Baseball: Rio Ruiz is king of the wood bats
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Sophomore shortstop Rio Ruiz of La Puente Bishop Amat, a USC commit, hit his second home run in four games on Thursday during the Diamond Sports National Classic, making him six for 13 with six runs batted in while using a wood bat. Bishop Amat (14-2) defeated Tucson (Ariz.) Salpointe, 9-5.
By my last count, there were six home runs hit in the tournament (five were hit Thursday), and Ruiz has two of the them. Do you think the pro baseball scouts are gushing?
Do you think Ruiz will ever step foot on the USC campus?
My answer is no. I just hope Ruiz will continue to play football. He’s supposed to be the starting quarterback this fall for the Lancers.
In another consolation-bracket game, Valencia West Ranch defeated Bradenton (Fla.) Pendleton, 8-3. Jared Ortiz had three hits, extending his hitting streak to 14 games. JC Cloney (6-0) struck out nine in six innings. Chris Caldwell hit a home run at Esperanza.
In the third-place game, Orange Lutheran defeated Huntington Beach Edison, 12-1. Andre Real and Zach Verlaan hit home runs for Lutheran.
UPDATE: There were seven home runs hit in 32 games.
-- Eric Sondheimer