Sports

LJCD Wins Another Lions Baseball Tournament Title

Victories over Oceanside and Monte Vista give the Torreys, now 16-4, the Division 5A championship.

The La Jolla Country Day baseball team improved to 16-4 with a pair of wins Thursday at Mesa College that brought the Torreys the Division 5A championship in the prestigious Lions Baseball Tournament.

It was the second straight year LJCD has claimed a title in the nation's oldest and largest prep baseball tourney. The Torreys took the 3A division title last year. It also was the second tournament win of the season for Country Day (16-4), which ran off six straight victories to open the season and take the Christian Patriot Tournament crown.

Coach John Edman's team earned a come-from-behind 9-5 victory over Oceanside in the morning semifinals before edging Monte Vista 7-5 in the afternoon title game.

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Against Oceanside, the Torreys trailed 5-1 in the second inning, but that's when pitcher Chase Merryman came to the rescue, entering the game in relief and pitching 5 1/3 innings of two-hit ball to earn his second win of the year.

The Torreys scored two in the third on RBIs by Anthony Torres and Alex Guenette to close within two. Hits by Dustin Hughes, Tommy Edman and Guenette sparked a three-run fourth inning runs to put the Torreys ahead 6-5.  Another Hughes hit and one by Michael Glatt led to another three-run rally in the fifth for the final margin. Eddie Garcia made three fine plays in left field in the seventh inning to preserve the lead.

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In the title game against Spring Valley's Monte Vista, Jackson Volle earned his second win of the week by going the first three innings as the Torreys built a 7-3 lead. Sam Ayala pitched the next three innings, turning over a 7-5 LJCD lead to Dustin Hughes, who earned the save with a scoreless seventh which was highlighted by two defensive gems by Austin Rooke at second base.

Anthony Torres, Frankie Brown and Hughes each had two hits to pace the offense and carry the Torreys to their fifth straight win. They opened tournament play with pool-play victories over Mt. Carmel (8-1), Mission Bay (3-0) and Las Vegas Arbor View (1-0).

The Torreys return to league play next week, facing Parker (at Alliant University) on Wednesday and visiting Santa Fe Christian on Thursday.

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For more on the Torreys baseball program, visit their MaxPreps home page.


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