SD Prep Sports

SD Prep Sports: Baseball

Prep Baseball

2005 Season Scrapbook

Pictured at right: Grossmont's Tristan Phillips leaps for joy after final putout in the Foothillers' 7-2 San Diego Section Division 2 title victory against two-time defending CIF champion El Capitan.

Foothillers finish strong as CIF champions

Metro Conference standings & league honor roll

Parade of Champions

Division I: Rancho Bernardo 8, Granite Hills 2

Division II: (2) Grossmont 7, (1) El Capitan 2

Division III: (8) USDHS 12, (10) Coronado 7

Division IV: (2) Santa Fe Christian 2, (1) Horizon Christian 1

Semifinals

Division I: (4) Granite Hills 7, (1) Poway 6; (3) Rancho Bernardo 5, (6) Eastlake 3

Division II: (1) El Capitan 6, (5) Hilltop 3; (2) Grossmont 10, (6) Patrick Henry 9

Division III: (8) USDHS 3, (1) Valhalla 2 (12 innings); (10) Coronado 2, (2) Mission Bay 0

Division IV: (1) Horizon Christian 8, (5) Marian Catholic 5 (9 innings); (2) Santa Fe Christian 4, (3) Francis Parker 3 (9 innings)

2005 Tournament Scoreboard (Regular Season)

Aztec-Foothiller Classic: Grossmont 8, Montgomery 5

Pirate-Falcon Classic: La Costa Canyon 7, Clairemont 6

Bully's East Tournament: Francis Parker 13, Coronado 1

Christian Patriot Tournament: Madison 13, Serra 0

Hilltop/Lolita's Tournament: Rancho Bernardo 9, Fallbrook 3

Lions Tournament Classic Division: Rancho Bernardo 13, Granite Hills 4

Lions Tournament AAAAA Division: Poway 17, Mt. Carmel 1

Lions Tournament AAAA Division: San Marcos 11, Oceanside 0

Lions Tournament AAA Division: Clairemont 6, Francis Parker 2

Lions Tournament AA Division: St. Paul 9, Mission Hills 1

Lions Tournament A Division: Southwest, Linfield Christian (co-champions)

City Conference Tournament: Patrick Henry 7, St. Augustine 1

Metro Conference Tournament: Eastlake 8, Sweetwater 0

Grossmont North/South Tournament: Granite Hills 11, El Capitan 3

Metro Conference 2005 report

Metro teams advance to semis in strong 2005 showing

Though no Metro Conference teams were involved in this year’s San Diego Section baseball divisional championship games June 4 at SDSU’s Tony Gwynn Stadium, South County squads did exemplify themselves well in postseason competition as Metro teams advanced to the semifinals in three of the four enrollment divisions.

Eastlake, the runner-up in Mesa League play, fell to eventual champion Rancho Bernardo in the Division I semifinals while South Bay League champion Hilltop (against El Capitan) and Marian Catholic (against Horizon) both were eliminated by the eventual runner-up teams in the Division II and Division IV brackets, respectively.

Division I playoffs

Rancho Bernardo (31-5) topped Granite Hills (28-6), 8-2, in the championship game behind a four-hitter by Brian Wilson, who also contributed two singles, a double, triple, two runs scored and two RBI. The Broncos, who were making their sixth appearance in the Division I title game in seven years, added to their previous collections of championships in 1999, 2000 and 2001. Rancho Bernardo ended the season ranked second in the state.

It took two victories by the Broncos to end Eastlake’s otherwise fine season. The Titans, who finished 26-9 overall, entered postseason play seeded sixth in the Division I bracket and promptly dispatched its opponent in the section’s play-in round, defending division champion La Costa Canyon, to meet the third-seeded Broncos in opening round play.

Eric Martinez hit two home runs, including a grand slam in the third inning, and drove in five runs as Eastlake clubbed La Costa Canyon 8-3. Victor Anda earned his fifth win of the season in relief of Martinez, who also started the game on the mound. After the Mavericks pulled to 5-3 on the scoreboard in the top of the fourth inning, the Titans broke open the game with three runs in the bottom of the frame to take a five-run lead.

