Domination Of Epic Proportions; Oilers Force Patriots To Surrender In Regionals Opener
A pair of blasts from Dane Cunningham and Jared Grindlinger power the offense to 7th 10+ run performance of the season
The Huntington Beach Oilers (23-8-1) take advantage of a second chance by picking up a round one victory in the CIF Regional Playoffs, defeating the Patrick Henry Patriots (24-10) by the final of 10-3, Tuesday afternoon from Patrick Henry High School in San Diego. This is the 7th win for the Oilers this season when scoring 10+ runs, plus they get redemption after falling to Patrick Henry at the Boras Baseball Classic on April 10, 4-3.
Jared Grindlinger set the tone early and often on the mound as he sat down the Patriots lineup 1-2-3 in the first with a pair of strikeouts, then evaded a two-on, two-out jam in the second. Over the course of his high school career at Huntington Beach coming into today, Grindlinger was 10-2 with a 1.36 ERA and 119 strikeouts.
The Oilers offense found their stroke in the third as first baseman Dane Cunningham uncorked a three-run blast to left, following an 11-pitch at-bat against starter Sal Gagliano. His fifth home run of the season would be his second of the postseason.
With a 3-0 advantage, Grindlinger would finish his afternoon tossing a scoreless third, totaling five strikeouts over three frames. Duncan McLeod, first out of the bullpen, made a resurgent effort to keep the lead at three with a 1-2-3 inning, ending with a punch out of Wyatt Lo.
After being lifted from the game on the mound, Grindlinger stayed in, utilizing his bat to its maximum effort in the fifth. For the second straight game, he torched a solo home run to dead center, extending the advantage to 4-0. Huntington Beach plated two more runs on back-to-back singles from Owen Bone and Tanner Brown, ensuring a lead after five innings for the 20th time this year. When holding a lead of any kind after five innings, the Oilers have been undefeated (19-0) coming into today's match.
As a 6-1 lead was ready to balloon even bigger, the Oilers capitalized on the Patriots bullpen, taxing them for four more runs in the sixth courtesy of back-to-back doubles from Ely Mason and Cunningham (4-RBI performance). Scoring on a fielding error by Patrick Henry catcher Ian Brooke and an RBI single by Brown, a 10-1 insurance-filled lead lifted the Oilers spirits, awaiting those final outs to be completed.
Even though Patrick Henry battled for two runs in the sixth, manager Benji Medure turned to sophomore right-hander Evan Moorhead who completed the final 21 outs by inducing a game-ending 6-4 line out double play. A total team effort played perfectly in the Oilers favor, especially after a two-week layoff.
With this win, the Oilers now have scored 27 runs in four postseason games, averaging 6.75 runs/game and collecting four home runs. Four Oilers tallied multi-hit affairs (Grindlinger- 4, Brown - 3, Cunningham - 2 and Hopkins - 2) while putting up the second most extra-base hits in a game this season with five.
Oilers Scoring Plays:
Top 3: Dane Cunningham 3-Run Home Run (3-0 HB)
Top 5: Jared Grindlinger Solo Home Run (4-0 HB)
Top 5: Owen Bone Infield Single, Ely Mason Scores (5-0 HB)
Top 5: Tanner Brown Singles to CF, Maxx Hopkins Scores (6-0 HB)
Top 6: Ely Mason Doubles to CF, Jared Grindlinger Scores (7-1 HB)
Top 6: Dane Cunningham Doubles to LF, Ely Mason Scores (8-1 HB)
Top 6: Fielding Error, Charlie Henderson Scores (9-1 HB)
Top 6: Tanner Brown Singles to LF, Maxx Hopkins Scores (10-1 HB)
Stars of the Game:
Jared Grindlinger 3 IP, 0 ER, 5 K & 4-4, Solo HR
Dane Cunningham: 2-4, HR, 4 RBI
Tanner Brown: 3-4, 2 RBI
Maxx Hopkins: 2-3, 2 R
On the horizon for the Oilers, it's the semifinals of the CIF Regional Playoffs. They will buckle up to hit the road to either face the #3 Corona Panthers (Thursday) or #6 Eastlake Titans (Friday) pending results of their game on Wednesday. Either way, you'll be able to listen to all the CIF Regional Playoff action on hbhsathletics.mixlr.com with the "Voice of the Oilers" Dominick Lorenz, with the pregame show at 3:45 PM, followed by first pitch at 4:00 PM (projected times).
LISTEN TO HUNTINGTON BEACH VS. PATRICK HENRY PATRIOTS HIGHLIGHTS HERE (CLICK IMAGE BELOW):
