The Metro Conference’s San Diego Section incredible spring haul of CIF championships included eight teams spread across five sports: softball (Mater Dei Catholic in the Open Division, Eastlake in Division I and Olympian in Division IV), boys volleyball (Mater Dei Catholic in Division III and San Ysidro in Division V), girls lacrosse (Olympian in Division III), boys lacrosse (Mater Dei Catholic in Division III) and girls beach volleyball (Eastlake in Division II).
It could have been as many as 10 as San Ysidro (Division II) and Otay Ranch (Division IV) both finished runner-up in the section baseball finals. Additionally, Bonita Vista placed second to Mater Dei Catholic in the Open Division softball final.
Batter up
San Ysidro (21-13) received the No. 7 seed in the Division II playoffs and upset No. 2 Madison and No. 6 San Pasqual to reach the division final played May 30 at SDSU’s Tony Gwynn Stadium. The Cougars, the second-place finisher in the Metro-Mesa League regular season standings, met No. 5 Mt. Carmel (23-13) in the division championship game.
San Ysidro defeated 10th-seeded Classical Academy, 11-7, in the opening round of the playoffs before handing the second-seeded Warhawks (22-8) a 7-4 defeat in the second round. The Cougars promptly defeated sixth-seeded San Pasqual, 8-1, in the next round. However, the Golden Eagles (19-14) remained alive with a 3-2 win over El Camino (17-14) to force a double-elimination game against San Ysidro.
San Pasqual edged the Cougars, 4-3, to force another double-elimination game, this time won 4-2 by the South County visitors. San Ysidro played three consecutive road games in Escondido against the Golden Eagles, plus a fourth road game at Madison.
Mt. Carmel recovered from an early 3-2 deficit to end San Ysidro’s championship hopes with a 7-3 victory. The Sundevils would go on to the Division III Southern California regional championship game against University City, dropping a 3-1 decision to the Centurions (23-12).
San Ysidro found success playing “small ball,” according to coach Ray Lozada Jr. “Bunting the ball, stealing bases,” he said.
Senior Antonio Soto garnered top pitching honors in the playoff drive with two wins while seniors Axel Reyes and Armann Robles were the top hitters to nudge the Cougars to the division final. The four consecutive road games had to drain the Metro-Mesa League runners-up and Lozada said his team’s pitching was somewhat depleted entering the final.
“Just a lot of adversity,” Lozada said. “We had to fish for a hit, keeping the boys focused.”
San Ysidro has been to the championship game before, winning the Division II title in 2013 and the Division III banner in 2015.
It’s been 10 years since the last CIF championship and the Cougars got a gleam in their eye early in the contest that the long drought might end.
Mt. Carmel senior Bryce Miller, a Yale commit with a 0.321 hitting average, 28 RBI and seven home runs, opened the bottom of the first inning with a triple and scored on a sacrifice fly to hand the Sundevils a quick 1-0 lead.
San Ysidro went down 1-2-3 in the top of the second inning while Mt. Carmel scratched out another run in its half of the inning on a basehit, stolen base, overthrow and wild pitch.
The Cougars caught some breaks of their own in the top of the third inning on an infield single, passed ball and another infield hit to force a pitching change on the part of the Sundevils. A walk followed to load the bases.
But San Ysidro was denied a run when a runner was thrown out at the plate on an attempted sacrifice fly. But an infield hit followed to bring in one run and a second Cougar crossed the plate on a wild pick-off attempt. A stolen base and overthrow led to a fortuitous 3-2 San Ysidro lead.
The visitors’ dugout was rocking.
But it was all too short-lived.
Mt. Carmel regained the lead in the bottom of the fourth inning on a pair of runs and put away the game with three more runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. The Cougars put up zeroes in their last four at-bats.
The game was not a masterpiece with seven errors between the teams, including four by the victorious Sundevils. Mt. Carmel scored seven runs on seven hits while San Ysidro parlayed five hits for its three runs.
Senior Camden Graver keyed the Sundevils with two RBI while freshman Nate Godbold and junior Atticus Enriquez (double) each drove in one run. Junior Carson Weber and Enriquez each had two hits. Enriquez scored two runs.
Robles, who keyed San Ysidro with three hits, was credited with one RBI and one run scored. Soto and sophomore Manny Torres also scored runs for the Cougars.
Senior Shane Carter pitched 3.2 innings with four hits, two runs allowed, three walks and one strikeout to pick up the win on the mound. Junior Kelle Leuck pitched two innings with one run while Miller and junior Isaac Reese each logged one inning. Miller got the save.
San Ysidro used three pitchers. Reyes (1.2 innings, three earned runs) was tagged with the loss. Junior Carlos Gomez started and pitched 3.1 innings with six hits, four runs allowed (three earned) while junior Gil Salgado pitched one inning with one strikeout.
Mt. Carmel swiped four bases in the game.
Six Cougars are expected to attend college, including four at the community college level.
One that got away
While second-seeded Ramona (23-8) went straight through to the final with three consecutive wins (7-3 over 10th-seeded Olympian, 9-3 over third-seeded Palo Verde Valley and 11-10 over Palo Verde Valley in a double-elimination rematch), top-seeded Otay Ranch (23-11) had to recover from a 3-2 loss to eighth-seeded Lincoln in its first bracket game.
The Mustangs rallied with wins over fourth-seeded Escondido Charter (5-2 in third-round play), Lincoln (6-0 in fourth-round play), and a double-elimination set against fifth-seeded Hilltop (2-0 in the semifinals and 8-4 in the so-called “if-necessary” game).