The victory against LCC advanced Eastlake against Rancho Bernardo, which finished second in Palomar League play to Poway, which earned the top-seeded position in the Division I playoffs. A late rally by the Mesa League squad fell short as the Titans rolled across two runs in the top of the seventh inning to pull to 6-5 on the scoreboard. Nick Romero hit two home runs in the game for Eastlake, which used four pitchers in the game to hold the powerful Broncos to seven hits.

The Titans led briefly in the game, 3-2, after scoring twice in the second inning. However, Rancho Bernardo took a 4-3 lead with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third inning and added two more runs in the sixth inning to lead 6-3. The loss was the first of the season for Eastlake starter Jorge Dryjanski (4-1).

The Titans topped seventh-seeded Rancho Buena Vista and second-seeded Fallbrook in successive single-elimination games in the loser’s bracket to meet the Broncos again, this time in the semifinals. In order to advance to the championship game, Eastlake needed two victories against Rancho Bernardo. The Titans’ 5-3 loss on May 28 still speaks volumes for the tenacious fight the team put up against the soon-to-be-crowned champion Broncos, who advanced through the playoffs undefeated.

The Titans pushed across four early runs in their first elimination game to hold off RBV by a 4-2 score. Martinez improved to 8-4 on the season by pitching into the seventh inning before Victor Anda and Dryjanski came on to close out the game. Anda picked up two outs while Dryjanski, who earned the save, struck out Longhorn slugger Gavin Brooks for the final out with the tying run at the plate. K.J. Miramontes and Mike Miles each collected two hits and an RBI for Eastlake, which outhit RBV 8-6.

The win against the Longhorns paired the Titans against Avocado League champion Fallbrook — knocked to the loser’s bracket by a 13-6 loss to Rancho Bernardo.

Dryjanski (5-1) held Fallbrook to five hits and one run through six innings while Anda came on in relief in the seventh to snuff out a potential game-winning Warrior rally. Anda retired three of the four batters he faced after coming in with two men on base and none out to secure the 3-2 win. Eastlake scored twice in the top of the fourth inning and added a single run in the fifth inning to take a 3-1 lead into the seventh inning.

In what turned out to be the Titans’ final game of the season, RB’s John Dutton tossed a four-hitter and effectively silenced Eastlake’s bats after the Metro team took a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning. The Broncos rallied with two runs in the third inning and added two more runs in the fifth inning and another in the sixth inning to score the 5-3 elimination win. The Titans used four pitchers in the game, limiting the eventual CIF champions to six hits. Dutton hampered any Eastlake comeback by striking out 13 consecutive batters in the latter stages of the game. Eubanks homered in the opening inning.

The Titans concluded their playoff showing with a 3-2 record. For the season, Martinez hit .395 in 91 at-bats with 24 runs scored, 35 RBI, 16 doubles and six home runs. He was followed on the scoresheet by Jon Eubanks with a .354 hitting average in 79 at-bats with 34 runs scored, 28 RBI and 11 home runs and Romero with a .346 hitting average in 98 at-bats with 38 runs scored, 34 RBI and seven home runs. Miles hit .336 in 95 at-bats with 31 runs scored, 26 RBI, nine doubles and three home runs while Dennis Walker followed with a .313 hitting average in 67 at-bats with 15 RBI.

Anthony Benner led the team with 101 at-bats, hitting .297 with 23 runs scored, 17 RBI and 10 doubles. Romero led the Titans with 14 stolen bases while Miles had 10. Martinez and Romero finished first and second with 35 and 34 RBI, respectively, and also topped the team with 36 and 34 hits.

On the hill, Anda finished 5-0 with a 2.84 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 32 innings while Dryjanski went 5-1 with a 1.95 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 50.2 innings. Eubanks went 5-1 with a 2.03 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 38 innings. Martinez led the staff in wins (eight) and innings pitched (62.1), finishing with a 2.93 ERA and 57 strikeouts.

Mesa League champion Montgomery went 2-2 in playoff competition, defeating Torrey Pines, 5-0, in the play-in round and eliminating league rival Chula Vista, 1-0, while dropping contests to fourth-seeded Granite Hills and top-seeded Poway.

The fifth-seeded Aztecs (21-11) concluded Mesa League play with an 8-2 record, winning their final seven league games to overcome early season setbacks against Chula Vista and Eastlake.

