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2009 Prep Baseball
San Diego Section

San Diego Section Finals
Christian Patriots, El Cap Vaqueros rule the diamond

Updated June 15, 2009
Two East County teams finished with San Diego Section baseball championships in finals held June 6 at SDSU’s Tony Gwynn Stadium: The Christian Patriots captured the Division IV title and the El Capitan Vaqueros won the Division II title.

Fourth-seeded Christian defeated third-seeded Madison, 5-4, as senior Brad Robertson picked up the win by hurling five shutout innings, retiring.the final 10 batters he faced.

The division title was the first for the Patriots (20-11) since 2003. Madison finished 20-15.

Taylor Eichhorst slammed a two-run home run in the first inning for Christian, but the Patriots trailed 4-2 before rallying for single runs in each of the third and fourth innings to level the score at four-all.

After leaving two men on in scoring position in the sixth inning, Christian managed to push across the winning run in the seventh frame. Josh Wolfson singled and Michael Gruber drew a walk before freshman Cody Poteet lined a pitch off the non-throwing arm of Warhawks hurler Jacob Merrill to load the bases. Merrill, apparently still shaken after being hit by the wicked come-backer, then walked Poteet’s older brother, Michael, to put the Patriots ahead 5-4.

Christian advanced to the championship game by defeating fifth-seeded Mater Dei, 4-2, in a double-elimination game June 4. Cody Poteet improved to 9-1 by tossing a three-hitter.

The Patriots opened the division tournament with blowout wins against 13th-seeded Foothills Christian (11-1 on May 26) and Mater Dei (11-0 on May 27). Cody Poteet slammed a two-run home run in the win over Mater Dei.

Christian continued to advance unscathed in the tourney by hanging a 4-3 defeat on top-seeded Coronado in second-round play on May 28. Shaun Day drove in the game-winning run after going 3-for-3 with a stolen base in the previous game.

Mater Dei forced the June 4 playback final with a courageous 7-0 win on June 2 as Manny Gutierrez led an under-manned Crusader team with eight strikeouts on the hill.

Cody Poteet, the team’s freshman sensation, compiled a 9-1 pitching record to go with a scintillating 1.56 earned-run average and 78 strikeouts in 71 innings. He also belted nine home runs while hitting .394 with 31 RBI.

He hurled seven complete games and tossed a no-hitter against Serra in an Eastern League contest, striking out 11 batters in that game.

Older brother Michael, a sophomore, compiled a 1.81 ERA in 10 pitching decisions.

Division II champs
Meanwhile, El Capitan ended top-seeded Grossmont’s bid for an unprecedented fifth consecutive division title by taming the red-hot Foothillers — winners of 10 consecutive games — by a 5-2 score. Tanner Rust slammed a two-out bases-loaded triple in the top of the ninth inning to score three runs as the seventh-seeded Vaqueros snapped a 2-2 tie.

El Capitan (20-13) took a 1-0 lead on a solo home run by Craig Leavitt in the second inning but Grossmont (24-10) came back in the bottom of the frame to go ahead by a run on a two-run single by Conor Meredith. The Vaqs tied the score in the fifth inning on a run-scoring single by Kyle Mills.

El Cap coach Steve Vickery told reporters after the game that he felt his team had the necessary confidence to “find a way to win” the game.

Freshman Troy Conyers started the game for the Vaqueros, pitching six innings, while Levi Stevens went into the ninth inning for Grossmont.

The Foothillers eliminated eighth-seeded Bonita Vista, 8-7, in the division semifinals on June 2 while the Vaqueros eliminated second-seeded Steele Canyon 13-4.

Craig Soggie-Henderson hit a home run while also earning the victory on the hill in Grossmont’s semifinal win. Evan Potter led Grossmont with three RBI while Mark Vasquez drove in a pair of runs.

The Foothillers previously defeated Bonita Vista, 6-4, on May 27 in first-round double-elimination play as Aaron Griffin, Meredith and Steven Brault each slammed home runs.

El Capitan smacked four Steele Canyon pitchers for 18 hits in the teams’ semifinal match-up. Brooks Noble went 4-for-5 with two RBI and scored twice while teammate Tyrone Wiggins went four-for-four with one RBI. Charles Moorman smashed a two-run home run in the third inning.

The Vaqueros advanced to the double-elimination tournament with a 7-4 play-in victory over 10th-seeded San Ysidro and then promptly bested No. 2 Steele Canyon by a 4-2 score in first-round play. El Capitan, backed by a pair of two-run home runs by Rust and Korbin Kruger, hammered third-seeded Helix, 7-2, in second-round play to stay unbeaten.

El Capitan finished 6-6 in Grossmont North League play, placing third in the standings behind Grossmont (10-2) and Santana (8-4).


Division III rondup
In the Division III championship game, top-seeded Cathedral Catholic (26-6) clobbered the second-seeded Montgomery Aztecs, 13-2, while Poway (28-7) topped Rancho Buena Vista, 4-3, to win the Division I championship.

A fourth East County team was denied a trip to the finals when Montgomery eliminated third-seeded Santana, 1-0, in the Division III playback final on June 4.

In that game, Abraham Torres (10-1) tossed a complete game four-hitter, striking out seven batters, while Marco Arellano drove in Johnny Miranda in the fourth inning for the only run of the game. The Aztecs advanced to the final despite rapping out only five hits. James Needy (8-5) took the loss for the Grossmont North League runner-up Sultans (23-12).

