© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (5-20-11) — The rest, as they say, is in the hands of the seeding committee. Pairings for the baseball playoffs will be announced on Saturday (May 21). Play-in games will be conducted on Tuesday (May 24) and the five eight-team double-elimination competitions will commence on Wednesday (May 25).

The regular season wrapped up on Thursday (May 19), including four games involving East County teams.

Utilized primary as a reserve outfielder, a pinch runner and an occasional pitcher, Howarth drew a starting assignment as the Foothillers left fielder in Thursday’s Grossmont Hills League finale at Joe Gizoni Field.

Howarth jumped on the opportunity, slugging a line-drive home run to left field with ZACH AMBROSE aboard giving Grossmont a 3-1 edge in the 4th inning. Earlier in the frame, ALEX CONNOR clubbed the first pitch from Valhalla starter RYAN PETERSEN over the right-center field fence into the shot put ring to tie the game at 1-1.

It was Connor’s third homer, but only the first for Howarth.

“Jon had an ear-to-ear grin as he was circling the bases,” said Grossmont coach JIM EARLEY. “You couldn’t slap that smile off his face, and I really felt good for him.”

Grossmont’s home run parade continued in the 5th inning.

After ROBBY NESOVIC singled, TYLER TIMMER rifled a shot off the second panel in the batter’s eye in center field to make it 5-1. For good measure JOE MUSGROVE belted his 8th home run – a solo shot – to right-center just short of the trailers. Musgrove also pitched three shutout innings to earn his second save and seal the victory for starter ERIC ECKLEY.

Eckley scattered five hits and allowed only a run-scoring single by the Norsemen’s ANTHONY MANUPELLA in the 2nd inning.

Manupella, BRYCE MOSIER and FRANCISCO TELLEZ had two hits apiece for Valhalla (12-16, 7-8 GHL).

The six-time league champion Foothillers finished the regular season 23-6 overall with a Grossmont Hills League record of 13-2.

“If you would have told me someone could win this league by going 13-2 I would have thought you were crazy,” Earley said. “We had a lot of things go our way and I’m proud of what we accomplished.”

Earley believes that the No. 5 ranked Foothillers are worthy of a No. 1 seed in the San Diego CIF Division I playoffs.

“That’s probably what we’re gonna go for,” he said. “The main thing is I want to stay on the opposite side of the bracket from Rancho Bernardo.”

Injury-riddled Valhalla (12-16, 7-8 GHL), which lost seven of its last nine – and three straight – finished in a three-way tie with Helix and Granite Hills for third place in the GHL.

The Norsemen figure to make the SDCIF Division II playoffs but are hoping for a Play-in home game.

SERRA 5, CHRISTIAN 4 (8 inn.) – A couple of things Christian coach MIKE MITCHELL has to be proud of is his team’s improved defense and controlled pitching.

“We stopped giving away runs,” he said. “Unfortunately we also stopped hitting.”

The Patriots concluded the regular season with six losses in seven games, including four in a row as they finished 6th out of seven teams in Eastern League standings.

“It seemed like we could never get our whole game together,” Mitchell said. “And when you’re unable to do that in a league like this you’re going to finish near the bottom.”

Credit the Patriots (10-17-1, 2-10 EL) for erasing a 4-1 lead in Thursday’s (May 19) Eastern League finale against visiting Serra.

Probably the biggest problem the Patriots had in this final adventure was finding a way to stop Serra’s No. 8 hitter and shortstop Alexander Partow. Partow tied the game with a solo home run in the 3rd inning, which probably doesn’t sound like much except for the fact that it was first home run of the season for the Conquistadors (8-17, 5-7 EL).

But Partow wasn’t through, as he singled in what proved to be the game-winning run with a 2-out single in the top of the 8th inning.

Christian came up with its own key hit. In the 4th inning with two outs, KYLE HARRIS singled, stole second and scored on a single up the middle by MICHAEL KAUFMAN, cutting the Q’s advantage to 4-2.

An inning later MICHAEL POTEET laced a 2-run double to pull the Patriots even at 4 apiece.

Christian had a chance to win the game in the bottom of the 7th. SHIN KURODA singled and stole second. TANNER PERRY laid down a bunt but Kuroda was screened by the ump and was eventually put out on a rundown.

With Perry at second base, the Conquistadors intentionally walked Michael Poteet. That proved to be a wise move as neither of the final two Patriots hit the ball out of the infield, sending the ballgame into extra innings.

MICHAEL KAUFMAN paced Christian’s 10-hit attack by going 3-for-4.

Mitchell said he was sure that his team would qualify for the SDCIF Division IV playoffs but had no idea where they would be seeded.

“We could be anywhere from fourth to tenth,” he said.

FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 6, GUAJOME PARK 0 – For the third time in as many meetings, Foothills Christian speared the Guajome Park Academy Frogs in Thursday’s (May 19) final day of the Citrus West League season.

The victory locked up a second place league finish for the Knights (12-12, 6-3). Foothills lost two games to rainouts.

“I think we’ve got a decent shot at a No. 6 seed (in the SDCIF Div. 5 playoffs),” said Foothills Christian coach DAVE LEWIS.

Senior right-hander J.R. ATTERBURY pitched a six-hit shutout, walked one and struck out seven to balance his pitching ledger at 5-5.

ZACH CUMMINGS led the Foothills Christian offensive charge by going 2-for-4 with a double and three RBI. It was his run-scoring single in the 4th that gave the Knights the lead for keeps. His two-run double helped FC break the game open with four runs in the 6th.

Atterbury also contributed a pair of hits to the Knights’ seven-hit attack.

El Capitan shortstop Tyrone Wiggins. (Photo by Mark Gabriels) ADDITIONAL PHOTOS HERE

Vaqueros complete perfect trek to Grossmont Valley League crown Conyers' 1-hitter tames Monte Vista By Andrew Smith © Special to East County Sports.com LAKESIDE (5-19-11) — In the final regular season game of the Grossmont South League, pitting Monte Vista against division winner El Capitan, it was unclear if the game would take place with weather conditions threatening around the county. Vaqueros head coach STEVE VICKERY got an early call Wednesday (May 18) morning. It was his starting pitcher TROY CONYERS. “He called me this morning wanting to know if we were gonna play today, so he could get mentally prepared to pitch,” said Vickery. “He’s just an incredible competitor.” For the first time in coach Vickery’s historic career his team went undefeated in league play after Conyers pitched a one-hitter to lead the Vaqueros to a 5-1 victory over the Monarchs at Hostetler Field Wednesday (May 18) afternoon. “We’ve had some pretty special teams come through here in my time,” Vickery proclaimed. “So it’s real special to be honest with you for this group to be the first one to run the table. We haven’t lost since Easter break against Bishop Amat (2-1), who is No. 1 in the nation, so I think we deserve a No. 1 seed.” The Monarchs knew they were in for a dogfight with their ace and Long Beach State-bound senior NICK SABO on the mound against the Stanford-bound Conyers. With sophomore PAUL O’CONNOR reaching on a walk to lead off the game, Monarchs coach CHAD WILLIAMS knew runs would be scarce, so after a sacrifice bunt and a fielder’s choice, senior catcher CARLOS OCHOA plated an early marker for the Monarchs when he knobbed a ball right in front of the plate, scoring O’Connor for a 1-0 lead. That would be the only hit and run for Monte Vista as Conyers shut them down after that. “I wasn’t connecting with my off-speed stuff today so I used my heater a little more than normal,” he said of his outing. “When I needed to make pitches I made them though.” Sabo also did his part on the mound shutting down the Vaqueros’ potent offense with a 1-0 lead until the bottom of the 5th. ELDEN WHISMAN led off the 5th frame for El Capitan with a solo home run to left to tie the game at 1-1. After inducing a groundout for the first out of the inning the Vaqueros then rolled off five straight hits to put together a rally. “We put together one big inning and with the pitching we have in Troy that will usually win the ball game for us,” his skipper said. After a JOSH TULLEDGE single and East County ’s top hitter TYRONE WIGGINS doubled putting runners on 2nd and 3rd with one out. That brought sophomore ERIC LOZANO came to the plate with an opportunity to take the lead. One wide pitch later on a 2-0 count Monarchs catcher Ochoa picked off the runner at third for the second out. Lozano then stepped it up and started a rally. “After he got picked-off my mindset changed and I knew I had to get Tyrone in,” Lozano described of his game-winning RBI at-bat after lacing a double to left-center. “With the count 3-0 I heard my first base coach tell me to hit it if it’s there.” Vickery turned away with a 3-0 count knowing if something was there he shouldn’t avoid it. “In a tie game I looked away ‘cause I wasn’t gonna tell him not to hit. He’s a great clutch hitter for us and he got a great pitch to hit and he drilled it.” CHARLES MOORMAN followed with an RBI single and Conyers finished the four-run inning with a run-scoring double. The Vaqueros are expected to get one of the top 2 seeds in Division III and seemed primed for a deep run into the playoffs. “I think we’re ready for the playoffs," Conyers stated. "Today we started out a little slow swinging the bats, but we’re normally solid offensively and our team ERA is under 2.00 so let’s get them started.”

El Capitan pitcher Troy Conyers wrapped up the Grossmont Valley League title for the Vaqueros after stopping Monte Vista, 5-1, on a 1-hitter. (Photo by Mark Gabriels)

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (5-19-11) — The Grossmont Conference baseball season was supposed to end on Wednesday (May 18), but inclement weather forced a couple of postponements and the campaign was extended to Thursday (May 19).

On the docket today are Valhalla visiting Grossmont in a Grossmont Hills League joust and Mount Miguel traveling to Santana in the Grossmont Valley League finale. Both games start at 4 p.m. In addition to those two makeups, Christian High closes out the Eastern League season by hosting Serra at 3 p.m.

Meanwhile, Foothills Christian cancelled Wednesday’s (May 18) Citrus West League game in North County, but will face Guajome Park Academy in a CWL encounter Thursday (May 19) at Vista Sports Park at 12:30 p.m.

GRANITE HILLS 7, STEELE CANYON 0 – Thanks to the two-hit complete game pitching of junior right-hander DOUG BRANNVALL on Wednesday (May 18), the host Granite Hills Eagles kept their postseason playoff hopes alive.

That victory gives Granite Hills (13-15, 7-8 GHL) a shot at finishing in a third place tie if Grossmont beats Valhalla . Should the Foothillers prevail, not only would the Eagles and Norsemen be tied for the No. 3 slot, Helix would be tied as well.

Brannvall, a 6-foot-2, 206-pound right-hander, baffled Steele Canyon throughout. The only hits he allowed was a double by BRAD BOEHMKE in the 4th inning but the Cougar baserunner was picked off. The other hit Steele Canyon produced was a single with two outs in the 7th inning by ANDREW KING.

Brannvall, a 6-foot-2, 206-pound right-hander, baffled Steele Canyon throughout. The only hits he allowed was a double by BRAD BOEHMKE in the 4th inning but the Cougar baserunner was picked off.

The only other hit Steele Canyon produced was a single with two outs in the 7th inning by ANDREW KING.

“Any time you can shut out a team with a lineup like Steele Canyon has, you’re doing a pretty darn good job on the mound,” said Granite Hills coach JAMES DAVIS.

Brannvall walked three and struck out four in his complete game effort, which resulted in his 3rd win in eight decisions.

“At first my slider wasn’t working so I had to rely on locating my fastball,” Brannvall said. “Once I got my slider going their hitters started to guess. That was about the 4th inning.”

Branvall said he doesn’t deal in many changeups or curveballs.

“I need my slider to be effective,” he said. “That’s my pitch.”

In addition to his pitching Brannvall also came up with a key hit as Granite Hills did all its scoring in the 4th inning. After CHARLIE ST. CLAIR singled and DANIEL STARWALT walked, Brannvall laced a single to left field to give the Eagles a 1-0 lead.

“It was a full count and I was sitting fastball,” Brannvall said. “And that’s what I got. I hit it pretty good.”

The Granite Hills 4th inning scoring parade continued as DANIEL BAGDASAR hit a sacrifice fly, TRENTON BROOKS singled to load the bases and RYAN McCLANAHAN walked to force in a third run.

The knockout blow in the inning went to sophomore JOSH ROSE, who ripped a 3-run double to right field.