Montgomery defeated 12th-seeded Torrey Pines (13-16) to jump-start the playoffs. Robert Spicer had a double and home run and four RBI while Antonio Diaz hurled a complete game, striking out six batters while allowing just two hits.

The Aztecs had an early 3-0 lead on Granite Hills to open double-elimination play but fell 7-3 after committing four errors in the contest against the Grossmont South League co-champions. The Aztecs rebounded with an elimination win against Mesa League rival Chula Vista before ending the season with a 10-6 setback against Poway. In the win against the Spartans, freshman Brandon Meredith scored the game’s lone run after beating out an infield grounder, advancing to second base on a bunt, moving to third base on an infield ground-out and finally scoring on a double by teammate Alan Valdez. Bradley Procopio earned the victory for Montgomery by holding Chula Vista to four hits. The Aztecs made the most of just three hits to win the game.

Poway outhit Montgomery 14-7 in ending the Aztecs’ season in the quarterfinals. Roman Peña and Daniel Vargas each had three RBI to lead the Mesa League champions.

Peña, the Mesa League’s Player of the Year, led Montgomery in several categories: hitting average(.458), RBI (25), home runs (four). Valdez ranked second with a .359 hitting average while Spicer was second on the team with 20 RBI. David Garcia ranked third with a .342 hitting average while Aaron Hall ranked third with 17 RBI. Daniel Vargas led the Aztecs with 16 stolen bases, followed by Garcia with 11 and Peña with nine.

Diaz (1.34 ERA) and Peña (1.74 ERA) topped Montgomery’s pitching staff. Diaz went 5-1with one save while Peña was 7-3 with 76 strikeouts in 64.1 innings.

The Mesa League overall qualified four of its six teams for the Division I playoffs. Chula Vista, which finished third in the league standings with a 6-4 record, earned the ninth seed in the 12-team division and topped eighth-seeded Vista, 10-8, in the play-in round before suffering season-ending losses to Poway (6-1) and Montgomery. Sweetwater, which finished fourth in league play with a 5-5 record, dropped its play-in contest, 8-0, to RBV to end the season 18-12 overall — a record also matched by the Spartans.

Division II playoffs

Second-seeded Grossmont (26-8) captured its first division title since 2001 by taming two-time defending CIF champion El Capitan (22-12) by a 7-2 score. A.J. Griffin tossed a five-hitter, striking out seven batters, while Danny Pieczynski’s 11th home run of the season to cap the scoring set a Foothillers’ school record for 51 home runs in one season.

After completing a perfect 10-0 league season, Hilltop (19-14) opened the 2005 playoffs with an 11-4 victory against 12th-seeded Scripps Ranch. The fifth-seeded Lancers received three RBI each from Andrew Andriopulos and Craig Rasmussen. Rasmussen and Daniel Erece each scored three times in the contest that was highlighted by a four-run fifth inning on the part of the winners. Rasmussen tripled and homered in the game. Other RBI in the game went to Herman Avilez, John Paul Bowen and Erece. Jake Fadden picked up the win while Rasmussen earned the save.

Hilltop stumbled in its second game, losing 12-1 to fourth-seeded Escondido. Rasmussen knocked in Fadden for the Lancers’ lone run while the Cougars went through four pitchers.

The loss to Escondido dropped Hilltop to the single-elimination loser’s bracket. In the first game against eighth-seeded Oceanside, Avilez homered and Craig and Eric Rasmussen also produced RBI as the Lancers pulled out a 3-2 win. Craig Rasmussen pitched six innings, allowing four hits and striking out four batters to pick up the victory.

A rematch against Escondido ensued in the quarterfinal round, with Hilltop erupting for four runs in the top of the seventh inning to score an 11-7 elimination win. Bowen led the way with five RBI on two home runs while Vincent Pernicano and Eric Rasmussen each added two RBI. Pernicano also had two home runs in the game as the Lancers connected for seven round-trippers overall in the contest. Other homers went to Andriopulos, Erece and Eric Rasmussen. The seven home runs in one game fell one short of the school record. Bowen and Erece scored two runs apiece while Gilbert Tellez earned the pitching win, with Fadden picking up the save to oust the Cougars (21-10).

