Grossmont, Steele Canyon, explode to secure outright league crowns

Hillers slam the hammer on El Cap

© East County Sports.com
LAKESIDE (5-16-08) -- Simple as it sounds, it was kind of like the difference was between right and wrong.

When it came to crunch time, the visiting Grossmont Foothillers did everything right and the El Capitan Vaqueros seemed to do every thing wrong.

That was the tone in Thursday’s (May 15) Grossmont North League championship game between the No. 2 ranked Foothillers and the No. 5 ranked Vaqueros.

Grossmont (24-6, 10-2 GNL) parlayed a leadoff double by JOSH SIMMS and three infield groundouts into a 1-0 lead in the opening frame.

El Capitan (21-8-1, 8-3-1 GNL) countered with a leadoff walk and stolen base by TANNER RUST to place the potential tying run at second base with nobody out. Rust made it to third but that’s all.

The Foothillers scored five runs in the 2nd inning and never looked back, cruising to a surprisingly easy 14-1 blowout to claim its third straight GNL pennant.

“If you would have said before the game that we would score 14 runs on these guys, I would have said they’d score 12 on us,” said Grossmont coach ROB PHILLIPS. “Actually, I thought it was going to be a slugfest. But what it came down to is we were able to execute bunts, steal bases and get the hits in key situations.”

On the other side of the coin, El Capitan coach STEVE VICKERY pointed out that his Vaqueros were 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position. Six Vaqueros errors helped the Hillers score eight unearned runs.

“It’s too bad we played like we did because this might have been the biggest crowd we’ve ever had here,” Vickery said. “Grossmont made it clear right from the start that they came here to crush us. My kids, well, I think they might have been suffering from stage fright.”

Even more aggravating to El Capitan was the Foothillers dealt the Vaqueros their only loss in 12 home games.

“It probably wasn’t a really good time to look bad,” Vickery said. “It’s so disappointing because we had everything lined up the way we wanted it going into the game. The bottom line is Grossmont was way better than us in this game.”

The Vaqueros provided the flint to spark Grossmont’s pivotal 5-run 2nd inning.

BRYAN HAAR led off with a double and CASH McCLELLAN followed with a walk. ROBERT REYES attempted to advance the runners with a sacrifice bunt. His effort was sound but the Vaqueros committed a throwing error, allowing Haar to score and Reyes to reach base.

One out later BRENNAN GEARY executed a suicide squeeze, giving Grossmont a 3-0 advantage.

From there the Foothillers just kept peppering away at El Capitan starter, KEVIN MORTON.

Simms singled up the middle to make it 4-0. KYLE SECCIANI hammered a long drive off the bank in center-field to plate two more runs.

The beneficiary of Grossmont’s offensive eruption was junior southpaw LEVI STEVENS.

“I was throwing well but the defense was making all the plays,” said Stevens, who rationed the Vaqueros to two hits and one unearned run while striking out eight during a six inning stint.

The Vaqueros seemed to be unusually cautious at the plate, as Stevens walked five. Perhaps it was more that they were mystified by his sharp-breaking curveball.

“I think they thought I was going to throw a lot of balls,” added Stevens, who improved his record to 7-3. “And I recognized that and just threw the ball by ‘em.”

Grossmont knocked out 13 hits, including three by seldom-used senior BRENNAN GEARY. He and center-fielder Secciani drove in three runs apiece for the Foothillers, who are all but guaranteed the No. 1 seed in next week’s San Diego CIF Division II playoffs.

Despite losing for only the second time in 12 games, the Vaqueros also believe they should receive the top-seeded position in Division III of the playoffs.

VALHALLA 7, GRANITE HILLS 4 – RYAN O’SULLIVAN isn’t afraid to say it.

“I consider myself a big game pitcher, I thrive on situations like this.”

The Valhalla senior right-hander was referring to Thursday’s (May 15) regular season finale against archrival Granite Hills. Both teams needed a victory to have any chance of capturing a Grossmont South League co-championship should Steele Canyon falter in its finale at Mount Miguel.

Projected as a primary pro prospect in next month’s free agent draft, O’Sullivan was throwing beebees. Scouts on the scene said O’Sullivan topped out at 94 mph, reaching that velocity at least three times.

“I have to say this was one of the better games I’ve pitched this season,” O’Sullivan said. “Not just because I had good velo. I had a decent curveball and my changeup was effective since I’ve changed my grip about a week ago.”

As well as O’Sullivan pitched during his 6-inning stint, he left the mound trailing 2-1. The Eagles were in control behind the pitching of junior TRAVIS HOPPER at that point.

Knowing that he was through with pitching for the day, O’Sullivan found another means to knock out the Eagles. He turned to the longball – for the second time in the game.

In the opening frame with two outs O’Sullivan hit a gargantuan shot over the 25-foot “Green Monster” beyond the centerfield fence, giving the Norsemen a 1-0 lead.

In the decisive 7th inning O’Sullivan keyed a 6-run outburst with his East County-leading 13th homer – a grand slam to right-center field.

After getting tipped in the foot by a foul ball, Valhalla High catcher John Aguirre-Ruiz dances a bit of a gig to try to shake off the pain. (Photo by Mark Gonzales)

“The one I hit in the 1st inning is probably the farthest ball that I’ve ever hit in high school. It was still on the way up when it left the ballpark.”

