Granite Hills senior Jenny Lahitte has established a Grossmont Conference career record with her eighth no-hitter – and her second of this season.
Among the 21 outs registered by Lahitte against Vista, all but one were on strikeouts to equal the East County record for a regulation (non-extra inning) game.
El Capitan freshman mesmerizes hitters
El Capitan freshman lefthanded pitcher Delanie Gourley isn’t Irish. But she did sparkle in her debut against Grossmont despite losing 2-1 in 11 innings.
Rated one of Southern California's top 14-year-olds in ASA softball last summer, Gourley pitched all 11 innings in tossing a 1-hitter and striking out 22 batters in a non-league game on St. Patrick’s Day. Not bad for her initial varsity outing. Her strikeout total tied her for 11th on the all-time CIF-San Diego Section books.
However, the Foothillers were handed runs on a passed ball and a wild pitch to spoil Gourley’s brilliant effort with a 2-1 triumph. For good measure, Gourley fanned 17 Bonita Vista batters and twirled a one-hitter in her second start as El Capitan gained a 2-0 victory. So let’s see . . . Gourley has allowed only two hits and struck out 39 batters in 14 innings. No doubt she’s had a prolific start.
San Marcos ‘K’ of the hill
San Marcos pitcher Christina Clermont went the pitching distance twice as the Knights posted complete-game wins over San Diego Section aces El Camino and Rancho Bernardo. In the two games, she allowed no runs and eight hits, walking only three and striking out 22.
Baseball: Spinning zeroes
Montgomery senior Agustin Lopez, along with an error-free defense, led visiting Montgomery past the Foothillers 2-0. It was the second shutout in three starts for Lopez, (3-0), who now owns an ERA of 0.67.
Hungry as the Wolverines
Junior Julie Pena of Westview was 5-for-7 with three home runs and 10 RBI in two Wolverine victories, including a 9-8 upset of the top-ranked Broncos of Rancho Bernardo.
Other top performances
— Spring Valley Monte Vista senior Brittany Wright, who recently made the move from shortstop to catcher, collected a career-best four hits, with a double and triple while scoring three times.
— La Costa Canyon lacrosse midfielder Andrew Hayden scored three goals in an 8-5 victory over defending San Diego Section champion Coronado and had a goal and two assists in a 10-3 victory over Santa Margarita.
— Senior catcher Will Swanner of La Costa Canyon went 4 for 5 with two RBI and three runs in two victories, helping the Mavericks capture the Falcon-Pirate Classic championship.
— El Cajon Christian sophomore Mary Grabowski went 4 for 4 with a fourth-inning homer, a triple and a pair of singles, finishing just a double shy of a cycle as the Patriots captured the Friar Classic championship by smothering Our Lady of Peace 12-0.
— La Mesa Helix’s Claudette Smith slashed three doubles, tying the Grossmont Conference softball record for two-base hits in a game. Then later in the week Smith went 4 for 5 with three extra base blows, including a pair of triples.
Coming attractions
When it comes to high school baseball tournaments, none are bigger than the San Diego Lions Tournament which begins its 60th annual run on March 29. This is the oldest and longest running high school tournament in the nation. Some 112 teams from as far away as Boco Raton, Fla. and Jupiter Charter (Fla.), will be divided into six 16-team divisions and two eight divisions.
"It’s a never ending challenge," said tournament director Peter Gallagher, Superior Court Judge.
Dickens dealings
Just the fact that the 60th annual San Diego Lions Club has more history that no other high school sport can brag about makes this a special event. We’re talking about baseball – a four-day tournament stretch that begins on Monday and runs through April 1).
The tournament field has been as large as 120 teams, but the unstable economy and shrinking budgets have affected some of the teams to the point where they could no longer make long-distance trips to participate in prestigious national tournaments such as the San Diego Lions.
"So far the economy has not impacted our tournament greatly," Gallagher said.
Perhaps the greatest competition in this year’s event will be the weather, as usual.
Gallagher said he keeps a close tab on the weather. On Tuesday the predictions are scattered showers. His biggest concern is that the rain may be heavier for Thursday’s championship games. So that could cause a shuffle of teams and sites. Nonetheless, this tourney is as good as it gets.