Despite the 7-0 advantage after four frames the Eagles couldn’t help but recall when they built a 9-0 lead over Steele Canyon on May 6th, only to lose 10-9 in the end.

“Oh yeah, I was thinking about it,” Davis admitted. “But I could see some differences. We led 9-0 after three innings the first time but only 7-0 this time. I don’t know if that’s better or not but it created different karma. But it turned out to be the best game we’ve played all year.”

Brannvall said he recalled the previous disaster but blocked it out of his mind.

“I just kept doing what I was doing because I knew we really needed to win this game to make it to CIF,” he said.

HELIX 7, WEST HILLS 1 – If anybody can figure out the Helix baseball team, please text Highlanders’ coach COLE HOLLAND.

These guys are hard to figure.

For one of the few time Helix started out fast in Wednesday’s (May 18) Grossmont Hills League victory over visiting West Hills.

“I can’t remember the last time we scored four runs in an inning,” said Holland, whose Highlanders (21-9, 7-8 GHL) took a 4-0 lead in the 1st inning.

One of the pivotal changes Holland made a couple weeks ago was moving KACY SMITH into the No. 3 spot in the Helix batting order.

“I know Kacy is more comfortable hitting leadoff, but I told him that we’re a better team with him batting third,” Holland said. “I know he doesn’t really like it but he’s the kind of guy who salutes and says “OK.”

Smith was 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored against West Hills. He also stole two bases.

“Batting third is pretty fun because you feel more like an RBI guy,” Smith said.

Smith is quick to point out the differences between leading off and batting third.

“The approach is different,” he said. “When you’re batting first you know you’re going to see a lot of first-pitch fastballs. What hitter doesn’t like that?

“When you’re batting third like I am now, you have to be prepared to see a lot more curveballs. For some reason I saw two first-pitch fastballs today and I jumped on them.”

Smith was involved in all three of Helix’ scoring innings. After JAKE REED opened the bottom of the 1st with a base hit, he advanced to second on MAURO OLIVARRIA’s groundout. Smith then singled Reed home. With two outs Smith stole second.

That set the stage for a run-scoring single by DIEGO REYNOSO, an RBI double by ROMELLO CARBUCCIA and a run-scoring single by sophomore KRAIG FAHRER.

Smith was once again the catalyst in the Helix 3rd as he singled and stole second. He scored on a basehit by Fahrer. DARYL BIBBS then doubled in Fahrer to make it 6-1 after three frames.

In the 4th inning Reed led off with a single, advanced to third on a base hit by Smith and scored on a basehit by RASHAD HARLIN.

“It was kinda nice to be playing with a sizable lead that early in the game,” Holland noted.

Olivarria, who allowed only one run on three hits in five innings, snapped a 4-game losing streak to post his 5th win.

Relievers JAMES MILES and CLARKE WILLIAMS pitched one hitless inning apiece to preserve the victory.

West Hills’ only scoring action consisted of a solo home run by first baseman ALEX PARSONS.

Other than that the Wolf Pack was limited to singles by BRANDON BYRD and D.J. LEWIS.

“Now it’s crunch time,” said Smith. “Hopefully we’ll get the No. 2 seed (in the SDCIF Division II playoffs). I like our chances.”

© East County Sports.com
TIERRASANTA (5-18-11) — Life in the Eastern League hasn’t been kind to the Christian High Patriots this season. With only one game remaining in the regular season, the best the Patriots can hope for is a 6th-place finish in the 7-team league.

For the most part, the Patriots have suffered from inconsistent pitching. Defense has been a problem for much of the year but of late has made vast improvement.

In their last eight games, the Patriots have committed only seven errors. Now the problem has been Christian (10-16-1, 2-9 EL) has seen its offensive output dip.

After KYLE HARRIS tied Tuesday’s (May 17) Eastern League game at Serra 1-1 with a solo home run in the top of the 2nd inning, the host Conquistadors (7-17, 4-7 EL) erupted for four runs in the bottom of that frame and continued on for a 5-2 victory.

Serra’s C.J. Burdick pitched a complete game victory, limiting the Patriots to six hits while striking out eight.

“Their pitcher did a really good job,” said Christian coach MIKE MITCHELL. “He was ahead in the count all day.”

Christian scored its final run in the 7th inning on a triple to right center by CODY POTEET.

These same two teams close the regular season on Thursday (May 19) at Christian at 3 p.m.

Grossmont catcher Jordan Gerlek runs down this foul pop against West Hills. (Photo by Tim Soto) ADDITIONAL PHOTOS HERE

© East County Sports.com
RANCHO SAN DIEGO (5-17-11) — No baseball team in the East County has ridden the roller coaster more than the Steele Canyon Cougars.

Head coach TODD SNYDER’s Cougars pulled off one of their better thefts in Monday’s (May 16) Grossmont Hills League encounter against visiting Helix.

Trailing 3-0 entering the bottom of the 7th against one of the best pitchers in the San Diego CIF, the Cougars appeared doomed to defeat. Had it not been for back-to-back-to-back Helix errors that would have probably been the case.

“It looked pretty bleak at that point,” admitted Snyder.

Helix ace JAKE REED had blanked the Cougars on two hits over the first six innings.

“We hadn’t even scored against him in 13 innings,” added Snyder.

Thanks to those three errors the Cougars were able to score four times in the final frame to pull off a key 4-3 victory.

The knockout blow in the final frame was delivered by 5-foot-5, 140-pound second baseman VINNY SORRENTINO, who slashed a 2-run single to give Steele Canyon the victory.

“When the inning started I was in the back of the dugout, not thinking I was even going to get to bat,” Sorrentino said. “But after the errors and the inning progressed I started thinking maybe I will get a shot.”

And so he did.

With the Cougars trailing 3-2 with two outs and the bases loaded, Sorrentino got his opportunity. He took it to the max – working the count to three balls, two strikes.

“I was excited and nervous at the same time,” he recalled. “I knew the game was on the line. I realized that Reed was probably going to come in with a fastball because he would not want to walk in the tying run. So he threw me a fastball, down in the zone. I knew it was a strike if I didn’t swing at it.”

Sorrentino slashed the ball into left field to give the Cougars the victory.

“Reed was tough to hit all day,” he said. “He had good movement on his slider and a tail on his fastball. I think the errors rattled him a bit but I don’t think he ever gave up.”

Sorrentino was a double threat as he turned a key double play in the 5th inning.

“We were already down 1-0 and RYAN PETERSEN hit a one-hop shot at me,” Sorrentino said. “I had the ball before he was out of the box and was able to turn a double play on it. If he had hit that ball two or three feet either way it would have been a basehit.”

It was a tough loss for Reed (7-1), who also hit a 2-run homer in the top of the 7th inning for the Highlanders.

Grossmont's Robbie Nesovic with the head-first slide is safe at second base. Corraling the baseball for West Hills is second baseman Ryan Nuckols. (Photo by Tim Soto) ADDITIONAL PHOTOS HERE

“I’d have to say this was the best game he’s pitched this season,” Earley said of Nesovic, who spun a two-hitter and struck out 4 in Monday’s (May 16) GHL win at West Hills.

It was the fifth complete game for the 6-foot-4, 190-pound right-hander who boasts a 9-0 record overall.

“The big thing is Robby hasn’t allowed an earned run in a Grossmont Conference game,” Earley emphasized. “His ball was moving and diving today. Like I’ve said before he is a very efficient pitcher.”

Nesovic retired the first nine batters in order. He allowed singles to RYAN NUCKOLS and TY SOTELO after that.

Pro scouts and college coaches alike have taken notice of Nesovic. Stanford is ready to offer and USC attended Nesovic’s latest gem against West Hills (9-17, 3-11 GHL).

“Robby is going to have plenty of choices,” Earley said. “I don’t think there is any doubt about that.”

The six-time league champion Foothillers (22-6, 12-2 GHL) needed a 6-run 7th inning to break this game open. DEREK RUSTICH led off the big inning with his first home run of the season. Nesovic chipped in with a run-scoring double in that frame.

MATT HEMPHILL was the catalyst in Grossmont’s early scoring. He singled and eventually scored on a wild pitch, giving the Foothillers a 1-0 in the 3rd inning.

Hemphill singled to start things in the 5th. TYLER TIMMER’s single made it 2-0. He later drove in a run with a base hit in the 7th. Pinch-hitter NICK ROCHESTER pitched in with an RBI single in the final frame.

EL CAPITAN 19, MOUNT MIGUEL 2 – Even though the 6-foot-4, 223-pound junior TROY CONYERS is known for his overpowering pitching, the big fella can certainly swing the bat with the best.

He proved that in Monday’s (May 16) Grossmont Valley League rout over the Matadors (9-17, 4-7 GVL) in Spring Valley.

Conyers was 5-for-6 with three doubles and 7 RBI as the No. 3-ranked Vaqueros (24-5, 11-0 GVL) won their 10th straight and 16th in their last 17 starts.

“Pitching is still my favorite,” said Conyers, who is 6-1 with 0.89 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 47 1/3 innings.

He could have fooled the Matadors.

With two outs in the opening frame, El Capitan put together consecutive doubles by CHUCK MOORMAN, Conyers and CURREN FACER for a 2-0 advantage.

Other key blows for Conyers included a double off the top of the left-center field fence for two RBI, extending El Capitan ’s advantage to 5-1.

Conyers capped a 5-run 5th inning with a two-run double and banged in two more runs with a single in the 6th inning.

“I’ve been slumping a little lately,” Conyers said. “I was working with (assistant coach JARED) ABRUZZO before this game and we made some adjustments. He moved my hands away from my body, and got me locked in.”

The surging Moorman finished 4-for-5 with three RBI and three runs scored. Over his last nine games, the junior catcher is batting at a .640 clip (16-for-25) with three doubles, two home runs, 16 RBI and 14 runs scored.

“It’s nice to have Moorman coming around at the right time,” El Capitan coach STEVE VICKERY said.

Nearly hidden in the lopsided outcome was that this victory clinched the 11th league title for Vickery in his 27 seasons at the Vaqueros’ helm. Yet, there is one milestone Vickery would like to achieve in Wednesday’s (May 18) regular season finale against Monte Vista in Lakeside.

“Of all those league championships, we have never run the table,” he said. “So that is obviously a goal.”

GILBERT TAFOYA was 2-for-3 with a double and a home run and a pair of RBI to lead Mount Miguel.

GRANITE HILLS 13, VALHALLA 3 – You wouldn’t find sophomore right-fielder TRENTON BROOKS of Granite Hills in any of East County ’s offensive categories at the beginning of this week. Brooks began play with a .281 average and was probably overlooked by most opposing pitchers.

Make no mistake about it, Brooks caught the attention of the Valhalla pitching staff in Monday’s (May 16) Grossmont Hills League contest on the Norsemen’s diamond by going 5-for-5.

Granted they were all singles but they produced 2 RBI and a run scored. That offensive outburst raised Brooks’ average to .333 for the season.

“Our statistics are almost upside down,” said Granite Hills coach JAMES DAVIS. “The guys that were hot at the beginning of the season have faded in league. Brooks didn’t do much in the early part of the year but he’s batting .441 in league play.”

Granite Hills collected 20 hits off three Valhalla pitchers. DOUG BRANNVALL was 2-for-5 with a double, home run and 3 RBI, while DANIEL STARWALT was 3-for-5 with 3 RBI.

Not to be overlooked was sophomore JOSH ROSE who accounted for five runs with three hits – two of them doubles – in five at-bats. The list of Granite Hills contributors doesn’t stop there as NOAH CUMMINGS drove in a pair of runs with two doubles.

The Eagles (12-15, 6-8 GHL) put this one away early. Freshman ROBERT BOSTEDT hit the first pitch of the game for a double. He scored two outs later on a basehit by Starwalt. Brannvall followed with his 4th home run of the season to make it 3-0.

It was more of the same in the 2nd inning for the Eagles as Bostedt singled and scored on a double by Rose. One out later Starwalt singled in Rose to make it 5-0.

“Granite Hills got up on us early and we don’t play catch-up all that well,” said Valhalla coach MIKE WILSON, who noted that the umpires arrived at the game an hour late.

Granite Hills broke the game open with five runs in the 5th inning to take a 12-2 lead. The key blow in that frame was a 2-run single by Brooks.

