Offensive Onslaught Helps Huntington Beach Get Right Immediately
Season highs in runs scored propels the Oilers into staying perfect through the first 10 games of the Sunset League slate
The Huntington Beach Oilers (14-4-1) secure a game one win in this week's three-game series versus the Fountain Valley Barons (11-8) by a large margin of 16-4, Tuesday afternoon from Fountain Valley High School. Not only is this the largest victory of the 2026 season, it also is a performance that helps the Oilers bounce back offensively after only scoring nine runs through 29 innings during last week's Boras Baseball Classic.
Five runs right off the bat in the first inning took a lot of weight off the shoulders of starting pitcher Cayden Hammond. Owen Bone began the matinee affair with an RBI single to right field, followed by Brayden Wood depositing a two-run single to center, his first multi-RBI performance of the year. The inning capped off with the future BYU Cougar in Hammond knocking his first hit and RBI of his Oilers career, extending the early lead to 5-0. This single frame run barrage, is now the largest scoring first inning for the Oilers this season (previously three runs on two different occasions held the season-high).
After the Barons recorded solo runs in the first and third, the Oilers offense shot out of the gates once again with a two-run fifth inning. Ely Mason, who is batting 12-for-15 (.800 Avg.) in his last four games, crushed a ground rule double to left field to score Jared Grindlinger, then came home on the very next batter as Dane Cunningham recorded his 20th RBI of the year on a single down the line to left.
Hammond would exit the game in the bottom of the fifth, tossing four and one-third innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on one hit and four strikeouts. In three games on the mound this month, Hammond has completed 14.2 innings, yielding only two earned runs, two hits and 17 strikeouts. Another dazzling performance on his senior campaign.
The sixth inning turned into a merciless battle for the Oilers and they exercised their demons with the bats by laying out the Barons bullpen for a total of eight runs. Sending 13 batters to the plate, scoring all eight runs on just three hits, while also capitalizing on two errors (one by the reliever Billy Kutsch and the other by shortstop Jackson Clark). The biggest hits came off the bat of repeat offenders, Mason (RBI Single) and Bone (RBI Single) as well as Eddie Lucero checking in from the bench with a sacrifice fly. With nearly a 30-minute inning on the books, the Oilers accomplished their single highest scoring inning of any this year, all while putting the most runs on the board in a Sunset League game.
Senior lefty Grady Ream finished off the Barons in the seventh, cutting a scoring threat to just two runs and striking out back-to-back batters to finish the afternoon. Ream has now closed out three games in his four appearances, even though none have been in a save situation.
With today's massive victory, the Oilers march forward with a 10-0 record in Sunset League play, gaining a half-game over second place Newport Harbor who is on a bye week. 16 runs officially exceeds the Huntington Beach highest run total of the year, which was 13 on two separate occasions (March 11th & 20th) and improves their record to 5-3-1 away from Huntington Beach High School.
Oilers Scoring Plays:
TOO MANY TO COUNT!!
1st Inning - 5 Runs (Owen Bone RBI Single, Brayden Wood 2-RBI Single & Cayden Hammond 2-RBI Double)
5th Inning - 2 Runs (Mason RBI Double & Dane Cunningham RBI Single)
6th Inning - 8 Runs (Jason Dunham Fielder's Choice, Ely Mason 2-RBI Single, Owen Bone RBI Single, Sol Moriyama Reaches on Error, Eddie Lucero Sac-Fly, Charlie Henderson Reached on Error - 2 Score)
7th Inning - 1 Run (Owen Bone Fielder's Choice)
Stars of the Game:
Ely Mason: 3-4, 3 RBI
Owen Bone: 3-5, 3 RBI
Brayden Wood: 1-2, 2 RBI
Cayden Hammond: 1-2, 2 RBI & 4.1 IP, 1 ER, 4 K (W)
Dane Cunningham: 1-2, RBI, 2 R
Jared Grindlinger 2-4, 3 R
The Oilers return to HBHS Stadium tomorrow afternoon (4/15) for game two of this week's three-game series against the Fountain Valley Barons. It will be First Responders Day at the ballpark, so arrive early for pregame festivities, a ceremonial first pitch and a secret surprise that you'll have to be in attendance to see!! You'll be able to listen to all the action on hbhsathletics.mixlr.com with the "Voice of the Oilers" Dominick Lorenz, with the pregame show at 3:00 PM, followed by first pitch at 3:15 PM (projected times).