In the 7th inning Valhalla (21-9, 11-4 GSL) set the stage for their home run king. With one out PETER THOMAS singled and TYLER KEATON ran for him. Pinch-hitter BRYCE MOSIER followed with a base hit. TREVOR FRANK kept the hit parade going against Hopper as he singled in Keaton to tie the game at 2-2.

AUSTEN SUHAY drew a walk to load the bases against reliever CHRISTIAN LEWIS. MATT GONZALES coaxed a second walk off Lewis to score Mosier with the go-ahead run. That brought up O’Sullivan.

Lewis jumped ahead in the count on the first pitch.

“I swung out of my mind, came out of my shoes trying to hit it a thousand miles,” O’Sullivan admitted.

Nice try but no contact. Two pitches later, O’Sullivan connected to break the game open.

“This guy had a little more giddy-up on his fastball than Hopper, but again it came down to getting a good swing on it,” he said.

Not only did O’Sullivan get rewarded with his 8th win in 10 decisions, he raised his batting average to .417 and RBI count to 34.

“Ryan had a great day at the plate today,” said Valhalla coach MIKE WILSON. “I'm happy that he was able to conclude his senior year regular season with this type of a game."

Granite Hills’ late-season offensive slide continued as the five hitters in the bottom half of the batting order were collectively 1-for-14. Nevertheless, the Eagles made a game of it.

Singles by BRIAN HUMPHRIES, DYLAN GARCIA and KENNY BELZER tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the 1st.

The Eagles forged in front on a double by Garcia and an error by the Norsemen in the 3rd inning.

Even after Valhalla’s 6-run burst in the top of the 7th, Granite Hills staged a rally against Valhalla reliever JAKE BOEKAMP. Humphries and JARED RAPOZA collected back-to-back one-out knocks. Humphries scored on a double by Belzer. Another Valhalla error handed the Eagles (21-8, 10-5 GSL) a second run, but the rally stalled there.

"The guys kept battling today and didn't give up,” said Wilson. “It was a good game to be a part of. I'm very proud of the guys for not giving in when it seemed that Hopper had our number today. They kept taking their hacks and were able to make some adjustments late in the game."

WEST HILLS 7, EL CAJON VALLEY 0 – No doubt playoff hopeful West Hills was treading lightly when the Wolf Pack closed the Grossmont North League season Thursday (May 15) at El Cajon Valley.

After all, the Wolf Pack – burned earlier in the year by four forfeit losses due to a paperwork snafu – was headlined when El Cajon Valley won its first league game in 11 years on May 3. The Braves snapped a state-record 129-game league losing streak at West Hills’ expense.

It is unlikely that the Pack was disturbed by helping El Cajon Valley make history. West Hills, which took a 4-0 lead in the 3rd inning in the finale, is more focused on landing a berth in the San Diego CIF Division II playoffs. Whether the post-season gates open for West Hills will be determined on Saturday (May 17).

“It was a good way to end the regular season, now we have to wait and see what our fate is in the playoffs,” said Wolf Pack coach CHRIS BAUM.

ROBBY ROBLES and RYAN HALL combined to spin a 6-hit shutout against the Braves, who were blanked for only the third time in 29 games. Robles worked six frames and was rewarded with his 8th win.

RYNE BARKLEY, who – along with teammate DAVID BRISTOL – has accepted a scholarship to Cal State San Marcos, clubbed a 3-run homer to give the Wolf Pack a 4-0 lead in the 3rd inning. It was Barkley’s first varsity homer.

Barkley picked up a fourth RBI in the 7th inning when he drew a bases-loaded walk.

UCSD-bound ERIC McKNIGHT followed with a 2-run single.

“It was a great day for the seniors – we had them all in at the end of the game,” said Baum. “It’s been a rollercoaster season for our guys but I’m proud of them.”

El Cajon Valley , under the leadership of first-year coach MIKE RUPP, finished 9-20. The Braves, as Rupp is proud to point out, ended their nightmarish league losing streak and won the Division A championship of the Lions Tournament.

The light-hitting Highlanders ripped off 14 hits as they produced their second-highest scoring total at the Monarchs’ expense. Only once – in a 10-4 win over Beaumont , Colo. – has Helix (9-18, 4-11 GSL) scores more.

BRONSON RUNIONS enjoyed a career day to spearhead the Helix onslaught. The Scotties leadoff man went 4-for-4 with a double and two RBI. He also scored twice.

Runions provided the spark when he opened the game with a double and then rode home on JEFF ROSENTHAL’s two-base hit. One out later, CHASE GLENN singled in Rosenthal.

Helix made it 4-0 when Runions singled with the bases loaded in the 4th.

BENNY GUERRERO added three hits to the Highlanders’ offensive stock and ANTHONY DIAZ doubled in a pair in the 6th inning.

Pitchers MIKE ANDRADE and MIKE LOPEZ held the Monarchs to five hits and did not allow an earned run. Andrade toiled the first six frames to notch his 5th win in 10 decisions.

Monte Vista (9-19, 4-11 GSL) avoided the shutout on SPENCER REED’s RBI single in the 6th.

