By Mitch Stephens
MaxPreps.com
EL CAJON, Calif. – Granite Hills won the game on Wednesday – a fantastic game to be sure – but Poway captured the war.
A high-bouncing single by Dylan Garcia over the head of first baseman Josh Anderson scored Pepperdine-bound Brian Humphries with no outs in the bottom of the eighth inning to give host Granite Hills a 7-6 win over Poway in a Mike Morrow Classic Division pool play win of the 58th annual Lions Invitational, the nation’s biggest (108 teams) and oldest baseball tournament.
A day after the defending San Diego Section Division I champs endured a gut-punching two-run walk off home run to Green Valley (Henderson, Nevada), Granite Hills desperately needed a victory and coming over one of California’s top teams – some believe the country – explained the giant celebration afterward.
It finished off a terrific contest that featured five lead changes.
“Coach (James Davis) told us before the game to ‘step up men’ and that’s what we did,” Garcia said. “That’s as good as it gets.”
The only downer for Granite Hills was Tuesday’s loss to Green Valley, which knocked off Pleasant Valley (Chico) 7-5 earlier on Wednesday, was that it also lost the pool play tie-breaker to Poway.
Granite Hills, Green Valley and Poway each finished with 2-1 pool records but Poway advanced to Thursday’s 9 a.m. semifinals against Grossmont at the University of San Diego because it allowed the least amount of runs among the three teams.
Poway had earlier defeated Green Valley 11-9 and Pleasant Valley 14-0.
Even though Granite Hills (6-2) was headed for a consolation, the victory for the young Eagles, sporting five sophomores (four starters) was significant against the No. 1 team in the San Diego Section according to the San Diego Union Tribune.
It wouldn’t be a big shocker if these two teams met again in the SDS playoffs, if not finals.
“After last night we definitely wanted to come back and prove something,” said Garcia, the team’s No. 3 hitter who went 2-for-4. “They were the No. 1 team around and we wanted to set the level straight.”
As far as his game-winning hit off reliever Matt Rossio, Garcia said: “It was a low sinker and I was just thinking to hit the ball hard, make good contact and get the runner home from third base. I’m glad I was able to step up.”
Granite Hills ace Travis Hopper (3-0) stepped way up, throwing 115 pitches to finish off a gritty complete-game victory.
The junior left-hander, who relies on pinpoint control and off-speed stuff, gave up eight hits including three home runs, two two-run jobs to No. 9 hitter Steven Halcomb and a solo shot to No. 3 hitter Alex Dickerson with two out and two strikes in the seventh inning to send the game into extra innings.
Hopper put all that aside to retire the last four batters he faced and pick up his third victory without a defeat.
“I didn’t have my best stuff but I just kept battling,” Hopper said.
Granite Hills coach James Davis said he considered lifting Hopper at different points, but “I kept telling him that you can get out of the inning, you can throw slower.
“He kept nibbling at the plate. He challenged inside when he needed. He’s a kid who has a chance to be drafted. That was a hell of a job.”
Poway coach Bob Parry agreed.
“His stuff won’t scare you but he’s smart, tough and hits his spots,” he said. “But I didn’t think we adjusted at the plate very well.”
Davis said it was Granite Hills’ best game of the year, especially considering the competition.
Poway (7-2) mashes the ball all over the field, led by the Indiana-bound Dickerson and Kansas-signee Jason Brunansky, son of former major leaguer Tom Brunansky.
On Wednesday, however, the hitting star was junior shortstop Halcomb, who blasted two dingers to left field a day after hitting a grand slam last week.
“One through nine (Poway) can hurt you. I learned that that hard way,” Hooper said.
Indeed he did in the third inning.
After the host team took a 2-0 lead on an error and back-to-back doubles from Tyler Ponciano and Daniel Vinton in the second, Halcomb tied it up with his first two-run blast in the third scoring Ryan Miller, who had walked. Later in the inning Brett Thomas singled, moved to third on a throwing error and scored on a sacrifice fly by Brunansky, giving Poway a 3-2 lead.
An RBI double by Granite Hills cleanup hitter Kenny Belzer tied it 3-3 in the bottom half, before Halcomb’s second two-run homer gave Poway a two-run cushion in the fifth.
Once again, Granite Hills responded immediately, scoring twice in the bottom half on a two-run double by sophomore shortstop Jared Hunt, scoring Garcia and Josh Queriones, who had singled.
“We didn’t give in and that’s a very good sign for a young team,” Davis said.
The Eagles took a 6-5 lead in the bottom of the sixth on a clutch two-out line single to center by Queriones to score Kameron Askey, who reached on an error. Jared Rapoza, who was hit by a pitch, was cut down at the plate however on a perfect relay from center fielder Brunansky to Anderson to catcher Miller.
That helped set up Dickerson’s dramatic homer in the top of the seventh.
Coming back from an 0-2 count, the 6-foot-3, 200-pound right fielder took two close pitches, and then on a 3-2 drilled a shot just over the fence in right-center to tie the game at 6-6.