Riding a streak of four consecutive wins, Otay Ranch promptly found itself down 1-0 in the division championship game played May 31 at the University of San Diego’s Fowler Field as junior Colton Simpson doubled home a teammate who had received a two-out walk. It was the first of two doubles on the day for Simpson.
But the Mustangs quickly got to work to build a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the frame on back-to-back basehits by juniors Carlos Martinez and Aidan Galacia, a sacrifice fly by senior Jake Medina and another basehit by senior Dimas Acevedo.
The Bulldogs were unable to get the first five Otay Ranch batters out to start the bottom of the second inning. Senior Carlos Ulloa was hit by a pitch, sophomore Istak Mariscal entered as a pinch runner, senior Nick Mendoza followed with an infield hit and sophomore Moyses Salido walked to load the bases.
Martinez was hit by a pitch to bring one run in for a 3-1 Mustang lead. Galaicia received a free pass to first base with a walk to push another run across the plate for a 4-1 advantage. A Ramona pitching change produced a strikeout but Acevedo was safe on an infield chopper to bring in another run.
Otay Ranch led 5-1 through two innings and things looked exceedingly rosy.
But every rose has its thorns.
Things began to unravel in the top of the third inning as the Bulldogs made up ground to trail 5-4. Ramona went ahead 6-5 in the top of the fifth inning only to have the Mustangs tie the contest, 6-6, in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Ramona loaded the bases to start the third inning. Simpson singled to make the score 5-2 and a double by sophomore Tallon Oglivie brought around two more runners. A double play quashed any further damage.
The Mustangs loaded the bases in the bottom of the fourth inning on singles by Galacia and Medina and a walk to Salazar with two out. But a fly-out ended the threat.
Two walks, a stolen base and passed ball set the stage for Ramona to take a 6-5 lead in the top of the fifth inning. A wild pitch tied the game, 5-5, with two runners still on base with none out. Junior Luis Sanchez entered the game on the mound for the Mustangs and Simpson prompted greeted him with a basehit down the third base line to break the tie.
Ramona had runners on second and third bases still with no outs. Oglivie was caught in a rundown between third and home for one out. A called third strike by Sanchez made it two out and the Bulldogs finally went down on a fly-out to center field.
Ulloa led off the bottom of the fifth inning with a basehit and Mendoza followed with a bunt single to get Otay Ranch going. A pop foul appeared to dent the uprising before Martinez stroked a basehit for a 6-6 deadlock.
Galacia was sacrificed to third base with two outs but a force-out at second base ended the inning without further damage.
Former Sweetwater Valley Little League pitcher Preston Bellinger entered the game in the top of the sixth inning for the Mustangs. He hit one player and sophomore Noah Bedia slapped a basehit. But Bellinger got out of the jam on a double-play and fly out.
Otay Ranch players began chanting “I want that patch!” as the game entered its money phase.
Senior Seth Gaines took the mound for the Bulldogs and struck out the first batter. Salazar followed with an infield out but senior Victor Bennett kept the game moving with a basehit. But a fly-out left the pinch runner on base.
Bellinger did not return to the mound for a second inning; instead Galacia hiked up the hill.
The Bulldogs rattled off three successive basehits to promptly load the bases with none out. Ramona attempted a suicide squeeze that back-fired, leaving runners at second and third bases with one out.
Things seemed to be playing into the hands of the Mustangs when disaster struck. A slapper between shortstop and third base went back to the plate to apparently cut down another runner. The Otay Ranch catcher was waiting for the ball at the plate. But the ball kicked off his glove.
When the dust at the plate cleared, the ball was several feet away from the catcher, and appeared rolling further away.
Ramona players in the dugout began cheering at the sight.
7-6 Bulldogs.
But the inning was not over and a sacrifice fly brought in another runner for an 8-6 Ramona edge.
The Mustangs were suddenly down to their final three outs. A strikeout and walk opened the top of the seventh inning. The final Otay Ranch batter worked the count to 3-2 before hitting into a game-ending double play.
With nine runners left on base, the game was clearly one of missed opportunities for the Mustangs.
“We fell short,” Otay Ranch head coach Ray San Miguel said. “We had the momentum. We made plays but not the ones that counted at the end.”
Simpson led the newly crowned CIF champions with three RBI on four hits, including two doubles, while Oglivie had two RBI and junior Justin Jarrett and senior Josh Luellen each drove in one run.
Oglivie and sophomore Zack Nightingale each had two hits while junior Cal Melendez scored three runs and sophomore Derek Taylor scored twice.
Senior Jakob Coxen pitched four innings for Ramona with four hits, one run allowed, two walks and two strikeouts. Gaines pitched two innings with no runs, one hits, one walk and two strikeouts. Sophomore Alex Wilson started and pitched one frame with four hits, five runs, two walks and one strikeout.
The Bulldogs rapped out 11 hits and stole four bases. The Mustangs had nine hits. Ramona had seven runners left on base.
Acevedo and Martinez led Otay Ranch with two RBI apiece while Galaica and Medina each were credited with one RBI. Acevedo, Martinez, Galacia and Mendoza each had two hits.
The Mustangs used four pitchers. Medina pitched four innings with six hits, sis runs, four walks and six strikeouts. Bellinger and Sanchez each allowed one hit in one inning each while Galicia allowed three hits and two runs in the deciding frame.
Ramona, seeded fourth in the Southern California Division IV tournament, lost its opener, 7-3 to fifth-seeded Rancho Mirage (19-14).