Montgomery and Santana matched up three times in the Division III double-elimination tournament, with the South Bay League co-champion Aztecs sending the Sultans to the losers bracket via a 5-0 victory on May 29 in second round play. Santana rebounded to defeat Montgomery, 3-0, behind the powerful pitching of Kyle Hays on June 2 to deny give the teams one loss apiece in the double-elimination tourney. Hays held the Aztecs to just one hit while striking out 13 batters. Dallas Seidel provided a cushion with a two-run single late in the game.

The Sultans opened the tournament with a 12-2 first-round victory over 11th-seeded La Jolla as Chris Camarda drove in five runs with three hits and bounced back after the first loss to Montgomery by defeating La Jolla again, this time by a 6-2 score on May 30 in elimination play. In the second match-up against the Vikings, Travis Reynolds drove in three runs with a triple.

Division I roundup
Granite Hills, seeded 10th in the Division I field, defeated sixth-seeded Mission Hills, 4-3, to win its play-in game on May 26. The Eagles then posted a 5-3 upset win over third-seeded Rancho Bernardo in the first round of the double-elimination tournament before falling, 4-3, to second-seeded Poway in the second round and dropping out of the tourney with a 5-2 loss to Rancho Bernardo in the elimination bracket. Granite Hills finished 2-2 in the Division I playoffs, 17-15 overall for the season.

Aztecs log 2nd-place finish at CIF finals
The Montgomery High School baseball team ended the 2009 season where it did one year ago: runner-up to the Cathedral Catholic Dons in the San Diego Section Division III championship game.

Cathedral Catholic won the 2008 match-up by a 5-3 score. The top-seeded Dons (26-6) blasted the second-seeded Aztecs (24-9) by a 13-2 score last Saturday at SDSU’s Tony Gwynn Stadium.

It was Montgomery’s third trip to the section finals in the last four years after winning the Division II championship in 2000.

The Aztecs were never really in the title rematch against the Dons after yielding five runs in the opening inning. Cathedral Catholic scored three runs in the fourth inning and five runs in the sixth inning to win going away.

The Dons finished the season by winning 19 of their last 21 games.

Tommy Cheek, one of nine Cathedral Catholic seniors playing their final game, went 2-for-3 with two RBI and scored two runs.
Ryan Wilkins, who went 2-for-4 at the plate with two RBI and two runs scored, tamed Montgomery with a five-hitter, allowing just one earned run. He improved to 8-1 on the season.

Tyler Gaffney, the section’s Offensive Player of the Year in football, had two hits and scored three runs.

Montgomery got its two runs in the sixth inning as Kevin Carreon drove in Victor Serna and Abraham Torres with a single. Torres had two hits in the game. Joey Marientes, Luis Leyva and Serna had the team’s other three hits.

The Aztecs used four pitchers in the game. Luciano Reynoso allowed five runs — all earned — in one-third of an inning while Estevan Carrillo also gave up five runs (three earned) in four-and-one-third innings of work. Michael Cortez allowed three runs (one earned) in one-third of an inning while Steven Schafer faced two batters without suffering any damage.

Nine of the Dons’ 13 runs were earned.

Cathedral Catholic breezed through this year’s double-elimination tournament with three straight wins to reach the final while Montgomery had to stave off a 3-0 loss to third-seeded Santana on June 2 with a nerve-racking 1-0 win in a rematch against the Sultans (23-12) in the challenger bracket final on June 4.

In the game that boosted the South Bay League co-champion Aztecs to the division championship game, Torres tossed a complete game four-hitter, striking out seven batters, while Marco Arellano drove in Johnny Miranda in the fourth inning for the only run of the game. The victory was Torres’ 10th of the season.

The Aztecs advanced to the final despite rapping out only five hits, including two by Jose Aguirre and a double by Miranda. James Needy (8-5) took the loss for Grossmont North League runner-up Santana.

Montgomery finished the 2009 playoffs 3-2 with additional wins against Castle Park (4-0 in the first round) and Santana (5-0 in the second round).

San Diego Section playoffs: Grossmont to face El Cap

Posted June 3, 2009

Division II
Top-seeded Grossmont (24-9) will face seventh-seeded El Capitan (19-13) in the 2009 San Diego Section Division II championship game this Saturday at SDSU’s Tony Gwynn Stadium. The Foothillers, who will be seeking to capture their fifth consecutive CIF title, eliminated eighth-seeded Bonita Vista, 8-7, in Tuesday’s division semifinals while the Vaqueros eliminated second-seeded Steele Canyon 13-4.

Bonita Vista advanced to Tuesday’s semifinals after eliminating fourth-seeded Westview, 7-3, last Saturday. In that game, Oli Lopez and Hector Montes both cracked three-run home runs in support of winning pitcher Troy Smith (5-3).

The Barons eliminated fifth-seeded Point Loma, 2-1, last Friday in another challenger bracket game as Montes entered the game in relief to pick up the win.

Bonita Vista finished 3-2 in this year’s tournament, losing twice to defending champion Grossmont.

The Foothillers handed the Barons their first loss in the double-elimination bracket, 6-4, on May 27 as Aaron Griffin, Conor Meredith and Steven Brault each slammed home runs. Montes accounted for all of Bonita Vista’s runs with a grand slam home run in the sixth inning.

Craig Soggie-Henderson hit a home run while also earning the victory on the hill in Tuesday’s semifinal match-up. Evan Potter led Grossmont with three RBI while Mark Vasquez drove in a pair of runs.

El Capitan smacked four Steele Canyon pitchers for 18 hits in Tuesday’s semifinal. Brooks Noble went four-for-five with two RBI and scored twice while teammate Tyrone Wiggins went four-for-four with one RBI. Charles Moorman smashed a two-run home run in the third inning.

