit over the final two innings to complete their 13th win in 15 starts.

JAMIE SANDOVAL accounted for half of Mount Miguel's four hits.

Patriots pitcher Grant Mills carried a shutout for 6 1/3 innings against Crawford. (Christian High courtesy photo)

East County Sports.com
SAN DIEGO (5-2-06) -- Christian High's hopes for a Central League title might have been, literally, popped by the last-place Crawford. And Colts left-hander Daniel Cigainero was the reason. BOXSCORE

Cigainero registered no fewer than nine popouts against Patriots batters Monday (May 1), as Crawford rallied late with single runs in the seventh and eighth innings to stun Christian, 2-1.

"We kept over-swinging instead of just driving the ball up the middle," said Pats coach MIKE MITCHELL. "So we popped out all game long."

Patriots second baseman Colin McDonald can't believe the call, as Crawford's Bryan Burkhead (5)is ruled safe with his third stolen base of the game. (Christian High courtesy photo)

Unlike the teams' previous two meeting, when Christian rolled to victories of 18-2 and 19-3, the Patriots managed just five basehits. Nevertheless, an RBI single by CHAD O'DONNELL in the 3rd inning seemed to be enough for starter GRANT MILLS, who carried a 4-hit shutout through six innings.

However, Mills would finish with no decision after the Colts scored a pair of unearned runs by attempting to take an extra base on balls hit within the diamond.

With a runner on second base in the sixth, Crawford tried to catch the Patriots napping on a grounder to shortstop by sending the lead runner home. However, O'Donnell, the first baseman, was ready and fired the ball to catcher MATT HART for the inning-ending double play.

But when the Colts tried the same play in extra innings, the Patriots were not as fortunate. With runners at first and second, Christian picked up a ground ball and threw to second base for the inning's second out. But when Alex Ventura was sent home, the defense failed to connect on a throw home for an error and the Colts (2-20 overall) stole their initial Central win in eight starts.

"We still have a shot, but we have to beat Madison twice if we want to win league," said Mills. "Our team can hit, just not today."

Christian High catcher Matt Hart prevents the winning run from scoring in the bottom of the 7th inning, tagging out the Colts' Daniel Cigainero. (Christian High courtesy photo)

A pair of Crawford batters almost gave the Colts the win in regulation. Jimmy Lap hit a slow roller to shortstop, but the Pats' EDDIE YOUNG charged hard and fired home to Hart for the tag-out on Cigainero.

Curtis Burkhead then hit a two-hopper to Austin Murray at third base. The throw to first was fine, but O'Donnell dropped the ball. However, he recovered the ball while keeping his foot on the bag in time before the runner got down the line to force extra innings.

Bryan Burkhead registered three of Crawford's six hits. ADAM PERRY reached base three times for Christian (9-9, 4-2 Central) with an infield single and a pair of walks.

Granite Hills catcher Travis Taijeron believes he has this high popup covered. Although the ball popped out of his glove, the senior still makes the grab for the out. Taijeron also slugged a 3-run homer to bolster the visiting Eagles past Valhalla, 5-0. (Photos by Chris Edwards) SEE THE ENTIRE SEQUENCE OF 9 PHOTOS HERE

East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (4-30-06) -- El Cajon Valley senior CLIFTON THOMAS stole three bases Saturday (Apr. 29) against West Hills, giving him a season total of 43 thefts to establish a new East County and Grossmont Conference record. Thomas snapped the 21-year old mark of 41, set by ROBERT CANNON of Mount Miguel. The total is also 3rd-best in San Diego CIF history. BOXSCORE

Thomas also made his first pitching start of the campaign after twirling a single inning to save the Braves' only win of the year in the Lions Tournament earlier this month.

Bottom line is visiting West Hills tarnished El Cajon Valley's Baseball Sponsors Day, featuring a carne asada dinner with all the trimmings, by pulling out a 5-3 Grossmont North League victory over the Braves.

Thomas sets SB record

Braves' Clifton Thomas with a bunt single during GCT play vs. Monte Vista. (Chris Edwards photo)

Thomas, who boasts one of the SDCIF's top batting averages (.550) in addition to his record-breaking base stealing pace, proved he can do it all when he stepped to the mound against West Hills.

"This was a big game for us in terms of our sponsors and the community," El Cajon Valley coach WAYNE WEIGHTMAN said. "I asked Clifton last week if he could pitch and he agreed. We were hoping he could give us five good innings. But when we went out to take him out after five, he said he wanted to get the CG (complete game)."

Thomas struck out 11 and limited the Pack to two hits in a route-going effort. The lone drawback was he walked eight.

"Clifton has really turned his head around," Weightman said. "He finally realizes he doesn't have to do all that showy stuff. Defensively, he can out-play anybody. He's a great athlete, who could play all nine positions if we asked him to."

STEPHEN STRASBURG, a 90-mile-per-hour fireballer, pitched a complete-game six-hitter and struck out a career-high 14 batters to keep the Wolf Pack (10-9, 4-1 GNL) tied with Grossmont for the Grossmont North League lead.

"It was tough coming in off our bye week," said West Hills coach SCOTT "HOPPY" HOPGOOD. "We struggled throughout. Thomas was tough -- we didn't adjust to him very well."

A fast start on the offensive side is all West Hills needed. The Wolf Park garnered both of its hits in that inning that was aided by four walks. JOE MELLO laid down a bunt single and KOREY HOOPER hammered an RBI single to right.

Walks and errors gave West Hills an additional marker in the 6th.

El Cajon Valley (1-19, 0-5 GNL) broke through against Strasburg in the 5th as JOSE TORRES tripled and scored on a single by CAMERON LAUDERMILK, who also drove in a run in the 7th inning.

Valhalla right-fielder Jason Kutzler races into foul territory to snare this opposite-field drive off the bat of Granite Hills' Eric Krause with a snowcone catch (Photo by Chris Edwards)

GRANITE HILLS 5, VALHALLA 0 BOXSCORE -- When the Granite Hills Eagles need a "stopper," some one to provide the ballcub with a major lift, coach JAMES DAVIS gives the ball to reliable junior ERIC KRAUSE.

Davis executed the handoff for Saturday's (Apr. 29) Grossmont South League showdown at Valhalla.

Krause did not disappoint.

"This was by far my best game of the year," said Krause, who rolled his record to 6-1 after stopping Valhalla on a 4-hitter that included 7 strikeouts. "Given the stakes of the game, I knew I had to come through. It was a pressure game that we couldn't lose."

Valhalla got its first two batters on base, but Krause, who is kind of a Greg Maddux clone, regained his poise and left the Norsemen (15-7, 7-1 GSL) wanting.

Unlike Maddux, Krause prefers to induce the fly ball. He did so in this outing as 13 of Valhalla's outs came via the air. Only one Valhalla out was recorded by a ground ball.

"I made their hitters climb the ladder," Krause said. "They liked to bite on my fastball, so I kept bringing it up until they went after it and popped it up."

It's a good thing the Norsemen preferred the fastball, because Krause couldn't find the strike zone with his changeup. "My curveball was there and I wasn't afraid to throw it no matter the count."

Krause, who leads East County pitchers in wins (6), lowered his ERA to 0.89.

"We feel pretty confident when Krause is on the mound." Davis said.

A single by JOSH QUERIONES in the 3rd inning and a throwing error by Valhalla gave Granite Hills a 1-0 lead.

Travis Taijeron belts a 3-run homer for Granite Hills. (Photo by Chris Edwards)

TRAVIS TAIJERON whacked a two-run home run -- his 8th of the year -- to make it 3-0 in the 4th.

BRIAN HUMPHRIES doubled and scored in the 7th to stretch his consecutive batting streak to 12 games.

"A few walks, an error and one bad pitch and we lose to a very gutsy competitor in Eric Krause today," said Valhalla coach STEVE PERDUE. "All of us took it hard because we wanted it and because it was Granite Hills. But that's baseball. This team did not lose because of lack of heart, hustle or determination. The effort was there and they never stopped playing. Losing is no fun but losing to a competitor like Krause is not a bad thing."

GROSSMONT 2, EL CAPITAN 1 BOXSCORE -- This game was all about pitching.

After surrendering a lead home run to El Capitan's AUSTIN RAUCH -- who hit his San Diego CIF-leading 11th parking lot blast to begin Saturday's (Apr. 29) Grossmont North League contest -- the Foothillers (16-7, 4-1 GNL) piecemealed their way for a couple of runs to earn a victory and a share of the league lead.

Like lightning, Rauch opened the game with a solo homer for the second game in a row.

"Rauch hit a good pitch, a curveball that he went down and golfed out to left field," Grossmont coach ROB PHILLIPS said.

Phillips was pleased by the placement of senior right-hander A.J. GRIFFIN, who went on to log his sixth complete game and his 5th win in eight decisions.

Rauch's home run obviously rattled Griffin, who has logged five of his last six starts for complete victories.

"That's the great thing about A.J." Phillips said. "Rauch went down and got a good pitch, but A.J. managed to keep his composure. I know when A.J. is pitching our kids have a lot more confidence."

Grossmont tied the game in the 2nd when NICK LONGMIRE doubled and scored when DEREK BAUM laced an 0-2 pitch for a single up the middle.

The Hillers scored the winning run on a double play in the 4th inning.

Griffin, who has completed five of his last six starts, limited the Vaqueros (13-9, 4-3 GNL) to three hits as he struck out nine.

El Capitan's D.J. HENSON, who has been used primarily in relief, pitched a complete game 8-hitter.

"Griffin was just a little bit better than our pitcher, but Henson was pretty good," El Capitan coach STEVE VICKERY said. "It was a very well pitched game on both sides."

MONTE VISTA 5, HELIX 4 (8 inn.) BOXSCORE -- GOLDIE SIMMONS slugged a solo home run in the 8th inning Saturday (Apr. 29) to give the visiting Monarchs (9-11, 4-4 GSL) their fourth straight victory.

Monte Vista had taken a 4-3 edge in the 6th when RICHIE GARCIA cracked a solo shot in the top of the 6th. But Helix (9-13, 2-6 GSL), which is 7-4 in games decided by two runs or less, tied the Monarchs when they parlayed a single by CALEB SHUMAKER, a passed ball, a sacrifice bunt by ERIC PONCE and a ground out by JEREMY PETERSON in the bottom of the 6th into the tying run.

Helix had no answer to Simmons' third homer of the year.

"Our pitching has been above expectations," Monte Vista coach LARRY RINEHART said. "Overall our kids are starting to believe they are a decent ballcub right now. And that is big. You have to believe in yourself. If you don't believe you're good, it doesn't matter what others say."

The trump card in Monte Vista's pitching scheme is junior left-hander ANTHONY LOPEZ, who pitched two shutout innings to earn his third win against one loss.

Helix took the early lead when DEREK ANCRUM tripled and scored on a throwing error in the 1st inning. DERRIC MILLER's solo homer made it 2-0 for the Highlanders in the 3rd.

STEELE CANYON 22, MOUNT MIGUEL 7 BOXSCORE -- CODY MINICH went 5-for-5 and drove in eight runs with a double and his 3rd and 4th home runs of the season Saturday (Apr. 29) to catapult visiting Steele Canyon to a lopsided Grossmont South League romp over hapless Mount Miguel.

This was a strange one in that JAMES TREBUS' three-run triple allowed the Matadors (4-16, 0-8) to break a 1-1 tie in the 1st inning. The bottom fell out from there as Mount Miguel was subjected to a Steele Canyon-record 13-run 2nd inning.

The main blows in the break-out inning were MARK BELLATTI's two-run double and Minich's grand slam. Bellatti also pitched two shutout innings to post his first win in five decisions.

More than that one inning, though, was the red-hot hitting of the top third of the Cougars' batting order -- ROSS EPPERSON, Minich and DANNY HARRIS -- that was a composite 11-for-14 with five extra-base hits, 11 RBI and 11 runs. Epperson accounted for seven runs as he was 4-for-5 with a home run, a double and three RBI

ERIC CARRILLO enjoyed a big day with the bat for Steele Canyon (9-12, 4-4 GSL), rifling off three hits in six at-bats to drive in two runs. MIKE LANGE drove in two runs with a double and a single.

SANTANA 8-5, SAN DIEGUITO ACADEMY 5-3 -- Santana coach JERRY HENSON and his scorekeeping wife CATHERINE celebrated their 39th wedding anniversary Saturday (Apr. 29). As a sort anniversary gift the Santana baseball team presented the couple with a doubleheader sweep Saturday at San Dieguito Academy in Encinitas.

"The kids were alive today and ready to play when they arrived," said coach Henson said." "We executed well, did a good job running the bases."

CHRIS DIAZ slammed a two-run homer in the 1st inning and DALLAS MARTIN added a solo shot in the 3rd to propel Santana to a first game victory over the Mustangs that snapped the No. 2-ranked Sultans' three-game losing streak.

