The reigning South Bay League champion Montgomery Aztecs received the No. 2 seed in this year’s 12-team San Diego Section Division III baseball playoffs to head the list of six Metro Conference teams to qualify for post-season play.
The Aztecs (12-0 in league play, 24-5 overall) were seeded behind No. 1 El Capitan (22-7) and were scheduled to open play in the eight-team double-elimination tournament Wednesday against visiting St. Augustine (17-13).
Five South Bay teams earned play-in games on Tuesday:
Division I
Fifth-seeded Bonita Vista (22-8) defeated 12th-seeded San Diego (14-16) in a 14-1 rout as Hector Montes went four-for-five with six RBI and Oli Lopez went four-for-five with three runs scored. Jesse Hernandez won to improve to 10-1 on the hill.
Ninth-seeded Otay Ranch (22-10) slipped past eighth-seeded Carlsbad (26-5), 6-5, in 10 innings as Noboyuki Gonzales went four-for-five and hit a game-winning home run. Eric Moreno went three -for-four for the Mustangs, who held an early 4-1 lead in the game. Carlsbad’s Steven Bunnell hit a two-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning to send the game into extra innings.
Seventh-seeded Hilltop (16-11) edged 10th-seeded Vista (16-14), 6-5, as Thomas Padilla drove in the game-winning run to highlight a two-run sixth inning rally. Miguel Silva (6-3) earned the win in relief. Padilla and Chancellor San Miguel each drove in two runs.
Division II
Seventh-seeded Valhalla (15-15) eliminated 10th-seeded Mar Vista (19-11), 17-1, as Bryce Mosier smacked a grand slam and Austin Hensley popped a three-run homer. Josh Austel and Danny Davis combined on a three-hitter. The Norsemen battered three Mariner hurlers for 13 hits. MV starter Slater Putland took the loss.
Division IV
Third-seeded Mater Dei (13-15-1) eliminated 14th-seeded Foothills Christian (11-15), 10-2, behind a grand slam by Alex Robles and a complete game four-hitter by Robert Silva-Martinez.