The Vaqueros advanced to the double-elimination tournament with a 7-4 play-in victory over 10th-seeded San Ysidro and then promptly bested No. 2 Steele Canyon by a 4-2 score in first-round play. El Capitan, backed by a pair of two-run home runs by Tanner Rust and Korbin Kruger, hammered third-seeded Helix, 7-2, in second-round play to stay unbeaten.

Division III
The second-seeded Montgomery Aztecs had a chance to wrap up a berth in Saturday’s division championship game but dropped a 3-0 decision to third-seeded Santana in fourth-round play on Tuesday. Kyle Hays (10-5) held the powerful Aztecs to just one hit while striking out 13 batters.

The setback came after Montgomery had previously defeated the reigning Grossmont North League champions, 5-0, in a second-round match-up last Friday. In that game, the Aztecs bested Hays on six hits as ace Abraham Torres improved to 9-1 with a one-hitter.

Montgomery and Santana were to rematch on Thursday, with the winner advancing to Saturday’s division championship game against top-seeded Cathedral Catholic (25-6).

The Aztecs opened the double-elimination tournament on May 27 with a 4-0 victory over South Bay League rival Castle Park as Agustin Lopez earned the win and Kevin Carreon drove in the winning run. Montgomery out-hit the seventh-seeded Trojans (16-14) 7-3 in picking up the first-round victory.

Castle Park dropped to the challenger bracket, losing 11-3 to 11th-seeded La Jolla last Friday.

Division IV
Fifth-seeded Mater Dei remained in contention for a berth in Saturday’s division title game after dealing fourth-seeded Christian a 7-0 setback on seven unearned runs. The teams were to rematch Thursday with the victor to face either second-seeded Horizon Christian (25-7) or third-seeded Madison (19-14) in the championship game.

The Patriots dropped to 18-12 on the season following Tuesday’s loss while Mater Dei improved to 19-15.

The Crusaders, braced by three home runs, opened the playoffs on May 27 with a 10-0 victory over 12th-seeded Holtville in the play-in round but then dropped an 11-0 first-round match-up against Christian (a two-hitter by Erick Allen) in the opening round of double-elimination play. Mater Dei, employing a 12-hit attack, then topped eighth-seeded Mountain Empire, 14-0, in second-round play last Friday before receiving a forfeit win against top-seeded Coronado.

The Islanders had defeated the Crusaders, 3-0, last Saturday but had that victory overturned, as well as a previous win against Mountain Empire, after Coronado was found in violation of using an ineligible player. Mater Dei and Mountain Empire re-matched in an elimination game Monday, with the Crusaders emerging with a 5-4 victory to draw a rematch with Christian on Tuesday.

The Patriots are led by freshman whiz kid Cody Poteet. A Bonita resident, Poteet improved to 8-1 on the season after Christian dealt Coronado a 4-3 setback in eight innings in second-round play. He tossed a no-hitter while striking out 11 batters in an Eastern League game against Serra earlier this season.

Seven Metro teams qualify for 2009 CIF playoffs
Posted May 27, 2009
Just one South County team received a seeded position in this year’s San Diego Section double-elimination baseball tournament that began Wednesday. That one team was the reigning South Bay League co-champion Montgomery Aztecs, who received the No. 2 seed in the Division III field.

While the Aztecs (21-7) awaited the winner of Tuesday’s play-in game pitting Castle Park and San Dieguito Academy, the 2009 playoffs began under a cloud with the exclusion of Mesa League champion Otay Ranch because of an excessive number of forfeited non-league games.

The Mustangs finished 9-1 in league play but were not allowed to participate after forfeiting 12 games prior to the start of league play. Baseball teams with five or more forfeits cannot compete in post-season play, according to current section rules.

With Otay Ranch (12-19 overall including forfeits) declared out, four of the five remaining Mesa League teams did receive an invitation to Tuesday’s play-in round: Eastlake (18-10, 10th seed in Division I), Bonita Vista (16-11, eighth seed in Division II), Hilltop (11-15, 11th seed in Division II) and Mater Dei (15-14, fifth seed in Division IV). Only Chula Vista (3-7 in league, 11-18 overall) did not make the playoffs.

Three teams from the South Bay League qualified for this year’s playoff field. Joining Montgomery were league co-champion San Ysidro (21-7, 10th seed in Division II) and Castle Park (15-12, seventh seed in Division III). Missing the playoffs were fellow league members Mar Vista (5-7, 17-13), Sweetwater (5-7, 7-19), Olympian (3-9, 8-20-1) and Southwest (3-9, 7-18-1).

The double-elimination tournament includes five rounds. Finals are June 6 at SDSU.

Bonita Vista (6-5 over Ramona), Castle Park (3-2 over San Dieguito in nine innings) and Mater Dei (10-0 over Holtville) all survived Tuesday’s single-elimination play-in round.

Bonita Vista drew No. 1 Grossmont in Wednesday’s opening round of double-elimination play while No. 2 Montgomery hosted Castle Park and Mater Dei drew No. 1 Coronado.

Eastlake (10-1 losers to La Costa Canyon), Hilltop (7-2 losers to Scripps Ranch) and San Ysidro (14-4 losers to El Capitan) all lost play-in bids.

The Barons trailed the Bulldogs 4-0 entering the bottom of the fifth inning before scoring a pair of runs to halve the deficit. Bonita Vista got another run in the sixth inning but found itself down by two runs again after Ramona pushed another run across in the top of the seventh inning. The Barons rolled across three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to continue a flair for dramatic endings. Hector Montes gave the hosts the win on a three-run double. Troy Cruz, who entered the game in the fifth inning, picked up the win in relief to improve to 2-0.

