San Diego Prep Baseball Roundup : Bonita Vista Answers All Questions With 11-10 Victory

Bonita Vista High School Coach John Gibbs said his team was coming up to him all week asking what its chances to go to the San Diego Section playoffs would be like if it lost to Montgomery Friday.

Would Bonita Vista play Sweetwater Saturday to determine the pairings for the playoffs? Would there be a three-way tie for first between Sweetwater, Bonita Vista and Montgomery? Should he pitch ace David Woodhouse today, or wait, hoping to save Woodhouse for the playoffs?

No. 7 Bonita Vista answered all possible questions by beating Montgomery, 11-10, in nine innings at Bonita Vista Friday for its second straight Metro-Mesa League title.

“I told them that my thinking doesn’t go past (Friday),” Gibbs said. “I told them I must not be very smart, but we can end all talk by winning (Friday).”

Ahead, 6-1, after two innings, it appeared that Bonita Vista (10-3, 18-7) would cruise to the win. Shortstop David Woodhouse had a two-run triple in the first, and Billy Miller hit a three-run home run in the second to give the Barons an early lead. Bonita Vista chased Montgomery starter Tim Hayward with one out in the second.

But Montgomery (8-5, 15-8) came up with six runs in the third. Aztec catcher Clement Alsip had a two-run single in the inning as the Aztecs sent 10 batters to the plate.

Montgomery held a 10-9 lead going into the bottom of the seventh when, with two out, Doug Piper scored on an error to send the game into extra innings.

In the top of the eighth, Woodhouse, in relief of starter Randy Abshier, struck out the side. The third strikeout victim, Rodel Roselme, was caught looking, and Montgomery assistant Francisco Hermosillo protested the call. Hermosillo made contact with the umpire and was ejected from the field. Hermosillo continued to argue the call and make contact with the umpire, and he got ejected a second time--from the ballpark.

In the bottom of the ninth, Doug Barnes made contact with a Hector Lorenzana fastball for a double to drive in Piper with the game-winning run.

Gibbs thought about starting Woodhouse, who won his ninth game of the season.

“I could have started David and he probably would have gone seven (innings) and won,” Gibbs said. “But (the coaches) were confident that Randy would give us a good effort. We wanted him to get a few innings in and he did.”

In five innings of relief, Woodhouse struck out 11. He allowed the 10th Aztec run in the fifth on an RBI single to Robert Solis, but settled down and allowed only two hits over the next four innings.

Montgomery’s Rudy Rodriguez went 4 for 5 with two runs and an RBI.