FRANCISCO TELLEZ was 3-for-4 to pace Valhalla (12-15, 7-7 GHL).

SANTANA 13, EL CAJON VALLEY 0 – JAYLEN FLEER pitched a 2-hit shutout and struck out 15 while compiling the visiting Sultans first complete game in Monday’s (May 16) Grossmont Valley League action.

Fleer (3-4) had a perfect game going before El Cajon Valley ’s CASEY RIVERA broke the spell with a base hit on a 2-0 fastball in the 4th inning. STEVEN MARTINDALE accounted for the Braves’ only other hit.

COREY POE paced the offense for Santana (9-17-1, 4-7 GVL) with four hits in six at-bats. Two of Poe’s blows were doubles. He finished with three runs and a pair of RBI.

JAMES DOHERTY and JESSE ROBERTO were each 3-for-4 with three RBI for Santana.

Fleer had some successful hacks in there as well. In five at-bats, he produced 3 hits and 2 RBI.

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (5-14-11) — It wasn’t prom night at West Hills Friday (May 13). In fact, it was just the reverse.

The Wolf Pack gym was the site of a Morp, which is Prom spelled backwards.

Morp is a casual dance, where the girls ask the guys or you can go stag – everyone can attend. There is no official definition for this event yet members of the West Hills baseball team were talking about instead of dressing super fancy, one would dress really crazy. Most Morps are 1980s themed or you just wear mismatched, bright, crazy, fun outfits and look like a total goof ball.

There was nothing goofy about the way the Pack played baseball in Friday’s 7-6 Grossmont Hills League 10-inning victory over the Norsemen at Valhalla.

Senior second baseman RYAN NUCKOLS, the West Hills leadoff man, was 3-for-5 with a three-run home run and a sacrifice fly that drove in what proved to be the winning run in the 10th frame.

Nuckols’ round-tripper broke a 2-2 deadlock at the time.

“I don’t even think about hitting home runs,” said Nuckols, who capped a five-run 5th inning with his first varsity homer. “It was a fastball up-and-in. Really, I was just trying to get on base. I saw the pitch and hit it. My job is just to put the ball in play.”

After a quick postgame chat with coach JASON FOWLER the Wolf Pack players scattered to their cars. Since the baseball game lasted 2 hours, 45 minutes, there was little time to prepare for Morp.

“It’s like a black light dance,” Nuckols said.

“Real neon,” added West Hills junior right field BRANDON BEARD, who was 4-for-5 with a double and two runs scored. “Winning here today and the dance tonight… should be a lot of fun.”

West Hills (9-16, 3-10 GHL) was one strike away from sealing a 5-4 victory over the Norsemen (12-14, 7-6 GHL) in the bottom of the 7th. FRANCISCO TELLEZ, who hammered a solo home run through the wind in right field in the first inning, stroked a two-out single to keep the Norsemen alive in the 7th. BRYCE MOISER followed with a base hit as did AUSTIN HENSLEY to send the game into overtime.

Beard then keyed the winning rally for West Hills with a leadoff single in the 10th. A throwing error gave TY SOTELO life at first base, putting two runners on with nobody out.

Valhalla reliever NINO TUTINO, who did not allow an earned run in 6 1/3 innings, fielded an attempted sacrifice bunt by BRADY FOULK. Tutino, a left-hander, elected to make his play at 3rd base. Too late. Beard beat the throw to load the sacks with nobody out.

Freshman D.J. LEWIS launched his second sacrifice fly of the game to score Beard and snap the 5-5 tie. Nuckols then chased home a second run with a fly ball out.

Even then, though, the issue was not decided. Hensley led off the bottom of the 10th with his second home run of the game and seventh of the season.

After that blow, reliever and winner T.C. GRADY proceeded to 1-2-3 the Norsemen, the last two coming via the strike out for his first win.

“This is probably one of the best games we’ve played,” Beard said.

West Hills totaled 12 hits and never went down in order after the 1st inning. PATRICK ESTEY chipped in with three hits, including a double.

“This was a huge win for us,” added Nuckols. “We still need one more to give us a good shot at making the (San Diego CIF Division II) playoffs.” The Wolf Pack concludes the league campaign next week against Grossmont and Helix.

Valhalla, which is tied with Steele Canyon for second place with two games remaining, closes the campaign against Granite Hills and Grossmont.

This Steele Canyon baserunner elects to not challenge the arm of Grossmont's Eric Eckley. (Photo by Tim Soto) ADDITIONAL PHOTOS HERE

Taking verse with legendary rock-n-roll guitar player Chuck Berry, Grossmont coach JIM EARLEY said, “There was a whole lot of hitting going on.”

Indeed. The No. 6-ranked Foothillers (21-6, 11-2 GHL) who have clinched their sixth straight league titles, hammered out 20 hits while surrendering 14 safeties to visiting Steele Canyon.

“It seemed like everything in this game was hit hard,” said Earley. “Balls were flying everywhere. It was like a typical Gizoni Field game before they changed bats.”

Although the scouts and their radar guns were lined up full force across the Grossmont backstop to measure the surge of senior right-hander JOE MUSGROVE, some of them may have been disappointed with the results.

Musgrove gave up a dozen hits and six earned runs while striking out nine in six innings.

“Musgrove had his usual good velocity,” Earley said. “But his location wasn’t as good as normal. But any scout that would just write him off for this game wasn’t really interested in the first place.”

Of course there are scouts that like Musgrove for his bat more than his arm. Those guys weren’t disappointed as the Foothillers’ first baseman went 4-for-4 with a double, two runs and an RBI.

“No question, Musgrove helped us win this game with his bat,” Earley said.

TYLER TIMMER was 4-for-5 with two runs and two RBI.

Eckley laced a 2-run double in the bottom of the 1st inning to tie the game at 2-2. Grossmont barged in front 7-2 with a handful of runs in the 2nd inning. WILL SOTO, Musgrove and Eckley contributed an RBI apiece in that frame. Shoddy defense by Steele Canyon (15-11, 7-6 GHL) handed the Hillers two more runs in that frame.

Steele Canyon was not without its big guns. GARRETT GANDOLFO was 5-for-5, including his 4th home run with a man aboard in the 3rd inning. Overall he accounted for six runs in this contest, scoring three himself. For the week Gandolfo was 7-for-10 with five RBI.

BRAD BOEHMKE was 3-for-3 with a double and two RBI, while JESSE JENNER was 3-for-5 with two RBI for the Cougars.

The loss drops Steele Canyon into a second place tie with Valhalla, and only one game ahead of hard-charging Helix.

HELIX 2, GRANITE HILLS 1 – Junior right-hander BRANDON LEWIS pitched his first complete game in three years as the Highlanders slipped past host Granite Hills in Friday’s (May 13) Grossmont Hills League contest.

Lewis scattered five hits, walked three and struck out five.

“I just happened to be on,” he said. “I can’t remember the last complete game I pitched in high school. It might have been when I was a freshman at Cathedral Catholic.”

Lewis said there’s no secret to his success against the Eagles (11-15, 5-8 GHL).

“I stayed with my fastball because it had a lot of movement on it,” he said. “Because they could not catch up to it I threw it about 85 percent of the time, so there was no need to waste throwing a lot of off-speed stuff.”

Lewis needed 104 pitches to finish the job, which resulted in his 3rd win in four decisions.

“We have really had a tough time when (JAKE) REED isn’t on the mound,” said Helix coach COLE HOLLAND. “Lewis did a good job – pitched himself of out of a tough situation today. He did a good job of throwing strikes. He’s thrown the ball well in his last two outings. He’ll be moving to No. 2 on the depth chart.”

Helix scored what proved to be the winning run in the 6th inning. Reed doubled and advanced to third on a single by KACY SMITH. RASHAD HARLIN followed with a sacrifice fly to score Reed, which at the time gave the Highlanders a 2-0- lead.

In the bottom of the 6th Granite Hills cut the Helix lead in half as JOSH ROSE doubled and eventually scored on a pair of groundouts.

The hardluck loser for Granite Hills was DOUG BRANNVALL, who pitched a complete game 5-hitter and was 2-for-3 at the plate with a double.

It was the fourth loss in five games for Granite Hills.

EL CAPITAN 7, EL CAJON VALLEY 1 – The fourth-ranked Vaqueros (23-5, 10-0, who’s magic number for capturing the Grossmont Valley League pennant is one, used a makeshift lineup in knocking off the visiting El Cajon Valley Braves on Friday (May 13).

The majority of the El Capitan regulars were not in the starting lineup yet the game was never in doubt.

“The most pleasing thing in today’s game was our pitching,” El Capitan coach STEVE VICKERY said. (SHANE) COLEMAN had a great three innings with 8 strikeouts.”

Submariner ALEX MARISCAL pitched the final four innings to notch his first victory.

TYRONE WIGGINS had a double, a triple and two RBI in three at-bats for El Capitan .

El Cajon Valley avoided the shutout with a run in the 4th inning. STEVEN MARTINDALE doubled down the left field line and scored on a two-base hit by ANTHONY TY.

© East County Sports.com
MIRA MESA (5-13-11) — Christian’s Patriots missed a chance to play spoiler in falling to Eastern League-leading Mira Mesa 4-1 Thursday (May 12) on the Marauders diamond.

Once again it was a case of missed opportunities for Christian (10-15-1, 2-8), which flooded the bases over the first three innings but could produce only one run.

After Mira Mesa took a 1-0 lead on a double by Trey Lomax in the 1st inning, Christian battled back to tie it on doubles by MICHAEL KAUFMAN and PHIL JOHNSTON.

The 10th ranked Marauders (23-5, 9-1 EL) took the lead for keeps in the 2nd inning. Nathan Tajalle walked, advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored on Jake Newberry’s bad-hop single to make it 2-1.

“The ball just kangarooed over our guy’s head,” Christian coach MIKE MITCHELL recalled. “There was nothing he could do.”

What irked Mitchell more than that, however, is the Patriots had runners at first and second with two outs in the opening frame and failed to score. They left a runner at second base an inning later.

In the 3rd inning TANNER PERRY singled and JOSH SUFFRIDGE doubled him to third. One out later Kaufman was hit by a pitch, but once again the Patriots came up with nothing.

Overall Christian left nine runners on base.

“This is a very familiar pattern for us – failing to hit with runners in scoring position,” said Mitchell.

The coach credited Suffridge for “not losing his focus on the mound.”

“He was wild early but settled down and kept us in the ballgame (over his 4 2/3 innings).”

Reliever BRENDAN RYAN blanked Mira Mesa over the final 1 1/3 inning.

Christian, which closes the regular season against Serra (5-17, 2-7 EL), figures to challenge for a Top 4 seed in the SDCIF Division IV playoffs.

CHRISTIAN LIFE 6, FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 2 – Any chance Foothills Christian had of capturing the Citrus West League pennant evaporated Thursday (May 12) as the Knights (11-12, 5-3 CWL) succumbed to Christian Life Academy at Stars Field in Barona.

The visiting Eagles (9-11, 5-3) capitalized on a pair of Knights’ errors to take a 4-0 lead after two innings.

J.R. ATTERBURY, who surrendered only three hits and two earned runs in six innings, was the hard-luck loser. Both ballclubs are now tied for second place.

Foothills avoided the shutout with single tallies in the 5th and 7th innings. TREVOR TINNEY drove in the first run with a single and Atterbury cashed in the second with sacrifice fly.

You Make The Call

Grossmont's Will Soto (17) hustles down the line to beat the throw against Granite Hills. (Photo by Tim Soto) ADDITIONAL PHOTOS HERE

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (5-12-11) — There’s really nothing flashy about Grossmont junior ROBBY NESOVIC. But there is one thing that is absolutely concrete: Nesovic doesn’t lose.

The 6-foot-4, 190-pound right-hander has not allowed a single earned run against Grossmont Conference competition.

He completed one of his better performances on Wednesday (May 11) as he led the Foothillers to a 7-2 win at Granite Hills in a Grossmont Hills League game that secured Grossmont its sixth straight circuit championship.

“I’ve pitched some better games and I’ve had some games that weren’t as good,” said Nesovic, who is 8-0 for the season. “Our goal right now is looking to get a No. 1 or 2 seed (in the SDCIF Division II playoffs).