Sophomore JOSH POND struck out seven and scattered five hits over 5 2/3 innings to pick up his first varsity victory in the opener.

Santana took a 4-0 advantage in the 2nd inning of the nightcap and BRANDYN BELL pitched five innings while striking out six to earn the win.

"Bell was exceptional on the hill," Henson said. "His performance was a real shot in the arm."

RAYMOND MAUSER's two-run single in the 1st inning of game two gave Santana a lead it wouldn't lose.

East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (4-29-06) -- One thing about playing in an off-balance league such as the Central League is the better teams get more chances to let everybody play. In other words, there is a bunch of one-sided match-ups. BOXSCORE

Christian clobbered Crawford 18-2 in Friday's (Apr. 28) Central League action. This comes on the heels of the Patriots' 24-2 hanging of High Tech High two days earlier. The totals for those two games bolstered batting and pitching statistics handsomely for Christian (9-8, 4-1 CTL).

For the record, the Patriots produced 40 runs on 33 hits.

Clearly, the star of the show is EDDIE YOUNG, who was 8-for-9 with two home runs, 10 RBI and 7 runs scored in the two routs. In the romp over Crawford, the sophomore shortstop hit for The Cycle and then some.

Patriots catcher Matt Hart has his eye on a high popup near home plate (left). He nearly losses his balance yet makes the catch (right) to help defeat Crawford. (Christian High courtesy photos)

Eddie Young doubled and scored on a wild pitch in the 1st inning after SHANE STANOVIC started things with his third home run of the season.

Young slugged an RBI triple in the 3rd inning, led off the 4th inning with his fifth home run, contributed a sacrifice fly in the 5th and drilled a two-run single in the 6th.

CHAD O'DONNELL and JIMMY DOSSETT hit a pair of doubles each, while ADAM PERRY extended his East County-leading hitting streak to 13 games with a lead single in the 3rd.

TODD JONES pitched six innings of 3-hit ball and struck out eight to post his third win in five decisions.

ElCapitan starter Kyle King pitched five strong innings to defeat Santana and gain a share of first place in the Grossmont North League. (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (4-28-06) -- If East County baseball is not the best in the San Diego CIF, it has to be the most competitive. In Thursday's (Apr. 27) action, Valhalla won a Grossmont South League showdown over Granite Hills 8-4, while El Capitan dealt Santana a second straight Grossmont North League loss 7-6, leaving that circuit in chaos. Details below:

EL CAPITAN 7, SANTANA 6 BOXSCORE -- The Vaqueros moved into a virtual tie for the Grossmont North League lead by doing what they do best -- hit the long ball at cozy Hostetler Field and receive solid starting pitching. The combination worked well again to complete a two-game series sweep over the No. 4-ranked Sultans.

AUSTIN RAUCH lit the fuse to El Capitan's latest offensive explosion with a lead-off homer in the 1st inning -- his SDCIF leading 10th of the season. NICK McCARTHY then opened the 2nd inning with another solo homer.

"The first pitch was right down the middle and I took it out over the bank," said Rauch of his shot into the "basket" in straight-away center field. "It went right up the slope."

Meanwhile, Vaqueros starter KYLE KING allowed just five hits in as many innings, only giving up a pair of runs on a bloop single off the bat of KYLE CULVER. The 4th-inning dink over the first baseman cut El Capitan's lead to 4-2.

"Kyle did a great job for us," said El Cap skipper STEVE VICKERY, who is just five wins shy of becoming only the fourth baseball coach in SDCIF history to reach the 500-win milestone. "We were looking for five innings from him, which we got, then it got a little ugly."

While Santana generated little offense, the three runs scored by the Vaqueros in the 6th -- including RBI from SHANE SULLENGER and RYAN INVERSO -- seemed to be an afterthought for a 7-2 lead.

However, Sultans slugger CHRIS DIAZ thought otherwise. With El Capitan struggling to run out the string, a walk and the seventh hit batsman of the ballgame set up Diaz, who launched a shot to left. The line shot would've easily traveled more than 400 feet if the ball didn't smack near the top of a utility pole in the parking lot beyond the left-field fence.

"It was good to see us not give up -- Chris really hit a shot," noted Santana coach JERRY HENSON. "Otherwise, I don't know what's happening with the ballclub. At one time we were 11-0, but the way we're playing now, we may not even get into the playoffs."

Self-inflected mistakes cost the Sultans, including a player getting thrown out trying to steal third with McCarthy, the Vaqueros reliever, standing on the rubber ready to pitch from the stretch. He simply stepped off and threw the ball to third baseman CRISTIAN GARICA for the easy tag.

Take away the play and Diaz gets a grand slam and the contest would've continued.

"I'm just glad Nick kept his composure out there and got the final out," added Vickery, who saw McCarthy end the rally with a strikeout on a call strike three.

Instead, with three teams separated by percentage points at the top of the table, the Sultans are 2-4 at the midway point of their GNL slate and on the verge of elimination for pennant consideration.

King registered just two strikeouts, yet coaxed a series of ground balls, two of which were converted into double plays. Santana also turned a pair of double plays.

"I just did what I could to keep us winning," said King. "I did my job and the team did great with the bat. We got the hits when we needed them."

Santana batters were hit by five pitches -- JOHN BASNIGHT twice -- all on non-bending curveballs, while El Cap was plunked twice.

VALHALLA 8, GRANITE HILLS 4 BOXSCORE -- It should come as no secret that the three-game set between perennial powers Valhalla and Granite Hills will determine the Grossmont South League championship.

Round one on Thursday (Apr. 27) at Granite Hills lent proof of that belief. The Norsemen jumped in front 3-0 in the 1st inning on the strength of home runs by GREG GARCIA and RYAN O'SULLIVAN only to see Granite Hills score four runs in the 2nd inning keyed by BILLY SYLVESTER's two-run double.

After those two flashy uprisings, Valhalla pitcher O'Sullivan blanked Valhalla over the final five innings to garner his third straight win. The sophomore right-hander allowed only five hits, three earned runs and no walks, while striking out seven. He did hit three batters, two in the Eagles' big 2nd inning.

TOMAS KARAGIANES supplied the game-winning RBI when he broke a 4-4 tie with the first of his two doubles to chase home two Valhalla runners during a 3-run 4th inning.

"I think people see our top three guys as quality hitters, but don't think much about the other six of us," Karagianes said. "Much of the time it's the bottom guys in our order that get it started and the top three guys that clean it up."

Valhalla has three bona fide starting pitchers that stamp the Norsemen (15-6, 7-0 GSL) as pitching loaded.

"We have the best three-man rotation in the county in my opinion," offered Garcia, Valhalla's junior shortstop who was 2-for-3 with his third homer, a double and two RBI. "The way I see it is we have three No. 1s."

What about the Valhalla offense?

"We don't have any superstars, but we have the guys who can get the job done," Garcia added. "There are no easy outs in our 1-through-9. We make contact and play a great game of small ball."

The victory over the Eagles (13-7, 6-1 GSL) stretched Valhalla's win streak to five in a row.

"This was a huge win for us and we need to keep it going on Saturday (Apr. 29)." Garcia added.

"Granite Hills is by far the best team we've played," O'Sullivan said. "We know they won't give up and that they will be a challenge when we see them over at our place."

One small consolation for Granite Hills was BRIAN HUMPHRIES got an infield single and stole the first of two bases in the 1st inning. That at-bat increased Humphries' hitting streak to 11 games, and his average to .720 (18-for-25) over that span. Valhalla wisely took the bat out of the left-hand hitting sophomore sensations' hands over the remainder of the game. O'Sullivan twice plunked him with pitches and walked Humphries in the 7th inning.

One phase of the Valhalla defense that is often overlooked is the play of the Norsemen defense.

"Once Ryan decided that he didn't have to strike everybody out and allowed his defense to work things started to go his way," Valhalla coach STEVE PERDUE said. "I don't care what anybody says, our outfield is the best in the county."

That would be JASON KUTZLER in left, Karagianes in center and JEFF SOPATA in right.

"They are all fast, get jumps on the ball … when you have an outfield like that and guys like Garcia, (DAVID) SMITH and (DEVIN) AZEVEDO in our infield that are money, it has to make you feel good as a pitcher," Perdue said.

GROSSMONT 15, EL CAJON VALLEY 2 BOXSCORE -- For more than two hours, fans and players alike were sitting on their hands, watching the drudgery as a parade of Foothillers strode around the bases courtesy of 15 bases on balls (plus a hit batsman) issued by Braves pitching.

But with two outs in the 7th , the 13-run blowout actually became interesting after Grossmont failed to properly cover a base to extend the inning, giving El Cajon Valley centerfield CLIFTON THOMAS another at-bat.

Thomas did not disappoint, singling home pinch-hitter ALVARO LEON to cap a 3-for-4 performance at the plate, which included a triple. Then the fans got into the contest with some tongue-in-cheek booing as Grossmont reliever A.J. GRIFFIN began his own parade -- a long series of tosses to first base to keep Thomas close to the bag.

Even the umpires were smiling; nobody in attendance would need to call 1-800-PSYCHIC to determine the future -- Thomas would be on the move.

After stealing two bases following his 3rd -inning single, Thomas again broke loose, sliding wide of second base to avoid a tag. He then easily took third base, raising his season total to 40 stolen bases -- moving within one of the Grossmont Conference and East County single-season record.

"And I thought about going for home, too," admitted Thomas. "But their pitcher was throwing from the stretch instead of the wind-up, so I didn't get the chance."

Thomas is on the precipice of eclipsing ROBERT CANNON's 1985 mark. Cannon stole 41 bases for Mount Miguel.

"I'd feel better if we were winning ballgames," added Thomas, who expects to play for Grossmont College unless he gets drafted or is offered a scholarship. "Still, the record would be nice to get."

Thomas is also on pace to snap the San Diego CIF record of 51, set by current Oakland A's standout Eric Chavez for Mt. Carmel in 1995. Thomas' next opportunity will come at home Saturday (Apr. 29) at 11 a.m., when El Cajon Valley hosts Grossmont North League leading West Hills. However, every team -- it seems -- owns a piece of first place in the GSL standings.

Grossmont gained its share with the Wolf Pack and El Capitan by mounting a 9-0 lead by the 3rd inning, allowing Hillers starter MATT SILVA to gain the victory. The junior right-hander went four innings, striking out five and allowing just one run.

NICK LONGMIRE paced the Hillers' offense with two hits, including a double, matching teammate BRYAN HAAR with three RBI. JUSTIN RUTHERFORD also registered two of Grossmont's nine hits, while matching leadoff hitter AUGIE WILLIAMS by scoring three times.

MONTE VISTA 6, HELIX 2 BOXSCORE -- Just when it appeared the Monarchs would fade into also-ran status, Monte Vista has risen up to win three games in a row, including Thursday's (Apr. 27) Grossmont South League victory over visiting Helix.

GOLDIE SIMMONS picked up his first varsity pitching win as he limited the Highlanders (9-12, 2-5 GSL) to three hits and one run over five innings.

"We've always known Goldie can throw hard," Monte Vista coach LARRY RINEHART said. "Today his curveball had serious tilt to it. It was knee-buckling. His fastball was in the low 90s, but more than that he had good rhythm and fluid motion."

Simmons also contributed an RBI single that gave the Monarchs a 2-1 edge in the 1st inning.

CORY COOPER clubbed a two-run single to make it 4-1 in the 4th inning. SPENCER REED's base hit plated two runs an inning later to give Monte Vista a secure advantage.

Helix's anemic attack featured just five hits.

The Highlanders had one last gasp in the 7th as they loaded the bases and trailed by four runs. But Monte Vista's version of Eric Gagne, ANTHONY LOPEZ, came on to slam the door for his SDCIF-leading 5th save.

"When you're struggling to hit, every mistake you make in a game is magnified," said Helix coach COLE HOLLAND. "Every error is magnified. We have to find a way as a team to take the pressure off of our pitchers."

STEELE CANYON 6, MOUNT MIGUEL 4 BOXSCORE -- The Cougars kept their playoff hopes alive Thursday (Apr. 27) as they came from behind to avoid an upset by the visiting Matadors in a Grossmont South League contest.

A solo home run by CODY MINICH broke a 3-3 tie in the 3rd inning to propel Steele Canyon (8-12, 3-4 GSL) into a lead it wouldn't lose. Singles by DANNY HARRIS, WILL MURRAY and GARRETT JENNER produced a second run for a 5-3 lead.

Mount Miguel (4-15, 0-7 GSL) refused to go away. With two outs and nobody on, the Matadors turned an error and singles by JAMIE SANDOVAL and JAMES TREBUS into a 4th inning run that chipped Steele Canyon's advantage to one.

An RBI single by Steele Canyon's TOMMY HOYT made it 6-4 in the 5th inning.

