Both the Bonita Vista High School baseball and softball teams lost their San Diego Section playoff openers on Wednesday, but both teams remain still in contention for a division championship thanks to the double-elimination nature of this year’s tournament.
The Bonita Vista softball team, seeded second in the Division I tier, dropped a 7-4 decision to seventh-seeded Patrick Henry, while the third-seeded BVHS baseball team came up short to sixth-seeded Helix by a 3-2 score in the Division II tier.
The Lady Barons (14-12-1) will host sixth-seeded Mission Hills (15-12-2) in Friday’s second round while the Barons (18-10-1) will host 10th-seeded Madison (12-17-1) on Friday in a bid to continue their season on the baseball diamond.
Conversely, both Patrick Henry (17-12) and Helix (14-14) improved to 2-0 in postseason play after grabbing play-on wins on Tuesday. The Lady Patriots eliminated 10th-seeded Santana, 3-2, in the single-elimination play-in round while the Highlanders stopped 11th-seeded Westview by a score of 4-2.
“We believe we have fantastic pitching and a veteran team,” BV baseball coach Dave Palet said. “We believe we still have a chance to win the Division II championship.”
Wednesday’s game featured an opening run scored by Bonita Vista in the bottom of the first inning before the visiting Highlanders tied the game, 1-1, with a single run in the top of the third inning. The Scotties added another run in the top of the fourth inning to take a 2-1 lead.
The Barons tied the game, 2-2, with a single run in the bottom of the sixth inning only to see the visitors go in front, 3-2, in the top of the seventh inning on a sacrifice fly RBI by senior Walker Laub.
The hosts challenged with the potential game-tying run in the bottom of the frame before senior Kris Jones made a game-saving catch in the outfield.
Seniors Alonso Andrade and J.D. Corcoran (double) each drove in one run for Metro-Mesa League runner-up Bonita Vista while seniors Gavin Brown and Luis Sosa each scored runs.
Junior Michael Maywood pitched six innings with seven strikeouts while facing 25 batters. He allowed four hits and two runs, one of them earned. Junior Cristian Ayala pitched one inning with one hit, one earned run and one strikeout.
Senior Lincoln Wirschem pitched a complete game victory with six strikeouts and four hits, allowing one earned run. He faced 25 batters.
The Highlanders made the most of their five hits in the game. Seniors Adrian Espinoza and Laub were each credited with one RBI while Jones (double) scored twice and senior Gehrig Syms scored once.
Wednesday’s playoff victory was the fourth win in a row for the Scotties, who finished third in Grossmont Hills League play behind Granite Hills and Grossmont.
“We’re finally hitting our stride and peaking at the correct time, which is great going into the playoffs,” Helix coach Diego Reynoso said. “The energy from our players is at an all-time high.”
In Tuesday’s playoff opener, the Highlanders never trailed but did snap an early 2-2 tie with single runs in the bottom of the third and fifth innings. The Wolverines (12-17) out-hit the Scotties 9-8 as each team made one error.
Syms keyed the host team with two RBI while garnering three hits, including a home run and double. Senior Jojo Aguon had two hits and one RBI while Laub had two hits, including a double, and scored one run.
Syms scored two runs while junior Antoin Simpson scored once.
Helix senior Gabe Lanier recorded the win by scattering eight hits over six innings with two earned runs and two strikeouts. Senior Jake Hopkins allowed one hit and one strikeout in one inning to earn the save.
Senior Owen Peake took the loss for the Wolverines despite striking out seven batters in 4.2 innings.
Helix advances to meet second-seeded Santa Fe Christian (23-6) in Friday’s second round.
Girl power
Senior Alexis Jimenez and junior Anissa Del Rio each collected RBI on home runs in Wednesday’s game for the hosts while Jimenez, Del Rio, sophomore Leah Letuli and senior Irie Iapala each scored single runs.
Junior Danica Aboytes started in the pitching circle and allowed eight hits and three earned runs in four innings while freshman Noelle Kalavi pitched the final three innings allowed four hits and struck out four batters while coughing up four runs, two of them earned.
Junior Izzy Ervin keyed the Lady Patriots with two RBI while senior McKenna Gieger, junior Zoe Rutherford and senior Sophia Sanchez each drove in one run. Rutherford hit a home run while Ervin scored three runs.