ERIC ECKLEY gave Grossmont a 1-0 lead with his first home run of the season in the 2nd inning.

Despite hitting into four double plays, the Foothillers (20-6, 10-2 GHL) extended their advantage to 3-0 in the 4th inning on a 2-run single by JORDAN GERLEK.

“I wanted to drive the ball up the middle and I was looking for a fastball, but he threw me a curve,” Gerlek said. “When I saw that he threw me a curveball all I wanted to do was to make contact and I was able to drive a chopper into the 5.5 hole.”

Gerlek’s base hit brought in TYLER TIMMER (single) and ALEX CONNOR (single).

Had it not been for an error in the 6th inning Nesovic – the odds-on favorite for the Grossmont Hills League Pitcher of the Year – would have finished with a shutout.

Granite Hills (11-14, 5-7 GHL) staged a two-out rally in the bottom of the 6th. CHARLIE ST. CLAIR sparked the rally with a base hit. JOSH ROSE reached base on an error and DANIEL STARWALT whacked a 2-run double off the fence in left field to make it a 1-run game.

“I thought Starwalt’s ball was going out. It would have tied it and changed the whole game,” said Eagles coach JAMES DAVIS.

“We were very fortunate that his ball stayed in the ballpark,” said Grossmont coach JIM EARLEY.

The Eagles narrowly missed tying the game when DANIEL BAGDASAR ripped a ground ball that looked like it was going to make it to the outfield, which would have scored the tying run.

Grossmont third baseman Connor made a lunging stop and appeared like he was going to fall on his face. Somehow Connor regained his feet and fired a strike to first base to end the 6th inning and deny the Eagles the tying run.

STEELE CANYON 5, WEST HILLS 2 – No team has played under more pressure than Steele Canyon this season. The parents on the sidelines believe that the senior laden team should have run away with the Grossmont Hills League crown and been a major factor in the SDCIF Division II playoffs.

OK, all right. The Cougars still have a shot at finishing second in the GHL and definitely have the talent to make a run for the D-II title.

One of the unsung heroes in the Steele Canyon cast is left-handed pitcher FRANK CALIFANO. In his latest outing, which resulted in a 5-2 win over West Hills on Wednesday (May 11), Califano coined a complete game, allowed only 7 hits and did not allow an earned run while raising his record to 6-1.

“He threw a lot of pitches early in the game, was flirting with disaster but was able to get out of it,” said Cougars assistant coach MARK BRUDER. “He was pitching behind batters today. He threw 70 pitches in the first three innings, 4 pitches in the 4th and 9 pitches in the 5th. He got himself back in the game and pitched a lot stronger in the second half.”

The laid-back Califano said he felt strong throughout. He definitely delivered a key pitching performance to keep the Cougars alive in terms of playoff position.

Califano’s trademark, other than his 6-1 record, is his pickoff prowess. In the victory over West Hills, the 5-foot-10, 165-pound junior picked off his 14th baserunner.

“I have several moves to first base,” he said. “If they have too big a lead I go to my “A” move; if they are only a couple of steps off the base I have another move. I’ve noticed lately though that some of these teams like to make a jump step. That doesn’t bother me.”

NATHAN MURRAY had a 2-run triple for Steele Canyon .

ALEX PARSONS was 2-for-2 to pace the West Hills attack.

VALHALLA 5, HELIX 4 – After suffocating through a 1-for-9 slump, the Valhalla Norsemen have finally rediscovered fresh air.

Rebound No. 1 was a stunning 1-0 victory over Steele Canyon on Monday. But the Norsemen (11-17, 7-5 GHL) weren’t finished. They inflated their offense a lot better against Helix on Wednesday (May 11) and continued on to complete a 3-game Grossmont Hills League sweep over the Highlanders.

“To sweep anybody in our league is a great accomplishment,” said Valhalla coach MIKE WILSON. “To beat a team like Helix (19-8, 5-7 GHL) is extra special – you can’t plan for something like that. But to do it. . . man, that says a lot about your team.”

Wilson realizes the Norsemen will not win the GHL title. But a chance to finish second in this circuit it something he would relish. His Norsemen, who are tied with Steele Canyon (13-10, 7-5 GHL) have three games to make it happen.

“Every game in this conference is a battle,” Wilson added. “No team can be taken lightly.”

What had to make Wilson the happiest in his latest victory over the Highlanders is Valhalla survived making six errors.

“Helix is the fastest team in our league and to make that many errors and put that many extra runners on, only adds to the pressure on our pitchers,” he said.

But senior starter RYAN PETERSEN and senior reliever NINO TUTINO did not walk a single batter.

“My pitchers made the key pitches they had to,” Wilson said. “And that’s a mark of character.”

Valhalla took the early lead in the opening frame as RAMSEY ROMANO doubled to left. Romano moved up on a groundout by FRANCISCO TELLEZ. After BRYCE MOSIER walked and stole second, AUSTIN HENSLEY hammered a sacrifice fly to left. Mosier then scored on a wild pitch.

Valhalla doubled its advantage in the 4th. Hensley singled to right. One out later KYLE McBRIDE reached base on an error. The runners moved up on a wild pitch and KYLE ZIMMERMAN singled to right to make it 3-0. MATT HASKINS’ ground out made it 4-0.

Petersen pitched six innings and allowed only one earned run while striking out six during a six inning stint to earn his 3rd win in eight decisions.

“I have no clue why it is but it seems like we have Helix’ number,” he said.

Petersen didn’t let the fact that his teammates made six errors disrupt his pitching.

“I just let it go,” he said. “It’s not like I can do anything about it. I now they’re not trying to make errors, so I try to do what I can to combat it.”

All of the Norsemen were glad to welcome back Hensley, who has been out of action for a couple of weeks with a finger injury.

“He’s our cleanup hitter and he makes a difference,” Wilson said.

Helix made a genuine attempt to overcome a 5-1 deficit but came up short.

The key hit in the Highlanders’ 3-run 6th inning was a 2-run single by RAY PETERSON to close the gap to one.

“I was driving home after the game thinking about how things are going wrong for us,” said Helix coach COLE HOLLAND. “And then I thought about how we have 19 wins and we’ve won two tournaments. By the same token I’m sick of resting on our laurels. We’re better than most of the teams we play. I honestly believe we can win the whole (SDCIF Division II) thing.”

EL CAPITAN 9, SANTANA 0 – Not a whole lot of teams in the San Diego CIF have better pitching than the El Capitan Vaqueros. More often than not coach STEVE VICKERY can roll out a quality starter every time.

He did so again in Wednesday’s (May 11) Grossmont Valley League romp at Santana when he summoned 6-foot-7 senior right-hander MICHAEL FLORES to the mound.

As they say, the Vaqueros’ big man was “lights out.”

Flores rationed Santana (8-17-1, 3-7 GVL) to four hits and doused the flaming bat of Sultans senior leadoff man ZACH BREIDT who came into the game batting .636 (21-for-33) over his last 10 games, but went hitless against Flores.

“Flores went to a 3-ball count only twice in the entire game He just pounded the strike zone and seemed to be in command all game,” said Vickery.

Flores needed only 91 pitches to finish the job and collect his 5th win in seven decisions.

“It’s pretty special to have an opportunity to have a shutout,” Vickery said, “So, if his pitch count is okay, we just let him go. Flores has filled a lot of different roles for us. He’s been a closer a couple of times. He earned his opportunity to go a complete game. We have four quality starters. Everybody’s trying to hold up their end of the bargain.”

The No. 4 ranked Vaqueros (22-5, 9-0) took a 6-0 lead in the 3rd inning on their way to an eighth straight victory. It’s been quite a stretch for the Vaqueros as they’ve won 14 of their last 15, losing only to nationally ranked Bishop Amat 2-1 during that span.

Even though El Capitan batting star TYRONE WIGGINS went hitless in four at-bats, he still left his mark on the game defensively.

“Wiggins made an unbelievable play in the 6th inning,” Vickery recounted. “He jumped up in the air, snagged the ball and threw to first base for the out, ala Derek Jeter.”

ELDEN WHISMAN was 1-for-3 including 3 RBI to pace the Vaqueros.

Monte Vista relief pitcher Reilly Diaz tossed three innings of no-hit ball to earn the save vs. ECVHS. (Photo by Kim Diaz) ADDITIONAL PHOTOS HERE

MONTE VISTA 26, EL CAJON VALLEY 0 (6 inn.) – While TOMMY POIRIER and REILLY DIAZ were firing a one-hit shutout with 12 strikeouts, the Monte Vista offense was setting a school record with 26 runs at the expense of host El Cajon Valley in Wednesday’s (May 11) Grossmont Valley League action.

Poirier and Diaz split the strikeouts between them.

On the offensive side, Monte Vista (19-8, 8-2 GVL) scored a school-record 12 runs in the 4th inning to make it 25-0. The Monarchs totaled eight hits while capitalizing on three El Cajon Valley errors, two hit batters and a walk.

Key hits in that big inning included 2-run doubles by XAVIER DANIELS and MARTIN SOTO.

The Monarchs finished with 21 hits, led by sophomore PAUL O’CONNOR, who was 4-for-6 with a pair of doubles. Soto finished 3-for-4 with 3 RBI and 3 runs scored.

Monte Vista senior CARLOS OCHOA laced a 3-run inside the park home run in the opening frame.

“It was a real shot – short-hopped the fence in dead center field (410 feet),” said Monarchs coach CHAD WILLIAMS of Ochoa’s clout. “By the time the relay throw was in the air Ochoa was at third base and on his way home.”

CASEY RIVERA accounted for El Cajon Valley’s lone hit.

© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (5-11-11) — Eastern League-leading and No. 10-ranked Mira Mesa was enjoying a 2-0 lead and had the bases loaded before host Christian High could record an out in Tuesday’s (May 10) action.

“After that we played them pretty close,” said Patriots MIKE MITCHELL although the Marauders claimed a 7-2 victory.

Mira Mesa (21-5, 8-1 EL) held a 4-0 advantage before Christian (10-14-1, 2-7 EL) came to bat in the bottom of the 1st inning.

Christian counterpunched with a run in the 1st frame as CODY POTEET walked and scored on a double by senior brother MICHAEL POTEET. The shot by the older Poteet hit the center field fence.

As they have much of the season, the Patriots struggled in attempting to produce a big hit against Mira Mesa’s pitcher Brandon Iwasaki.

“We had at least one runner on base every inning,” Mitchell said. “We had runners on first and second with no outs in the 4th inning, runners at 2nd and 3rd in the 5th with one out and a runner at second base with one down in the 6th.”

Christian’s final run came on a 7th inning single by SHIN KURODA. The Patriots had two runners on with one out in that frame before hitting into a game-ending double play.”

Mira Mesa turned three twin-killings against the Patriots.

JOSH SUFFRIDGE, and the Poteets had two hits apiece for Christian.

THE ROCK ACADEMY 10, FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 7 – After three innings, the Knights of Foothills Christian had Rock Academy pinned down 7-0 in Tuesday’s (May 10) non-league action.

But the Foothills defense collapsed and handed out four unearned runs which resulted in a loss that could hurt the Knights’ seeding position in the San Diego CIF Div. V playoffs.

The Knights (11-11) outhit the Warriors (15-6) by a 10-7 count.

ZACH CUMMINGS supplied a bases-loaded triple to anchor Foothills Christian’s lone scoring inning at Stars Field at Barona.

The Knights also wasted a solid pitching performance by starter ZACK TOMLIN, who allowed only 2 earned runs and struck out 7 during a 5 2/3-inning stint

“We made some mistakes – it’s the story of our whole season. Our pitchers do a pretty good job but we have trouble defensively,” Foothills Christian coach DAVE LEWIS said.

Schmidt tosses 1-hitter for Valhalla

© East County Sports.com
RANCHO SAN DIEGO (5-10-11) — Those arriving late for Monday’s (May 9) Grossmont Hills League game between Valhalla and Steele Canyon in the Cougars’ den would have missed most of the action.

It basically boiled down to the 1st inning when the visiting Norsemen scored the only run of the contest, and then rode the complete game 1-hitter by ROBBIE SCHMIDT, who needed only 78 pitches to snap a four-game losing streak.