“That’s about as dramatic as it gets,” Parry said. “To come back from 0-2 in the count and to hit a home run against a quality pitcher like that tells you what kind of hitter (Dickerson) is.”
But it only delayed the Granite Hills celebration an inning.
Humphries, a fluid and swift 6-3, 200-pound center fielder, has been struggling at the plate recently and was 0-for-4 before leading off the eighth.
“Honestly, I should be hitting about .500 this year but I’ve really been hitting in some tough luck,” he said. “I tried to jack one out on the second pitch and just missed it. After that I just tried to get on.”
He bounced a single up the middle, moved to third on another single from Rapoza and scored on Garcia’s high-hopper for the game-winning run.
“We showed some guts,” Humphries said. “Even though we won’t be playing for the championship, it’s a win we can really build on.”
Parry wasn’t so happy afterward. He thought his team lacked focused most of the game. Coming off back-to-back home games under the lights and having to attend school each day – many of the 108 teams are on spring break - might have played a factor in his team’s lack of focus.
He’s just happy the Titans can make amends and repeat as Classic champions. Over the last 10 years, Poway also won Lions’ titles in 2005 (5A) and 2000 (AAAA).
“That’s the good news,” Parry said. “I told the guys we’re going to have to come back and beat a very good team at 9 a.m. tomorrow. I don’t think I’ve ever played a game at 9 a.m. If we had a tough time focusing today, it might be even more difficult at that hour tomorrow. It’s a challenge we need to embrace and conquer.”
GREEN VALLEY 7, PLEASANT VALLEY 4: The Nevada power struck for five runs in the first inning and hung on behind winning pitcher Mark Johnson with relief help by Josh Bray.
Nevada-bound outfielder/catcher Nick Melino, just back from a hamstring pull that kept him out five games, was 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBI. Outfielder Kevin Stethern added a pair of hits as did North Carolina-bound Harrison, who had a run-scoring double in the second inning.
Pleasant Valley (10-3), a Northern Section power, got a huge offensive game from losing pitcher Patrick Randolph, a Division I junior infielder, who was 3-for-3 with a single, double and home run.
Cal Poly-bound shortstop Evan Busby added an RBI double in the seventh for Pleasant Valley, which was playing its ninth game in 10 days. Rainouts followed by sunny weather caused coach Ron Souza’s team to play so many games close to the tournament.
Green Valley won six straight state titles under coach Rodger Fairless, who retired in 1998. He was replaced by current coach Nick Garritano, who is 203-78-2 coming into the season with state titles in 2001 and 2003.
He said this team is certainly capable of claiming the school’s ninth state crown.
“The sky’s the limit for this group as long as they keep working hard and avoid the injury bug,” Garritano said.
Souza is equally optimistic of his talented team, which won 10 straight games before coming to San Diego.
“We had to split up our pitching a little, but otherwise we had a great tournament and showed we can play with some of the best teams in the state and beyond,” he said, noting an 11-9 opening day loss to Granite Hills. “We only got better coming down here.”
THURSDAY’S SCHEDULE
Classic Division
At USD
Grossmont vs. Poway, 9 a.m.
Montgomery vs. Torrey Pines, noon
Championship, 3:30
Premier Division
At UCSD
Rancho Bernardo vs. Vista, 9 a.m.
Coronado vs. Eastlake, noon
Championship, 3
5A Division
At Grossmont College
Santana vs. Mission Hills, 9 a.m.
St. Augustine vs. Bonita Vista, noon
Championship, 3:30
4A Division
At Southwestern College
Chula Vista vs. West Hills, 9 a.m.
Taylorsville (Utah) vs. Serra, noon
Championship, 3:30
3A Division
Sweetwater vs. University City at Scripps Ranch, 10 a.m.
Monte Vista at San Pasqual, 10
Championship at San Pasqual High, 2
2A Division
Highland vs. San Marcos at Madison, 10 a.m.
Mount Miguel vs. San Diego at Hoover, 10
Championship at Madison High, 2
1A Division
At MiraCosta College
Sitka (Alaska) vs. Mar Vista, 9 a.m.
Tri-City Christian vs. El Cajon Valley, 1
Championship, 3:30
Consolation Games
At Granite Hills
Mission Bay vs. Liberty, 10
Kennedy vs. Granite Hills, 1
At RBV
RBV vs. Nevada Union, 11
La Costa Canyon vs. Arizona Boulder Creek, 2
At Valhalla
Valhalla vs. Green Valley (Nev.), 10
Mira Mesa vs. Silverado, 1.
At Patrick Henry
Patrick Henry vs. Nevada Shadow Ridge, 10
Murrieta Valley vs. Elk Grove, 1.
At Fallbrook
Fallbrook vs. Temecula Valley, 2.
At Cathedral Catholic
Cathedral Catholic vs. Pacific Palisades, 2
At Oceanside
Granada Hills vs. Oceanside, 2:30