© East County Sports.com
CORONADO (5-15-08) -- To some, it was simply a non-league game to give both pitching staffs some work in preparation for the upcoming playoffs. For others, Wednesday's (May 14) ballgame was a possible preview of the SDCIF Division IV championship game.

If it was the latter, give the advantage to the Christian Patriots.

The Patriots utilized mammoth home runs by seniors EDDIE YOUNG and ADAM NASH to derail the division's top-ranked Coronado Islanders, 8-6, at Dedeaux Field on the Silver Strand.

Christian coach MIKE MITCHELL entered the contest believing the disparity between the ballclubs was minimal, despite Coronado being ranked as high as No. 9 in the section by some.

"Even with this win, Coronado still is No. 1 in Division IV," noted the veteran Patriots coach. "But we're No. 2 right behind them."

The Islanders have topped the Div. IV charts all season, but with Christian playing in the difficult Eastern League, the Patriots progress has been more difficult to detect. However, they displayed their growth by calmly rallying from a 4-0 deficit with clutch hitting and strong efforts from the bullpen.

The biggest impact may have come from Nash, who gained his first start all season at catcher after MICHAEL GRUBER was lost indefinitely following a concussion suffered in the team's previous outing against Mira Mesa.

"Our buddy, Gruber, got a little messed up," Nash recalled. "He got drilled by a fastball, high and tight, and the ball went all the way out to shortstop."

Gruber was back in the Patriots' dugout following the beaning, but sat out for precautionary reasons. The Christian coaching staff noted that he's going to be fine and should be ready for postseason play, which makes the taunting he received from teammates even more amusing.

"It was pretty funny," added Nash. "Grub was down a few seconds -- I think he went to sleep for a few seconds."

What wasn't funny -- potentially -- was Nash being thrown behind the plate as the emergency replacement catcher.

"It's been a while," he noted. "I think I caught a winter league game, otherwise, it's been a while when I was a sophomore."

By successfully dealing with five different pitchers, Nash didn't lose much with his bat, thundering a game-tying, solo homer in the 4th inning, The blast cleared the 14-foot fence in left-center field, as the ball landed in the condominium complex to the right of the 438-foot marker -- the deepest point of the cozy, harborfront ballpark.

"I guess I had a good approach," said Nash, who will attend Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo. "The guy threw me a fastball and I took it to left-center."

Meanwhile, Young's sixth homer of the season went just as far, only into the wind and clearing the fence in right. His 2-run shot, coupled with a 2-run double, gave the UC Riverside bound shortstop 4 RBI for the contest.

"I'm seeing the ball well and hitting the ball well," said Young, who raised his season batting average to .451.

Young started a streak of six straight Patriots runs with his homer, with SHAUN DAY later adding a sacrifice fly to bring home BRYAN MITCHELL in the 3rd. Nash's homer tied the game in the 4th, then NIKO KANAKARIS came through with a clutch, two-out single to score Mitchell and Eichhorst for the lead in the 5th.

Coronado finally answered back on a sacrifice fly, but Young countered with a drive that landed fair by inches along the left-field line, scoring pinch-runner MICHAEL FERREIRA and BRADLEY JOHNSTON for an 8-5 lead in the 6th.

"Coronado's still going to get the 1-seed," conceded Young. "But we should get the 2-seed and I hope we see them at Tony Gwynn Stadium for the rematch."

Meanwhile, four Patriots relievers combined to allow just one earned run over the final 5 2/3 innings. JOHN GEE (6-4), the first pitcher out of the bullpen, gained the victory, while BRAD ROBERTSON collected his third save.

Robertson saw the first two batters reach after hitting the leadoff batter with a pitch, followed by a walk to place the tying runs aboard in the 7th. However, he escaped with an infield fly popup, a strikeout of top Coronado reliever Steve Conrad and finished the job by fielding a tapper back to mound.

Eichhorst overcame an unearned run in the 6th by picking off former Christian High student MASON MILLS without a throw. Mills, standing on first base following a single, took off for second base on first movement by Eichhorst, who simply stepped off the rubber, ran toward Mason and tagged him out to end an Islanders scoring threat.

Young and Kanakaris each batted 2-for-4, while the bottom third of the Patriots batting order scored half of the team's runs.

Coronado (21-8), the champions of the Western League, saw Jake McMahon collect two hits, while Blake Malkemas slugged a 2-run triple in the 2nd to double the team's early lead to 4-0.

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (5-14-08) — It’s boiled down to this, the final day of the season on Thursday (May 15) with neither of the Grossmont Conference leagues quite ready for the archives.

In the Grossmont South League, Steele Canyon has locked up at least a share of the circuit crown by virtue of Tuesday’s (May 13) 8-1 drilling of three-time defending champion Granite Hills in Rancho San Diego. The Cougars need to knock off upset-minded Mount Miguel at home to take the GSL title outright. A Mount Miguel victory would drop the Cougars into a co-championship with the winner of the Valhalla-at-Granite Hills finale on Thursday.