"Jenner had a couple of hits before he hurt his knee in the 3rd inning sliding in -- just a deep bruise, we think," said Steele Canyon coach PHIL MITTRY. "Hoyt came on in his place and got a big hit in the 5th inning to make it a 2-run lead. Hoyt's always ready to play, and got a chance today."

DAVID WYNN, Sandoval and Trebus had two hits apiece for Mount Miguel.

"It's going to happen," prophesied Mount Miguel coach BYRON GRIGSBY. "I feel like we're playing every team tough. Just gotta find a way to get over the hump. Too bad our record doesn't show how well we're playing."

Leading by 18 runs in the seventh inning didn't deter Patriots centerfielder John Ferreira from making an extra effort, snaring this ball to beat High Tech High. (Christian High courtesy photo)

East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (4-27-06) -- Sophomore EDDIE YOUNG drove in four runs and scored four more as he went 4-for-5 in Christian High's 22-4 non-league rout of visiting High Tech High on Wednesday (Apr. 26).

This game was ugly from the start as the Patriots (8-8) produced six runs in the 1st inning and continued on their merry way from there.

"We were looking for games and their coach came up to me at a preseason meeting and said he'd play us," Christian coach MIKE MITCHELL said. "What could I say? I knew they were young and probably weren't up to the level of competition we usually play. But I didn't want to embarrass anybody."

Mitchell's assessment of the situation was on the mark. Despite subbing his starters out early in the game, Mitchell saw his Patriots score a season high while pounding out 17 hits.

"We were playing station-to-station by the 3rd inning," Mitchell said. "We easily could have had 10-to-15 more total bases, but literally stopped playing baseball after the 4th inning. Even when they threw a wild pitch or had a passed ball, we didn't allow our runners to advance."

Mitchell made it clear that he wasn't "knocking" High Tech High's attempt to compete at the varsity level.

"The biggest thing is they just don't have much pitching," he said.

CHAD O'DONNELL singled in the first two runs and AUSTIN MURRAY doubled in two more, helping Christian to a 6-0 start.

A two-run single by slump-ridden MATT HART made it 8-0 in the 2nd inning. Young's fourth home run of the year and a two-run double by Murray made it 10-0 after three.

ADAM PERRY extended his East County-leading hitting streak to 13 games with a single in the 4th inning.

"We had most of our starters out of the game by the second or third inning," Mitchell said. "The best thing about game like this is it gives guys who don't get to play all that much a chance to get more innings and more at-bats."

JOHN FERRIERA pitched two scoreless innings to notch his first win.

Anatomy of a Home Run

Grossmont's Trevor Berry takes a mighty cut and watches his shot to right-centerfield. El Cajon Valley centerfield Clifton Thomas makes a bid on the baseball, but it barely eludes his glove, allowing Berry to circle the bases. (Photos by Chris Edwards) FOR MORE PHOTOS, CLICK LINK IN CLASSIFIEDS

Helix nearly catches Valhalla
in look-ahead situation

East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (4-26-06) -- Could be the Valhalla Norsemen were looking ahead to a two-game showdown with Granite Hills for Grossmont South League supremacy when the Norsemen were forced to scramble past Helix in Tuesday's (Apr. 25) encounter. Valhalla broke a 4-4 tie with a 6-run outburst in the 6th inning to secure the 10-4 victory over the Highlanders. BOXSCORE

The Norsemen (14-6, 6-0) capitalized on an error to break the game open in the 6th inning. RBI singles by DAVID FRANK and JASON KUTZLER set the stage for GREG GARCIA's grand slam.

BOBBY WILKINS and TOMAS KARAGIANES shared the pitching chores for Valhalla, with Wilkins receiving his fifth win in six decisions.

The game could have taken a different turn in the 2nd inning had it not been for a miraculous catch by Helix center fielder DERRIC MILLER.

With two outs and a scoreless tie in the 2nd inning and runners at the corners, Valhalla's David Frank hit a towering fly ball to left center. The Scotties' Miller jumped and grabbed it from over the fence, scuttling Frank's home run.

"It was the best play that I've seen by a high school player -- ever," said Helix coach COLE HOLLAND. "It was in stride -- to the fence -- jump -- catch it and bring it back for the 3rd out of the inning. In coaching, you can't teach instincts like that. That's having a nose for the ball. He's just very natural out there."

Miller was modest. "I was keeping my eye on the ball, I didn't know the fence was behind me. I just went up the fence -- it happened so fast I didn't have time to think about it. I was surprised that I'd even got the ball, just found it in my glove. We still lost but it was worth it. It feels good. I believe it was one of my best plays ever."

David Frank, who finished 2-for-3 with 3 RBI, commenting on his almost-home run, said "The guy just flew out of nowhere. When I hit it I didn't think he could get it. He actually jumped a lot higher than I thought he could, hooked it and brought it back. It was a "legit rob" -- the ball was four feet over the fence. He could have jumped over the fence if he'd wanted to -- I've never seen anything like it."

Frank came within inches of a career-best 6 RBI.

"My coach was telling me this was one of my best days ever," said Frank.

Norsemen coach STEVE PERDUE said "David was robbed of a home run by one of the best high school outfielder's play that I've ever seen. I think the reaction by everybody was that it was such a great play that all David could do was laugh about it. It was a phenomenal play."

The only thing missing were the ESPN cameras.

In the end though, it was Frank's single that scored RYAN O'SULLIVAN with two outs in the bottom of the 6th that gave the Norsemen a 5-4 lead they wouldn't lose.

"David drove in the winning run today, and every game he just seems to get better," Perdue said. "He's been a jewel. He's been paying dividends for us."

On the flip side, CALEB SCHUMAKER was 2-for-3 with a 2-run homer for the Highlanders, who suffered their fifth loss in a row.

GRANITE HILLS 3, STEELE CANYON 2 (9 inn.) BOXSCORE -- Sophomore BRIAN HUMPHRIES stretched his hitting streak to 10 games Tuesday (Apr. 25) as the Eagles slipped past Steele Canyon to keep pace with Valhalla for the Grossmont South League lead.

The Eagles, who begin a two-game series with the Norsemen on Thursday (Apr. 27) at Granite Hills, avoided an upset by Steele Canyon when AUSTIN COLEMAN singled in GARRETT RUSSELL in the bottom of the 9th, giving Granite Hills (13-6, 6-0 GSL) its sixth straight win and ninth in 10 games.

"Coleman -- "Steady Eddie" -- got all our RBI and has been doin' it for us all year," said Granite Hills coach JAMES DAVIS.

Over his last nine games Coleman is batting .367 with three doubles and 11 RBI.

"Coleman killed us again -- has done it for two games in a row," said Steele Canyon coach PHIL MITTRY. "Ironically, he's CHRIS RICE's brother (a 2005 Cougar grad who also played for Mittry) who is beating us."

Not that Coleman has been the Eagles lone wolf. Humphries is batting at a .708 clip (17-for-24) with six doubles, one home run, 14 runs scored, nine RBI and five stolen bases. He was 3-for-4 in Granite Hills' latest conquest of Steele Canyon (7-12, 2-4).

Granite Hills' defense came up big as well.

"Humphries made an incredible play in the 5th inning -- crashed into the right centerfield fence going full steam and saved us two runs," Davis said.

The Granite Hills pitching trio of Russell, ERIC KRAUSE and CODY SWANSON combined to allow only one earned run and eight hits to the Cougars.

"I want to credit my pitching staff today," Davis said. "Russell and Krause did a great job and Swanson got his first win."

CODY MINICH had a single and a double for the Cougars, while WILL MURRAY picked up both RBI.

"Will did a good job today, got all our RBIs, did what he needed to do," said Mittry. "He's been big in the clutch."

A hustling John Basnight (9) of Santana takes the extra base and slides safely into second base with a double. (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

EL CAPITAN 3, SANTANA 2 (9 inn.) BOXSCORE -- In a Grossmont North League confrontation that featured more runners left on base than hits (20-12), the rebounding Vaqueros of El Capitan (12-8, 3-2 GNL) outlasted No. 4-ranked Santana in a game that featured little offense, solid pitching and back-breaking defense.

All three defensive lapses belonged to Santana (16-6, 2-3 GNL), which handed the Vaqueros three unearned runs and second place in the Grossmont North, one-half game behind idle West Hills.

CRISTIAN GARCIA, the heart and soul of the El Capitan pitching staff, turned in eight solid innings. He scattered seven hits and allowed only two runs and was rewarded with his fifth win in seven decisions. NICK McCARTHY pitched a scoreless 9th to earn his first save.

"Cristian really pitched well for eight innings," El Capitan coach STEVE VICKERY said. "And McCarthy did a tremendous job for us. We've lost five times in our last at-bat, and Nick just was not going to let El Cap lose that way this time."

Since swooning in a 1-6 slump, the Vaqueros have regrouped and won three straight. A Santana error followed by RYAN INVERSO's triple gave El Capitan the key victory over the Sultans.

"Both teams had plenty of opportunity to get the key hits in the later innings," Vickery said. "We just happened to finally get one in the top of the 9th. It might have been our only hard hit ball all day. This was a good win versus an outstanding team, and I guarantee you it will be another battle on Thursday (against the Sultans in Lakeside)."

Chris Diaz of Santana strokes a game-tying single in the fifth inning of Tuesday's ballgame against El Capitan. The Vaqueros finally win in nine innings, 3-2. (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

Santana coach JERRY HENSON has to be concerned that his Sultans have lost four of their last seven starts.

"We had eight hits and only scored two runs," Henson recited. "We're just not getting them at the right time and on top of that we are making too many errors. The last two games we've lost because of errors."

Santana's CHRIS DIAZ broke out of a mild slump by going 3-for-3.

GROSSMONT 11, EL CAJON VALLEY 2 BOXSCORE -- Grossmont coach ROB PHILLIPS admitted being concerned when his Foothillers were nursing a 1-0 lead after 2 ½ innings of Tuesday's (Apr. 25) Grossmont North League at last place El Cajon Valley.

Two-run singles by TREVOR BERRY and A.J. GRIFFIN accounted for four of Grossmont's five runs in the 3rd inning that put the game on the brink of a blowout at 6-0.

Berry belted a two-run home run to make it 8-0 in the 4th.

Griffin, known more for his pitching, enjoyed one of his finest days at the plate. The USD-bound senior matched Berry's four RBI with run-scoring singles in the 2nd and 6th innings.

El Cajon Valley's CLIFTON THOMAS, who came into the game with a SDCIF-best batting average of .529, put the Braves on the board when he drilled his 5th home run with a man aboard in the 6th inning.

But Thomas, who ranks second in the state (to LaVerne's Calvary Baptist's Johnny Newton's 39) with 36 steals in 37 attempts, was not able to try to steal a base as he was batting third in the El Cajon Valley lineup for the second time in three games.

Despite having the legs cut out from under him, Thomas went 2-for-3 to raise his batting average to .537.

"He's the complete package," Phillips said. "He'd be batting leadoff for any team in the county."

TAYLOR WOHLWEND hurled five shutout innings with seven strikeouts to notch his third win in five decisions.

MONTE VISTA 6, MOUNT MIGUEL 5 BOXSCORE -- In somewhat of an unspectacular encore following Saturday's (Apr. 22) Grossmont South League battle between these two rivals that lasted more than four hours, the Monarchs survived six errors and made the most of four hits Tuesday (Apr. 25) as they edged the visiting Matadors by a single marker.

Monte Vista (7-11, 2-4 GSL) actually had to come from behind to subdue the Matadors (4-14, 0-6 GSL) and keep its remote playoff chances alive.

That so-called rally was fueled by the Matadors, who contributed two walks and an error as Monte Vista wiped out a 5-4 deficit with a pair of unearned runs without benefit of a hit in the 5th inning.

For the record, RICHIE GARCIA's sacrifice fly scored DAN DeANDA to break the 4-4 deadlock. DeAnda reached on a walk and was on the front end of a double steal that saw GOLDIE SIMMONS advance to second base.

Monte Vista 's ANTHONY LOPEZ pitched the final inning to earn his San Diego CIF-leading 4th save.

Mount Miguel stole seven bases and CHRIS FREEMAN was 2-for-4 with an RBI. JOSH BARROWS followed a lead single by Freeman with a double that Mount Miguel a 1-0 lead in the 2nd.

High 5-and-0s
A pair of East County pitchers tossed shutouts in each of their teams' 5-0 victories. West Hills senior John Eddy (left) shutout Santana on just four basehits, while Eric Julienne of Valhalla allowed just three Helix basehits. (Photos by Travis Downs,left, and Chris Edwards)

East County Sports.com
SPRING VALLEY (4-23-06) -- This was one for the books, as oddities prevailed. No championships were at stake and most likely the playoffs are probably out of reach. But there was no shortage of intensity when Grossmont South League rivals Mount Miguel and Monte Vista faced off in Saturday's (Apr. 22) action on the Matadors' diamond. BOXSCORE

It took four hours and 10 minutes for the visiting Monarchs to squeeze out a 15-12 victory over the short-handed Matadors in a 10 inning marathon that had Mount Miguel playing the final two innings with only eight players on defense.