In the Lancers’ biggest game of the season against top-seeded El Capitan, Hilltop took a 1-0 lead and tied the game at a run apiece before surrendering two runs in each of the fifth and sixth innings en route to ending their season with a 6-3 setback. Avilez, Erece and Pernicano produced RBI in the game. Pernicano, who went 2-for-3, had a double.

Craig Rasmussen, who earned South Bay League Player of the Year honors, keyed the Lancers with a .367 hitting average while ranking second on the team with 22 RBI. He also finished the season with 22 runs scored, five doubles, three triples and four home runs. He also paced the pitching staff with a 2.40 ERA while recording a 5-3 record and two saves in 46.2 innings of work.

Fadden was named the 2005 South Bay League Pitcher of the Year after fashioning a 2.53 ERA, 7-3 record and one save in 63.2 innings. Fadden also finished as the team’s stolen base leader with six. Both Rasmussen and Fadden appeared in all 33 games for the Lancers.

Bowen (.350) and Andriopulos (.348) helped key Hilltop in the hitting department while Avilez topped the Lancers with 29 RBI and seven home runs. Bowen ranked second on the team with five homers while Pernicano ranked third with17 RBI and also third with four home runs.

Erece, who appeared in 31 games, led the Hilltop pitching staff with 59 strikeouts in 63 innings. Erece and Bowen finished in a tie for fourth on the team with 16 RBI.

As a team, Hilltop went 17-5 in its final 22 games.

Mesa League

All-League Teams

First Team

Roman Peña (Montgomery), 12

Vidal Nuño (Sweetwater), 12

Eric Martinez (Eastlake), 12

Nick Romero (Eastlake), 12

Alberto Felix (Chula Vista), 11

Jon Eubanks (Eastlake), 12

David Galindo (Sweetwater), 12

Daniel Vargas (Montgomery), 12

Oscar Ortega (Sweetwater), 12

Antonio Diaz (Montgomery), 12

Second Team

Anthony Benner (Eastlake), 12

David Berdeski (Chula Vista), 10

Jesus Llanez (Sweetwater), 12

Tre Dennis (Bonita Vista), 11

David Garcia (Montgomery), 12

Mike Miles (Eastlake), 12

Ruben Espinoza (Southwest), 12

Joel Medrano (Chula Vista), 12

Jorge Dryjanski (Eastlake), 11

Alan Valdez (Montgomery), 11

Player of the Year

Roman Peña (Montgomery)

Pitcher of the Year

Vidal Nuño (Sweetwater)

Championship Team

Montgomery Aztecs

South Bay League

All-League Teams

First Team

Jake Fadden (Hilltop), 12

Craig Rasmussen (Hilltop), 10

Ivan Castro (Castle Park), 12

Rey Lopez (Marian), 12

Herman Avilez (Hilltop), 12

Manuel Alonso (Castle Park), 12

Casey Cartier (Marian), 11

Daniel Erece (Hilltop), 12

Bryan Keshka (Mar Vista), 12

Alex Sanabia (Castle Park), 11

Second Team

Rene Santana (Castle Park), 12

Ricky Alvarez (Otay Ranch), 10

Ruben Valenzuela (San Ysidro), 10

Adam Harding (Marian), 11

Anthony Ollier (Castle Park), 12

Tim O'Neill (Mar Vista), 12

John Paul Bowen (Hilltop), 12

Anthony Westendorf (Mar Vista), 11

Juan Soriano (Marian), 10

Andrew Andriopulos (Hilltop), 12

Player of the Year

Craig Rasmussen (Hilltop)

Pitcher of the Year

Jacob Fadden (Hilltop)

Championship Team

Hilltop Lancers (10-0)

SD-CIF Champions

Division I: Rancho Bernado (31-5)

Division II: Grossmont (26-8)

Division III: USDHS (21-12)

Division IV: Santa Fe Christian (21-7)

Lancers zeroing in on South Bay League banner
CHULA VISTA, May 6 -- Off to a perfect 6-0 start in South Bay League play, the Hilltop Lancers were just one out from making it 7-0 in last Friday’s game against visiting Marian Catholic when the Crusaders scored two runs on a base hit into the gap in right field to knot the score at 6-6 and send the game into extra innings.