Meanwhile, in the Grossmont North, it will be winner-take-all when El Capitan hosts Grossmont on Thursday (May 15) in Lakeside. The Foothillers hold a half-game lead over the Vaqueros thanks to an 8-2 victory over El Cajon Valley. El Capitan was fortunate to escape a knockout blow from Santana on Tuesday in a game that ended in a 5-5 tie in the 11th inning due to darkness.

“We were fortunate that we did not lose that game,” El Capitan coach STEVE VICKERY said. “But even if we had, it still all comes down to the Grossmont game on Thursday.”

STEELE CANYON 8, GRANITE HILLS 1 – Picked for a third place finish, the No. 8 ranked Steele Canyon Cougars have gone beyond what the so-called experts thought them capable of doing.

Ten wins in their last 11 games, including four victories in six games against perennial contenders Granite Hills and Valhalla has placed the Cougars at the head of the class.

Granite Hills received a double dose of Bellatti Magic in Tuesday’s (May 13) Grossmont South League contest. While junior ANDREW BELLATTI was dominating the No. 2 ranked Eagles from the mound, his senior brother MARK BELLATTI blasted his 10th and 11th home runs to extend his East County-best hitting streak to 20 games.

Probably one of the toughest decisions ahead for rookie coach TODD SNYDER is which of his Cougars should be awarded the GSL Player of the Year honor.

No doubt that will be a tough call, one that Snyder plans to delay for as long as he can. Obviously, he’d like to make them co-players, but in this day and age such is not permitted by the SDCIF guidelines.

At the moment Snyder hopes to instill the importance of the regular season finale against Mount Miguel.

“The exciting part about where we are now is we want to win games to help ourselves, whereas in the past all we could do is provide upset games, like spoilers,” said Andrew Bellatti. “It’s unexplainable how big this win over Granite Hills was for us.”

Two costly Granite Hills errors helped Steele Canyon take a 4-0 first inning lead. DONNIE FRANK pitched in with an RBI double and JESSE JENNER produced the first of a pair of two-run singles in the game.

Giving Andrew Bellatti a four-run cushion is almost certain to lead to a defeat. That was the case on Tuesday as Bellatti maintained control throughout.

“This is a totally unique year for us,” he said. “We’ve never been ranked before and, as you know, we’ve never won a league title before. We’re going to celebrate this tonight and probably into tomorrow.”

Steele Canyon athletic directory GARY STATHAS made a pre-game offer to the team whereby a victory would lead him to buy them burritos for lunch on Wednesday. Nobody would confirm it but word has it that Stathas was seen at the local ATM early Wednesday morning.

“People have counted us out the past couple of years and now we’ve proved that we can hang, that we can play with these guys,” Mark Bellatti said. “I knew we had a good shot to win this thing going in, but beating these guys (Granite Hills)… we’ve always had a hard time beating them. Clinching this thing against them is sweet.”

The wounded Eagles avoided the shutout in the 6th inning when they generated three of their five hits.

JARED RAPOZA began a belated rally with a one-out single and scampered to second on a wild pitch. KENNY BELZER, who was 2-for-3 on the afternoon, scored Rapoza with a booming double to left center.

“We have to focus our attention on beating Valhalla ,” said Granite Hills coach JAMES DAVIS of Thursday’s looming showdown.

EL CAPITAN 5, SANTANA 5, tie (11 inn., darkness) – For the host Santana Sultans, it was the epitome of a season of frustration. The Sultans (18-11-1, 8-2-1 GNL) were 90 feet away from knocking off No. 5 ranked El Capitan in Tuesday’s (May 13) Grossmont North League encounter.

For the Vaqueros, it was a game of survival when darkness brought a halt to the proceedings in the 11th inning with Santana runners at the corners and nobody out.

With the game tied at 5-5, Santana was closing in on an upset when the Sultans’ CHAD HAMILTON slid into third base and caught a cleat on the bag, causing a severe injury to his ankle.

Santana skipper JERRY HENSON, standing in the third base coaching box said, “I heard it pop, and called 911 right away. By the time the medical personnel put Chad in the ambulance and took him to Grossmont Hospital (where he was to undergo surgery on Wednesday morning) it was dark so the umpires called the game.”

Nonetheless, Henson accepted the frustration as if he were immune.

Hamilton, who entered the game as a pinch hitter in the 11th, singled up the middle. KYLE ROMERO hit a swinging bunt out in front of the plate. Vaqueros catcher TANNER RUST made a barehanded grab on the ball and threw to first. The ball got away but was picked up by the second baseman KYLE MILLS who was backing up the play. On the throw to third in an attempt to get Hamilton who was making a belated slide, El Capitan third baseman KORBIN KRUGER tripped over the runner. Kruger made no tag and the Sultans were primed for the victory.

But with Hamilton in agony, the game seemed to lose its intensity.

“It shows you how, when someone on your team gets hurt, your focus swings from the game to the well-being of the young man,” Henson said. “Suddenly the game becomes not so important.”

Not known for its power-hitting, Santana took a 3-2 edge on back-to-back home runs by KYLE HAYES and MATT CHARLEBOIS in the 2nd inning.

El Capitan counter-punched in the 3rd inning when KEVIN MORTON (4-for-5) ripped a one-out double to left field. Santana walked MILES REAGAN intentionally but paid the price when senior designated hitter CANNON NIKZAD doubled both runners home, giving El Capitan a 4-3 edge.