Rutherford went the distance to record the playoff win, scattering seven hits while striking out five batters.
Bonita Vista scored single runs in each of the opening two innings to lead 2-0. Patrick Henry came back with one run in the third inning and poured across four runs in the top of the fourth inning to go in front 5-2 on the scoreboard.
The Lady Barons got one run back in the bottom of the fourth inning to trail 5-3. But the visitors tacked on single runs in each of the fifth and sixth innings to build a 7-3 lead.
Bonita Vista rallied with one run in the bottom of the seventh inning. The Lady Pats out-hit hosts 12-7 with each team charged with one error.
Patrick Henry defeated 10th-seeded Santana, 3-2, in Tuesday’s play-in game. The Lady Patriots trailed 2-1 before tying the score in the bottom of the seventh inning and plating the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning. Both teams had five hits.
Rutherford picked up the win in relief of sophomore starter Belle Will by allowing one hit in two scoreless innings.
Santana senior Aurelia Dawson took the loss after striking out six batters in 8.2 innings while allowing four hits and one earned run.
The Lady Sultans finished the season 11-16 overall.
San Diego Section Playoff Qualifiers
Baseball
Open Division
- Rancho Bernardo (21-6), 2. Torrey Pines (19-9), 3. Granite Hills (19-5), 4. Cathedral Catholic (20-7), 5. St. Augustine (22-6), 6. Patrick Henry (21-6-1), 7. Carlsbad (15-12), 8. Eastlake (22-5)
First round double-elimination:
(1) Rancho Berndado 3, (8) Eastlake 1
(5) St. Augustine 8, (4) Cathedral Catholic 4
(3) Granite Hills 7, (6) Patrick Henry 1
(2) Torrey Pines 4, (7) Carlsbad 1
Second round double-elimination
(5) St. Augustine at (1) Rancho Bernardo
(8) Eastlake at (4) Cathedral Catholic
(7) Carlsbad at (6) Patrick Henry
(3) Granite Hills at Torrey Pines
Division I
- La Costa Canyon (13-13-1), 2. Poway (19-9), 3. Del Norte (13-15), 4. San Marcos (14-13), 5. La Jolla Country Day (18-9-1), 6. Grossmont (15-13), 7. Mission Hills (14-12-1), 8. Sage Creek (16-11-1), 9. Christian (12-16), 10. Santana (7-19), 11. Montgomery (11-14), 12. Steele Canyon (4-22)
Play-in round
(8) Sage Creek 10, (9) Christian 6
(5) La Jolla Country Day 8, (12) Steele Canyon 3
(11) Montgomery 2, (6) Grossmont 0
(10) Santana 7, (7) Mission Hills 2
First round double-elimination
(1) La Costa Canyon 5, (8) Sage Creek 3
(4) San Marcos 3, (5) La Jolla Country Day 2
(11) Montgomery 4, (3) Del Norte 1
(2) Poway 6, (10) Santana 1
Division II
- Pt. Loma (14-8-4), 2. Santa Fe Christian (22-6), 3. Bonita Vista (18-9-1), 4. Maranatha Christian (19-9), 5. San Pasqual (17-11), 6. Helix (12-14), 7. Classical Academy (15-13), 8. Mt. Carmel (17-11), 9. Scripps Ranch (13-15), 10. Madison (11-16-1), 11, Westview (12-16), 12. Coronado (15-13)
Play-n round
(8) Scripps Ranch 3, (8) Mt. Carmel 2
(12) Coronado 4, (5) San Pasqual 1
(6) Helix 4, (11) Westview 2
(10) Madison 5, (7) Classical Academy 3
First round double-elimination
(1) Pt. Loma 3, (9) Scripps Ranch 2
(4) Maranatha Christian 5, (12) Coronado 3
(6) Helix 3, (3) Bonita Vista 2