Both coaches -- Monte Vista's LARRY RINEHART and Mount Miguel's BYRON GRIGSBY -- realized that the game should have been a forfeit when an injury to Matadors senior catcher JEREMIAH WHITE in the 8th inning left Mount Miguel one player short of the minimum. Yet both coaches wanted to continue the game.

The National High School Federation rules do not allow a team to continue to play with fewer than nine players -- at any stage of the game.

The umpires working this game, however, were not familiar with that rule.

"I was aware that we might have to forfeit," Grigsby said. "But when the umps didn't say anything, I knew my kids wanted to continue, and we did."

Rinehart was also aware of the rule but was willing to let the game go on without voicing a protest that was his option.

Monte Vista (6-11, 1-4 GSL) eventually snapped a 12-12 tie with three runs in the 10th. ANTHONY LOPEZ, who made two pitching appearances in the game that added up to 4 1/3 innings and his second victory in three starts, laced a 2-run triple to score ANTHONY MARCON and BO AGUILAR to put the Monarchs in front. A bases loaded walk to GOLDIE SIMMONS gave Monte Vista a 3-run edge.

"For two teams that were sitting on 0-4 (in league), this was quite a game," Rinehart said. "For having only 12 players each, I can't tell you how many defensive changes Byron and I made. It was a real chess game. Nobody gave up. Both teams demonstrated a lot of heart and really wanted to win."

Monte Vista was one out away from taking home the victory in regulation, but a 2-run double by Mount Miguel's NICO CALAFATO with two outs in the bottom of the 7th forced the game into overtime.

Stunned by the Matadors' late rally, the Monarchs didn't dally as they scored four times in the top of the 8th inning. Singles by CORY COOPER and DAVID PALACIOS set the stage for Lopez' RBI double and a 7-6 lead.

Palacios tried to score on the play but was thrown out at the plate by Matador right-fielder DAVID WYNN. Talk about your bang-bang play -- the ball and Palacios arrived at the same time as White, the Mount Miguel catcher turned to apply the tag. A grinding collision resulted.

White, who was bleeding from the nose after the contact, hung onto the ball for the out. White was able to finish the inning but eventually had to leave the field via ambulance. It was later disclosed that he had suffered a concussion.

"Jeremiah took the throw on one hop and got hit -- bang," Grigsby said. "He took a pretty good shot but didn't drop the ball. That just shows you how tough this kid is."

There was some debate as to whether the plate umpire should have ejected Palacios for not sliding.

"As far as I know, the rule book says the runner is supposed to slide or attempt to avoid contact," Grigsby said. "I don't think their runner did either. I think he should have been ejected."

No ejection was forthcoming.

"My catcher (White) can't play for a month, which means he's virtually out for the season," Grigsby said. "The doctor said he has to sit out for a month and that means his high school career is probably over. That's a tough break, but the good thing is Jeremiah has a scholarship to Baker University in Kansas where he'll be able to play baseball in the future."

Rinehart, in defense of Palacios, thought his runner attempted to avoid the tag rather than bowl over the catcher.

"The way I saw it is David tried to avoid the tag by going to the outside," Rinehart said. "I don't think his intent was to bang into the catcher. He was trying to score."

Each team collected 20 hits, which is the 10th highest total in the state for two teams.

Mount Miguel, which held only one lead in the game -- 2-1 after the first inning, came from behind in the 7th, 8th and 9th innings before succumbing in the 10th.

"This is the best I've ever see my team play. Coming from behind like that in three consecutive innings," Grigsby said. "Our kids played a gutsy game from beginning to end."

Both teams' junior varsity squads were watching the final couple of innings, as they were to play at the conclusion of the varsity contest. Unbeknownst to Grigsby, when White left the game due to injury, the Matadors' second-year head coach could have called upon one of his JV players to fill the void.

Grigsby was not clear on his options. Thus, the Matadors utilized only two outfielders in the 9th and 10th innings.

The umpires, who permitted the game to continue against Federation rules allowed the Matadors to play an eight-man defense. But on the offensive side, in the batting slot where White was scheduled to hit, the umpires declared an automatic "out." That happened twice, which short-circuited Mount Miguel's offensive efforts.

Statistically speaking, Lopez was Monte Vista's top gun. The versatile junior drove in 5 runs with a triple and two singles.

Seven Monarchs enjoyed multiple hit games.

JAMIE SANDOVAL, who was the starting pitcher for Mount Miguel and wound up closing the game for a total of six innings, was 4-for-6 at the plate with two doubles, two stolen bases, two runs and two RBI.

Wynn, Calafato and White each had three hits apiece for the Matadors (4-13, 0-5 GSL).

GRANITE HILLS 9, STEELE CANYON 4 BOXSCORE -- The visiting Eagles continued to show a lot of heart Saturday (Apr. 22) as they posted their eighth win in their last nine games.

That is, the hitters that make up the heart of the Granite Hills batting order -- No. 3 BRIAN HUMPHRIES, No. 4 TRAVIS TAIJERON and No. 5 AUSTIN COLEMAN -- are producing at a torrid clip. The trio was a combined 6-for-8 with six RBI and four runs scored as Granite Hills (12-6, 5-0 GSL) maintained its share of the Grossmont South League lead with Valhalla.

Steele Canyon coach PHIL MITTRY considered limiting Taijeron to an RBI double in the 1st inning a victory of sorts. Probably so, as Taijeron, batting .727 over his previous six games, finished the day 1-for-3. That one blow extended his hitting streak to seven games.

The other two members of the Granite Hills middle third teed off on Steele Canyon pitching.

Humphries, who was 3-for-3 with three runs scored, stretched his hitting streak to nine games. Coleman, who had a scoring fly ball in the 1st and a run-scoring single in the 3rd, slashed a two-run double with bases-loaded in the 4th inning to give Granite Hills a 7-1 advantage.

"Humphries and Coleman killed us today," Mittry said. "We didn't have an answer for them."

BILLY SYLVESTER smacked a two-run double in the 7th to complete the Granite Hills onslaught.

Three Granite Hills pitchers teamed up to keep a lid on Steele Canyon's explosive attack. There was no stopping the Cougars' DANNY HARRIS, however, as the senior shortstop doubled in a run in the 3rd to tie the game at 1-1 before unloading his 7th home run with nobody on in the 6th.

Valhalla second baseman Greg Garcia pulls the ball to right field for a double (top), then slides safely into third base for a stolen base (bottom), beating the tag of Helix' Mahi Labastida. Valhalla won, 5-0. (Photos by Chris Edwards) FOR MORE PHOTOS, CLICK LINK IN CLASSIFIEDS

Harris drove in 10 runs in three games the past week, raising his East County-best total to 27.

Looking ahead, the Eagles and Valhalla are slated to square off on Thursday, Apr. 27 at Granite Hills and again on Saturday, Apr. 29. at Valhalla at 11 a.m,

"Our focus and chemistry are much better than they were at the start of the season," Eagles coach JAMES DAVIS said. "I give (outfielder) CODY CRAWFORD a lot of credit for stepping up and providing us with the senior leadership we so badly need."

VALHALLA 5, HELIX 0 BOXSCORE -- Not many high school pitchers twirling today have a better career pitching record than Valhalla senior southpaw ERIC JULIENNE.

A three-year veteran, Julienne, bound for Cal State-San Marcos next season, surrendered just three singles to the hosting Highlanders (9-10, 2-3 GSL) while improving his senior slate to 5-1. His career ledger stands at 18-2.

"He struggled a bit in the first inning, but settled down after that," Valhalla coach STEVE PERDUE said. "Overall I think he was more relaxed in this game knowing that he had a college scholarship."

Julienne held the Highlanders hitless for the first five innings.

"The biggest difference in this game compared to others is he was pitching ahead," Perdue said. Julienne walked only one and struck out six.

Helix shortstop Randy Perez makes an acrobatic throw to first base to register the out against Valhalla. (Photo by Chris Edwards)

Scoring runs has been a season-long problem for the Highlanders, who have been shut out in six of their 19 starts. Helix has produced only three runs in its last four games and has generated only 14 hits in its last three outings.

Valhalla (13-6, 5-0 GSL) grabbed the early lead with three runs in the 1st inning. JASON KUTZLER walked and scored on TOMAS KARAGIANES' double. One out later, RYAN O'SULLIVAN doubled in Karagianes to make it 2-0. After an infield single by JEFF SOPATA placed runners at the corners, O'Sullivan and Sopata executed a double steal to make it 3-0.

"Things are going well for us now, but I told our kids this is no time to get complacent," Perdue said. "We have some big games coming up."

WEST HILLS 5, SANTANA 0 BOXSCORE -- Senior right-hander JOHN EDDY of West Hills is arguably the best No. 3 starter there is on a team in East County.

"He led us in wins last year as a junior," West Hills coach SCOTT "HOPPY" HOPGOOD said of Eddy, who now sports at 3-2 mark after blanking GNL rival Santana on Saturday (Apr. 22).

That victory vaulted West Hills (9-9, 3-1 GNL) to the top of Grossmont North League standings.

"Eddy is one of those guys who thinks he has about 17,000 pitches," Hopgood said. "What makes his pitches so different is he throws from so many different angles. That and he's always a touch wild which, for him, is pinpoint control. He's fun to watch when he's on."

Eddy rationed Santana (16-5, 2-2 GNL) to four hits over seven innings while striking out five and walking three.

"He's sneaky fast at about 83-84 mph, which makes his off-speed stuff darn good," Hopgood said. "This was a huge win for us and we were able to get it because we have a legit No. 3 starter in John Eddy."

Santana lent a helping -- or shaky -- hand in the Wolf Pack win.

West Hills was able to muster up only three hits against the deliveries of RICHARD MARTINEZ, KYLE CULVER and JOSH POND. But the Sultans' four errors handed the Pack four unearned runs.

"We booted the ball all over the place," Santana skipper JERRY HENSON said. "Their guy pitched a great game, but our defense really let us down."

Two errors and a wild pitch gave West Hills a 1-0 edge in the 2nd inning. But wait, it gets better (or in the case of the Sultans, worse) in the 3rd.

A hit batter and a walk set the Wolf Pack offense into "motion." JOE MELLO followed with a bunt. Santana pitcher Martinez fielded the roller and looked toward 3rd base, but elected to make his throw to 1st base. Confusion at the bag by two Santana infielders allowed Martinez's throw to go unattended and carom down the right field line. Two West Hills runners hustled home to make it 3-0.

Mello raced around to third base where he eventually scored on SHAIN STONER's sacrifice fly. Mello mashed an RBI double to make it 5-0 in the 4th.

JOHN BASNIGHT accounted for two of Santana's four hits with a single and a double.

EL CAPITAN 12, EL CAJON VALLEY 2 BOXSCORE -- Sometimes down, but rarely out, the visiting Vaqueros of El Capitan beat up on the El Cajon Valley Braves for the second time in three days in Saturday's (Apr. 22) Grossmont North League encounter. The two-game sweep that came by a 37-5 scoring margin leaves the Vaqueros (12-9, 2-2 GNL) just one game behind league-leading West Hills.

The point man in the Vaqueros' two-game assault on El Cajon Valley (1-16, 0-2) was senior JOSH ROYER, who was 7-for-8 with four doubles, a home run, five runs scored and nine RBI.

"Royer, El Cap's DH was having a picnic with our pitching," El Cajon Valley coach WAYNE WEIGHTMAN said. "He was 3-for-4 today, with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored."

El Capitan spoiled the suspense on Saturday by scoring 9 runs in the 1st inning. It's scary to think that at that point the Vaqueros had scored 34 runs in eight innings against the Braves. RYAN INVERSO laced a two-run single to cap the opening frame gusher.

El Cajon Valley contributed five errors which fanned the flames that added to its demise. Seven of El Capitan's runs were unearned.

Even in defeat the Braves' senior sensation CLIFTON THOMAS is more than a mere footnote. Thomas was 3-for-4 with two runs and four stolen bases. Those numbers hoisted his East County-leading totals to a .529 batting average and 36 steals.

"Thomas had three infield hits and he's an absolute terror on the bases." El Capitan coach STEVE VICKERY said. "I think he might be the fastest baseball player I have ever seen at the high school level. It's incredible how fast he is."

In the 5th with one out, Thomas hit an infield single to short, stole second base and stole third. RAY AQUININGOC singled to right to bring the speedster home.

In the 7th Thomas hit another infield single, and again stole second and third. Aquiningoc tapped a come-backer to the pitcher, who glanced at third then threw to first. By the time the out was recorded at first, Thomas raced home for the Braves' second run.

For the record, none of Thomas' stolen bases came off El Capitan starting catcher AUSTIN RAUCH.