The lead exchanged hands again in the 5th as Santana put together singles by CHRIS RABICHAUD, RYAN STUTZ and BRANDYN BELL to tie the game at 4-4.

El Capitan surrendered the lead when Hayes was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.

Determined to avoid the upset, El Capitan started a two-out rally when Rust walked on a 3-2 pitch. Morton lofted a flyball to right field that was lost in the sun, allowing Rust to come all the way around to score the tying run. Morton received a double and an RBI as Rust beat the relay to the plate.

“We both had ample opportunities to win this game,” said El Capitan coach STEVE VICKERY. “We didn’t have too many quality at-bats with runners in scoring position. Almost every inning somebody had runners in scoring position.”

The Vaqueros wasted 5 2/3 innings of shutout relief by MARCO MARISCAL.

“We got great pitching from Mariscal, I was very, very proud of the way he threw today. He gave us the opportunity to win a ballgame,” said Vickery.

Frank exhibited his usual pinpoint control, striking out seven and walking none.

The junior right-hander continues to boast the section’s top strikeouts-to-walks ratio with 71 whiffs to only 3 walks over 64 2/3 innings.

"Trevor pitched great today,” said Valhalla coach MIKE WILSON. “He attacked the hitters and finished this one off strong."

Frank received all the offensive support he needed when RYAN O’SULLIVAN slugged his 11th home run of the season in the 1st inning. O’Sullivan’s homer left him tied with Steele Canyon ’s MARK BELLATTI for the East County lead.

“Scoring runs hasn’t been one of our strengths, but I thought we hit pretty well today,” said O’Sullivan. “We did a good job of putting the ball in play.”

Making contact hasn’t been a problem for O’Sullivan, who carries a .407 batting average, including 29 RBI.

The No. 10 ranked Norsemen (20-9, 10-4 GSL) set the stage for O’Sullivan’s clutch home run when WILL COOMBS doubled and MATT GONZALES was hit by a pitch.

“I’d be kidding you if I didn’t say I was looking ahead to a bigger game to come,” said O’Sullivan, who will be the starting pitcher at Granite Hills on Thursday (May 15). “I like to think of myself as a competitor who loves the big games. I thrive on challenges and this last one will certainly be that.”

O’Sullivan played a key role as he followed a single by Matt Gonzales with a base hit in the 5th inning. DANNY HAWKSLEY followed suit with a third consecutive single to make it 4-0.

Helix (8-18, 3-11 GSL) finally got off the deck in the 6th inning.

MARCOS SALINAS and BRONSON RUNIONS banged back-to-back singles. Salinas sped to third on Runions’ hit and when the throw went to third, Runions went to second.

But Frank maintained his poise, serving up three straight groundball outs.

JEFF ROSENTHAL picked up an RBI with a groundout in the process as did ANTHONY DIAZ for the Highlanders.

BLAZE McENTEE was the hardluck loser for Helix, allowing only four earned runs while striking out six during a six-inning stint.

GROSSMONT 8, EL CAJON VALLEY 2 – With their attention obviously focused on Thursday’s (May 15) Grossmont North League season-ending showdown at El Capitan, the Foothillers found the going a bit tougher than they might have expected, considering they had clobbered El Cajon Valley 12-1 and 15-3 in previous meetings.

Fortunately for the Foothillers they had unsung right-hander AARON GRIFFIN at the controls. The 6-foot-5 Griffin held the Braves (9-19, 1-10 GNL) in check over seven innings. He gave up only four hits and no earned runs while catapulting his season record to 9-1.

No. 2 ranked Grossmont (23-6, 9-2 GNL) broke a scoreless tie in the 4th inning on a single by CHARLIE PIRO and BRYAN HAAR’s 8th home run of the season.

“It was tough to concentrate because we were more focused on the El Capitan game,” Haar admitted. “In games like this you try to find ways to prepare for bigger things ahead.”

The Braves were not concerned about Grossmont’s future. Denied a hit for 4 2/3 innings by Griffin , the Braves broke the spell when JOSE VARGAS doubled to left. A Grossmont error put runners at the corners. DAVID SANCHEZ then singled up the middle to pull El Cajon Valley to within 2-1.

The game turned into an error-fest for the next inning, leaving the Foothillers clinging to a 3-2 advantage entering the bottom of the 6th.

El Cajon Valley starter EFREN PADILLA struck out the first two Hillers in the 6th, keeping the Braves’ hopes for an upset alive.

LEVI STEVENS drew a walk and CASH McCLELLAN hit the jackpot when he homered over the right-field wall, giving Grossmont a 5-2 spread.

McClellan’s shot seemed to awaken the Hillers. Back-to-back doubles by BRENNAN GEARY and JOSH SIMMS made it 6-2.

KYLE SECCIANI and DEREK BAUM completed the 5-run 6th inning with RBI singles.

Only one team has been able to manhandle the 6-foot-6 Acosta in 12 appearances this season, and that would be Monte Vista. In a 16-5 Matadors Grossmont South League loss to the Monarchs on April 24, Acosta surrendered 13 runs in two innings.

