It is said that in a seven-game championship series — be it baseball, basketball or hockey — the better team usually comes out on top.
The Eastlake High School baseball team was pushed to the limit in its six games in this year’s San Diego Section Open Division championship playoffs. The Titans made full use of the postseason tournament’s double-elimination format by winning their final five games after dropping their playoff opener.
Top-seeded Eastlake completed its magical — yet arduous journey — by claiming last Saturday’s Open Division championship game by an 8-3 score over the seventh-seeded Helix Highlanders in front of a capacity crowd of 2,000 fans at the University of San Diego’s Fowler Park.
The Titans were right where they wanted to be, though it might not have been exactly the course they intended to navigate.
After dropping a tight 2-1 decision in nine innings to the eighth-seeded Madison Warhawks in the opening round of the playoffs on May 24, Eastlake faced an uphill, though not impossible, journey in the playoffs’ double-elimination format.
The Titans won four consecutive elimination games to reach the championship final. Included in the run were wins over fifth-seeded La Costa Canyon, fourth-seeded Rancho Bernardo and Madison twice.
Eastlake defeated Madison, 4-3, in a fifth-round double-elimination game on June 1 to advance to last Saturday’s division final.
Titan head coach Dave Gallegos said destiny was on his team’s side. How else can one explain Eastlake’s comeback from a 6-0 deficit against Rancho Bernardo, the fourth-ranked team in the nation, in a third-round game to win 7-6?
The Titans obviously did it the hard way.
Gallegos’ crew becomes the first Sweetwater Union High School District baseball team to not only qualify for back-to-back Open Division finals appearances, but the first district baseball team to win an Open Division championship.
Along the way, the Titans set a school record with 32 wins. They were only one of two schools in the state to record 30 wins this spring.
The 32 wins tie a section record previously set by La Costa Canyon in 2003.
Eastlake (32-4) finished the season ranked first in the state by MaxPreps and third in the nation by USA Today.
Those hefty accolades are not lost on anyone in the Titans’ camp.
“It’s an awesome season,” EHS head coach Dave Gallegos explained. “We had the most wins of any team in California with 32. It’s something you never forget. It’s one of the best teams in school history.”
Eastlake had defeated Helix twice during the regular season by scores of 9-0 and 4-2. The Highlanders, like the Titans, had successfully fought back through the elimination bracket to advance to this year’s championship game.
Helix eliminated second-seeded Cathedral Catholic in back-to-back games played May 30 and June 1.
But Eastlake was not going to waste its opportunity at CIF immortality after finishing runner-up in the division finals in each of the past two years. The Titans finished second to Cathedral Catholic in last year’s Open Division finals and lost to Poway two years ago in the Division I title game.
The third time indeed proved to be the charm.
Casey Schmitt got Eastlake off to a memorable start against the Highlanders by clubbing his eighth home run of the season in the first inning. Schmitt’s blast came after teammate Ben Ramirez had reached base on a single to give the Titans a quick 2-0 lead.
Eastlake would extend its lead to 7-0 in taking firm control of the title contest.
L.J. Jones singled in two runs in the third inning. Sonny Rivera drove in one run and Ben Ramirez tripled in two more runs to highlight a three-run fourth inning.
Helix (22-12) pushed across one run in the bottom of the fifth inning and added two more in the bottom of the sixth inning. But it wasn’t nearly enough.
Grant Holman pitched the first five innings for Eastlake. He allowed one run and struck out six batters to improve to 10-0 on the season and 20-0 over the past two seasons. Schmitt pitched the final two innings to earn his school record 10th save this season.
Schmitt finished the playoffs with four home runs and four saves.
Holman batted .384 with 12 home runs and 40 RBI this season at the plate.
Incredible journey
Both Eastlake and Helix had to win back-to-back games against teams that had previously defeated them in the playoffs to advance to this year’s championship game. The Titans handed Madison a 6-2 defeat on May 30 and then eliminated the Warhawks with a clutch 4-3 win on June 1.
Helix prevented another Eastlake-Cathedral Catholic Open Division finals matchup after eliminating the second-seeded Dons, 4-0, in the teams’ do-or-die fifth-round contest.
With both Eastlake and Madison facing elimination in the June 1 game, the Titans trailed early 3-0 before the hosts rallied for their dramatic victory.
Schmitt hit a solo home run to make the score 3-1. Bryan Reyes drove in one run later in the second inning to trim the Warhawk lead to 3-2.
Reyes then slammed a two-run home run in the bottom of the fourth to put the hosts ahead for the first time in the game.
Brian Leonhardt started the game for Eastlake and pitched the opening four-and-one-third innings before Schmitt closed the game out in relief. Leonhardt received credit for the win to improve to 11-0 on the season. Schmitt recorded his school record ninth save as the Titans extended their school record win total to 31.
Next level
The Titans currently have nine players committed to colleges.
They include Ramirez (USC), Schmitt (SDSU), Jones (Long Beach State), Sonny Rivera (Long Beach State), Mason Thompson (Point Loma Nazarene), Reyes (Lewis and Clark State), Juan Sanchez (Delaware State), Leonhardt (SDSU) and Ricky Tibbett (SDSU).
Leonhardt is a junior while Tibbett is a sophomore; all the others are seniors.
Ramirez led the team this season with a .444 hitting average.
San Diego Section Baseball Finals
Open Division: (1) Eastlake 8, (7) Helix 3
Division I: (4) Grossmont 8, (2) Francis Parker 3
Division II: (1) San Marcos 6, (2) Santana 4
Division III: (2) Brawley 2, (1) Serra 0
Division IV: (1) Chula Vista 5, (2) Classical Academy 3
Division V: (1) Maranatha Christian 6, (2) Escondido Charter 3