Oscar Sanay (triple) drove in two runs while Nick Neely had one RBI on a sacrifice fly. Victor Munoz scored twice.
In Castle Park’s play-in win, Jorge Quezeda struck out 11 Mustangs while Carlos Rivera went 3-for-5 with the game-winning RBI and Ernesto Montano went 2-for-4 with two triples and drove in one run.

Mater Dei blasted three home runs against the Vikings.

Mustangs take Mesa League title but who will represent league in CIF play?

Posted May 20, 2009
The Otay Ranch Mustangs, saddled with 12 non-league forfeits for use of an ineligible player, defeated host Mater Dei by a score of 5-3 on Monday to lay claim to this year’s Mesa League baseball championship title with an 8-1 league record. But the team’s participation in post-season competition is questionable as the number of forfeited games exceeds the number allowed by the San Diego Section to remain eligible for playoff consideration.

The section playoffs start Tuesday, May 26, with the play-in round and on Wednesday, May 27, with double-elimination play.
Otay Ranch is 10-19 overall, including forfeits.

League champions receive automatic entry into post-season competition but a ruling by the section made public on Tuesday denies the Mustangs entry into this year’s CIF field. The section forbids baseball teams with five or more forfeits from competing in the playoffs. Next question: Will the Mesa League get another automatic qualifier or will the remaining teams only be up for at-large berths?

The section seeding meeting is Saturday.

Josh Ruiz picked up the win on the hill against Mater Dei on Monday to improve to 5-2 on the season while teammate Humberto Tovalin rapped out three hits and drove in two runs.

Eastlake (6-3, 17-10) remained in second place in the league standings following Monday’s 8-6 win at Chula Vista. Josh Barrera led the Titans with a home run and three RBI.

Bonita Vista improved to 5-4 in league play, 16-11 overall after defeating Hilltop 9-4.

Padres, San Diego Section to host five CIF baseball games this weekend at Petco Park
Posted May 7, 2009
Five official California Interscholastic Federation baseball games will take place at Petco Park on Friday, May 8, and Saturday, May 9, as a joint venture of the Padres and CIF–San Diego Section, according to Padres President and COO Tom Garfinkel and CIF–San Diego Commissioner Dennis Ackerman.

The games will feature teams from five of the seven conferences in the section playing seven-inning contests. Admission to each day’s games is $5, with all of the ticket proceeds benefiting CIF baseball programs. Tickets will be available through each participating school and the CIF office (6401 Linda Vista Road, room 504, San Diego).

“The Padres are pleased to again host high school games at Petco Park and to continue our efforts to foster youth baseball and softball participation at all levels,” Garfinkel said. “Having nine players and coaches in the Padres system who played CIF baseball in San Diego is testament to the dedicated baseball coaches and athletic directors in the region.”

“The CIF-San Diego Section salutes the San Diego Padres in their commitment to the high school student-athlete of San Diego and Imperial counties,” Ackerman said. “The Padres support of high school baseball and softball programs in all 112 member schools is helping to prepare our student-athletes for a better tomorrow.”

This year’s line-up spotlights Chula Vista and Bonita Vista, both of which will play a Mesa League game on Saturday at 1 p.m.
That game will be preceded at 10 a.m. by a contest between Canyon Crest and Francis Parker and followed by a game between Southwest (El Centro) and Central Union at 4 p.m.

Friday’s line-up includes Cathedral Catholic against. St. Augustine at 4 p.m., followed by Vista againstCarlsbad at 7 p.m.

Five current uniformed Padres played CIF-San Diego baseball: Kevin Correia (Grossmont High), Brian Giles (Granite Hills High), Adrian and Edgar Gonzalez (Eastlake High) and pitching coach Darren Balsley (University of San Diego High).

Four other players under contract with the Padres also played CIF-San Diego baseball: Allan Dykstra (Rancho Bernardo), Neil Jamison (Ramona), Mark Prior (USDHS) and Nick Vincent (Ramona).

The Padres will also host a CIF Night at the ballpark on Monday, June 8 (7:05 p.m. against Arizona). Scheduled activities include recognizing CIF-San Diego baseball and softball championship teams.

Aztecs down Spartans, claim Metro tourney title
Posted May 7, 2009
Montgomery High’s baseball team captured the Metro Conference tournament title for the second time in the past three years by defeating Chula Vista, 12-4, last Saturday at Bonita Vista High School. As fate would have it, this year’s match-up for the Baum Dog trophy — named after former longtime Hilltop coach John Baumgarten — pitted the top teams in the South Bay League (Montgomery) and the Mesa League (Chula Vista).

The conference tournament — pairing teams from the South Bay League against the Mesa League — began in late March.

Johnny Miranda keyed the Aztecs (18-6 overall) with a pair of doubles and a single to drive in four runs. Abraham Torres had two doubles and two RBI for Montgomery, which collected 13 hits against five Spartan pitchers.

The Aztecs entered last Saturday’s tourney title game with a 7-1 league record after topping host Olympian, 7-4. Miranda had a noteworthy outing by going two-for-three with a home run, triple and three RBI.

Chula Vista, which saw its overall record dip to 11-11, entered the tournament finale with a 3-1 league record.

Spartan coach Jim Westlund said he was “very proud” of his team’s effort to make it to the championship game. “It is our third appearance in the past five years and validates our baseball program as one of the county’s best,” the CV coach said.

Jorge Rosas had a home run in the game and threw out two base runners from his catcher position.