Believing that Mount Miguel (11-16, 4-10 GSL) was facing a must-win situation on Tuesday (May 13), Matadors coach BYRON GRIGSBY gave Acosta a chance to avenge the earlier beating. And Acosta came through, allowing only two earned runs while striking out 10 in a complete game effort.

The roadblock between winning and losing for Acosta and the Matadors was Monte Vista senior ANTHONY MARCON. The senior right-hander, who had been a magnet for bad luck, pitched a 3-hit shutout to earn his second win in 10 decisions.

“Obviously this one felt great,” said Marcon, who was supported by an error-free Monte Vista defense. “I like to think that I’m a better pitcher than my record shows.”

Marcon pitched a 2-hitter and lost to Eastlake , and logged a complete game, giving up one unearned run in a loss to Mater Dei. He’s had other frustrating outings but wanted to focus on his latest effort.

“Actually, there wasn’t anything special about this one,” Marcon said. “I threw fastballs all day and only two curveballs. They couldn’t keep up with my two-seamer and four-seamer. I tried to keep the ball away from them and when they did hit it, my defense was behind me to make the play.”

Ironically, Acosta accounted for two of the Matadors’ three hits.

“I don’t know what it was about him, but we were able to beat him twice,” Marcon said of Acosta. “It’s kinda like our whole season. We always seem to play up against a top pitcher.”

The Monarchs (9-18, 4-10) took the lead without benefit of a hit in the 3rd inning thanks to two Mount Miguel errors and TRISTON BRAYMAN’s sacrifice bunt.

In the 5th inning Mount Miguel ’s defense betrayed Acosta again, as MICHAEL HODGES reached base on an error. Bunt singles by ADAM TIMANUS and Brayman loaded the bases. The Matadors forced Hodges at the plate on ERIC GENTRY’s ground ball for the first out. The Matadors then muffed a double play attempt, allowing Timanus to score.

CODY MORRIS capped the inning with an RBI single.

ERIC LaBOUBE put the exclamation point on the victory with a booming home run over the 410 sign in centerfield in the 6th inning.

“I’ve hit a lot of home runs before but this was my first one this year – I’m really psyched,” said LaBoube. “It felt good hitting it off Ruddy (Acosta). He’s a really good pitcher – he struck me out twice and made me look stupid so I was glad to hit it off him. I knew it was gone when I hit it – it was probably the farthest ball I’ve ever hit. I hit it up high in the air, Ruddy supplied all the power.”

FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 27, CV-CALVARY CHRISTIAN ACADEMY 1 – For a short-handed team that mustered only two hits 24 hours earlier, the Knights went wild against Chula Vista Calvary Christian Academy in a non-league contest on Tuesday (May 13) to close the regular season.

Foothills Christian, which finished the rocky campaign 12-14, scored in all seven innings against the Royal Knights, pounding out 26 hits in the process.

JOE CANTER, IAN MURPHY and BRANDON JAROSIN produced four hits apiece in the lop-sided victory. Canter collected two doubles and four RBI, setting Foothills Christian records in both categories with 14 two-base hits and 32 runs driven in.

Murphy and Jarosin scored four runs each, as did TRAVIS GEORGE, who was 3-for-6 with two RBI. Jarosin and George also had a pair of doubles apiece.

LANDON MILLARD was 2-for-4 with three RBI, while RYAN SMITH was 2-for-4 with four runs scored and four RBI.

“It was a great end to a fun season,” said Knights coach JAMES McHUGH. “Our boys battled so many obstacles the past week and a half that we really needed to finish with a bang.”

Foothills’ literal hitting parade included two hits and three RBI from seldom-used NESTER PLASCENCIA.

“I think the greatest thing about this game and the last few really was Nester Plascencia,” McHugh said. “You have to understand that Nester is the type of guy that would come to practice, his hat would be backwards, crooked, something. We'd throw batting practice and he'd miss 48 of the 50 pitches you throw him. But Nester stuck with it. We had a lot of guys drop out along the way and he stayed even though he saw the bench more than anyone, and in the end he was able to get a good deal of playing time over these past few games.”

“MATT DELMORE is our other senior that we will say good bye to. Matty ended his career today having played more games (56) than anyone in a FCHS uniform.”

Delmore leaves with four school records, including hit by pitch (16).

McHugh believes Foothills Christian deserves a shot in the SDCIF Division IV playoffs.

“It's going to be hard for us to make a case with our league record (2-10) but we do have more wins than many D-4 schools,” he said. “I just wonder if some of the bigger schools will get in at 4-18 or so, maybe they will give us a chance., Who knows, but if not we're pleased with how we finished and that is important.”

© East County Sports.com
SAN DIEGO (5-13-08) — Foothills Christian was fortunate to field enough players to meet Monday’s (May 12) obligation of a non-league game at Maranatha Christian.

It should be noted that this was an unplanned “new look” for the Knights. Four starters were missing from the lineup for a variety of reasons and a fifth, JOE CANTER, was playing on a sore knee.

“Considering what we were able to put on the field today I was really pleased with our guys,” said Knights coach JAMES McHUGH.

Foothills Christian could well have forfeited this game due to lack of numbers. One player was lost to the team for grade matters, two others had to attend a mandatory SDCIF class, and a fourth was on a required field trip. That left Foothills Christian coach JAMES McHUGH with only eight able-bodied Knights.

