Oilers Blanked By Grizzlies In Boras Classic Opener
Huntington Beach shutout and limited to only two hits as a Cayden Hammond near no-hitter goes to the wayside
The Huntington Beach Oilers (11-3-1) fall in the opener of the 2026 Boras Baseball Classic to the Los Osos Grizzlies (4-8) by the final of 1-0, eliminating the Oilers from championship contention and placing them in the consolation bracket. This is the first time this season Huntington Beach has been shutout, and the first since March 16, 2024 when the Oilers fell to Fountain Valley, 3-0.
Starting pitcher Cayden Hammond was the story of the afternoon, staying dialed in from start to finish. The senior transfer from Arizona, began the day striking out the side and retiring the first nine batters. Only three Grizzlies batters reached base during his outing, one via a walk, one via a hit-by-pitch and the last by a single to left field in the seventh. Hammond kept Los Osos hitless through six and one-third innings, while tossing a season-high eight strikeouts. Not only a personal high, but also a team-high in a single performance as well. Before the hit yielded in the seventh with one out, Hammond had combined to toss 10.1 no-hit innings to begin his Oilers career (four innings last Tuesday vs. Corona Del Mar) while adding in 13 total strikeouts.
The Oilers offense, which had been firing on all cylinders for the last month, stopped dead in its tracks courtesy of Los Osos starting pitcher Kyle Humphrey. The right-hander came into the game with an ERA over seven, yet held the Oilers to just two hits (Dane Cunningham & Owen Bone singles), along with just one walk. The Grizzlies scored the lone run of the game on a single to left field by Dominic Rodriguez, scoring Wyatt Mohler.
With today's loss, the Oilers now find themselves in the consolation bracket the remainder of the week in the Boras Baseball Classic. The 10-game winning streak is snapped as well, ending their second-longest winning streak since 2023. Even though the Oilers are 9-0 in Sunset League play, they are 2-3-1 in non-league play thus far this season.
Stars of the Game:
Cayden Hammond: 6.1 IP, 1 ER, 1 H, 8 K
Dane Cunningham: 1-2, Walk
The Oilers look to rebound tomorrow on Wednesday, April 8 at 9:00 AM versus the St. John Bosco Braves from Mater Dei High School. You'll be able to listen to all the action during this four-day tournament on hbhsathletics.mixlr.com with the "Voice of the Oilers" Dominick Lorenz. Wednesday's game will begin with the pregame show approximately at 8:45 AM, followed by first pitch at 9:00 AM (projected times).