“We just had a hard time throwing strikes and when we fell behind their hitters on other occasions they made our pitchers pay the price,” Westlund said.

Westlund said Rosas, a senior, has been a major impact player for the Spartans both on the mound and as a hitter. He leads the section with five saves and has produced many key hits, according to the CV coach, as the team’s clean-up hitter. Second baseman Aaron Taylor has a .330 hitting average as the team’s No. 3 hitter while center fielder Roberto Lucero and left fielder-third baseman Jeffery Ayers both have contributed in key situations, particularly during the Lions tournament and the Metro Conference tourney.

Westlund said “a big surprise” has been the very strong play of shortstop Chris Schwanke.

“The Mesa League pennant this year is going to be a very tight race,” Westlund said. “Right now, Chula Vista, Eastlake and Otay Ranch are all 3-1 going into the third round of league play. It should come down the the last week of the season again this year.”

Chula Vista and Bonita Vista both took recent tours of Petco Park in advance of Saturday’s match-up on the Padres’ diamond.

“Our players were able to go on the field and see the visiting locker rooms as well as both covered batting practice areas,” Westlund said. “It was very inspiring and everyone in our program can’t wait until Saturday.”

The Padres have been great and we are very lucky to have an ownership group nice enough to allow us to play our game there."

Former CVHS standout Alex Pelaez is one local player who has worn a Padre uniform.

Mustangs, Spartans, Titans start out 2-0 in Mesa League play
Posted April 30, 2009
Chula Vista, Eastlake and Otay Ranch all got out of the chute with 2-0 Mesa League starts by sweeping their opening two-game series in league competition.

Eastlake, which shared last year’s league title with Bonita Vista, swept its league opening two-game series against Hilltop by scores of 4-3 (April 22) and 4-1 (April 24).

James Billburg evened his pitching record at 2-2 by going the first six innings in the opener against the Lancers while Josh Barrera went two-for-three with one RBI for the winners. In the return match-up at Hilltop two days later, Barrera went two-for-two and scored one run as Justin Kruse got the win to improve to 6-3.

The Titans improved to 12-7 overall while Hilltop dropped to 0-2 in league play, 9-9 overall.

Otay Ranch got off to its 2-0 start in league play by defeating Bonita Vista by scores of 10-1 (April 22) and 5-3 (April 24).

Karl Andrew King slammed a home run and Roman Lucas went two-for-three with four RBI to key the Mustangs’ 13-hit attack in the opener while Martin Romo went two-for-four and knocked in one run in the second game.

Otay Ranch improved to 16-4 overall while Bonita Vista dropped to 0-2 in league play, 11-9 overall.

Chula Vista swept its league opening two-game series against Mater Dei by scores of 7-4 (April 22) and 4-3 (April 24).

The visiting Crusaders jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead in the opening game but the hosts countered with four runs in the bottom of the frame to gain the upper hand on the scoreboard. In the second game, the Spartans overcame a 3-1 deficit by rolling across three runs in the top of the seventh inning to make a winner out of Gabe La Mountain in relief.

Chula Vista improved to 10-8 overall while Mater Dei dropped to 0-2 in league play, 11-10 overall.

All six Mesa League teams had no worse than a .500 overall record through the first two games of league play.

Roaring like a lion
BARONS CLAIM ELITE TOURNEY TITLE

Posted April 16, 2009
If the annual Mike Morrow Lions tournament is a mid-season barometer for baseball in the San Diego Section, then Metro Conference teams have to be feeling pretty good about themselves after four squads advanced to division championship games and six qualified for the semifinals in this year’s edition.

Bonita Vista captured the 5A Division title while Eastlake (Premier Division), Otay Ranch (4A Division) and Mar Vista (1A Division) all finished runner-up in their respective tournament championship games. Chula Vista (4A Division) and Olympian (1A Division) also qualified for the division semifinals.

Baron coach Vince Gervais called the tourney title “a milestone for the program.”

The Lions tournament stands as the nation’s oldest at 59 years and largest with 112 teams (playing in seven divisions).

“To win a tournament like this was a good feeling,” said Gervais, whose team scored a come-from-behind 7-6 victory against Villa Park to record its division title. “It gives the team confidence that Bonita Vista has a winning program. It validates all the hard work everyone has put in since December.”

Tourney champions
Bonita Vista qualified for the division playoffs despite dropping a 7-2 decision to Carlsbad in the opening game of pool play on April 6. Bonita Vista went on to defeat Nevada Foothill and Ramona by scores of 5-3 and 8-6, respectively, in the ensuing two days of pool competition.

Bonita Vista, Carlsbad and Ramona all tied with 2-1 pool records but the Barons were awarded a semifinal berth on the strength of fewer runs allowed.

Bonita Vista drew Patrick Henry in the semifinals and fell behind early by a score of 3-1 before rallying for a 4-3 victory.

The Barons rallied with three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to score the win. Oscar Sanay and Troy Smith both went two-for-three while Hector Montes picked up his first save in relief.
Oli Lopez, Nick Neely, Aaron Jimenez and Montes each scored one run while Sanay and Lopez both rocked doubles in the contest.

Miles Morales started the game and pitched four innings, yielding three runs. Patrick Schneeman and Montes combined for three innings of scoreless relief. Schneeman pitched two-and-one-third innings and allowed two hits. Montes came on to record the final two outs in the game.

Villa Park, one of 30 out-of-area teams competing in this year’s tournament, advanced to the 5A title game after recording a 3-2 victory against El Camino.

Montes led the Barons with three runs scored in the championship game after going two-for-three with a double. Jimenez also had two hits, scored once and drove in two runs. Scanlon and Lopez also drove in two runs apiece.