“BRIAN DELMORE (freshman brother of senior MATT DELMORE) actually came out today to fill in as our 9th guy,” said McHugh.

Yet, this makeshift crew did not roll over. In fact, thanks to the complete game pitching of IAN MURPHY – normally the starting catcher – Foothills Christian kept the pressure on Maranatha Christian before succumbing 2-0.

“We had guys in some really odd spots today,” said McHugh.

Nonetheless, the Knights were competitive.

Murphy limited the Eagles to five hits and one earned run. The junior right-hander walked none and struck out nine.

“Ian Murphy was great on the mound for us today,” said McHugh. “He put the ball on the ground and that was what we needed. We had two guys in the outfield that have not seen a lot of playing time this year, and the younger Delmore in center and he hasn't played since he was 12 so we needed to keep the ball out of the air. The grass at Maranatha plays really slow so if you can get ground balls you can go a long way with that, and that is what Ian did today.”

“LANDON MILLARD started at first base today, a bit out of the ordinary for our normal right fielder. But without our starting left fielder, center fielder, third baseman and second baseman, and with our starting catcher on the mound and our starting first baseman behind the plate, guys had to play all over.”

The Knights got a hit on a leadoff single by BRANDON JAROSIN in the bottom of the 1st inning. Ironically, the game would end on their second hit of the day, this one by NESTER PLASCENCIA.

“Brandon had a great game for us at short. He has been a real bright spot for us this season,” said McHugh. “As a freshman he has been a great leader and more than that he is a guy with great character.”

Trailing 2-0 in the bottom of the 7th inning, Foothills Christian (11-14) staged a mild rally. Murphy walked and Matt Delmore was beaned in the helmet. One out later, Millard walked to load the bases. STEPHEN TARDIFF then struck out in an 8-pitch at-bat.

Then Plascencia came to the plate.

“Throughout the whole inning I was in the 3rd base coach’s box and I was just thinking ‘hit him, please walk him, something, just anything, a break would be nice,’” McHugh recalled. “It didn't matter who was up I was really just praying for miracles that inning. I normally never hope for a walk, never by any means hope that my player gets hit, but after this week I would have taken anything.”

Plascencia hit the ball toward second and it boinked off the foot of Millard who was running from first, for the game-ending out.

“It was really the way things have gone for us lately,” McHugh said. “I told Nester and Landon not to feel bad. It was really just a slow roller to second if it had not hit him, but the way things are going that was almost a perfect ending to our game. I have to admit I've never been more pleased with a loss.”

© East County Sports.com
LAKESIDE (5-11-08) — The late Alfred Hitchcock, the master of motion picture mystery, would love this script – the final chapter in the Grossmont Conference pennant races. Talk about suspense . . . Doesn’t get much closer than the Grossmont South and Grossmont North league races. If you’re looking for a sure winner, pick another league. These circuits are bound to end up in co- or even tri-championships.

EL CAPITAN 7, EL CAJON VALLEY 0 – Senior pitcher MILES REAGAN returned to the mound after suffering a shoulder contusion during practice a month ago.

About a dozen professional baseball scouts were on hand for Reagan’s return to the mound in Saturday’s (May 10) GNL engagement against visiting El Cajon Valley. The 6-foot-2, 197-pound right-hander, who was plagued by wildness prior to his minor malady, turned in a sparkling performance against the Braves as the Vaqueros claimed a 7-0 GNL victory.

“I felt decent,” said Reagan, who blanked the Braves (9-18, 1-9 GNL) for his second win while striking out nine and walking none during a four-inning stint. “I threw a bullpen on Thursday (May 8) so I felt that I was ready to go.”

El Capitan coach STEVE VICKERY, who’s Vaqueros (21-7, 8-2 GNL) are now tied with Grossmont for the GNL lead, realized he was taking a risk by putting Reagan on the firing line when his club is scrambling for a championship. After all, Reagan had walked 18 batters in 13 1/3 innings prior to Saturday’s return.

“That was the best he’s looked all year,” Vickery said. “He was throwing free and easy with a lot of late movement.”

Reagan threw only 59 pitches to complete his 4-inning outing. He is regarded as a prime prospect in next month’s pro draft.

“The scouts said he was around 87-88 (mph) all day,” Vickery said. “His stock definitely went back up. He’s back on the radar after today.”

Reagan has been clocked on the radar gun as high as 94 mph in the past. But coming off an injury he obviously did not want to cut loose.

“The scouts already know I can throw hard, so I would think I wouldn’t have to prove that every time out,” Reagan said. “So today I stayed primarily with the fastball and just pounded the zone. I knew they couldn’t hit it.”

Reagan rated it his best outing of the year thus far.

While the scouts came to see Reagan pitch, the fact that he’s a .500 hitter on the season is hard to overlook. He hammered a solo home run to give the Vaqueros a 5-0 lead in the 3rd inning. It was his 4th home run 72 at-bats.

The Vaqueros provided Reagan with an early cushion, scoring four runs in the opening inning. TANNER RUST led off with a double to left and eventually scored on ANDY HALE’s sacrifice fly. MARCO MARISCAL drove in a second run with a 2-base blow, and KORBIN KRUGER clubbed a 2-1 pitch over the left-centerfield fence for his 5th home run of the season and a 4-0 El Capitan lead.