It was a mighty boost for struggling Valhalla (11-13, 6-5 GHL), which won for only the second time in 11 games.

“It was just a great performance on Robbie’s part,” said Valhalla coach MIKE WILSON. “ Steele Canyon is the best hitting team in our conference, and to be able to limit them to only one hit – and shut them out – says a lot about the kid we had on the hill.”

Even though he is close friends with a lot of the Steele Canyon players, the Cougars have to be frustrated with the 5-foot-7, 150-pound junior right-hander. This was the second time is as many starts that Schmidt has melted down Steele Canyon . He coined a 4-1 complete game victory over the Cougars on April 14.

The only hit Steele Canyon mustered against Schmidt was a leadoff single by CLAYTON ROYER in the opening frame. The ball kicked off Schmidt’s glove and trickled into center field. Schmidt pitched to only four above the minimum.

“I wasn’t thinking about no-hitters or shutouts,” Schmidt said. “I knew we needed this win to boost our spirits.”

No question, this was a classic pitchers’ duel as Steele Canyon ’s MICHAEL CEDEROTH allowed only six hits and struck out 11 in a losing effort. The only run of the game came in the top of the 1st inning.

Norseman leadoff man RAMSEY ROMANO doubled to left field. FRANCISCO TELLEZ reached base on an error to put runners at the corners with nobody out. BRYCE MOSIER then singled to right, scoring Romano.

That was it for the offense.

“I preach to my guys all the time about how important it is to get on top early,” Wilson said. “But we’ve been playing from behind for the last two weeks and usually wind up on the short end.”

Schmidt has allowed only one run in 14 innings in two complete game victories over Steele Canyon .

“We did what needed to be done,” Schmidt said. “I know I can’t blow it by them so my objective was to get them to just roll it over. They weren’t interested in playing small ball – they were swinging for the fences.”

Steele Canyon (14-10, 6-5 GHL), which had won three in a row, now finds itself in a scramble for second place in the Grossmont Hills League. Had the Cougars been able to knock off the Norsemen they would have been in a legitimate position to challenge for the title. That’s not the case anymore.

“We should have been on a high after winning the last three games, but we just didn’t make any adjustments today,” said Cougars assistant coach MARK BRUDER. “We got more hits off (Helix’ JAKE) REED and (Grossmont’s JOE) MUSGROVE than we did today (against Schmidt). And he’s done it twice to us. If we meet them in the playoffs they’ll probably throw him against us.”

GRANITE HILLS 4, WEST HILLS 2 – After blowing a 9-0 lead in a 10-9 loss to Steele Canyon only a couple days earlier, Granite Hills coach JAMES DAVIS could not help but think about that disaster in the 7th inning of Monday’s (May 9)

Grossmont Hills League bout with visiting West Hills.

The Eagles (11-13, 5-6 GHL) cruised into the final frame with a 4-0 lead on the strength of the 3-hit shutout pitching of STEVEN ANACKER. With one out BRANDON BEARD singled for the Pack but Anacker struck out the next batter and was only one out from a complete game victory.

That’s when the Granite Hills’ defense went south. Back-to-back errors allowed Beard to score and brought the tying run to the plate. Davis then summoned closer RYAN McCLANAHAN to the mound. RYAN NUCKOLS greeted McClanahan with an RBI single, cutting the Granite Hills lead in half. PATRICK ESTEY then walked to load the bases.

Thoughts of the Eagles blowing a second straight lead began to swell, but McClanahan coaxed a game winning groundout to record his 3rd save and allow Anacker’s ledger to balance at 2-2.

“We knew we needed to have this win in order to keep our (SDCIF Division I) playoff hopes alive,” said Anacker. “It got a little dicey there at the end, and sure, the thought of the Steele Canyon game did cross my mind.”

But neither Anacker nor McClanahan gave in. A 5-foot-6, 140-pound senior, Anacker did not allow an earned run or a walk as he struck out three.

“Anacker’s not gonna light up any radar guns, but he knows how to compete,” said Davis . “He did a solid job of spinning his breaking ball out there.”

Anacker agreed that the curveball was his best pitch.

“That’s the pitch I threw the most,” he said. “When I threw the fastball I mainly threw it on the outside part of the plate, trying to hit the corners. My two-seamer splits at the end and creates a lot of ground balls. I keep my infielders busy and they did a good job today.”

As a bit of irony DOUG BRANNVALL’s solo home run in the 2nd inning was the 5th circuit clout of his varsity career. All of them have come against West Hills (8-15, 2-9 GHL).

The Eagles made it 2-0 in the 3rd inning on JOSH ROSE’s single. A passed ball handed Granite Hills a third run in the 4th. After loading the bases with one out in the 5th the Eagles came up empty.

In the 6th frame Granite Hills scored when McClanahan singled, stole second and scored on a base hit by NOAH CUMMINGS.

CHARLIE ST. CLAIR paced Granite Hills’ 11-hit attack with a 3-for-4 effort, including his East County best 13th double.

“You have to give their kid (Anacker) credit because he baffled us with off-speed pitches for six innings,” said West Hills coach JASON FOWLER. “We tried to pull everything, but basically we didn’t show any energy for the first six innings.”

Fowler admitted his team had a chance in the 7th, leaving the bases loaded when the game ended.

“This was a frustrating loss but I still think we have a chance at the (SDCIF Division II) playoffs,” Fowler said. “We’re right on the edge and a win today would have really helped.”

“We’re the best eight win in the county,” he added.

MONTE VISTA 8, SANTANA 4 – The Monarchs of Monte Vista kept their Grossmont Valley League title hopes alive Monday (May 9) with a come-from-behind romp over Santana.

The Monarchs, the 4th-ranked team in Division III, overcame a slow start and has a bona fide shot at finishing the regular season with 20 or more victories.

CAMERON BALOUGH blasted a 2-run double propelling Santana to a 2-0 advantage in the 1st inning.

That edge was short-lived, however, as the Monarchs (18-8, 7-2 GVL) broke loose for six runs in the 2nd inning. JOEY GONSALVES’ two-run single knotted the score and NICK SABO’s two-run double put Monte Vista on top to stay. For good measure, JUSTIN AQUINIGOC followed Sabo’s blow with another two-run double.

“We kinda had a little bit of a rough week last week (suffering two losses to league-leading El Capitan ),” Monarchs coach CHAD WILLIAMS said. “Shoot, I don’t even remember when we lost two games in a row before that.”

That would be back-to-back setbacks to Helix and Eastlake in March.

“We did a good job of battling in the one big (2nd) inning,” Williams said of the Monarchs’ six-pack against visiting Santana. “We’re still not playing like we’d like, but it’s always nice when you come out on top when you’re not playing your best.”

Santana leadoff man ZACH BREIDT continued his torrid hitting with three hits in four at-bats for the Sultans (8-16-1, 3-6 GVL). He has now hit safely in nine of 10 games, batting at a .636 clip (21-for-33) over that span. He’s scored a dozen runs and driven in 11 during his batting spree.

MOUNT MIGUEL 25, EL CAJON VALLEY 2 (6 inn.) – Host Mount Miguel, which has its San Diego CIF Division III playoff hopes still flickering, scored a season-high against the hapless Braves in a Grossmont Valley League encounter halted after 5½ innings.

After taking a 2-0 lead in the opening frame as JUWUN McCRAY tripled, scored on a wild pitch and CHRIS MAPLES plated a second tally with a sacrifice fly, the Matadors (9-15, 4-5 GVL) put together a pair of 11-run innings to turn the game into a rout.

In the 2nd inning, BRAD MORENO clubbed a two-run double in Mount Miguel ’s first double-digit endeavor. The Matadors capitalized on three walks, three hit batters and made the most of four hits.

Mount Miguel poured across another 11 markers on 8 hits in the 5th. PETER BERNAL was 2-for-2 with a double and two RBI in that frame. FRED MOLLOCK was 2-for-2, with two runs and one RBI, while MIKE SPENCER was 2-for-2 with two RBI and a run scored.

GILBERT TAFOYA pitched four innings to post his first win in three decisions. Spencer blanked the Braves over the final two frames.

© East County Sports.com
SANTEE (5-8-11) — It was an odd afternoon for the host Santana Sultans on Saturday (May 7), who were swept by Patrick Henry in a non-league double header 3-1 and 18-14.

“One pitch beat us in the first game,” Santana coach LARRY OEDEWALDT said, referring to a 3-run home run by Henry’s Justin Esquerra.

After mulling it over a bit Oedewaldt decided that Sultans starter JAYLEN FLEER had a strong outing except for five pitches.

“All five of Patrick Henry’s hits came on 2-strike counts, including the 1-2 pitch Esquerra hit off the bank in left field,” Oedewaldt said.

Santana had taken the early lead when CAMERON BALOUGH laced a 2-0 fastball over the right-center field fence in the 2nd inning for his 4th home run.

The opener took only 91 minutes to complete.

The second game was a complete contrast as the two teams combined for 32 runs, 27 hits and utilized 10 pitchers in a 3½ hour marathon.

This, too, was a tough loss to swallow for the Sultans (8-15-1) as they overcame a 9-3 deficit with 11 runs in the 4th inning.

In that big inning BRIAN ASHWILL was the catalyst as he drove in five runs with a 3-run homer and a sacrifice fly that plated two Sultans.

Fifteen batters came to the plate in the Sultans’ wacky 4th inning. Twelve of them collected hits.

“It’s hard to believe we could get 12 hits in one inning, and total only 3 in our other six innings,” commented Oedewaldt.

Santana erased an early Patrick Henry advantage with three runs in the 2nd frame. They parlayed three walks, a wild pitch and a 2-run single by ZACH BREIDT to move in front 3-2.

Breidt continues to swing the hot bat. He’s hit safely in 8 of his last 9 games and batted at a .621 clip over that stretch. His totals also include 18 hits – five of them doubles – 11 RBI and 10 runs scored.

JESSE ROBERTO was also 3-for-3 with three runs scored for Santana. TYLER WEISS was 2-for-4 with a double and 2 RBI.

Esquerra was 3-for-8 with two home runs, a double and 6 RBI for Patrick Henry (17-7).

Grossmont infielders Will Soto (17) and Alex Connor exchange congratulations after defeating Valhalla, 7-2, to sweep the series. (Photo by Tim Soto) ADDITIONAL PHOTOS HERE

© East County Sports.com
SPRING VALLEY (5-7-11) — The so-called showdown between El Capitan and Monte Vista in Friday’s (May 6) Grossmont Valley League contest belonged to El Capitan junior left-hander TROY CONYERS.

The 6-foot-4, 223-pound Stanford bound Conyers led the Vaqueros to a more dominating victory than the final score suggests. Conyers matched his career high of 14 strikeouts and allowed only two hits as No. 4 ranked El Capitan (21-5, 8-0 GVL) cruised to a 6-0 victory.

Only two Monarchs reached base against Conyers (6-1) – a single by JOHN BALAJADIA in the 1st inning and a pop-fly single by CARLOS OCHOA in the 4th. No Monarchs advanced past first base.

Conyers struck out every batter in the Monte Vista lineup and struck out the side in the 3rd and 7th innings. He retired the last 10 batters to end the game.

“I’ve never seen him pitch a better game than this,” said Vaqueros coach STEVE VICKERY. “He was just unhittable. He had command of all three pitches and he was borderline unfair. Personally I think it’s the most dominating that I’ve seen him.”

Conyers believes that his 2-1 loss in the National Prep Classic against Bishop Amat was his best game, when he pitched a complete game 4-hitter and struck out seven with a blister on the middle finger of his throwing hand.

“Actually I don’t know which was better. I know I struck out 14 when I was a freshman,” Conyers recalled.

CURREN FACER, who has had 5 hits in his last two games, was 3-for-4 against the Monarchs.

“I’m streaking up right now,” said Facer, who is 6-for-12 with four doubles and a triple in his last three starts. “This is an important sweep for us.”

STEELE CANYON 10, GRANITE HILLS 9 – Steele Canyon made one of the most unbelievable comebacks of the season in Friday’s (May 6) Grossmont Hills League encounter with visiting Granite Hills.

After the Eagles took a 9-0 lead in the 3rd inning, the game belonged to the Cougars (14-9, 6-4 GHL).

