One month removed from the 60th annual San Diego Lions baseball tournament finds Metro Conference teams at the midpoint of league play.
Montgomery (7-0, 19-5) is being chased by San Ysidro (8-1, 14-10) and Mar Vista (4-2, 14-8) for the South Bay League pennant while Bonita Vista (16-7 overall) and Otay Ranch (19-6 overall) share the Mesa League lead with identical 4-1 league records.
The Barons moved into a first place tie with the Mustangs after scoring a 7-4 victory over visiting Otay Ranch on Tuesday in the first game of the teams’ two-game home-and-home series.
Host Bonita Vista held leads of 2-0 and 3-2 in the game before the Mustangs countered for a 4-3 lead in the top of the fifth inning. But a solo home run by Hector Montes in the bottom of the frame tied the game for the Barons, who then pushed across three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to record the dramatic win. Anthony Olivieri picked up the win in relief while Montes earned the save.
Montes also was the game’s hitting star with a pair of solo home runs. His first round-tripper came in the third inning to give the hosts a 3-2 lead.
The loss was the first in league play for the Mustangs, who secured a runner-up finish by a 1-0 score to Montgomery in the finals of the Metro tournament April 24 at Sweetwater High School.
Agui Lopez spun a complete game three-hitter to stymie Otay Ranch while Victor Serna drove in Luciano Reynoso for the game’s lone run.
Montgomery entered the week ranked sixth in the San Diego Section. The Aztecs and Cougars were both unbeaten in league until Tuesday when visiting Montgomery broke the stalemate with three runs in the top of the ninth inning to claim a 5-2 win. Luis Leyva was tabbed as the game’s offensive (double, triple, two RBI) and defensive star by coach Manny Hermosillo.
Hot corners
Bonita Vista opened Mesa League play with a 22-6 victory against Eastlake on April 20. In that game, Montes went 4-for-6 and scored three runs while Justin DiStefano went 2-for-2 with three RBI and Raymon Campillo also drove in three runs. The Barons broke the game open with seven runs in the third inning to snap a 4-4 deadlock and poured across six more runs in the fourth inning and five runs in the fifth inning.
Metro Conference Baseball Standings
(Through May 4)
Mesa League
Bonita Vista 4-1 (16-7)
Otay Ranch 4-1 (19-6)
Mater Dei 3-2 (11-12-1)
Hilltop 2-2 (10-10)
Chula Vista 1-4 (9-11)
Eastlake 0-4 (12-9)
South Bay League
Montgomery 7-0 (19-5)
San Ysidro 8-1 (14-10)
Mar Vista 4-2 (14-8)
Sweetwater 3-5 (8-15-1)
Castle Park 2-5 (7-15)
Southwest 1-5 (1-18-1)
Olympian 0-7 (7-16)