The Barons entered the bottom of the seventh inning trailing 6-5 after steadily chipping away at an early 5-0 deficit. Bonita Vista had actually tied the game in the sixth inning but went down again in the top of the seventh.

The South Bay team loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the seventh inning and knotted the score on a fielder’s choice. Catcher Daniel Scanlon came up to the plate with the bases still loaded but with two out. He drove a single up the middle — what the Barons term “the gold zone” — to score Montes for the game-winning run.

Jesse Hernandez picked up the win after hurling five-and-two-thirds of no-hit relief. Hernandez struck out three and walked four in facing 21 batters. He allowed two runs but only one earned run.
Sanay, Lopez and Paul Flippen also scored single runs for the division champions.

The semifinal and championship games were both played at Grossmont College.

Gervais cautioned that winning the tourney title doesn’t automatically hand the team a league or CIF championship. That has to be earned down the line.
But it certainly goes a long way in building confidence among players and recognition for the program.

“Now it’s all about winning league and repeating our title,” Gervais said. “Our goal is league and then to get into the double-elimination round of the CIF championship tournament.”
Mesa League play starts this coming Wednesday. The Bonita Vista coach said Eastlake currently stands as “the team to beat.”

“They have three outstanding pitchers — Justin Kruse, James Billburg and Josh Palet. Any team that has just two outstanding pitchers is tough enough to beat,” Gervais said.
Bonita Vista finished runner-up in the junior varsity tournament that runs in conjunction with the Lions varsity tournament, losing 11-10 after falling behind 10-0.

Premier Division
Eastlake qualified for the semifinals with victories against Saugus (4-0) and California (6-1) following an opening day loss to Montgomery (2-1 in eight innings). The Titans defeated Elk Grove from Sacramento, 3-2, in nine innings to advance to the division championship game at Southwestern College.

Eastlake (7-7) closed out the tournament with a 10-0 loss to Vista as sophomore Nalu Polancic allowed two hits in four-and-one-third innings and three Panther hurlers combined for the shutout.
James Billburg picked up the win in relief in the semifinal contest while Sam Montalvan drove in the game-winning run. Evan Linney keyed Eastlake at the plate by going two for three and scoring two runs. Billburg, who was the last of three pitchers for the Titans, combined with teammates Josh Barrera and Jesus Salgado to limit Elk Grove to three hits.

In pool play, the Titans exploded for 11 hits in the win against California. Eastlake improved to 5-6 on the season by defeating Saugus the next day as Justin Kruse (4-3) scattered eight hits.

Montgomery failed to advance to the division playoffs despite its opening day win over the Titans. The Aztecs (11-4) defeated California, 8-3, in their next game as they racked up 11 hits to make a winner out of Jose Aguirre (1-0) but dropped a 1-0 decision to Saugus in their final pool game.

Eastlake and Montgomery both finished with 2-1 records but since the Titans allowed three runs in the three games while the Aztecs gave up five runs, the playoff advancement tie-breaker went to Eastlake despite the loss to Montgomery.

The Aztecs qualified for the consolation bracket, ending tournament play 3-1 following their 4-3 victory over Utah Cottonwood. In that game, Montgomery pushed across two runs in the top of the fourth inning to erase a 3-2 deficit. Four Aztecs took the mound: Luciano Reynoso, Michael Cortez, Steven Schafer and Estevan Carrillo. Schafer earned his first win of the season while Carrillo notched his second save.

4A Division
Otay Ranch and Chula Vista both advanced to the playoffs by winning all three of their pool games. The Mustangs racked up wins against West Hills (4-2), Lowell of San Francisco (14-4) and La Jolla (10-0) while the Spartans defeated Oceanside (1-0 in eight innings), El Diamante of Visalia (4-3) and Scripps Ranch (4-3).

In the semifinals, Otay Ranch edged Harvard-Westlake, 6-5, in eight innings in a game played at Westview High School while Chula Vista lost, 6-1, to St. Augustine in a game played at Cathedral Catholic High School. In the ensuing championship game, also played at Cathedral Catholic, St. Augustine wrapped up the division title with an 8-0 victory.

For Otay Ranch, Alexis Mercado and Roberto Tovalin each had three hits and scored two runs in the tourney-opening win over West Hills. Mercado had three hits and drove in two runs in the victory over Lowell and slammed three doubles and drove in a pair of runs in the win over La Jolla. Omar Gonzalez had two hits, including a home run, while driving in four runs against La Jolla.
In the playoff win, Karl Andrew King led the Mustangs with two RBI while Noboyuki Gonzalez scored two runs and drove in one run. Humberto Tovalin and Omar Gonzalez also collected one RBI each in the game.

1A Division
Mar Vista and Olympian both went 3-0 in pool play to qualify for the division semifinals. The Mariners clobbered Crawford, 16-2, in the tourney opener and followed with 13-8 and 17-2 wins against Capistrano Valley Christian and Calvin Christian, respectively. Olympian turned up its offensive game as well with pool wins against Tri-City Christian (17-4), Sierra Canyon from Chatsworth (17-2) and Lincoln (7-6).

Hugo Silva, Anthony Nieves and Slater Putland all had two RBI in the win against Crawford while Cruz Canonico went four-for-four with four RBI and Jason Arroyo and Randy Carasco both had two RBI in the victory over Capistrano Valley. Silva and Derek Casis both homered in the tourney opener while Arroyo and Marco Lopez both had four RBI in the pool finale.