Lancer head coach Kurt Gritts faced several more nervous moments before his team finally pulled out a victory in the bottom of the ninth inning to get that eighth league victory without a loss and move closer to clinching the team’s third league title in a row.
Hilltop won outright possession of last year’s South Bay League title and shared the 2003 championship with Marian Catholic.
Overcoming adversity, however, has been the trademark of this year’s Hilltop team, Gritts said.
“We played some tough games at the beginning of the season and it’s coming back to help us now,” the Lancer skipper said.

Andrew Andriopulos started Hilltop’s ninth-inning rally with a base hit. A walk to relief pitcher Craig Rasmussen sent Andriopulos to second base from where he scored on Herman Avilez’ smash that hopped over a diving catch attempt by the Marian Catholic center fielder.

The 7-6 win improved the Lancers’ record to 13-11 overall after a 2-9 start to the season.

As for that slow start, Hilltop went 0-5 in its own tournament to start the season, dropping contests to USDHS, El Capitan, Fallbrook, Poway and Escondido. The Lancers then went 2-1 in the annual Lions tournament over spring break, losing to Ramona. There have been more victories than losses since the middle part of the season.

“The last four or five years we’ve started out behind in the win column. But I tell the kids that we’re playing tough teams and it’s only going to help us down the road,” Gritts said.

Hilltop starter Danny Erece went five and two-thirds innings before being replaced by Craig Rasmussen. Erece, who gave up seven hits and struck out eight batters, left with the Lancers holding onto a 6-2 lead.
“He’d thrown a lot of pitches. He had started to throw high,” Gritts said.

Rasmussen worked through periods of adversity to record the extra-inning win for the team after giving up five hits in three and one-third innings.

Hilltop scored three runs in the third inning, added another run in the third inning and scored twice more in the fourth inning to build its 6-2 advantage.

Eric Rasmussen tripled in two runs and then scored on a single by Shawn Manriquez. Erece doubled in the run in the third inning while Eric Rasmussen and Vince Pernicano both scored in the fourth inning.

The Lancers look to be in fine shape to qualify for the San Diego Section Division II playoffs. While all six teams in the Mesa League are vying for spots in the Division I playoffs, the South Bay League features a mixture of teams placed inn the Division II, Division III and Division IV enrollment divisions.

Otay Ranch, which entered the week in second place in the South Bay League standings with a 5-2 league record and 14-10 overall mark, is assigned to Division III along with San Ysidro (0-8, 2-23) while Castle Park (4-3, 11-12) and Mar Vista (1-6, 5-18-1) both compete at the Division II level. Marian Catholic (5-3, 9-16) is in Division IV.

“We’ve come quite a way from the beginning of the season. We’re playing a little better,” Gritts said.

The Hilltop coach said catalysts during the second-half surge include Julio Mejia for his offensive and defensive contributions — “He’s one of the smallest players on the team but makes some great plays,” Gritts said — as well as the team’s starting pitching rotation that includes Erece, Jake Fadden and Craig Rasmussen and the power-hitting tandem of Avilez and Craig Rasmussen.

Gritts noted that the Lancers have already hit 10 home runs — more than the last three seasons combined. Avilez led Hilltop with six homers while Craig Rasmussen had three.

Titans sweep Vaqueros but playoffs uncertain

CHULA VISTA, April 30 -- Eastlake High swept a double-header from traditional East County power El Capitan last Saturday, winning by scores of 2-1 and 10-4. While the non-league sweep upped the Titans’ overall record to 17-6, Eastlake head coach Dave Gonzalez was not so certain about his team’s participation in the upcoming San Diego Section Division I playoffs.

Twelve teams will qualify for the double-elimination postseason tournament that begins May 24. Each designated league champion is guaranteed automatic entry. All remaining teams must contend for at-large entries.

That is where the uncertainty begins in regard to the league in which the Titans play: the Mesa League. There could be one, two or possibly even three or more teams tied with the same record when the dust finally settles in league play.
“I hope we’re there. I don’t think they are going to take four or five teams from the Mesa League. It’s a huge concern,” Gonzalez said flatly after his team swept last year’s Division II champion Vaqueros.

The Titans won divisional championships in 1999 and 2002 and own four league titles: 1999, 2001 and 2002 in the South Bay League and 2003 in the Mesa League.

Montgomery won last year’s Mesa League championship.