“I don’t know if we’ve ever come back from a 9-0 deficit before,” said senior shortstop CLAYTON ROYER, “but I do know that we blew a 10-0 lead at El Capitan last year so I know what that feels like, and it’s not very good.”

Royer remembers the battle against El Capitan in which the Vaqueros ultimately won 12-10.

“That’s a nightmare I never want to experience again,” he said. “Coming back like this is a whole lot better feeling.”

For Steele Canyon, which has won three straight, the comeback was gradual. An RBI single by ROBBY NELSON capped a 2-run 3rd inning against Granite Hills’ injured ace DANIEL STARWALT. That finished Starwalt who left the game with back pain and the Granite Hills bullpen caved in.

On the flip side Cougars reliever RAY GOMEZ came through with his finest relief stint of the season by blanking the Eagles on four hits over the final 4 1/3 innings to earn his 3rd win in four decisions.

“It looked like they had BRAD’s (BOEHMKE) number, so they called on me,” said Gomez, who was in front of a bonfire at the beach, celebrating the victory. “They wanted me to stop the bleeding, give my team a chance to win. I know our team can hit but I figured I had to shut off the Granite Hills offense, and then let our offensive lineup do the rest of the work.”

Steele Canyon’s comeback continued in the 4th inning on a 2-run triple by JESSE JENNER and an RBI double by GARRETT GANDOLFO to cut the Eagles’ lead to 9-6.

Back-to-back two-out doubles by Gandolfo and WES JUDISH made it a 2-run game after six innings.

The Cougars saved their best for last. VINNY SORRENTINO walked and Nelson singled. KYLE SAGER put down a sacrifice bunt but the Eagles threw it away, allowing Sorrentino to score. NATHAN MURRAY singled in Nelson to tie the game 9-9. ERNIE FLINT was inserted as a pinch runner and eventually scored the winning run on Royer’s walkoff single.

“It was a fastball and I was able to hit it up the middle,” Royer said.

Batting in the leadoff spot for the last five games, Royer said he really wasn’t comfortable doing so even though he was 3-for-5 against the Eagles.

“When you hit leadoff you have to take a lot more pitches,” he said. “I’m not crazy about batting at the top of the order but I’ll do whatever it takes to make our team win.”

“With our lineup I know – no matter what the score is – we’re not out of the game. We have a lot of experience and we’re explosive. We’ve lost a lot of games in the last inning by failing to get the big hit, but that wasn’t the case this time and hopefully that’ll be a trend.

Freshman ROBERT BOSTEDT helped Granite Hills (10-13, 4-6 GHL) take the early lead with a pair of singles and his first varsity home run for 4 RBI.

NOAH CUMMINGS was also 3-for-3 with 2 RBI for the Eagles. Starwalt was 3-for-4 with an RBI and allowed only 5 hits and no earned runs in three innings on the hill for Granite Hills.

Despite spraining his ankle sliding into 3rd base in an attempted steal during the third frame, Maples insisted to continue his quest on the mound and managed to turn in his first complete game of the season.

“I tweaked my ankle and it was throbbing,” Maples said. “But I wanted the ball.”

Maples, a 5-foot-10 left-hander, went more to his breaking ball than fastball over the final four innings.

“I threw a lot of sliders to the right-hand hitters and they pulled everything,” Maples said. “My curveball was effective because they did not make good contact and tapped rollers to our infielders. I had to make some adjustments. They really hit my fastball early on, so I made it a show-me pitch over the last six innings.”

Maples struck out 8 and walked none.

“By the 6th inning all of my pitches seemed to be working pretty well for some reason,” he said. “All I could think about was how much I wanted to win that game and how much I wanted to finish it.”

And so he did.

All of Mount Miguel ’s scoring came in the 3rd inning. The Matadors (8-15, 3-5 GVL) received plenty of help from Santana as Sultans starter JAMES DOHERTY hit ANTHONY ORTEGA and Maples to set the stage for the outburst.

BRAD MORENO advanced the runners with a sacrifice bunt. ANTHONY GARCIA singled in a run and when the Sultans kicked the ball around in the outfield, Maples scored, cutting Santana’s advantage to 5-2.

JOSH IBARRA singled in a run for the Matadors and one out later JOHNNY WRIGHT doubled in another to make it 5-4. BRENT LEASK then drew a walk and JUWUN McCRAY lined a single off the pitcher’s glove to tie it. The Santana shortstop picked up the ball and threw it away, giving the Matadors a 6-5 lead.

Moreno then singled in two to stake Mount Miguel to a 3-run edge.

Santana (8-13-1, 3-5) did not fold. Doubles by ZACH BREIDT and CHRIS CAMARDA parlayed doubles to cut the deficit to two runs.

Mount Miguel’s fourth error the game handed the Sultans another run in the 7th but Maples was able to hang on for his 3rd win in five decisions.

Breidt, Santana’s leadoff man, collected a pair of hits including a double in four at-bats and has now hit for a .636 average (14-for-22) with 10 runs and 11 RBI over the past seven games.

Camarda came up big against the Matadors with three hits in four at-bats to go along with 3 RBI. He gave Santana the early lead with a solo home run in the 1st inning and singled in a run in the 2nd frame as the Sultans took a 5-0 lead.

GROSSMONT 7, VALHALLA 2 – The 7th ranked Grossmont Foothillers (19-5, 9-1) have all but locked up their 6th straight Grossmont League pennant thanks to Friday’s (May 6) Grossmont Hills League victory over host Valhalla .

The Foothillers, who have won eight in a row and 12 of their last 13 starts, need only two wins in their final five games to secure the GHL crown.

“We’re not a flashy team,” said Grossmont coach JIM EARLEY. “But we do have the basic ingredients to be a championship team. That is, we have great pitching, a steady defense and the ability to score enough runs.”

Friday’s knockout of Valhalla is exactly what Earley was talking about. The Foothillers took a 3-0 in the 3rd inning. JOE MUSGROVE led the way with a lead double and advanced to third on a base hit by TYLER TIMMER. A groundout by ALEX CONNOR scored Musgrove.

After ERICK ECKLEY was hit by a pitch, catcher JORDAN GERLEK grounded out to score Timmer. DEREK RUSTICH then doubled in Eckley.

Slumping Valhalla, however, fought back. The Norsemen (10-13, 5-5 GHL), which have lost 9 of their last 10, cut Grossmont’s advantage to a single marker on an RBI double by FRANCISCO TELLEZ and an RBI single by ERIC PROVANCHA.

Grossmont counterpunched with two runs in the 6th. With one out pinch hitter JON HOWARTH singled to right and stole second. ROBBY NESOVIC then singled to plate Howarth. A Valhalla error allowed Nesovic to score and suddenly the Foothillers were on top by 2.

Grossmont put the game away with two runs in the 7th inning. Connor doubled to center field and EVAN ROSENBERGER ran for him. Eckley singled to left to put runners at the corners. Rustich brought in Rosenberger with a sacrifice fly and the Norsemen wild pitched Eckley home.

Musgrove, after leaving the bases loaded in the 5th inning, retired the last eight batters – two in the 5th inning, and 1-2-3 in the 6th and 7th innings.

“Joe has pitched better games but he was gritty in this one and got the job done,” Earley said.

CHRISTIAN 8, CHRISTIAN LIFE 3 – Senior JOSH SUFFRIDGE and junior KYLE HARRIS helped the Christian High Patriots (10-13-1) gang up on the visiting Christian Life Academy Eagles in Friday’s (May 6) non-league activity. It was the Patriots 5th win in their last eight starts.

Suffridge slugged a triple, a single, drove in a run and scored twice. In addition, he pitched four innings and struck out 5. But the pitching nod went to Harris, who twirled three shutout innings without giving up a hit. He walked none and struck out two to roll his record to 2-1.

Furthermore, Harris snapped a 4-4 tie with an RBI double in the 5th inning.

Not to be overlooked is the bat work of Christian senior outfielder SHIN KURODA, who stretched his hitting streak to seven games with a pair of singles. During his recent batting spree, Kuroda is batting at a .650 clip (13-for-20) with two home runs, nine runs and 11 RBI.

“Overall it was a decent game all around,” Christian coach MIKE MITCHELL said. “We won the week so we’re happy about that. Next week we play Mira Mesa and they are loaded with pitching. So we are going to have to play really good defense. If we give up more than two or three runs we’ll be in trouble.”

MOUNTAIN EMPIRE 13, FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 5 – The Red Hawks scored 8 runs in the bottom of the 1st inning of Friday’s (May 6) non-league game in Pine Valley. No other information was reported.

Foothills Christian infielder Trevor Tinney (4) throws out a Lutheran batter in an 8-1 triumph in Citrus West League action at Stars Field. (Photo by Robert Atterbury) ADDITIONAL PHOTOS HERE

© East County Sports.com
BARONA INDIAN RESERVATION (5-6-11) — It was payback time for the Foothills Christian Knights Thursday (May 5) as they avenged an earlier Citrus West League loss to lowly Lutheran with an 8-1 knockout at Stars Field.

Versatile senior J.R. ATTERBURY provided the spark for the Knights (11-9, 5-2 CWL) with a two-run home run and a pair of triples, giving him the San Diego CIF edge for three-base blows with 7.

“Atterbury has been swinging the bat well,” Foothills coach DAVE LEWIS said. “He has one of the best swings I’ve seen this year.”

Sophomore TREVOR TINNEY was 2-for-4 with a triple, two RBI, two runs scored and three stolen bases.

Winning pitcher ZACK TOMLIN was 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI and two steals. On the hill he allowed only one run and five hits over six innings as he posted his 4th win in five decisions.

Lutheran stunned Foothills, 7-6, in the first-round meeting on Apr. 12.

El Capitan left fielder Eric Lozano comes off the bank at Hostetler Field to fire the baseball back to the infield in a 10-2 triumph over Monte Vista. (Photo by Mark Gabriels) ADDITIONAL PHOTOS HERE

© East County Sports.com
LAKESIDE (5-5-11) — Is the Grossmont Valley League pennant chase really as one-sided a race as was predicted?

Maybe.

No.7-ranked El Capitan met its first round league challenge head on Wednesday (May 4) and came away with a lopsided 10-2 romp over upstart Monte Vista. That gives the Vaqueros a three-game lead with six games remaining in the race for the league title.

“We knew it was going to come down to us and them,” said El Capitan junior catcher CHUCK MOORMAN, who accounted for three of the Vaqueros’ 15 hits. “Winning this first one takes a big burden off our shoulders.”

Moorman is batting at a .476 clip over his last eight games, with three extra base hits and 14 RBI.

“Right now, 1 through 9, we’re really starting to hit,” he said. “It’s nice to come together as a group.”

El Capitan (20-5, 7-0 GVL) capitalized on two critical errors by Monte Vista (17-7, 6-1 GVL) in the opening two frames.

It appeared that Monte Vista would escape without allowing a run in the opening inning, however, a wide throw at first base and an attempted tag by GORDY JUAREZ spun the Monarchs’ first baseman like a turnstile and caused the ball to sail into center field. That allowed the Vaqueros to cash in the first run.

ERIC LOZANO then singled in the second run to make it 2-0 for El Capitan.

Another critical Monte Vista error helped the Vaqueros score three times in the 2nd inning. The bottom line is TYRONE WIGGINS doubled in one run, SHELDON GABRIELS singled in another and the third tally scored on an infield error.

Suddenly Monte Vista trailed 5-0.

The Monarchs fought back though in the 3rd inning. PAUL O’CONNOR slugged a double into left field. With two outs NICK SABO blasted a tape measure home run over the 400-foot sign at the top of the center field bank for his 6th round-tripper of the season.

Vaqueros coach STEVE VICKERY said it was one of the three longest home runs he’s ever seen hit at El Capitan ’s Hostetler Field. He recalled equal shots by 18-year major league veteran TONY CLARK, a 6-foot-7 first baseman for Valhalla and former 6-foot-5, 245-pound catcher DAMON HANSEL of Granite Hills.

“Against Clark we probably threw 40 straight curveballs in three games, then there was one game we were up 13-0 and DAVID RIOS (now vice principal at West Hills) tried to sneak a fastball by him and he hit it about the same place Sabo did,” Vickery recalled. “And Hansel’s shot was really close to the same area.