Mar Vista (13-4) edged Clairemont, 3-2, in the semifinals behind two hits apiece from Putland, Pablo Salce and Carasco while Silva and Putland scattered seven hits. In the championship game, won 9-6 by Las Vegas Del Sol, Casis cracked a home run while Putland matched him with two RBI for the Mariners.

Del Sol stopped Olympian, 10-4, in the semifinals. Aaron Alva and Michael Cordova each had two RBI in the playoff game for the Eagles (5-11-1). David Helvie collected four RBI against Sierra Canyon and drove in three runs in a 15-hit attack against TCC. Steven Exum had four hits, scored two runs and had two RBI in the win against Lincoln.

Barons rally in seventh to slide past Vaqueros 6-5

Posted April 30, 2009
Bonita Vista baseball coach Vince Gervais put together a challenging pre-league schedule for his squad that by his count included eight of the top 10-ranked teams in the San Diego Section. The Baron skipper might have wished to for a couple of upsets in the early going but the defending Mesa League co-champions appear to be coming around after avenging an early-season loss to longtime East County power El Capitan with a thrilling 6-5 come-back victory Wednesday at McMillin Sports Park.

“It’s a group we have here — it’s one to nine,” said Gervais, whose team rallied with four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to overcome an initial 2-0 deficit against the Vaqueros and then pushed across two more runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to erase a 5-4 El Capitan lead. “We can count on anyone to deliver the big hit.”

The Barons (10-7) loaded the bases with one out in the final frame. A. J. Jimenez took the first four pitches — three balls and one strike — before hitting a sharp grounder to third base. The throw went to the plate but the ball became dislodged on Oscar Sanay’s sliding collision with El Capitan catcher Charles Moorman, with the ball rolling to the backstop and allowing Hector Montes to come around to score the winning run.

Bonita Vista loaded the bases in the bottom of the fifth inning with no outs. A bunt by Paul Flippen and a Vaquero throwing error allowed two runs to score to tie the game. Sanay then delivered a smash up the middle to score two more runs and give the hosts a 4-2 lead.

Craig Leavitt doubled in two El Capitan runners to tie the score in the top of the sixth inning and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Brian Wilson to allow the visitors to regain the lead.
Troy Smith started the game and left after five innings. Miles Morales and Anthony Olivieri came on in relief, with Olivieri earning the victory.

The comeback win continued a trend from the previous week’s Lions tournament that saw the Barons claim the 5A Division title.

Freshman Troy Conyers started for the Vaqueros (9-6).

Mesa League notepad
There is no first and second round of league play this year in the Mesa League. League play consists of back-to-back home-and-home contests for each team. Bonita Vista visits Otay Ranch Wednesday at 3 p.m. The teams rematch on the Barons’ field that Friday.

Bonita Vista and Eastlake are scheduled to play their two-game series May 13-15.

The Barons continue Metro Conference tournament play with a game Saturday at Olympian at 10:30 a.m. Bonita Vista is 2-1 against teams from the South Bay League after dropping a 2-0 decision against Montgomery and then recording 6-3 and 5-3 victories against San Ysidro and Castle Park, respectively. The Barons face Southwest in another tournament game on April 25 and play Chula Vista May 9 at Petco Park at 1 p.m. as part of this year’s CIF showcase with the Padres.

It’s Mariners, Aztecs, Red Devils all atop South Bay League standings in early going

Posted April 30, 2009
This year’s South Bay League banner race looks to have some healthy competition after the Mar Vista Mariners, Montgomery Aztecs and Sweetwater Red Devils each faced off league play with 2-1 records in their opening three games.

Mar Vista jump-started league play with a two-game sweep of the Olympian Eagles April 1-3 to become the only team in the league to open 2-0. The Mariners took the opener by a 9-2 score and closed out the series with a 9-3 win.

Marco Lopez had four RBI while Cruz Canonico had two RBI in the April 1 victory while Silva, Canonico and Billy Cosby combined for a six-hitter with five strikeouts.
Ryan Martinez stroked a pair of doubles for the Eagles.

In the 9-3 win, Slater Putland slammed a home run with two RBI for Mar Vista, which also received two RBI each from Canonico, Cosby and Jason Arroyo.
Aaron Alva had two hits for Olympian, including a triple.

Montgomery split its league opening series against Sweetwater, winning 5-0 on April 1 and dropping a 3-2 decision on April 3. The Aztecs moved over the .500 mark in league play by virtue of a 13-0 win over Southwest on Wednesday as Agustin Lopez tripled twice with six RBI and Abraham Torres collected three RBI and his fifth pitching win of the season.

Johnny Miranda racked up three hits, including a pair of doubles, and scored three runs for Montgomery, which totaled 16 hits in the game.

Torres hurled a complete game three-hitter, striking out five batters while walking none.

Sweetwater and Castle Park each opened league play with 1-1 marks. The Trojans split with Southwest in their league opener, dropping the first game by a score of 8-4 and then capturing a 9-2 decision. In the first game, the Raiders (1-2 in league play) rapped out 13 hits, with Benjamin Adame collecting three hits and three RBI.

In a key early-season match-up, Sweetwater took the first end of its two-game series against Mar Vista with a 6-5 win on Wednesday. The teams rematch Friday at SuHi.

Olympian fell to 0-3 in league play after Wednesday’s 15-1 loss to San Ysidro (1-0, 11-5). The Cougars also have started the season strong and look to be yet another contender for the league title.

Prep baseball season looks to be full of surprises

Posted April 21, 2009
The Grossmont Foothillers won the first major tournament of the 2009 high school baseball season but the Helix Highlanders captured the annual Grossmont North-South tourney title. The El Capitan Vaqueros were picked to win the Grossmont North League in one preseason poll but started the season with a 9-7 non-league record.