ANDREW RIGGINS blanked the Braves on one hit over the final three innings to earn his second save.

Boekamp responded with a career day. Entering the game with a 1-11 average, Boekamp blasted two doubles, a pair of singles, scored three runs, stole a base and drove in a pair to help the Norsemen win for only the second time in the last four games.

“I hit pretty well in the winter league, but then I just went into a big slump at the start of the regular season,” Boekamp said. “I’m so glad that they let me hit today. I finally got some balls to drop in.”

Considering that Boekamp got more hits in Saturday’s rout of Mount Miguel then he had in the previous 27 games was clearly rewarding.

“You know, I just haven’t been lucky,” he said. “It’s not like I haven’t worked hard. I’ve hit some balls hard that have been caught, but it seemed like I lost my batting eye when I came out of winter league and just couldn’t get anything going.”

Boekamp was center stage when Valhalla (19-9, 9-4 GSL) jumped on the Matadors for four 1st inning runs. When sophomore WILL COOMBS popped the cap in the 1st frame with a double, Boekamp brought him home with the first of his two doubles.

Two Mount Miguel errors, a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly by ANTHONY GONZALES gave Valhalla a 4-0 edge after one inning.

The Norsemen, who had scored as many as 12 runs only once in their past 25 starts, produced another four-inning scoring burst in the 3rd. Once again Boekamp was at the forefront with a lead single. RYAN O’SULLIVAN followed with an RBI double in that inning, as did JOSH AUSTEL. Anthony Gonzales chipped in with a run-scoring single, and TYLER KEATON added a scoring fly ball.

But Boekamp wasn’t through, as he doubled and scored on AUSTEN SUHAY’s sacrifice fly in the 4th inning. For good measure Boekamp slashed an RBI single in the 5th inning.

“I’m happy for Jake, to have a big game as a senior in our final regular season game on our field,” said Wilson.

For O’Sullivan, who is rated one of the top three local high school picks in the June draft, it was also a big day. He blanked the Matadors on one hit while striking out 11 over six innings.

“He wasn’t messing around out there,” said Wilson. “He went right after them. He had a good bite to his curve ball and his velocity topped out at 93 mph.”

Coombs, the Valhalla leadoff hitter, was 3-for-3.

Mount Miguel avoided the shutout by pushing across two runs in the 7th inning against Valhalla reliever BEN GROSS.

Singles by LUCAS GOLDEN and JAMES TREBUS, coupled with a walk to RUDDY ACOSTA, loaded the bases with nobody out. TONY ALVAREZ singled to score Golden. The Matadors picked up a second tally, which came on a double-play groundout and snuffed out the rally.

STEELE CANYON 9, MONTE VISTA 1 – Anybody expecting the Steele Canyon Cougars to crumble down the stretch better think again. Coach TODD SNYDER’s club is on a roll with nine wins in 10 starts and a 5-game winning streak.

Host Monte Vista (8-18, 3-10 GSL), fresh off toppling No. 2 ranked Granite Hills two days earlier, watched the Cougars take a 7-0 lead after three innings to foil any upset plans the Monarchs might have had.

“This is definitely a huge win for us,” Snyder said. “All too often in previous games, we’ve taken a lead then allowed teams to hang around. That didn’t happen today.”

Of late the Cougars (16-9, 10-3 GSL) have become the masters of infield hits. NOLAN MURRAY laid down a bunt single with one out in the 1st inning and then JORDAN HINDI beat out an infield single. Murray stole third and then Hindi stole second. After ANDREW BELLATTI walked to load the bases, Murray scored on a wild pitch. Hindi then coasted home on a sacrifice fly by DANNY MacINTYRE.

It was the perfect example of small ball, of which the Cougars have become so capable.

Steele Canyon doubled its advantage in the 2nd inning, using a little more muscle this time. JESSE JENNER doubled down the right field line and MARLON PORTER singled to put runners at the corners.

The Monarchs handed the Cougars a run with a wild pitch and MARK BELLATTI’s sacrifice fly capped the inning.

“The really good thing about this game is we put the pressure on and kept it on,” Snyder said. “And we didn’t let them get back into the game.”

No coach in the SDCIF knows more about close games than Snyder, who’s Cougars have been involved in 15 games decided by two runs or fewer.

Steele Canyon broke the game open in the 3rd on a run-scoring single by MacIntyre and a 2-run double by Porter.

An inning later Mark Bellatti blasted his 9th home run of the season to make it 8-0.

“They jumped on top of us so fast we were never in the game,” said Monte Vista coach BRANDON ROGERS.

ALEX CEBALLOS, STEVEN SLADEK and NATHAN O’TOOLE scattered seven hits while striking out six for Steele Canyon. Ceballos worked the first four innings to earn the win.

“Alex felt his control wasn’t there,” Snyder said. “But he stayed out there and battled.”

He received a bucketful of help from his defense, which was exemplified in the 3rd inning when he retired the Monarchs on only five pitches.

“Our defense has been incredible,” Snyder said.

In the aforementioned 3rd frame MICHAEL CASTRO made