Roundup : Mitchell’s Homer Picks Up Helix

With its ace Rick Navarro struggling, Helix High School needed a lift against Santana in a Grossmont League baseball game Tuesday at Santana.

Spike Mitchell found a way to shake his team to life with a three-run home run in a five-run third inning that propelled No. 3 Helix to a 9-5 victory over No. 6 Santana.

Helix (11-2, 4-0) remained tied for first with Grossmont in league play.

Navarro (6-0), a senior left-hander, gave up three runs, including a towering home run to Paul Newark, in the first two innings, which surprised the Highlanders. Navarro, with a 1.23 ERA, had allowed only six runs in his first five games.

“We needed something to get us going,” Mitchell said. “With Navarro, we know he is going to keep us close. But we needed something, big or small, to wake us up. I was just trying for a base hit.”

But Santana (12-4, 3-2) could have prevented Mitchell from having the chance to play hero.

With one out and a man on first, catcher Rick Page hit a high fly ball to short right field. Santana right fielder John Barnhill charged but came up short. That moved Eddie Evilsizor, who had singled, to third.

Rich Haar, the next batter, got on the same way. Barnhill hesitated on his short fly, and the ball fell in for a bloop single to drive in Evilsizor.

After Jason Ledford drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, Mitchell hit his home run to left, his second of the year.

“That wasn’t the big play,” Santana Coach Jim Saska said. “I think it was the fly balls falling in right field. That hurt us emotionally. (Starter Tim) Barry on the mound saying, ‘What do I have to do to get an out?’ ”

Helix didn’t stop there. Helix built on its 5-3 lead when Rick Pedrin scored on a ground out in the fourth. Helix got two more runs the next inning when Ledford drove in Haar with a single and Tory Winrow, a transfer from Lincoln, drove in Ledford with another single.

Navarro, who pitched 6 innings for the victory, needed the offensive output. He gave up two runs on four hits in the fifth and he had to strike out the last batter with the bases loaded in the sixth. He left with two outs in the seventh, having struck out 8, but allowed 10 hits.

“He had thrown about 120 pitches,” Schniepp said. “He looked tired but he stuck it out.”