The 2009 prep baseball season looks to be indeed full of surprises.

North League
Grossmont -- defending San Diego Section Division II champions -- captured the Aztec-Foothiller title with a 5-1 record to jump-start the season.

Grossmont defeated Montgomery, 6-0, to win the Aztec-Foothiller tourney in finals played played March 21. Six Foothillers drove in runs: Levi Stevens, Conor Meredith, Mark Vasquez, Brett Etherton, Will Soto and Aaron Griffin. Steven Brault picked up the win on the mound by scattering four hits in five-plus innings, with Griffin earning the save in relief.

The Foothillers finished 3-2 in the conference tournament, opening with wins against Valhalla, Monte Vista and Mt. Miguel before dropping match-ups against Helix and Granite Hills. Grossmont followed that showing by going 2-2 in the 59th Lions tournament played over Spring Break, with losses to La Costa Canyon and Rancho Bernardo and victories against Silverado (Las Vegas) and Bringham (Utah).

The Foothillers took the momentum of their final two victories in the Lions tourney into league play as
Grossmont defeated West Hills, 15-1, in the teams' Grossmont North League opener April 15. The Foothillers snapped a 1-1 tie with seven runs in the second inning and put a finishing touch on the victory by scoring five runs in the seventh inning.

Stevens drove in four runs with a pair of doubles and a single and was a force on the mound as well by pitching a complete-game one-hitter with 10 strikeouts.

Evan Potter (two-run double), Etherton (three-run double) and Vasquez (two-run single) also racked up clutch hits in the blowout win over the Wolf Pack (5-9 overall).

El Capitan started the season included among the section's top 10 teams but dropped back-to-back non-league games to last year's Mesa League co-champions to fall to two games above the .500 mark a month into the season. The Vaqueros lost both games by 6-5 scores. El Capitan coughed up two two-goal leads to fall to the Bonita Vista Barons on April 15 and lost a nine-inning battle against the Eastlake Titans the next day after holding the lead three times.

The Vaqueros, then ranked sixth in the section, took on a host Bonita Vista squad that was coming off a 5A Division title in the Lions tournament over Spring Break.

Charles Moorman gave the visitors a 1-0 lead with a RBI double in the first inning. But Bonita Vista fought back, scoring four times in the fifth inning to take a 4-2 lead. But Craig Leavitt evened the score in the sixth inning courtesy of a two-run double and the Vaqueors took a 5-4 lead when Leavitt eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by Brian Wilson.

But four errors led to five unearned runs to spoil an otherwise fine start by freshman Troy Conyers, who had limited the Barons (10-7) to one hit through four innings.

El Capitan left the bases loaded twice against Eastlake (8-7) and stranded 10 runners in the first six innings.

Kyle Mills slammed his third home run of the season and matched teammate Tyrone Wiggins with three hits. Wiggins singled in a run in the fifth to put the Lakeside team up 4-2.

The Santana Sultans earned some timely prestige points by sweeping a double header against Division III rival St. Augustine on April 18. The Sultans captured the sweep with 7-6 and 3-1 wins to improve to 12-6 on the season.

Kyle Hayes picked up the save in the opener and notched his sixth win of the season in the second game by pitching a complete-game four-hitter with nine strikeouts.

Dallas Seidel drove in the winning run in both games.

Santana won its league opener by a 12-1 score against El Cajon Valley as Preston Culver drove in four runs in the first two innings, including three on a first inning home run. The Sultans smacked 16 hits. Hayes drove in three runs with a pair of doubles and a single.

The Braves saw their overall record drop to 1-15 after the league-opening loss.

South League
Steele Canyon earned nods in one preseason poll to repeat as the Grossmont South League champion and certainly did nothing to dissuade its admirers by sweeping a league-opening double header April 15 against Helix. The Cougars, ranked first among the section's Division II teams, won by scores of 4-0 and 12-2 to improve to 2-0 in league play, 11-4 overall.

Andrew Bellati hurled a four-hit shutout, striking out seven batters, in the league opener while Nolan Murray stroked six hits, scored five runs and collected three RBI in the two games. Brad Boehmke had a ground-rule double with the bases loaded in the first game.

Helix (9-8) captured this year's Grossmont tournament with a 5-1 victory over Santana in finals played April 3. In that game, Dylan Nickerson pitched his third consecutive complete-game victory while Jake Reed racked up two hits.

Monte Vista and Valhalla split their league-opening double header, with the visiting Norsemen prevailing by a 12-1 score in the first game and the Monarchs capping the quick two games with a 4-3 win in the second game.

In the opener, Will Coombs and John Aguirrez-Ruiz each drove in three runs to back the pitching of Danny Hawksley, who toyed with a no-hitter until the latter stages of the ballgame.

Nick Sabo pitched a complete-game in the nightcap, scattering seven hits, as the Monarchs improved to 4-10 overall. Tommy Demars, who finished the two games with four hits and three RBI, singled in teammates Joe Bridgers and Michael Hodges in the bottom of the sixth inning.

The Granite Hills Eagles opened to mixed reviews with a 5-8 non-league record but hammered Mt. Miguel by scores of 12-0 and 18-0 to open league play and climb closer to the .500 mark at 7-8.

Dylan Garcia (three doubles, six RBI) and Dean Miller (home run, triple, five RBI) helped supply the Eagles with some heavy hitting while promising sophomore Nathan Huff slugged four doubles and drove in three runs in the two games.

The Matadors dropped to 5-10 overall.