The top baseball ranking
in the San Diego CIF Section is up for grabs between a handful of teams. Primary
contenders in this rush are Poway and Vista.
Defending champion
Poway, which has captured two of the past three Division I championships, is
once again in the driver’s seat.
That’s because the
Titans swept a three-game series from second-ranked Vista.
With one inning left in
the opener of Saturday’s (April 25) doubleheader joust with Vista, the Titans
appeared on the brink of defeat in the first game. Eventually, the Titans got
three straight singles to chase home the tying and go-ahead runs for a 6-5
victory over Vista in a battle of teams ranked among the state's best. That
comeback provided the spark for a sweep for Poway (18-2) over the 17-5
Panthers.
An eight-run first inning in the
nightcap propelled Poway to an 18-2 pummeling of the
Panthers.
More Baseball:
Millikan’s
scoreless streak ends, but Rams get last word
The Millikan Rams’
string of scoreless innings in the Moore League was halted at 43 when Long Beach
Poly scored four runs in the second inning of Friday's (Apr. 24) game at Blair
Field in Long Beach. Nevertheless, Millikan improved to 7-0 after beating the
Jackrabbits, 8-4.
Son of
former major leaguer lights it up
Westview senior Angelo
Cianfrocco, son of former San Diego Padres slugger Archi Cianfrocco, slugged
three home runs and chased in six runs, helping the Wolverines sweep to
victories over Oceanside and Valley Center. Cianfrocco is batting .377 with five
home runs and 21 RBI.
Baseball
extra: For South
El Monte pitcher, the sauce et tu
Senior pitcher
Jimmie Saucedo threw a three-hitter and hit two triples, guiding South El Monte
to a 12-2 romp over Rosemead in a Mission Valley League game. Saucedo was
3-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored.
Softball: Parker’s
McIntyre is base of the aces
Amye McIntyre, Parker
File Photo By Kirt Winter
Other Top
Performances
— Damien's Matt Whitehouse
pitched a no-hitter in a 14-0 win over Santa Maria St. Joseph. Whitehouse had 17
strikeouts, all in the first 19 batters of the game. The only batter that
reached base was on a strikeout/passed ball.
— Edison
sophomore Henry Owens pitched a no-hitter against Fountain Valley in a 7-0
victory. Owens is now 6-0. Tanner Phillips hit a grand slam in the first
inning.
— Mira Mesa’s Justin
Bellez, who has attracted pro scouts’ attention as a pitcher, went 4-for-4 in a
win over Patrick Henry with a game-winning home run. On the mound he registered
11 strikeouts.
— Junior Andrew Katz hit
for the cycle to help Patrick Henry pound Scripps Ranch 15-3 in a SDSCIF Eastern
League game.
— Ramona’s Jackson
Willeford drove in seven runs with a double and a home run as the Bulldogs
smothered San Marcos 17-7 in a SDSCIF baseball game.
— Robert
Refsnyder of Laguna Hills hit his eighth home run of the season to claim the
Orange County lead.
— Valhalla
junior center fielder Kaitlin McGinley posted a .909 batting average (10-for-11)
in triumphs over Grossmont South League rivals Helix, Steele Canyon and Monte
Vista.
— Downey
sophomore center fielder Staci Rodriguez was 10-for-17 with five runs scored, five
RBI and a pair of home runs in the five-game Righetti Softball
Tournament.
— Jasmine Vogel and Sage
Wolf each went 5-for-5 and combined for eight RBI as Vista Guajome Park drubbed
the San Diego Jewish Academy 17-5.
— Granite Hills’ Jenny
Lahitte pitched her sixth career no-hitter as the Eagles hammered Helix
11-0.
Coming Attractions
The championship of the
Metro Conference Baseball Tournament will be held later than planned when
Montgomery faces off against Chula Vista Saturday (May 2) at Bonita Vista at
10:30.
On the horizon is the
five-game regular season set at Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres. On Friday, May 8 Cathedral Catholic will face rival St. Augustine
at 4 and Vista takes on Carlsbad at 7. On Saturday, May 9, the
lineup is as follows: Canyon Crest vs. Francis Parker at 10; Bonita Vista vs.
Chula Vista at 1; and Central Union vs. El Centro Southwest at 4.
Dickens Dealings
To play in any major league venue has to
be special for a high school athlete considering the majority of these
youngsters won’t set foot in such an arena without purchasing a
ticket.
A year ago 10 high school baseball teams
showcased their talents in a weekend set at Petco Park, home of the San Diego
Padres. It doesn’t get much better than this for all concerned. Open seating for
a $5 ticket allows the patron to sit wherever he or she would like sit. For the
early arrivals, we’re talking front row, which for a big league game costs $57
if you can get it. Scalpers usually get $100 minimum for such seats, considering
most of the ducats are corporate-owned on a season to season basis.
Players, of course, don’t pay a dime.
But there are the strictest of rules. No spitting sunflower seeds on the playing
surface or inside the dugouts. That privilege is reserved for the
pros.
High school athletes, in the past, never
received such an opportunity. But the current administration of the San Diego
CIF was approached by the Padres with the invitation, and commission Dennis
Ackerman jumped at the chance.
Obviously the players involved are in
awe.
“The first couple of pitches I was
pretty nervous,” La Costa Canyon reliever Tyler Korn told the San Diego
Union-Tribune last year. “Standing out there on top of the mound looking in and
seeing how high the stands go up, that was a little
intimidating.”
Grossmont High graduate Kyle Secciani
noted the size of the field.
“We are used to playing in a very small
park, so as an outfielder there is so much more ground to cover,” Secciani
recalled. “You have to worry about making longer throws, and taking better
angles to the ball.”
Those who will participate in the Petco
Party in May will no doubt incur similar memories of those previously privileged
to do so.