“So no question, Sabo’s in the top three right now.”

Sabo said his home run at El Capitan was hit harder and probably farther than his remarkable shot at Granite Hills earlier in the season.

“I know I hit this one harder than the one I hit at Granite Hills,” said Sabo. “It was a fastball, waist high over the plate and I was ready. He just left it up and I was ready to hit it.”

El Capitan pounded out 15 hits against three Monte Vista pitchers. That was more than enough for KEVIN GINKEL, who allowed only two runs and five hits over five innings as he collected his 7th win without a loss. He also struck out nine.

The Vaqueros put this game on ice when Wiggins laced his East County leading 8th home run with two runners on, giving El Capitan an 8-2 lead in the 3rd inning.

“When Sabo hit that home run I’m sure they thought they had a lot of momentum,” said Wiggins. “I think I kind of killed that momentum. I hit a changeup, down and got good lift on it. I wasn’t sure it was gone when I hit it, it was really low and in the gap.”

Wiggins finished with 4 RBI, while CURREN FACER contributed two doubles.

“So goes Wiggins, so go we,” said Vickery. “When he’s on track, so is our whole offense.”

In a scoreless ballgame, Grossmont High's Tyler Timmer smashes a home run, lifting the GHL leading Foothillers past second-place Valhalla. (Photo by Tim Soto) ADDITIONAL PHOTOS HERE

GROSSMONT 2, VALHALLA 0 – Thanks to the complete game 3-hit pitching of ROBBY NESOVIC and the 6th inning home run by TYLER TIMMER, the Grossmont Foothillers edged visiting Valhalla in Wednesday’s (May 4) Grossmont Hills League contest at Joe Gizoni Field.

It was the 7th straight win and 11th in 12 starts for the No. 7 ranked Foothillers (18-5, 8-1 GHL).

Grossmont is resting on a 3-game cushion with six games remaining in the GHL season. The Foothillers have captured five consecutive league titles and are all but a sure thing to make it six in a row.

Of course Foothillers skipper JIM EARLEY might not be so hasty as to start engraving trophies.

“There’s a lot of ball still to be played so we’re not looking any further than our next game,” he said.

Nesovic notched his 4th complete game and posted his 7th win without a loss. He struck out eight and walked only one.

The closest thing Valhalla (10-12, 5-4 GHL) had to a rally against Nesovic came in the 3rd inning. That was the only time the Norsemen had more than one runner on base and they did so without benefit of a hit.

But Nesovic was able to sidestep his only walk and Grossmont’s only error to deal Valhalla its third shutout loss of the season.

Valhalla freshman MITCH COOMBS did a little tightrope walk of his own. After walking the first three hitters to start the game, Coombs was able to escape unscathed.

During a 5 1/3 inning stint Coombs made allowed only four hits and made only one mistake. That miscue came in the 6th inning when TYLER TIMMER hit the first pitch over the right-center field fence.

“We could sit here and cry about getting beat by a 298 foot home run,” Valhalla coach MIKE WILSON said. “But that’s not the complete picture. When you don’t score, you can’t win – it’s that simple.

“Injuries hurt us and we were missing two of our better hitters, AUSTIN HENSLEY and RYAN PETERSEN. When we don’t have those guys in the lineup it enables the other team to pitch around our best hitters, FRANCISCO TELLEZ and BRYCE MOSIER.”

Grossmont added an insurance run in the 6th on a dropped fly ball in the outfield.

“With the kind of pitching staff we have we don’t need to score a lot of runs,” Earley said. “But I’d sure like to see us score a few more – take some of the pressure off our pitchers.”

STEELE CANYON 6, GRANITE HILLS 4 – Although the Steele Canyon Cougars (13-9, 5-4 GHL) moved into a second place tie with Valhalla via Wednesday’s (May 4) Grossmont Hills League victory at Granite Hills, they realize they are still a longshot to overtake the front-running Foothillers.

“We know that our situation is more a matter of collecting as many victories as we can in the last six games to prepare for the playoffs,” said Steele Canyon senior JESSE JENNER. “That doesn’t mean we’re conceding the league championship to anyone.”

Jenner, who is 4-for-9 with 5 RBI and three extra base hits, provided the spark for the Cougars’ latest win at Granite Hills. Following a leadoff single by CLAYTON ROYER in the opening frame Jenner doubled off the bottom of the center field fence to give the Cougars a 1-0 lead. GARRETT GANDOLFO then singled in Jenner to make it 2-0.

An inning later after NATHAN MURRAY led off with a walk, Jenner propelled his 4th home run of the season over the right-center field fence.

“I hit an 0-1 curveball off the fence for my double,” said Jenner, who now carries a .435 batting average, which includes 15 extra base hits. “The home run came on an 0-1 fastball.

Jenner has accounted for 35 runs for the Cougars, including 21 RBI.

“I had a little mid-season slump,” he admitted. “I had to change my stance because earlier in the year I was a little too open. I was lunging too often – hitting off my front foot.”

Jenner said he’s made what he called “minor adjustments, and it’s made all the difference.” Basically what he did is close his stance.

“Once I did that I had a quicker bat and fewer margins for errors,” he said.

In his last two games Jenner was 4-for-9 with a pair of doubles, a home run and 5 RBI.

Steele Canyon opponents will undoubtedly agree that Jenner is the catalyst for the Cougars’ offense.

“Jenner could be the best overall hitter in East County,” said Granite Hills coach JAMES DAVIS. “I know he’s a tough out for us.”

Six of Steele Canyon ’s eight hits came at the top of the order, including two apiece by Royer and Gandolfo as well as Jenner.

Junior southpaw FRANK CALIFANO checked the Eagles (10-12, 4-5 GHL) on one run and four hits over the first five innings to roll his record to 5-1. This Califano is unique in that he’s not a fireballer or a crafty curveballer, but he is mesmerizing – especially when it comes to picking off runners.

Jenner, who has served the Cougars as a catcher, first baseman, third baseman, left fielder and right fielder, has done the majority of his work from behind the plate. He knows Califano’s style.

“I know all the coaches out there think every time Frank picks somebody off it’s a balk,” Jenner said. “He has a deceptive move by using his head and his legs to confuse the runner.”

Steele Canyon assistant coach MARK BRUDER also heaped accolades on Califano.

“He helps himself with all those pickoffs,” Bruder said. “And he really helps our catchers because runners are afraid to take a big lead.”

Trailing 5-0, Granite Hills fought back with a run in the 5th inning. It could have been a much bigger inning for the Eagles but Califano picked off a Granite Hills runner for the first out.

However with two outs, the Eagles started in again as TRENTON BROOKS doubled to right-center on an 0-2 pitch. After RYAN McCLANAHAN walked, NOAH CUMMINGS doubled to left to put the Eagles on the board.

Granite Hills made a serious charge in the 6th inning after Califano had departed. DANIEL BAGDASAR laced a 2-run double to left-center, chopping Steele Canyon ’s advantage to 5-3. A pinch single by BRANDON SPEAR scored Bagdasar and made it a 1-run game.

Steele Canyon added an insurance run in the 7th as Gandolfo doubled and scored on a base hit by WES JUDISH.

“Steele Canyon is the best team in East County, even though they don’t always play like it,” Davis stated. “Their lineup is solid all the way through.”

The Eagles might have pulled an upset over the Cougars had it not been for some excellent glove work by the team from Rancho San Diego.

“Royer (at shortstop) took away two runs from us with a diving catch of a linedrive that was about five feet off the ground,” said Davis. “Not only was that a great play but it saved two runs for Steele Canyon.”

Steele Canyon helped shut off the Eagles with a pair of early double plays.

“This was a solid ballgame,” Davis said. “And Steele Canyon got the nod.”

WEST HILLS 7, HELIX 4 – It’s hard to believe that the Helix Highlanders could be ranked No. 8 in the San Diego CIF when the Highlanders have lost four of their last six decisions.

To West Hills, it doesn’t matter Helix’ plight. Coach JASON FOWLER’s Wolf Pack (8-13, 2-7 GHL) is only concerned about making the SDCIF Division II playoffs.

“Our goal is to make the playoffs and I think we can do it if we keep playing like we did today,” said West Hills’ winning pitcher CAMERON HOWELL (3-5), who surrendered only one earned run and four hits in six innings. It took him 98 pitches to complete the task.

“I’ve been struggling lately so it finally feels good to get one,” he added. “Of course I got a lot of help this time. That hasn’t been the case most of the year – pitching with run support like I got today.”

Howell said he was not throwing anything special to handcuff the Highlanders (17-7, 3-6 GHL).

“Basically all I was throwing was my two-seamer,” he said. “The big thing is I was able to make it tail away and the hitters weren’t able to make contact.”

T.C. GRADY shut the Highlanders down in the 7th inning. Without garnering a hit Helix managed to bring the tying run to the plate. But Grady didn’t buckle, as he earned his first save.

“He’s not all that dominant but he’s a side-arm pitcher,” Fowler said of Grady. “He’s not one of those knuckle-scrapers but he gets ground balls. I know there are a couple of submariners around in East County but T.C. is more of a side-armer and his ball just sinks. He’s not looking for strikeouts, he’s looking for ground balls.”

Trailing 4-2 after three innings, West Hills erupted for four runs in the 4th. BRANDON BEARD was hit by a pitch and TY SOTELLO followed with one of his three hits in the game. After BRADY FOULK walked to load the bases, freshman center fielder D.J. LEWIS hammered a deep drive to left-center field that neared the top of the fence. It went for a double and 2 RBI, which tied the game at 4-4.

“Actually I thought it was going out,” Lewis said. “It was an inside fastball – the same exact pitch that he (ROMELLO CARBUCCIA) threw to me in my first at-bat. This time the pitch caught a little bit more of the plate. It was a fastball and I was able to do a better job of lining up on it.”

The swing vote for West Hills came when the Highlanders booted a bases-loaded ground ball, allowing the Wolf Pack to take a 6-4 lead.

“Those are the kind of things that have been happening to us all year,” Fowler said. “Finally we got a break our way.”

The Wolf Pack added an insurance run in the 5th frame. Beard doubled to left-center and advanced to third on Sotelo’s single. Beard raced home on Lewis’ sacrifice fly.

“We’re a good ballclub – a lot better than people think we are,” said Lewis. “We have passion and we play with intensity. We’re not intimidated by anybody.”

Despite its lofty rankings Helix coach COLE HOLLAND hopes to right the ship. None of the Highlanders garnered more than one hit against West Hills pitching.

“We’re just not very tough, we haven’t learned how to handle adversity, which we will definitely come across in the playoffs,” said Holland. “We’re just not competing.”

SANTANA 12, MOUNT MIGUEL 2 – Junior KYLE GASNER gave the Santana pitching corps a burst of energy in his first varsity start by spinning six shutout innings, and shortstop ZACH BREIDT continued his torrid hitting as the Sultans rolled over visiting Mount Miguel in Wednesday’s (May 4) Grossmont Valley League activity.

Gasner, a 5-foot-11, 160-pound left-hander had pitched only 8 2/3 innings and carved out a 3.23 ERA with 13 strikeouts in six previous relief appearances.

“I definitely like starting the best,” Gasner said. “I like knowing I have a chance to take the team to the finish line. I felt I had complete command of my pitches. My curveball was sharp and I thought I spotted my fastball well. My team behind me did the rest.”

Gasner walked 3 and fanned 7.

“Gasner was impressive today,” Santana coach LARRY OEDEWALDT said. “He was pretty much in total command the whole game. He’s pitched himself into the rotation.”

At the plate, Gasner was 2-for-3 with 4 runs scored.

“I had a pretty decent day,” added Gasner, Santana’s varsity quarterback.

Meanwhile, Breidt continued to wield a big stick in the Santana leadoff slot with a double, triple and four RBI. In his last six games, Breidt has produced a dozen hits, nine runs, and 10 RBI in 18 at-bats for a .667 average.

Breidt slugged a lead double in the 1st inning and scored on a base hit by CHRIS CAMARDA. After CAMERON BALOUGH walked, the runners moved up on a wild pitch. That set the stage for COREY POE’s two-run single.

An RBI single by SEAN ROSS extended Santana’s advantage to 4-0 in the 4th.