Christian's Austin Murray (2) beats the throw to first base on a scratch (infield) single against Madison. (Christian High courtesy photo)

East County Sports.com
CLAIREMONT MESA (4-22-06) The Central League showdown Christian High longed for on Friday (Apr. 21) did not produce the kind of result the Patriots sought. Instead, preseason favorite and host Madison marched to a 10-4 Central League victory.

The Warhawks (10-7, 4-0 CTL) took a 3-0 lead in the 1st inning and never looked back. BOXSCORE

"We had our chances, but wound up chasing most of the game," Christian coach MIKE MITCHELL said. "We did little things that helped them and hurt us. Our execution was poor in crucial situations."

Those "little things" included a pitcher's failure to cover first base which extended a Madison inning. In that same inning, the same pitcher served an 0-2 pitch right down the middle of Broadway, and Madison cashed it in for three runs.

"You can't get away with stuff like that against a good team," Mitchell said.

The Patriots' Eddie Young is pictured at the moment of contact vs. Madison. (Christian High photo)

In Christian's eyes the primary Madison villain was second baseman Will Cotton, who blistered the Patriots (7-8, 3-1 CNL) with a three-run home run in the 4th inning and a two-run double in the 6th.

It appeared that Christian would make a game of it after the Warhawks claimed the early advantage in the opening inning. CHAD O'DONNELL singled and advanced to third on JIMMY DOSSETT's double in the 2nd inning. MATT HART laced a two-run double to left-center, cutting the Warhawks edge to one.

"We were right in the game at that point," Mitchell said. "But then we make two major mistakes in the 4th inning and then it becomes a huge uphill climb."

Christian's EDDIE YOUNG drove in a run with a base hit in the 5th inning and doubled in another marker in the 7th.

The Patriots' ADAM PERRY extended his East County-leading hitting streak to 12 games with a single in his three at-bats.

Dallas Martin (2) receives high-fives all-around following his first-inning home run to give Santana a 3-0 lead over neighborhood rival West Hills. (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

East County Sports.com
SANTEE (4-21-06) -- It was an out of the ordinary way to end a game, especially one between heated rivals. Yet, both sides are probably talking about how Santana sneaked past West Hills 5-4 in Thursday's (Apr. 20) crosstown Grossmont North League showdown. BOXSCORE

DALLAS MARTIN, who gave the Sultans a 1st inning lead with a 3-run homer, made the final pitch to send West Hills packing. It was a controversial pitch.

With the Sultans clinging to a one run lead, two outs, the tying run on second base and two strikes on the West Hills batter, the batter asked for -- but was not granted -- time out, and stepped out of the box. Martin threw a fastball down the middle and the umpire rang up strike three as the batter watched in vain. Game over.

Santana coach JERRY HENSON said that the umpire ruled that the pitcher had already committed to the pitch.

"Dallas was already in the stretch and had started his delivery towards home," Henson noted.

West Hills coach SCOTT "HOPPY" HOPGOOD didn't see it that way.

"It's unfortunate that the game had to end that way," Hopgood said. "But it's not right for an umpire not to give my hitter time out in that situation -- in a game of this magnitude. It's unbelievable."

Shocking results are nothing new to West Hills (8-9, 2-1 GNL). The Wolf Pack has suffered four 1-run losses and two more by a 2-run spread. None of West Hills losses have come by more than four runs.

"My guys are battlers," Hopgood said. "They know what's on the line, bragging rights and a chance to be sitting on the top of the league at 3-0. But that didn't work out. We know it's gonna be a dogfight all the way."

Let the jury decide

West Hills' Michael Hall slides into third base while Santana's John Basnight waits on the throw. Oh, did we mention Hall was called out on the play? Ouch! (Photo by Greg Eichelberger)

Bottom line is No. 5 ranked Santana (16-4, 2-1 GNL) has muscled its way into a tie with West Hills for the league lead.

The focal point of the Sultans' latest conquest was Martin. Not only did he pitch his fifth complete game with a 7-hitter that improved his record to 5-2, his clutch homer put the Wolf Pack on its heels.

"You have to give Dallas his due," Hopgood said. "But I still think we should have won the game."

Trailing 3-0, West Hills staged a two-out rally in the 4th inning. SHAIN STONER tripled to right field and scored on KOREY HOOPER's single to left. Hooper swiped second base and came home on ERIC McKNIGHT's single.

Santana freshman shortstop RYAN STUTZ -- batting in the 9 slot -- led off the 5th inning with a triple and scored on a sacrifice fly by JONATHAN TIPPIN. Then in the 7th inning he did it again, leading off with a single and scoring on a JOHN BASNIGHT double.

In the bottom of the 7th, West Hills parlayed two walks and JOE MELLO's double into a pair of runs that sliced Santana's one-time three run advantage to a single marker. But Martin was able to close the door.

GRANITE HILLS 10, HELIX 3 BOXSCORE -- Batting beast TRAVIS TAIJERON feasted on Helix pitching for 3 hits and 3 RBI as the Eagles won Thursday's (Apr. 20) Grossmont South League game with ease over the host Highlanders.

Taijeron's seventh home run of the campaign gave Granite Hills a 2-0 lead in the opening inning. And pitcher GARRETT RUSSELL carried that momentum to the finish line. While Taijeron stretched his hitting streak to six games in a row, Russell needed only 82 pitches to log his first complete game and his fourth win without a loss.

"This is my best outing of the year, by far," said the 5-foot-9, 156-pound senior southpaw. "I've been pressing a lot this season, but today I was a lot more relaxed.

Russell needed only 28 pitches to set the Highlanders down over the first three innings.

A nifty defensive play by Eagles second baseman LOUIS CAZARES helped Russell continue his shutout through the 4th. But an Eagles error, a hit batter, a single by DERRIC MILLER and the first of two sacrifice flies by RANDY PEREZ snapped a scoreless string of 18 innings for the Highlanders.

MATT COBB belted a leadoff homer in the 6th inning, but Russell responded by retiring the next three batters.

"I tried to get ahead quick with my fastball because that's something I haven't been able to do," Russell said. "A lot of their hitters are free swingers, so I tried to keep the ball away from them."

Russell repeatedly tantalized the Helix hitters with a fastball just off the outside of the plate. More than half of the Highlanders took the bait.

"I thought that was the best outing that he's pitched for Granite Hills," said Eagles coach JAMES DAVIS. "We had some defensive lapses behind him but I wanted him to finish the game, and he was able to do that."

Granite Hills' BRIAN HUMPHRIES, Taijeron and AUSTIN COLEMAN were a combined 9-for-11 with 7 runs and 6 RBI.

Helix (9-9, 2-2 GSL) was never in contention.

"We're so streaky and we don't have any kind of stopper on the mound," said Helix coach COLE HOLLAND. "It's tough because we're not going to be the kind of club that scores eight or nine runs a game. Once the game gets out of hand like this one did, we just don't have the firepower to come back."

STEELE CANYON 11, MONTE VISTA 6 BOXSCORE -- When DANNY HARRIS has a big day at the plate, the Steele Canyon Cougars usually come out on top.

That was the case in Thursday's (Apr. 20) Grossmont South League game against the visiting Monarchs.

Harris capped a five-RBI outing with a three-run home run in the 2nd inning that gave the Cougars (7-10, 2-2 GNL) a cozy 6-1 edge.

"Harris is hitting everything on the screws right now," Steele Canyon coach PHIL MITTRY said. "He did another good job of situational hitting. In his first two at-bats he was down in the count 0-2 and made some adjustments and hit the ball where it was pitched. He's on fire right now."

RBI singles by WILL MURRAY and GARRETT JENNER extended Steele Canyon's lead to 9-2 in the 4th inning.

Monte Vista (5-11, 0-4 GSL) battled back by loading the bases on singles by DAN DeANDA and JOSH KELLY and a walk to ANTHONY MARCON. A walk to IVAN PITTI forced in a run. CORY COOPER plated a second run with a scoring fly ball and DAVID PALACIOS singled in a third.

An RBI double by CODY MINICH and a sacrifice fly by Harris hoisted the Cougars' spread to five runs in the 5th.

ANDREW BRUDER and ALEX CEBALLOS split Steele Canyon's pitching chores.

"What I was most happy with was Bruder coming back," Mittry said. "He's been hurt all year. He looked good, pitched really well, had good location. That's what we coaches were most pleased with today."

EL CAPITAN 25, EL CAJON VALLEY 4 BOXSCORE -- After losing six of their previous seven games, the Vaqueros (10-8, 1-2 GNL) erupted for one of the largest offensive outbursts in El Capitan baseball history Thursday (Apr. 20) in Lakeside.

The Vaqueros riddled four El Cajon Valley pitchers for 19 hits -- 10 of them doubles. JOSH ROYER led El Capitan's extra-base hit parade with three two-baggers, which was part of a 4-for-4 effort and 7 RBI.

Royer's first double scored CRISTIAN GARCIA in the 2nd inning. Royer drilled two-run doubles in the 3rd and 4th innings.,

"Royer had the game of his life today," El Capitan coach STEVE VICKERY noted. "I'm so proud of him. He had six outstanding at-bats -- four or five with runners in scoring position. He had the game that we knew he was capable of. It was an opportunity for him to put it all together today."

SHANE SULLENGER scored five runs and RYAN INVERSO and TANNER RUST chipped in three RBI apiece.

A 9-run 1st inning pretty much put victory on ice for the Vaqueros, who have reached the San Diego CIF championship game the past three seasons.

"I was happy that our kids kept their focus the whole game," Vickery said. "Offensively and defensively we woke up for the first time all season. We had quality at-bats."

On the El Cajon Valley front, CLIFTON THOMAS, who was moved to the No. 3 position in the Braves' batting order, went 2-for-3 with an RBI. No steals, though.

VALHALLA 5, MOUNT MIGUEL 0 BOXSCORE -- It was a good clean, tactical victory for the visiting Norsemen who rode the five-hit complete game pitching of RYAN O'SULLIVAN to Thursday's (Apr. 20) Grossmont South League victory.

The junior right-hander scattered five hits, walked one and struck out 9 as he rolled his personal record to 3-2. That effort lowered O'Sullivan's season ERA to 0.88.

The victory was the 7th in the last eight starts for Valhalla (12-6, 4-0 GSL), which is tied with Granite Hills for the league lead.

Valhalla broke into the scoring column with two runs in the 2nd inning. JEFF SOPATA started things with a walk and stole second base. GAVIN McCARTHY, who came into the game with only one hit in eight at-bats, came through with a single to score Sopata.

McCarthy swiftly stole second base and scored on a DAVID FRANK double.

A lead off home run by DAVID SMITH inflated Valhalla's advantage to 3-0 in the 4th.

Valhalla manufactured two more runs against Mount Miguel starter CHRIS FREEMAN in the 6th. Once again Sopata was the catalyst as he walked and stole second. A bunt single by McCarthy put runners at the corners.

Mount Miguel coach BYRON GRIGSBY ordered an intentional walk to David Frank that loaded the bases. The strategy backfired when DEVIN AZEVEDO was hit by a pitch to force in a run. JASON KUTZLER followed with a sacrifice fly to make it 5-0,

It was a tough loss for the Matadors (4-12, 0-4 GSL), who received a rare complete game pitching effort from Freeman. His batterymate, JEREMIAH WHITE, accounted for two of Mount Miguel's five hits.

Christian High's Shane Stanovic came within a disputed call of throwing a no-hitter at Hoover. (CHS courtesy photo)

East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (4-20-06) -- SHANE STANOVIC's career has centered on his hitting. His batting average has hovered around the .500 level the past two seasons and stands at .512 following Christian High's 4-1 Central League victory over visiting Hoover on Wednesday (Apr. 19).

Stanovic contributed two singles to Christian's 11-hit attack. But his major focus was on his pitching, which turned out to be a gem. The senior left-hander went the full seven innings and finished with a disputed 1-hitter that included 10 strikeouts. BOXSCORE

In the 6th inning, Hoover's leadoff man Erik Jones walked and stole second base. Salvador Torres then hit a line drive shot to right field where the Patriots' DANNY MITCHELL appeared to have made a diving catch in an effort to preserve the no-hitter.

"The only one who didn't think he caught it was the ump," said Christian coach MIKE MITCHELL. "It was a great diving catch -- even the other kids know he caught it. The ump said Danny trapped the ball. I think the ump didn't believe the ball was catchable. We should have had a double play."

Instead, Torres had a hit and the Cardinals (4-12, 0-3 CTL) had their only run.

"I absolutely caught it," Danny Mitchell insisted. "I'm 100 percent sure I caught it. I rolled my glove so the ball wouldn't fall out."

The record, of course, will deny Mitchell of his great catch and Stanovic of a no-hitter.

The bottom line: Christian (7-7, 3-0 CTL) is tied with Madison for the league lead heading into a Friday (Apr. 21) showdown on the Warhawks' diamond.

