Baseball Game Preview: Eastlake Titans vs. Grossmont Foothillers

The Eastlake Titans will take on the Grossmont Foothillers in a tournament on Monday. Eastlake's pitching crew has only allowed 2.1 runs per game this season, so Grossmont's hitters will have their work cut out for them.

Fans were treated to a battle of the Titans on Friday. Eastlake came out on top against Poway by a score of 4-1.

Jordan Gomez made a splash no matter where he played. He struck out six batters over 4.1 innings while giving up just one earned run off five hits (and not a single walk). What's more, he gave up only zero walks, the fewest he's had since back in March of 2024. He was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.

In other pitching news, Max Tello looked comfortable as he tossed 1.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run any time he's pitched this season.

Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Joel Vargas, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Hamza Hatahet, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one stolen base and one RBI.

Meanwhile, Grossmont was not able to break out of their rough patch on Saturday as the team picked up their fifth straight loss. They lost 12-5 to Classical Academy.

Durante Martinez was cooking despite his team's loss, going 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI. Those two RBI gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Johnny Warren, who scored a run while going 3-for-4.

Eastlake's victory bumped their record up to 6-3. As for Grossmont, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-6.

Eastlake was able to grind out a solid win over Grossmont in their previous meeting back in March of 2024, winning 3-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for Eastlake since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.