Breidt blasted a bases-loaded triple to cap a 5-run 5th inning that catapulted Santana (8-12-1, 3-4 GVL) into a 9-0 lead.

Mount Miguel (7-15, 2-5 GVL) avoided the shutout by scoring two runs off of Santana reliever JAYLEN FLEER in the 7th inning.

ANTHONY ORTEGA picked up one his two hits in the game during that frame. The run scored on a CHRIS MAPLES’ ground out and a wild pitch. FRANCO LUNA also had two hits for the Matadors.

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SAN CARLOS (5-4-11) — Christian High coach MIKE MITCHELL couldn’t believe his eyes. His Patriots found another way to give away an Eastern League game they appeared to have in the books Tuesday (May 3) at Patrick Henry.

And the biting part of the 9-8 loss to Henry is the winning and tying runs in the bottom of the 7th came without benefit of a hit. Well, a ball hit by a bat anyway.

Reliever STEVEN JOHNSTON plunked William Barr with a pitch to force in the tying marker. The Christian reliever then hit Shane Williams with a pitch to give the Henry Patriots (15-6, 5-3 EL) the walk-off (or hit-by-pitch off) win.

“It got really hard to find the strike zone,” Mitchell said. “We just couldn’t get the last out. We hadn’t lost this way before. I’ve coached a lot of games and I’ve never had a walk, hit-by-pitch, hit-by-pitch loss before. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one.”

Henry actually scored four runs in the bottom of the 7th to erase an 8-5 Christian advantage.

Christian pitchers hit three batters in the final frame. The first one on an 0-2 pitch.

Overall, the Patriots walked seven, hit four batters and uncorked three wild pitches in the game.

The East County squad wiped out a 2-0 deficit in the 3rd inning. SHIN KURODA clubbed a two-run home run to tie it. TANNER PERRY kept the rally alive with a single and scampered around to third on MICHAEL POTEET’s double. PHIL JOHNSTON’s sacrifice fly gave Christian the lead.

After Henry wrestled the lead back at 5-3, Christian erupted for five runs in the 6th. MICHAEL KAUFMAN and JOSH FITZGERALD stroked RBI singles. Kuroda brought in another run with a bases-loaded walk. Perry then singled in a run and Michael Poteet capped the inning with a sacrifice fly.

“We’re down one win,” said Mitchell. “The goal is to still win the week. We won last week, and the week before and we’re going to win this week, too.”

Christian takes a break from league play to host Christian Life Academy on Friday (May 6) at 3:30 p.m.

El Capitan's Brad Mitchell (6) slides into second as the throw arrives late to Mount Miguel's Cesar Preciado. El Capitan won to gain a share of first place in the Grossmont Valley League. (Slideshow by Mark Gabriels) ADDITIONAL PHOTOS HERE

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LA MESA (5-3-11) — Talk about a contrast.

In Monday’s (May 2) Grossmont Hills League rematch between the Steele Canyon Cougars and the Helix Highlanders, 21 runs were scored between the two only three days after the Highlanders eked out a 1-0 victory at Petco Park.

This was a virtual free-for-all as the Cougars laced out 17 hits and the Highlanders hammered out 13 in a game won by Steele Canyon 15-6.

Several Cougars qualified for hero status, including center fielder-pitcher BRAD BOEHMKE. Not only did the senior, who was a record-setting quarterback for the Cougars’ football team, pitch the final four innings to post his first pitching nod, he also was 2-for-4 with two runs scored.

It was a rocky beginning for Boehmke, who relieved starter MICHAEL CEDEROTH with two runners on and nobody out in the 4th inning.

“I don’t want to make excuses but I came straight in from center field to pitch,” Boehmke said.

Thus all he was allotted was eight warm-up tosses.

KACY SMITH promptly laced a 1-1 pitch over the right-field fence to cut the Cougars’ advantage to 7-6.

“Kacy and I were on the same travel ball team last summer,” Boehmke noted. “I see him more of a contact guy and I didn’t expect him to get that much of the barrel on the pitch he hit out.”

Boehmke’s woes continued as the Highlanders banged out two more singles. But the Cougars’ hurler escaped further damage. In fact he blanked the Highlanders on two hits over the final three frames to earn his first win in three decisions.

As a hitter Boehmke sparked Steele Canyon rallies with a single in the 3rd and being hit by a pitch in the 5th.

”We’re kinda like a light switch,” said Boehmke of the Cougars who collected 17 hits against three Helix pitchers. When we’re on, everybody hits – and that was the case today.”

WES JUDISH was 2-for-5 with 4 RBI for the Cougars. His 3rd home run of the season was a grand slam in the 7th inning, which put the game on ice for Steele Canyon (12-9, 4-4 GHL).

“We came up with some clutch hits today,” said Judish. “Personally I felt like we owed our pitchers a lot more support than we’ve been giving them.”

Judish recognized Boehmke’s solid relief pitching.

“He had a good splitter working and when he has that going, he’s tough,” Judish said. “We know we have the pitching, we also know we need to hit to win.”

Steele Canyon is tied for 3rd place three games behind Grossmont with seven games remaining.

“Every game in our league is anybody’s game to win,” Judish said. “We usually come out swinging. We keep on pushing and today was a good example of that. We’re not going to let one run beat us hardly ever. We have a solid offensive lineup but it’s a matter of executing.”

Steele Canyon proved that with a 6-run 2nd inning after Helix took a 3-0 lead in the 1st frame. Key blows in that uprising included an RBI single by CLAYTON ROYER, an RBI double by JESSE JENNER and a 2-run single by GARRETT GANDOLFO.

Royer capped a 3-run 5th inning for the Cougars with a 2-run double to left-center.

For No. 8 ranked Helix all nine starters contributed to the offensive output.

“The fact that we drove Michael Cederoth off the mound – knocked him out – after 3 innings plus says something about us,” said Helix coach COLE HOLLAND. “But we couldn’t stop them, especially the bottom of their order (which was 5-for-10 with six runs).”

EL CAPITAN 14, MOUNT MIGUEL 0 – No matter how you slice it, senior TYRONE WIGGINS is the kingpin of No. 4 ranked El Capitan.

Not surprisingly Wiggins, the Vaqueros senior leadoff hitter, was 4-for-5 with 2 RBI, three runs and a home run shy of hitting for the cycle as El Capitan mauled Mount Miguel on Monday (May 2) in a Grossmont Valley League meeting.

“He’s no flash in the pan guy. He’s just a winner,” El Capitan coach STEVE VICKERY said of Wiggins, who hoisted his batting average to .506 (41-for-81). There’s no question he makes our offense go, he’s always in the middle of things.”

Wiggins opened the game with a single, stole second and third and scored on a ground out by CHUCK MOORMAN. An inning later he doubled in a run and scored on a single by Moorman.

In the 4th frame Wiggins tripled in a run and scored on a sacrifice fly by SHELDON GABRIELS.

“Wiggins never gets cheated – in any at-bat – because he always has an approach in every at-bat,” said Vickery.

Moorman finished with 3 RBI, while TROY CONYERS and CURREN FACER also had 2 RBI apiece.

El Capitan’s pitching was supreme as MICHAEL FLORES, SHANE COLEMAN, ALEX MARISCAL, Gabriels and Facer combined to post a 3-hit shutout.

PETER BERNAL accounted for two of Mount Miguel ’s three hits, and DOMINIK SAWYER had the other.

Vickery was proud to note that he played every player on his roster.

“We’ve been getting contributions up and down our lineup,” he said. “We don’t have any easy outs. Monte Vista is a young team that has been well coached by CHAD WILLIAMS. So I know their players have great confidence and I know we’ll have to be at our best to beat them.”

El Capitan, which has won five straight and 11 of 12, will take on co-GVL leader Monte Vista (17-6, 6-0) in a critical two-game series that begins Wednesday (May 4) in Lakeside.

Grossmont pitcher Joe Musgrove not only earned the save, he also slugged a go-ahead, 2-run homer to power the Foothillers past visiting West Hills. (Photo by Tim Soto) ADDITIONAL PHOTOS HERE

GROSSMONT 4, WEST HILLS 3 – Thanks to JOE MUSGROVE the Grossmont Foothillers now enjoy a two-game cushion in the Grossmont Hills League pennant race.

“Today, it was ‘Team Musgrove,’” Grossmont coach JIM EARLEY chortled.

For visiting West Hills, it was no laughing matter what the Foothillers’ double-threat senior did to swing victory Grossmont’s way. Musgrove mashed his East County-tying best 7th home run with WILL SOTO (single) aboard to erase a 3-2 deficit.

That made a winner of relief pitcher MATT HEMPHILL, who twirled two innings of hitless relief. Musgrove then came on to blank the Wolf Pack (7-13, 1-7 GHL) with two strikeouts in the 7th to earn the save.

The No. 7 ranked Hillers (17-5, 7-1 GHL) have won six in a row and 10 of their last 11 starts as they prepare for a key two-game series against second-place Valhalla (10-11, 5-3 GHL) on Wednesday (May 4) and Friday (May 6) in Norsemen territory.

“That will have a lot to do about how the rest of our league goes,” Earley admitted. For Valhalla it’s an opportunity to create a log jam in the GHL.

West Hills parlayed a bunt single by D.J. LEWIS into a three-run 5th inning. RYAN NUCKOLS, BRIAN COMMERFORD and BRANDON BYRD picked up one RBI apiece.

Musgrove also walked and singled and now has reached base in his last eight at-bats.

Santana's Cameron Balough begins his slide while El Cajon Valley's Andrew Toma waits for the throw. (Slideshow by Scott Seidel) ADDITIONAL PHOTOS HERE

SANTANA 11, EL CAJON VALLEY 0 – Four Santana pitchers combined to spin a four-hitter and log 15 strikeouts as the Sultans (7-12-1, 2-4 GVL) smothered visiting El Cajon Valley in Monday’s (May 2) Grossmont Valley League action.

AUSTIN SEIDEL, who had pitched only 4 1/3 innings all year, worked the first four frames against the Braves. He allowed three hits and struck out 8.

STEVEN SOLIVAN and CHRIS CAMARDA struck out the side in the 5th and 7th innings, respectively. KYLE GASNER spun a scoreless 6th with one whiff.

Leadoff man ZACH BREIDT pounded out four hits in five at-bats to pace the Sultans. He began the game with a double and stole third. He scored on a single by JONATHAN ALEGRIA. CAMERON BALOUGH, Gasner, BRIAN ASHWILL and Seidel also drove in runs with hits in the 1st inning. SEAN ROSS chipped in with a sacrifice fly.

“It’s good for us to score some runs,” Santana skipper LARRY OEDEWALDT said. “Hopefully, we can carry this little surge over the rest of the season.”

The highpoint for El Cajon Valley is the Braves did not commit a single error.

CASEY RIVERA collected two hits for the Braves and ELMER RAMIREZ and ANTHONY TY had a hit apiece.

VISTA-CALVARY CHRISTIAN 5, FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN 2 – The Knights of Foothills Christian came close to knocking off the pitcher with the lowest ERA in the San Diego CIF statistical listings in Monday’s (May 2) Citrus West League contest.

Junior right-hander Russell Harmening, who entered the game at Stars Field at Barona with a 0.33 ERA (permitting just 2 earned runs), surrendered a pair of markers to Foothills Christian (10-9, 4-2 CWL) in the opening frame.

HENRY LUSCHEI lined an 0-2 pitch off Harmening’s glove for an infield single to begin the game. After advancing to third on back-to-back groundouts, Luschei scored on a wild pitch.

The Knights doubled their early lead when ZACH CUMMINGS and BRANDON JAROSIN drew two-out walks. They eventually executed a delayed double steal with Cummings scoring on his second theft of the inning.

Foothills starter J.R. ATTERBURY fired a complete game two-hitter and did not allow an earned run.

“Harmening is pretty good, but my kid outpitched him,” Knights coach DAVE LEWIS said. “J.R. should have won the game, but we didn’t make plays to support him.”

The only two hits given up by Atterbury was a line-drive single in the 4th inning and an infield single in the 5th. Both hits were by Alex Nurding.

We made three errors that helped Vista-Calvary Christian score three runs in the 4th,” Lewis said. “Then we dropped a fly ball in the outfield than gave them two more.

“It was a tough loss for Atterbury, but to his credit he kept his composure.”