Against Hoover, the Patriots took a 3-0 lead in the 1st inning. ADAM PERRY and EDDIE YOUNG knocked one-out singles. The duo then pulled off a double steal. The Hoover catcher made a wild throw in an attempt to catch Perry going to third. Perry scored.

GRANT MILLS singled in a second run and COLIN McDONALD plated a third tally with a base hit to right field.

The Patriots final run came across in the 5th inning. Young ripped a ground rule double to right, advanced to third base on a wild pitch and scored on Mills' single to right.

East County Sports.com
LAKESIDE (4-19-06) -- Nobody in East County has a better 1-2 pitching punch than West Hills. Yet, the Wolf Pack has managed to do no better than an even split in its first 16 games. BOXSCORE

That .500 trend may be about to change says West Hills coach SCOTT "HOPPY" HOPGOOD.

The Pack took over the lead in the Grossmont North League on Tuesday (Apr. 18) after STEPHEN STRASBURG handcuffed host El Capitan with a two-hitter in a 4-0 West Hills victory.

"If he's ever pitched a better game than this I'd hate to have been on the other end," El Capitan coach STEVE VICKERY said. "He was effectively wild and his ball just exploded."

Both of the Vaqueros' hits were of the infield variety. MILES REAGAN beat out a high chopper to third base leading off the 2nd inning and BRYSON LUKACIK took advantage of a high hop to leg out a base hit with two outs in the 6th.

Strasburg, a 6-foot-5, 225-pound right-hander headed for SDSU, struck out eight and walked three as he posted his 4th win of the season.

"I don't know what was on the (scouts' radar) guns, but I felt strong and that my velocity was good," Strasburg said. "The big thing is I was able to throw my curveball for a first pitch strike. Being able to do that consistently allowed me more freedom to spot my fastball."

The pinnacle of Strasburg's performance was striking out San Diego County's top home run hitter -- AUSTIN RAUCH -- in all three of his at-bats.

"That set the tone," Hopgood said. "It was as good as I've seen Strasburg pitch. He had movement and velocity on his pitches. And he kept it up for seven innings."

Hopgood was told by scouts that Strasburg was in the 91-92 mph range most of the afternoon.

"What happened here today is Strasburg put this team on his back and carried them," Hopgood said after the Wolf Pack beat the Vaqueros for the second time this season.

El Capitan (9-8, 0-2 GNL) had only two baserunners over the final five innings, as the Vaqueros suffered their sixth loss in seven games.

"I don't think we hit a ball hard all day," Vickery said.

Hopgood was even more vehement.

"They didn't hit a single ball out of the infield," he said.

West Hills (8-8, 2-0 GNL) broke a scoreless tie in the 4th inning. ERIC McKNIGHT doubled, advanced to third on a TRAVIS IRVIN single and scored on a base hit by sophomore RYNE BARKLEY.

In the 5th, JOE MELLO singled, stole second and scored on SHAIN STONER's double. KOREY HOOPER cashed in Stoner with a single. A bases-loaded walk to JOSH PICHETTE plated the Pack's final tally.

Only three Vaqueros advanced as far as second base.

"We're just not putting enough offensive pressure on our opponents," Vickery said. "We're not hitting very well right now, but I don't think we're out of it. I think a 9-3 record wins the league championship. It could be that 8-4 ties for the championship."

Monte Vista's Danny DeAnda with the home run trot following his 3-run blast, but Steele Canyon still claimed the9-3 victory.. (Photo by Chris Edwards)

STEELE CANYON 9, MONTE VISTA 3 BOXSCORE -- An eight-run 1st inning helped the visiting Cougars snap a six-game losing streak Tuesday (Apr. 18), vaulting themselves back into the Grossmont South League race.

"We know it's time to get down to playing, so we suited up and jumped on them quick," said Steele Canyon coach PHIL MITTRY, whose ballclub now stands 1-2 against league foes and 6-10 overall. "We did a lot of work yesterday on situational hitting and it came into play today. We know that our backs are against the wall."

Senior DANNY HARRIS was the catalyst for Steele Canyon. He pitched four shutout innings to earn the win and drove in three runs with a double, sacrifice fly and a groundout.

The early eight-run outburst included five Steele Canyon hits, three walks, two hit batters, three stolen bases, a sacrifice fly, a wild pitch and an error. No single blow damaged the Monte Vista starter GOLDIE SIMMONS, who was driven off the mound after getting only one out.

A Monte Vista throwing error gave the Cougars their first run. Harris' double plated a second marker and he capped the inning with a scoring flyball. Before that, MIKE LANGE's RBI single made it 3-0. JOE INZONE, who has missed most of the season due to an injured wrist, also chipped in a run-scoring single in the big inning. Inzone's return was short term, however.

"Joe hurt his wrist again and we don't know how long he'll be out now," Mittry said of the senior outfielder, who will attend the University of Pacific on a baseball scholarship next season.

Despite his woes on the mound, Simmons was a defensive stalwart at third base.

"He made some great plays at third today," Mittry commented.

A baserunner from Steele Canyon slides into second base with the steal, as Monte Vista shortstop David Palacios (6) can do nothing but avoid the runner. (Photo by Chris Edwards)

Monte Vista (5-10, 0-3 GSL) avoided the shutout in the 6th inning when DAN DeANDA followed a walk to DAVID PALACIOS and a Simmons single with his second home run of the season.

GRANITE HILLS 10, HELIX 0 BOXSCORE -- Junior TRAVIS TAIJERON has become the Granite Hills version of King Kong over the last five games. The Eagles' catcher is batting at a .684 clip with 5 of his 13 hits going for extra bases. That includes 4 home runs and 16 RBI over that stretch.

In his latest outing Taijeron capped a 3-run 3rd inning with a two-run homer -- his sixth of the season. He added an RBI-double in the Eagles 7-run 4th inning that turned the game into a blowout.

All that offensive ruckus was pleasing to Granite Hills junior right-hander ERIC KRAUSE, who blanked the Highlanders on 4 hits while striking out 7 during his five-inning stint. DARREN GAY pitched two perfect innings of relief to complete a victory that keeps the Eagles (10-6, 3-0 GSL) tied with Valhalla for the Grossmont South League lead.

"We hit the ball today and Krause was able to hold them off. We played pretty well, both offensively and defensively," Granite Hills coach JAMES DAVIS said.

Winners of six of their last seven starts, the Eagles benefited from a 12-hit attack led by JOSH MILLER's 3-for-3 effort. LOUIS CAZARES pitched in with a 2-run double, and AUSTIN COLEMAN chipped in with a 2-run single in the Eagles major 4th inning rally.

"Miller had a good day," said Davis. "And Coleman -- on an 0-2 count -- got a clutch basehit in the 4th inning. And the same with Cazares."

For Helix it was the third loss in four starts after the Highlanders had pieced together a four-game winning streak.

"We didn't pitch, didn't hit and didn't play defense," said Helix coach COLE HOLLAND. "We didn't play with any intensity."

SANTANA 2, GROSSMONT 1 BOXSCORE -- The Sultans were looking to avenge an earlier Grossmont North League defeat to archrival Grossmont in Tuesday's (Apr. 18) encounter at Joe Gizoni Field.

The 5th-ranked Sultans (15-4, 1-1 GNL) were successful as JOHN BASNIGHT singled to score RICHARD MARTINEZ in the 6th inning to break a 1-1 tie.

But Basnight's contributions were much more than just that one clutch hit. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound senior right-hander needed 115 pitches to complete a 4-hitter for his third win without a loss. Basnight struck out seven and overcame five walks and one hit batter.

Santana coach JERRY HENSON said, "Basnight had a good win and also the game winning RBI. I don't know which he was prouder of."

The Sultans scored their first run in the 3rd inning when JONATHAN TIPPIN slashed a 2-out triple and scored on Martinez' infield single. Grossmont (12-7, 1-1), which had won eight of its last nine, tied it 1-1 on an AUGIE WILLIAMS RBI-single in the 4th inning.

Even after Santana had edged ahead of the Hillers, Grossmont did not go down without a fight. NICK SOBEL singled up the middle to start the 7th inning and Williams, who was behind in the count, was hit by a pitch with a curveball.

Nevertheless, Basnight did not buckle.

"Basnight still looked good and still had command, so I left him in," Henson said.

With runners at first and second, Grossmont's JOSH SIMMS attempted a sacrifice bunt.

"Basnight came off the mound and fielded the ball and threw it to DALLAS MARTIN at third for the forceout for the first out," said Henson. "Then he got (BRYAN) HAAR to fly out to shallow center for the second out."

It took Basnight only four pitches to get a game-winning strikeout.

VALHALLA 11, MOUNT MIGUEL 6 BOXSCORE -- Even though the Norsemen (11-6, 3-0 GSL) maintained their share of the Grossmont South League lead by defeating the visiting Matadors (4-11, 0-3 GSL) on Tuesday (Apr. 18) in easy fashion, Valhalla coach STEVE PERDUE wasn't pleased by his team's effort.

"We didn't play with any intensity," Perdue said.

Yet, the Norsemen won for the sixth time in seven games.

JEFF SOPATA keyed the Valhalla attack with a pair of hits and three RBI. His big blow was a two-run double in the Norsemen's five-run 3rd inning.

RYAN O'SULLIVAN and DAVID SMITH drove in two runs apiece for Valhalla.

BOBBY WILKINS pitched five solid innings to earn his fourth win in five decisions.

Although they continue to struggle, the Matadors have to be recognized as the fastest team in East County. Case in point was DAVID WYNN's ability to score from second base on a muffed infield grounder in the 3rd inning.

Christian starter Todd Jones (left) tossed a 1-hit shutout through six innings of work, then John Ferreira tossed a perfect 7th to blank Kearny, 10-0. (Photos by Tori Mills)

East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (4-18-06) -- Despite a sub-par preseason, Christian High's Patriots have to believe they have a shot at winning the Central League championship.

Coach MIKE MITCHELL's club took step one on Monday (Apr. 18) as they smothered visiting Kearny 10-0.

Not many teams have a better leadoff hitter than Christian's SHANE STANOVIC, who was 2-for-2 to raise his season average to .513. He scored the Patriots first run by stealing home in the first of his two steals as Christian scored 4 runs in the 1st inning.

"We had Stanovic on base all five times as our leadoff hitter, which makes it easy," Mitchell said.

Four wild pitches by Kearny (4-12, 1-2) helped matters for the Patriots (6-7, 0-1), who received a key pinch-hit single by MASON MILLS that scored two and capped a second four-run inning in the 5th for an 8-0 lead.

That was more than enough offensive support for TODD JONES (2-2), who allowed only one hit while striking out 8 during a six-inning outing. JOHN FERREIRA pitched a hitless 7th to complete the job.

Ten Patriots contributed to a 15-hit attack that included multiple-hitting efforts by Stanovic, EDDIE YOUNG, CHAD O'DONNELL, JIMMY DOSSETT and AUSTIN MURRAY.

”We played well as a team," Mitchell said. "O'Donnell had 2 hits, and his one out in the 3rd inning was a smokin' line shot right at their centerfielder -- if he gets that one up a little it'll be gone. It's nice to see the guys in the bottom of our lineup get hits also."

Christian scrambled to edge the Komets 7-6 in a Patriots Invitational game on Mar. 9. The difference in the rematch is this one had more value.

Christian High catcher Matt Hart applies the tag to nail a baserunner from The Bishop's School at the plate in Wednesday's Lions ballgame. (Photos by Tori Mills)

East County Sports.com
CARMEL VALLEY (4-14-06) -- The Premier Division championship to the 56th annual Lions Tournament may have fallen through, yet the Grossmont Foothillers seem to have reversed course from their early-season form, slowly transforming into the possible favorites to capture the Grossmont North League while competing ballclubs have slipped into recent funks.

Although Valencia rallied with runs on a wild pitch and a passed ball over the last two innings to claim a 3-2 victory, the Hillers still seemed confident after riding an 8-game winning streak to gain a berth into the tournament final.

"We're hitting the ball well, while the pitching is holding the other guys to 2-or-3 runs per game," noted first baseman NICK LONGMIRE. "It's a really good ballclub right now, with really good chemistry."

Longmire clouted his team-leading sixth home run of the season, going the other way to clear the right-centerfield fence at the Cathedral Catholic High School ballpark to lead off the 2nd.

However, three Vikings pitchers combined to allow just two additional hits, as Caleb DeVille gained his second victory on the day in relief. Earlier, Deville needed just one pitch to escape a jam, as Valencia (13-3) also scored in the 7th to defeat Cathedral by an identical 3-2 score.

Against Grossmont, Virgil Hill scored the winning run for Valencia following his lead infield single. Hill stole second base, took third on a flyball, then scored on a passed ball. The Vikings' run in the 6th came on a wild pitch.

MATT SILVA allowed one run on five hits over 4 1/3 innings in his second start of the season for Grossmont. BRYAN HAAR pitched the final two frames, and was a hard-luck loser for the first time in four decisions. Even more biting was the decisive second of the two runs he allowed was unearned.