(2) Santa Fe Christian 7, (10) Madison 3
Division III
- Valhalla (20-6), 2. Southwest El Centro (21-7), 3. El Camino (19-9), 4. Calexico (14-10-1), 5. Brawley (15-9-2), 6. San Ysidro (19-9), 7. Mira Mesa (16-11), 8. La Jolla (16-12), 9. El Capitan (17-11), 10. Mater Dei Catholic (17-11), 11. Mission Bay (16-11), 12. Ramona (12-13-1)
Play-in round
(8) La Jolla 2, (9) El Capitan 1
(5) Brawley 13, (12) Ramona 1
(6) San Ysidro 3, (11) Mission Bay 2
(7) Mira Mesa 17, (10) Mater Dei Catholic 2
First round double elimination
(1) Valhalla 6, (8) La Jolla 0
(4) Calexico 6, (5) Brawley 3
(3) El Camino 3, (6) San Ysidro 2
(7) Mira Mesa 6, (2) Southwest El Centro 4
Division IV
- University City (23-5), 2. Monte Vista (18-9-1), 3. Imperial (21-6), 4. Valley Center (14-11), 5. Morse (15-11), 6. Escondido Charter (17-6), 7. Hilltop (10-17-1), 8. San Diego (14-13), 9. Sweetwater (15-10), 10. Palo Verde Valley (11-13-1), 11. Chula Vista (17-10), 12. High Tech High Chula Vista (13-10-1)
Division V
- Coastal Academy (15-9), 2. Mt. Miguel (11-16), 3. Orange Glen (14-6), 4. Mountain Empire (12-4), 5. Kearny (16-9), 6. High Tech High San Diego (13-9), 7. El Cajon Valley (9-15), 8. Bayfront Charter (10-11), 9. Army-Navy Academy (4-15), 10. Guajome Park Academy (6-13)
Division V-AA
- Calvin Christian (18-3), 2. Rock Academy (13-9), 3. Bonsall (14-8), 4. Victory Christian Academy (12-7), 5. Borrego Springs (14-7), 6. Ocean View Christian Academy (8-7), 7. Vincent Memorial Catholic (10-7), 8. Liberty Charter (7-15), 9. Calipatria (4-16), 10. St. Joseph Academy (4-13)
Softball
Open Division
- Poway (20-6-1), 2. Del Norte (20-5), 3. Mater Dei Catholic (25-3), 4. Cathedral Catholic (20-5), 5. Torrey Pines (21-4-2), 6. Rancho Bernardo (15-9-1), 7. La Costa Canyon (20-8), 8. San Marcos (16-12)
Division I
- Granite Hills (15-9), 2. Bonita Vista (14-11-1), 3. Otay Ranch (13-12), 4. Steele Canyon (18-6-1), 5. Carlsbad (14-11), 6. Mission Hills (14-12-2), 7. Patrick Henry (15-12), 8. Rancho Buena Vista (12-12), 9. El Capitan (12-12-4), 10. Santana (11-15), 11. Helix (8-17), 12. Holtville (6-17-1)
Play-in round
(8) Rancho Buena Vista 8, (9) El Capitan 1
(5) Carlsbad 1, (12) Holtville 1
(6) Mission Hills 10, (6) Helix 0
(7) Patrick Henry 3, (10) Santana 2
First-round double elimination:
(1) Granite Hills 3, (8) Rancho Buena Vista
(7) Patrick Henry 7, (2) Bonita Vista 4
(3) Otay Ranch 9, (6) Mission Hills 5
(5) Carlsbad 8, (4) Steele Canyon 7
Second round double elimination
(5) Carlsbad at (1) Granite Hills
(7) Patrick Henry at (3) Otay Ranch
(6) Mission Hills at (2) Bonita Vista
(8) Rancho Buena Vista at (4) Steele Canyon
Division II
- Imperial (23-3-1), 2. Eastlake (18-10), 3. Christian (21-6-1), 4. Our Lady of Peace (10-10-1), 5. Calexico (13-12-1), 6. San Pasqual (12-13), 7. West Hills (17-9-1), 8. Brawley (11-14), 9. Clairemont (9-12-1), 10. Mt. Carmel (18-9), 11. Mar Vista (13-11-1), 12. Bayfront Charter (13-9)
Division III
- Mission Vista (20-8), 2, Pt. Loma (14-13), 3. Sage Creek (18-9), 4. Escondido Charter (21-5), 5. Oceanside (16-5-1), 6. Scripps Ranch (16-10), 7. Grossmont (10-12-2), 8. Madison (14-11-1), 9. Foothills Christian (11-6), 10. Southwest El Centro (13-10-1), 11. Coronado (14-7-2), 12. University City (11-14-1)