Eastlake entered this week with a 2-2 league record, trailing first-place Sweetwater (4-1, 17-7) and second-place Chula Vista (3-2, 14-8) and Montgomery (3-2, 13-8). Bonita Vista (2-3, 8-10) and Southwest (0-4, 0-7) round out the six-team circuit.
Sweetwater suffered its first league loss last Friday by a 3-0 score at Montgomery.
Eastlake’s league losses have come against Chula Vista (6-5) and Sweetwater (2-1). The Titans host Chula Vista on Friday and Sweetwater on May 13 in a highly anticipated rematches.

Chula Vista has defeated Eastlake and Montgomery but edged last-place Southwest, 1-0, last Friday. The final order of finish thus remains in question at this point.

All six Mesa League teams compete in Division I. Entering the week, 11 of the 21 teams in the division had winning records, including six North County teams. But what worries Gonzalez are the teams with non-winning records that play in leagues that are perceived to be competitively tougher than the Metro Conference.

“Special consideration will be given to the North County teams because their records are skewed because they play each other,” the Titan skipper said.

As an example, Carlsbad entered the week 3-6 in Avocado League play, 10-12 overall, while Torrey Pines was 4-5 in Palomar League play, 9-13 overall.

Helix (Grossmont South League) was 8-12, Mira Mesa (Eastern League) was 7-12 while Calexico (Imperial Valley League) was 8-11.

Poway (21-3) entered the week ranked first among Division I teams, followed by Rancho Bernardo (21-5), Fallbrook (18-6), Granite Hills (17-5), Vista (15-7), Rancho Buena Vista (15-9) and Sweetwater (17-7).

That would leave five playoff spots open, with four solid contenders from the Mesa League vying with five other teams for postseason berths.

Gonzalez said he is not surprised by the degree of competition exhibited so far this spring.

“I said that at the beginning of the season that there were a lot of good baseball teams throughout the county. In summer league you could see there were some very good talent. To come in to think we would have an easy time, nah. Sweetwater can beat any team in any game with the pitching they have, and Montgomery has good pitching also,” Gonzalez said.

In the opener against the Vaqueros (13-11), Jon Eubanks went two-for-three with one home run while Oscar Antunez gave up four hits and one earned run through five innings to lift Eastlake.

Ivan Anda picked up the win in both games for the Titans to improve to 3-0. He entered both contests in the sixth inning.
In the second game, Eubanks once again swung a heavy bat with a home run, double and three runs batted in. Right fielder Eric Martinez went three-for-three with two doubles, runs runs scored and two RBI. Dennis Walker also went three-for-three while knocking in three runs. Overall, the Titans rapped out 12 hits against four El Capitan pitchers.

“It helps to beat a team like El Capitan. Any time you can put two wins against El Capitan, it means something when you go to the seeding meeting,” Gonzalez said.

In the meantime, Mesa League teams will continue their version of Russian roulette.

Eastlake 3, Bonita Vista 0
Eric Martinez improved to 5-3 by tossing a two-hit shutout. He struck out the first seven batters he faced in the game and finished with nine strikeouts in the game. In 33 innings this season, Martinez had struck out 32 batters.

Grossmont North-South Tournament

The best high school baseball team in East County, at least at the midpoint of the season?

The Granite Hills Eagles, ranked fourth in the San Diego Section, defeated El Capitan, 11-3, on Friday, April 15, to claim the championship title of the Grossmont Conference North/South Tournament and the apparent bragging rights to that distinction.

Matt Roberts and Travis Taijeron both cracked three-run home runs in the game while Cody Crawford had three hits: a single, double and triple.

The Eagles, who won their seventh consecutive game and took their 12^th win in their last 13 outings, improved to 14-3 on the season.

Bret Horner earned the win in relief by holding the Vaqueros (8-8) to two hits and one run over the balance of the game.

El Capitan had won seven of its last nine games entering the tournament championship game and took an early 2-0 lead on Granite Hills.

But the Eagles used Roberts’ home run to take a 3-2 lead in the fourth inning and upped their lead to 6-2 on the strength of Taijeron’s blast an inning later. Granite Hills blew open the game with a five-run rally in the sixth inning as Ryan Marquis contributed a run-scoring double.