Nevertheless, the enthusiasm generated with the Foothillers' recent success could carry over to league play. Grossmont is now sitting on one of the better records in East County at 12-6.

"This was a big tournament for us," said Grossmont coach ROB PHILLIPS. "We were 4-5 at one point (in the season) and were at the bottom of the pit. But everyone on this team has worked hard to get to where we're at right now."

GROSSMONT 6, VALHALLA 1 BOXSCORE -- Third time was the charm for the Foothillers, who finally beat the Norsemen after two losses in Thursday (Apr. 13) morning's semifinal at Joe Gizoni Field.

This three-game series has been a quick-strike affair. The first team to generate an early big inning wins.

Grossmont scored four runs in the opening frame of the latest get-together.

In the last meeting (Mar. 28), Valhalla did all of its scoring in the 1st inning of a 6-2 victory. Eighteen days earlier the Norsemen won by the identical 6-2 score, scoring five runs in the first two innings.

On this occasion, it was Grossmont that turned on the heat with four runs in the 1st inning. BRYAN HAAR hammered a two-run double to key the Foothillers' early morning coming-out party,

The Foothillers extended their advantage two more notches in the 3rd as DEREK BAUM delivered an RBI single and NICK SOBEL slugged a run-scoring double to make it 6-0.

JUSTIN MASON left his familiar shortstop post to pitch 5 1/3 innings to earn his first win. Prior to this length outing, Mason had pitched a mere 2 1/3 innings.

MISSION HILLS 7, HELIX 0 -- Perhaps the Highlanders were simply out of gas once they reached Thursday's (Apr. 13) Lions Tournament 4A championship game at Hilltop High.

Or maybe they were surprised to be staring at Mission Hills' fresh-faced rookie pitcher Tyler Brown, a freshman who's not on anybody's scouting report or on the Grizzlies roster for that matter.

Brown made his first varsity start (appearance) a Kodak moment as he blanked the Highlanders (9-7) on three hits.

Two of those hits went to MAHI LABASTIDA, the other to ZACH TANIDIA.

"I wasn't too disappointed," said Helix coach COLE HOLLAND. "We played seven games in seven days. It gets a little rough. We actually swung the bats well. We hit seven line drives right at people. We really couldn't catch a break."

The Highlanders have won five of their lasts seven and must be taken seriously in the Grossmont South League race. At the moment, Helix is in a three-way tie with Granite Hills and Valhalla for the league lead with 13 games remaining.

"The (tournament) magic kinda ran out at the end," Holland said. "I was very, very pleased with the way we played. We pitched, we threw -- no walks in 7 innings (in the finals). Everything they hit fell; everything we hit was right at someone."

HELIX 13, CARLSBAD 1 -- In Thursday morning's semifinals, base hits were falling everywhere, especially in the 4th inning when the Highlanders scored 11 runs with 2 outs.

"You don't see that happen very often," said Helix coach COLE HOLLAND. "I'm very happy with the way we swung the bats. I'm happy the way we played in the whole tournament."

MAHI LABASTIDA crashed a grand slam in the big inning.

RANDY PEREZ added two hits and three RBI to the Helix account, while DERRIC MILLER was 3-for-3.

Relief pitcher SALONZO GRIER blanked the Lancers on one hit over the final four innings to post his third win without a loss.

GRANITE HILLS 9, EL CAPITAN 8 BOXSCORE -- Talk about hard to swallow . . . El Capitan stormed out to a 7-0 lead in the 2nd inning, but host Granite Hills refused to fold in Thursday's (Apr. 13) Lions Tournament consolation contest.

"It was a good game, an exciting game," said Granite Hills coach JAMES DAVIS.

Spoken like a true winner.

Davis' Eagles (9-6) kept chipping away until they scored the winning run when TRAVIS TAIJERON doubled home LOUIS CAZARES with two outs in the bottom of the 7th.

Taijeron was 4-for-5 with his fifth home run and three RBI against the struggling Vaqueros (9-7),

"Over the last four days, Taijeron hit the ball and did a really fine job of catching all week long," Davis said. "I have high praise for him. He took on more of a leadership role this week, which I was happy to see."

The numbers Taijeron has produced back the praise of his coach. In his four tournament tilts, Taijeron is batting at a .688 clip (11 for 16) with three home runs and 13 RBI.

Not far behind is CODY CRAWFORD, who batted .636 with 7 hits in 11 at-bats, including two homers and six RBI in the tournament.

On the flip side, El Capitan's AUSTIN RAUCH was 3-for-4, including his East County leading 9th home run of the year in the 3rd inning.

The trump card for the Eagles was JOSH QUERIONES' 5 2/3 innings of two-hit relief.

FOLSOM 6, SANTANA 3 -- Fourteen wins in 18 starts and certain placement among the top 10 teams in the San Diego CIF is satisfactory to Santana coach JERRY HENSON at the moment.

His Sultans were playing catch-up from the 2nd inning on against Sacramento Folsom, which nudged in front with a pair of runs in the 2nd and 3rd innings.

Reliable CHRIS DIAZ launched his second home run to chop Folsom's advantage in half in the 4th inning.

But the Sultans, who also scored on NICHOLAS SICA's first varsity home run in the 5th, must now focus their attention on the Grossmont North League race.

"This was a good tournament but we were just completely fried, completely tired," said Henson. "The kids are ready for some time off. After the Aztec-Foothiller Tournament championship was moved due to rain and the Grossmont League opener was also moved due to rain, we played six games in seven days."

Keep your eye on the ball

Helix High leftfielder Derek Ancrum makes a sliding dive to collect this fly ball in Grossmont Tournament action. (Photo by Chris Edwards) FOR MORE PHOTOS, CLICK LINK IN CLASSIFIEDS

CIF-San Diego Section Playoffs
Sat., June 3 -- Championships
At SDSU Tony Gwynn Stadium

DIVISION I
Poway (23-12) 6, Fallbrook (27-6-1) 2
DIVISION II
No. 1 Grossmont (26-8) 3, No. 3 Montgomery (22-9) 2 (8 inn.)
DIVISION III
Valhalla (26-10) 4, Cathedral (19-13) 1
DIVISION IV
No. 2 Coronado (20-14) 4, No. 1 Santa Fe Christian (28-2) 2

DIVISION III
Cathedral (19-12) 4, St. Augustine (22-11) 3
Valhalla (25-10) 4, No. 2 Mission Bay (27-6) 2

DIVISION II
No. 1 Grossmont (25-8) 12, No. 4 Hilltop (22-10) 1
No. 3 Montgomery (22-8) 5, No. 2 Westview (26-9) 3

DIVISION III
St. Augustine (22-10) 16, Cathedral (18-12) 4
Valhalla (24-10) 4, No. 2 Mission Bay (27-5) 1

DIVISION IV
No. 1 Santa Fe Christian (28-1) 12, No. 4 Francis Parker (18-13) 1
No. 2 Coronado (19-14) 2, No. 3 Christian (17-13) 0

DIVISION III
Cathedral (18-11) 7, St. Augustine (20-10) 0
No. 1 University City (24-6) 7, No. 4 El Capitan (18-13) 5
No. 2 Mission Bay (27-4) 4, Valhalla (22-10) 3
No. 3 Ramona (23-7) 6, Brawley (18-9) 4

DIVISION IV
No. 1 Santa Fe Christian (27-1) 3, No. 4 Francis Parker (17-12) 2
Marian Catholic (10-23) 14, La Jolla Country Day (16-12-1) 5
No. 2 Coronado (18-14) 7, No. 3 Christian (16-12) 3
The Bishop's (16-10) 3, Horizon (16-16) 2

DIVISION II
No. 1 Grossmont (23-8) 18, West Hills (14-14) 13
No. 4 Hilltop (21-8) 9, Point Loma (12-16) 2
No. 3 Montgomery (20-8) 3, Mission Hills (20-11) 0
No. 2 Westview (24-8) 10, Scripps Ranch (15-14) 0

DIVISION III
Cathedral (17-11) 7, No. 1 University City (23-6) 1
St. Augustine (20-9) 6, No. 4 El Capitan (18-12) 4
Valhalla (22-9) 5, No. 3 Ramona (22-7) 3
No. 2 Mission Bay (26-4) 9, Brawley (18-8) 0

DIVISION IV
No. 1 Santa Fe Christian (26-1) 11, La Jolla Country Day (16-11-1) 4
No. 4 Francis Parker (17-11) 7, Marian Catholic (9-23) 1
No. 3 Christian (16-11) 7, Bishop's (18-8-1) 2
No. 2 Coronado (17-14) 6, Horizon (11-16) 4

DIVISION II
Mission Hills (20-10) 6, Helix (12-18) 4
Scripps Ranch (15-13) 10, Oceanside (17-13) 1
West Hills (14-13) 9, San Pasqual (16-14) 5
Point Loma (12-15) 6, Castle Park (19-11) 2
Byes:
No. 1 Grossmont (22-8)
No. 2 Westview (23-8)
No. 3 Montgomery (19-8)
No. 4 Hilltop (20-8)

DIVISION III
Cathedral (16-11) 12, Madison (18-9) 8
St. Augustine (19-9) 5, Steele Canyon (13-16) 0
Valhalla (21-9) 6, Valley Center (17-14) 1
Brawley (18-7) 7, Santana (22-10) 2
Byes:
No. 1 University City (23-5)
No. 2 Ramona (22-6)
No. 3 Mission Bay (25-4)
No. 4 El Capitan (18-11)

DIVISION IV
Santa Fe Christian (25-1) 18, No. 1 Escondido Charter (14-11) 0
LJCD (16-10) 13, Calvary Christian (17-4) 0
Marian Catholic (9-21) 7, Palo Verde (6-14) 2
No. 4Francis Parker (16-11) 6, Tri-City Christian (12-11) 3
No. 3 Christian (15-11) 13, Lutheran (14-4) 2
The Bishop's (15-9) 7, Imperial (12-8-1) 0
Horizon (11-13) 3, Mountain Empire (17-8) 2
No. 2 Coronado (16-14) 11, 4 Army-Navy Academy (5-12) 1

Thurs., May 18
Grossmont North League
Santana 17, El Cajon Valley 0
Grossmont 15, West Hills 0
Grossmont South League
Granite Hills 12, Mount Miguel 2
Valhalla 5, Monte Vista 4
Steele Canyon 10, Helix 7
END REGULAR SEASON

Wed., May 17
Central League
Madison 13, Christian 4
Crawford 14, Hoover 6
Non-League
Coronado 4, Kearny 0

Tue., May 16
Grossmont North League
West Hills 13, El Cajon Valley 3
Grossmont 7, El Capitan 0
Grossmont South League
Granite Hills 9, Valhalla 0
Steele Canyon 16, Mount Miguel 6
Monte Vista 8, Helix 3

Mon., May 15
Central League
Christian 3, Madison 2
Hoover 9, Crawford 6

Sat., May 13
Grossmont North League
Grossmont 8, El Cajon Valley 1
Santana 3, El Capitan 2
Grossmont South League
Granite Hills 7, Steele Canyon 3
Monte Vista 9, Mt. Miguel 5 (8 inn.)
Helix 7, Valhalla 3
Non-League
Mission Bay 12, Christian 1

Fri., May 12
Central League
Christian 12, Hoover 2
Kearny 14, Crawford 1
Non-League
Grossmont 2, Montgomery 1

Thurs., May 11
Grossmont North League
El Capitan 11, El Cajon Valley 3
West Hills 6, Santana 5
Grossmont South League
Granite Hills 8, Helix 3
Valhalla 9, Mount Miguel 3
Steele Canyon 8, Monte Vista 1

Wed., May 10
Central League
Christian 6, Hoover 5
Kearny 10, Crawford 2

Tue., May 9
Grossmont North League
El Capitan 3, West Hills 0
Grossmont 7, Santana 2
Grossmont South League
Valhalla 10, Steele Canyon 5
Granite Hills 10, Monte Vista 1
Helix 11, Mount Miguel 8

Sat., May 6
Grossmont North League
Grossmont 4, West Hills 3
Santana 18, El Cajon Valley 0
Non-League
El Capitan 12-7, Eastlake 2-4

Fri., May 5
Central League
Christian 7, Kearny 2
Madison 6, Hoover 3

Thurs., May 4
Grossmont North League
Santana 17, El Cajon Valley 0
Grossmont 4, West Hills 1
Grossmont South League
Helix 8, Steele Canyon 1
Granite Hills 10, Mount Miguel 1
Valhalla 4, Monte Vista 3

Wed., May 3
Central League
Christian 10, Kearny 3
Madison 15, Hoover 1

Tue., May 2
Grossmont North League
El Capitan 9, Grossmont 0
West Hills 21, El Cajon Valley 3
Grossmont South League
Granite Hills 14, Mount Miguel 1
Valhalla 11, Monte Vista 3
Steele Canyon 6, Helix 5

Mon., May 1
Central League
Crawford 2, Christian 1 (8 inn.)
Madison 3, Kearny 0

Sat., Apr. 29
Grossmont North League
Grossmont 2, El Capitan 1
West Hills 5, El Cajon Valley 3
Grossmont South League
Granite Hills 5, Valhalla 0
Monte Vista 5, Helix 4 (8 inn.)
Steele Canyon 22, Mount Miguel 7
Non-League
Santana 8-5, San Dieguito Academy 5-3

Fri., Apr. 28
Central League
Christian 18, Crawford 2
Madison 6, Kearny 3

Thurs., Apr. 27
Grossmont North League
El Capitan 7, Santana 6
Grossmont 15, El Cajon Valley 2
Grossmont South League
Valhalla 8, Granite Hills 4
Monte Vista 6, Helix 2
Steele Canyon 6, Mount Miguel 4

Wed., Apr.26
Non-League
Christian 22, High Tech High 4
Central League
Madison 11, Crawford 6
Kearny 14, Hoover 5

Tue., Apr. 25
Grossmont North League
Grossmont 11, El Cajon Valley 2
El Capitan 3, Santana 2 (9 inn.)
Grossmont South League
Valhalla 10, Helix 4
Monte Vista 6, Mount Miguel 5
Granite Hills 3, Steele Canyon 2 (9 inn.)