Play-in round
(8) Madison 7, (9) Foothills Christian 6
(5) Oceanside 14, (12) University City 5
(11) Coronado 2, (6) Scripps Ranch 1
(7) Grossmont 7, (10) Southwest El Centro 3
First-round double elimination:
(1) Mission Vista 9, (8) Madison 1
(2) Pt. Loma 11, (7) Grossmont 1
(3) Sage Creek 6, (11) Coronado 1
(4) Escondido Charter 1, (5) Oceanside 0
Second round double elimination
(4) Escondido Charter at (1) Mission Vista
(8) Madison at (5) Oceanside
(3) Sage Creek at (2) Pt. Loma
(11) Coronado at (7) Grossmont
Division IV
- Santa Fe Christian (18-3-1), 2. Morse (20-7), 3. Chula Vista (17-10), 4. Liberty Charter (21-6), 5. Bishop’s (13-6), 6. Palo Verde Valley (11-14), 7. Fallbrook (8-15-2), 8. Classical Academy (15-10), 9. Sweetwater (18-8), 10. Coastal Academy (11-16), 11. Maranatha Christian (6-9), 12. San Ysidro (13-11)
Play-in round
(11) Maranatha Christian 5, (6) Palo Verde Valley 4
(10) Coastal Academy 2, (7) Fallbrook 0
(5) Bishop’s 5, (12) San Ysidro 2
(8) Classical Academy 5, (9) Sweetwater 4 (9 innings)
Note: San Ysidro 18, Borrego Spring 0 (to enter play-in round)
First-round double elimination:
(11) Maranatha Christian 2, (3) Chula Vista 1
(10) Coastal Academy 6, (2) Morse 3 (8 innings)
(1) Santa Fe Christian 10, (8) Classical Academy 6
(5) Bishop’s 15, (4) Liberty Charter 4
Second-round double-elimination
(5) Bishop’s at (1) Santa Fe Christian
(11) Maranatha Christian at (10) Coastal Academy
(8) Classical Academy at (4) Liberty Charter
(3) Chula Vista at (2) Morse
Division V
- Francis Parker (18-3), 2. El Cajon Valley (14-9), 3. Castle Park (10-15), 4. Crawford (12-9), 5. Orange Glen (11-11), 6. Kearny (7-11), 7. Lincoln (8-14), 8. Mountain Empire (7-8), 9. Southwest (3-15), 10. Guajome Park (4-14)
Play-in round
(7) Lincoln 1, (10) (10) Guajome Park Academy 0
(9) Southwest 28, (8) Mountain Empire 11
First-round double elimination:
(1) Francis Parker defeated (9) Southwest, score unavailable
(2) El Cajon Valley 15, (7) Lincoln 3
(3) Castle Park 18, (6) Kearny 0
(5) Orange Glen 18, (4) Crawford 8
Second-round double elimination
(5) Orange Glen at (1) Francis Parker
(3) Castle Park at (2) El Cajon Valley
(7) Lincoln at (6) Kearny
(9) Southwest at (6) Crawford
Division V-AA
- Bonsall (12-7), 2. Chula Vista Learning Community Charter (6-14), 3. Julian (5-11), 4. St. Joseph Academy (2-14), 5, Ocean View Christian Academy (7-7), 6. San Diego Academy (6-5), 7. Warner (1-12), 8. Vincent Memorial Catholic (2-6)
Play-in round
Vincent Memorial Catholic 40, Victory Christian Academy 10 (to enter double-elimination round as No. 8 seed)
First-round double elimination:
(1) Bonsall 15, (8) Vincent Memorial Catholic 1
(2) Chula Vista Learning Community Charter 21, (7) Warner 2
(3) Julian 15, (6) San Diego Academy 14
(4) St. Joseph Academy 12, (5) Ocean View Academy 7
Second-round double-elimination
(4) St. Joseph Academy at (1) Bonsall
(3) Julian at (2) Chula Vista Learning Community Charter
(7) Warner at (6) San Diego Academy
(8) Vincent Memorial Academy at (5) Ocean View Christian Academy