The Eagles collected 11 hits overall in the game against four Vaquero pitchers.

El Capitan rebounded from the disappointing tournament final setback by defeating host Bonita Vista, 19-5, in a non-league game on Saturday, April 16. The Vaqueros scored seven runs in the first inning in routing the Barons (7-7-2). Nik Garcia tied an El Capitan school record with eight RBI in the game.

Doing sizable damage against Bonita Vista for the Vaqueros were Thomas Hosatetler and Austin Rauch. Hostetler went 4-for-5 and scored four runs while Rauch homered and drove in five runs.

Granite Hills advanced to the tournament championship game by defeating Grossmont 8-5 on the strength of four home runs while El Capitan moved on to the championship after defeating Valhalla 12-4 in a rematch of last year’s Division II championship game (also won by the Vaqueros). El Capitan, buoyed by its seven-run explosion in the sixth inning against the Norsemen, edged Santana on the second tie-breaker (most runs scored in the tournament) to advance to the finals.

Aztec-Foothiller Classic
Grossmont defeated Montgomery, 8-5, in come-from-behind fashion to win the championship of the Aztec-Foothiller Classic on March 19. A.J. Griffiin’s two-run home in the sixth inning tied the score at 5-5 and Tim Ferrara later produced the game-winning single in support of relief pitcher Thomas Adams, who hurled two scoreless innings to earn the save.

Montgomery received a three-run home run from Robert Spicer in the third inning and Ramon Pena staked the Aztecs to a 5-3 lead with a run-scoring double.

Grossmont defeated Eastlake, 5-1, in semifinal action on March 17 while Montgomery topped Helix, 2-1.
Caesar Munoz and Rey Lopez knocked grand slam home runs in Marian Catholic’s 11-10 tournament victory against Santana also on March 17. In other tournament games involving South County teams, Castle Park edged Monte Vista, 5-4, while Chula Vista clubbed El Cajon Valley, 7-5.

In the championship game of the Hilltop Lolita’s Tournament on March 19, Rancho Bernardo topped Fallbrook, 9-3. In the championship game of the Christian Patriot Tournament that same day, Madison blanked Serra, 13-0.

In the finals of the Pirate-Falcon Classic, La Costa Canyon edged Clairemont, 7-6.

2004 Season Scrapbook

Metro Conference Spring Sports Parade of Champions

Feature stories

2004 CIF San Diego Section playoff statistics

06/28: Metro teams challenge but bow in CIF playoffs

04/20: Chula Vista rolls lucky 12 in win streak

04/18: Otay Ranch looks to promising future, present

Montgomery claims Lions tourney Classic Division title
Montgomery High’s baseball team recently honored head coach Manny Hermosillo with his 400th career coaching victory. the Aztecs’ latest honor was to win the Classic Division of the 54th annual Lions Tournament.

Roberto Persona scored what proved to be the winning run in Montgomery’s 3-2 championship game victory against La Costa Canyon April 8 at Point Loma Nazarene College. The win added to a string of impressive victories turned in by the Aztecs during the tournament that also saw the South County team hang a 2-0 defeat against second-ranked Mission Bay (this year’s City Conference tournament champion).

Montgomery defeated perennial East County power Granite Hills by a 6-3 score in the semifinals.
Pitcher Roman Pena was named the Classic Division Most Valuable Player.

Hilltop finished runner-up in the AA Division following its 7-1 loss to Orange Glen. Hilltop (5-10) advanced to the title game after defeating Steele Canyon by an 11-3 score in the semifinals.

Castle Park advanced to the AAA Division semifinals, dropping a 12-2 decision to eventual division champion St. Augustine.

In the A Division semifinals, eventual division champion Christian downed Mar Vista by a 7-3 score.

Aztecs hand Hermosillo No. 400
The Montgomery High School baseball team handed veteran coach Manny Hermosillo his 400th career victory after topping Castle Park by a 7-1 score April 3 to win the Metro Conference tournament championship in a game played on the losers’ field.

The milestone win gave Hermosillo a 21-year career coaching record of 400-162-3. In that time, the Aztecs have advanced to three San Diego Section championship games, winning the 200 Division II title. The 400 wins rank Hermosillo seventh all-time among county coaches.