Mon., Apr. 24
Central League
Madison 6, Crawford 4
Kearny 8, Hoover 1

Sat., Apr. 22
Grossmont North League
El Capitan 12, El Cajon Valley 2
West Hills 5, Santana 0
Grossmont South League
Granite Hills 9, Steele Canyon 4
Monte Vista 15, Mount Miguel 12 (10 inn.)
Valhalla 5, Helix 0

Fri., Apr. 21
Central League
Madison 10, Christian 4
Hoover 6, Crawford 3

Thurs., Apr. 20
Grossmont North League
Santana 5, West Hills 4
El Capitan 25, El Cajon Valley 4
Grossmont South League
Granite Hills 10, Helix 3
Steele Canyon 11, Monte Vista 6
Valhalla 5, Mount Miguel 0

Wed., Apr. 19
Central League
Christian 4, Hoover 1
Kearny 10, Crawford 5
Non-League
University City 4, Madison 3

Tue., Apr. 18
Grossmont North League
Santana 2, Grossmont 1
West Hills 4, El Capitan 0
Grossmont South League
Granite Hills 10, Helix 0
Steele Canyon 9, Monte Vista 3
Valhalla 11, Mount Miguel 6

Mon., Apr. 17
Central League
Christian 10, Kearny 0
Madison 6, Hoover 2

Wed., Apr. 12
56th Annual Lions Tournament
Granite Hills 10, Rancho Bernardo 2
Valhalla 7, La Costa Canyon 4
Santana 10, Bakersfield-Liberty 5
Grossmont 2, Mission Bay 0
El Capitan 7, Cathedral Catholic 2
Roseville-Woodcreek 14, Steele Canyon 3
Monte Vista 4, St. Paul 1
Francis Parker 5, West Hills 3
Otay Ranch 4, Helix 3
The Bishop's 7, Christian 3
El Cajon Valley 5, Brawley 3
Mount Miguel 13, Holtville 3

Tue., Apr. 11
56th Annual Lions Tournament
Mount Miguel 9, Hoover 7
Grossmont 12, L.V.-Spring Valley 9
Helix 8, Escondido 7 (9 inn.).
Valhalla 14, Foothill 3
Castle Park 6, West Hills 3
Coronado 5, Steele Canyon 2
Hilltop 6, Monte Vista 2
Point Loma 7, Christian 5
St. Augustine 6, Santana 2
Saugus 10, El Capitan 8
Thousand Oaks 8, Granite Hills 6
Valley Center 13, El Cajon Valley 4

Mon., Apr. 10
56th Annual Lions Tournament
Granite Hills 15, Vacaville 5 (6 inn.)
Valhalla 2, Eastlake 1
Grossmont 14, Fresno-Edison 4 (5 inn.)
Sacramento-Folsom 3, El Capitan 2
Santana 3, Valencia 2
Westview 8, Steele Canyon 7
Mission Hills 13, Monte Vista 2
West Hills 3, Carlsbad 2
Helix 6, Mira Mesa 5 (8 inn.)
Christian 4, Santa Cruz-Harbor 0
San Ysidro 10, El Cajon Valley 5
Bear Valley 4, Mount Miguel 0

Sat., Apr. 8
Grossmont South League
Helix 5-4, Mount Miguel 1-3
Aztec-Foothiller Classic
Championship: Santana 12, Eastlake 10
Non-League
Grossmont 17-9, San Ysidro 2-3
Castle Park 1, West Hills 0

Fri., Apr. 7
Grossmont South League
Valhalla 10-12, Steele Canyon 6-7
Grossmont North League
Grossmont 5, Santana 1
Central League
Christian 19, Crawford 3

Thurs., Apr. 6
Grossmont North League
West Hills 5, El Capitan 4 (8 inn.)
Grossmont at Santana, ppd. (Apr. 7, 3 p.m.)
Grossmont South League
Granite Hills 2-9, Monte Vista 1-5
Steele Canyon at Valhalla, DH, ppd. (Apr. 7, 2 p.m.)
Mount Miguel at Helix, DH, ppd. (Aor. 8, 11 a.m)
Central League
Kearny 11, Hoover 4

Wed., Apr. 5
Non-League
Christian at Mission Bay, ppd., rain (May 13, 1 p.m., moved to Christian)

Tue., Apr.4
Non-League
Bonita Vista 7, El Capitan 4

Mon., Apr.3
Non-League
Hilltop 5, Santana 0

Sat., Apr. 1
Grossmont Conference Tournament
Championship: Santana 6, Valhalla 5
Aztec-Foothiller Classic
Championship: Eastlake at Santana, ppd. (site, date change to Apr. 8)
Christian Tournament
Santa Fe Christian at Christian, ccd.

Fri., Mar. 31
City Conference Tournament
Christian 9, Morse 1

Thurs., Mar. 30
Grossmont Conference Tournament
Monte Vista 3, West Hills 2
Santana 6, Granite Hills 0
El Capitan 5, Helix 0
Grossmont 11, Steele Canyon 2
Mount Miguel 8, El Cajon Valley 1

Wed., Mar. 29
City Conference Tournament
Morse at Christian, ppd., rain (Mar. 31)

Tue., Mar. 28
Grossmont Conference Tournament
Valhalla 6, Grossmont 2
West Hills 4, Granite Hills 1
Santana 17, Helix 0
El Capitan 19, Mount Miguel 2
Steele Canyon 10, El Cajon Valley 2

Mon., Mar. 27
City Conference Tournament
Serra 5, Christian 4

Sat., Mar. 25
Grossmont Conference Tournament
Steele Canyon 6, El Capitan 5
Helix 6, West Hills 4
Grossmont 7, Monte Vista 2
Valhalla 14, El Cajon Valley 0
Santana 14, Mount Miguel 1

Fri., Mar. 24
Grossmont Conference Tournament
Steele Canyon 9, West Hills 7
Helix 6, Grossmont 4
Santana 2, Valhalla 0
El Capitan 4, Monte Vista 3

Thurs., Mar. 23
Grossmont Conference Tournament
Santana 6, Steele Canyon 2
Granite Hills 11, Grossmont 3
West Hills 8, Mount Miguel 4
El Capitan 4, Valhalla 2
Monte Vista 3, El Cajon Valley 0

Wed., Mar. 22
City Conference Tournament
Madison 10, Christian 8
Grossmont Conference Tournament
Granite Hills 9, El Cajon Valley 6

Tue., Mar. 21
Grossmont Conference Tournament
Steele Canyon at West Hills, ppd., rain
Helix at Grossmont, ppd., rain
Valhalla at Santana, ppd., rain
Granite Hills at El Cajon Valley, ppd., rain
Monte Vista at El Capitan, ppd., rain

Mon., Mar. 20
City Tournament
Mission Bay 15, Christian 0

Sat., Mar. 18
Hilltop-Lolita's Tournament
El Capitan 6, St. Augustine 5 (8 inn.)
Hilltop 12, Granite Hills 0
Championship: ppd. (TBA)
Aztec-Foothiller Classic
Championship: Santana vs. Eastlake, at Grossmont, ppd., rain
Christian Tournament
Santa Fe Chr. at Christian, ppd., rain

Fri., Mar. 17
Aztec-Foothiller Classic
Eastlake 15, Steele Canyon 7
West Hills 11, Chula Vista 8

Thurs., Mar. 16
Hilltop-Lolita's Tournament
El Capitan 7, Cathedral Catholic 4
Escondido 5, Granite Hills 4
Aztec-Foothiller Classic
Bonita Vista 9, El Cajon Valley 1

Wed., Mar. 15
Aztec-Foothiller Classic
Castle Park 8, Monte Vista 3
Ramona 14, El Cajon Valley 4
Santana 10, Bonita Vista 4
Montgomery 1, Helix 0
West Hills 3, Marian Catholic 0
Eastlake 4, Valhalla 3
Steele Canyon 6, Grossmont 3

Tue., Mar. 14
Hilltop-Lolita's Tournament
Fallbrook 11, El Capitan 2
Granite Hills 5, Mission Bay 1
Christian Tournament
Imperial 7, Christian 5
Aztec-Foothiller Classic
Santana 7, Monte Vista 6
Valhalla 10, Chula Vista 1
Ramona 6, Helix 5
Vista 14, Steele Canyon 2

Mon., Mar. 13
Aztec-Foothiller Classic
Grossmont 8, Marian Catholic 3
Eastlake 3, West Hills 2
Monte Vista at Santana, ppd., wet grounds (Mar. 14)

Sat., Mar. 11
Hilltop-Lolita's Tournament
St. Augustine vs. El Capitan, at Hilltop, ppd., rain
Granite Hills at Hilltop, ppd., rain
Aztec-Foothiller Classic
Monte Vista at Santana, ppd., rain
West Hills at Eastlake, ppd., rain
Chula Vista vs. Valhalla, at Eastlake, ppd., rain
El Cajon Valley vs. Bonita Vista, at Castle Park, ppd., rain
Marian Catholic vs. Grossmont, at Santana, ppd., rain
Steele Canyon at Vista, ppd., rain (Mar. 14, 3 p.m.)
Ramona vs. Helix, at Vista, ppd., rain (TBA)
Christian Tournament
Santa Fe Chr. at Christian, ppd., rain (TBA)
Sweetwater-Bully's East Tourney
Championship, at Sweetwater, ppd., rain (Mar 13)

Fri., Mar. 10
Sweetwater-Bully's East Tourney
Patrick Henry 11, Mount Miguel 2
Aztec-Foothiller Classic
Santana 12, Helix 7
Monte Vista 13, El Cajon Valley 7
Valhalla 6, Grossmont 2
Eastlake at Steele Canyon, ppd., rain (Mar. 17)
Chula Vista at West Hills, ppd., rain (Mar. 17)

Thurs., Mar. 9
Christian Tournament
Christian 7, Kearny 6
Hilltop-Lolita's Tournament
El Capitan 8, Rancho Bernardo 6
Granite Hills 13, Poway 9

Wed., Mar. 8
Sweetwater-Bully's East Tourney
Mount Miguel 10, The Bishop's 6
Aztec-Foothiller Classic
Montgomery 16, El Cajon Valley 2
Ramona 5, Monte Vista 4
Santana 14, Castle Park 2
Helix 2, Bonita Vista 0
Grossmont 18, Eastlake 6
Valhalla 3, Marian Catholic 2
Vista 5, West Hills 1
Chula Vista 8, Steele Canyon 5

Tue., Mar. 7
Christian Tournament
Valley Center 3, Christian 2
Hilltop-Lolita's Tournament
El Capitan 13, San Marcos 0
Rancho Buena Vista 6, Granite Hills 5

Mon., Mar. 6
Sweetwater-Bully's East Tourney
San Dieguito Academy 8, Mount Miguel 7

Sat., Mar. 4
Aztec/Foothiller Classic
West Hills 2, Valhalla 1 (9 inn.)
Monte Vista 5, Bonita Vista 3
Grossmont 2, Chula Vista 1 (9 inn.)
Santana 4, Montgomery 0
Helix 7, El Cajon Valley 5
Steele Canyon 7, Marian Catholic 4
Sweetwater-Bully's East Tourney
La Jolla 5, Mount Miguel 0
Christian Tournament
Christian 11, Mountain Empire 1

Fri., Mar. 3
Sweetwater-Bully's East Tourney
Sweetwater 12, Mount Miguel 6

Thurs., Mar. 2
Non-League
Chula Vista 11, El Cajon Valley 4

Wed., Mar. 1
Non-League
Otay Ranch 12, El Cajon Valley 4