Next stop, according to the Aztec skipper: 500 wins. That could be attainable within a decade. Hermosillo is currently 51.

Roman Pena improved to 3-1 with the complete game victory against the Trojans (1-8), striking out eight batters. The Aztecs, who improved to 9-2 overall, received three doubles from Donald Melton, who drove in four runs and scored twice in the game.

Mesa League teams finished 20-1 against their South Bay League foes in the conference tournament’s format.

2003 Season Scrapbook

Metro-Conference All-League teams

2K3 CIF playoffs

Championship games

June 7 at SDSU Tony Gwynn Stadium

Division IV: (2) Christian 2, (1) Marian Catholic 1 (8 innings)

Game recap: Crusaders find title game one of inches

Division III: (3) University of San Diego High School 2, (1) Mission Bay 0

Division II: (1) El Capitan 5, Patrick Henry 4

Division I: (1) La Costa Canyon 5, (2) Rancho Bernardo 4 (8 innings)

At right: San Diego Section Division IV champion Christian Patriots

Preview: Marian Catholic, Christian enjoy deja vu

2K3 season report: Montgomery Aztecs join section's heavy hitters

2K2 Interscholastic Season

CIF recaps: Marian Catholic, Eastlake forge titles

Metro Conference Standings
Final 2002 season
South Bay League
School W-L
Eastlake 12-1
Marian Catholic 9-4
Castle Park 9-4
Hilltop 6-7
Mar Vista 1-12

Mesa League
School W-L
Montgomery 12-1
Chula Vista 6-7
Southwest 4-9
Bonita Vista 4-9
Sweetwater 2-11

2002 All-League Teams

Mesa League All-League Teams

First Team

Joel Zumaya, 12, Bonita Vista (P)

Justin Suarez, 12, Montgomery (P)

Manuel Hernandez, 11, Montgomery (P)

Fernando Pacheco, 12, Montgomery (1B)

Jorge Bravo, 12, Montgomery (3B)

Arturo Bravo, 12, Montgomery (C)

Marcos Villezcas, 12, Montgomery (SS)

Edgar Martinez, 12, Chula Vista (SS)

Ivan Garcia, 12, Southwest (3B)

Lance Hawes, 11, Chula Vista (3B)

Second Team

Jesus Torres, 10, Sweetwater (OF)

Joel Corona, 11, Chula Vista (OF)

Jovanni Pacheco, 11, Chula Vista (OF)

Juan Velazquez, 12, Montgomery (OF)

Vidal Nuno, 9, Sweetwater (INF)

Alex Palacio, 12, Bonita Vista (OF)

Arturo Reyes, 11, Montgomery (3B)

Kevin Fox, 11, Montgomery (OF)

Francisco Hermosillo, 10, Montgomery (2B)

Thomas Vallejo, 11, Chula Vista (INF)

Player of the Year

Fernando Pacheco

Pitcher of the Year

Justin Suarez

South Bay League All-League Teams

First Team

Eddie Solis, 11, Eastlake (3B)

Salvador Castellanos, 12, Marian Catholic (SS)

Gilbert Gil, 12, Castle Park (SS)

Jack Spradlin, 12, Eastlake (P)

Fernando Castillo, 11, Marian Catholic (2B)

Danny Silvas, 12, Eastlake (P/OF)

Tyler Bospflug, 11, Hilltop (OF)

Carlos Ibarra, 11, Marian Catholic (OF)

Ivan Tapia, 12, Castle Park (P)

Rene Montes, 12, Eastlake (SS)

Second Team

James Flores, 11, Eastlake (3B)

Chris Sustaista, 11, Marian Catholic (P)

Adam Lawford, 12, Hilltop (OF)

Carlos Guzman, 11, Mar Vista (SS)

Gullermo Siqueiros, 10, Marian Catholic (UT)

Chris Rodriguez, 12, Castle Park (OF)

Neftali Lizarraga, 11, Eastlake (OF)

Francisco Mora, 11, Eastlake (P)

Chase McGuire, 11, Castle Park (3B)

Manir Romero, 11, Castle Park (UT)

Player of the Year

Eddie Solis

Pitcher of the Year

Jack Spradlin

Championship Team

Eastlake

2001 Feature stories

Marian Catholic finishes runner-up in Division IV title game