High School Roundup : Sweetwater Outlasts Southwest, 6-5

Every ounce of confidence Southwest High had built up before it played Sweetwater in a Metro Conference baseball game Thursday was reinforced after the first inning when the Raiders scored five runs to get the early jump.

But after the second inning, that confidence was stripped away as the host Red Devils defeated Southwest, 6-5, scoring the winning run on a walk in the bottom of the eighth.

“We lost this because of a lack of confidence,” Southwest Coach Tom Hernandez said. “They still don’t know they can play. They got a big lead, then went to sleep and couldn’t do anything.”

The Raiders, who played their third consecutive eight-inning game, may have dozed a bit, but the hitting and pitching performance of Sweetwater pitcher Isaac Bruce (3-3) was enough to wake even the heaviest of sleepers.

Bruce had a disastrous first inning in which he gave up three hits, walked three and gave up five runs.

“I saw Lorenzo (Ruelas) warming up,” Bruce said, “and I thought that if I didn’t get my act together, I’m going to get pulled.”

So, sandwiched between two Southwest doubles, one in the second inning and one in the eighth, Bruce got his act together by retiring 18 batters. His 13 strikeouts are a career high and a school record.

“After he got out of the second (inning), he was OK,” Sweetwater Coach Jim Mann said. “I was ready to pull him, but it was early and we decided to force the mistakes and just let them play.”

Bruce was an additional menace at the plate, where he was two for five, including a triple, scored twice and drove in a run.

Three of Southwest’s five runs were scored on Enrique Gurrola’s triple to the center-field fence. Southwest is 2-1, 8-4.

Sweetwater (2-2, 7-8) scored three runs on three hits in the third inning and two runs on two hits in the fourth to tie it up. In the eighth, the Red Devils collected four hits before Southwest freshman pitcher Victor Caracoza (3-1) walked in the winning run.

In other baseball games:

Coronado 8, Hilltop 1--Catcher Ted Forney went four for four with two doubles and three RBIs to lead Coronado.

Vista 2, Torrey Pines 1--Vista’s John Land allowed three hits and struck out seven, and his counterpart John Finley allowed just two hits and struck out nine.

Mt. Carmel 11, Orange Glen 7--Marcus Lee’s three-run homer keyed an eight-run second inning for Mt. Carmel.

San Pasquel 7, Carlsbad 3--Mike Escarcega (7-1) threw a complete game and helped himself by going two for three with two RBIs for San Pasquel (12-4, 3-1).

Ramona 9, Oceanside 6--Ramona pitcher Chris Gunnett (1-1) and Ty Wilson each hit three-run homers.

Rancho Buena Vista 13, El Camino 2--Jason Schmeiser went three for four, Jon Robirds hit a home run and Robert McLeod went three for three to lead Rancho Buena Vista (2-2, 9-7).

Castle Park 15, Marian 4--Benji Gil went three for four with five RBIs and Joe Carrillo (6-0) struck out 11 in five innings to lead host Castle Park (18-2-1, 4-0).

Softball

Vista 1, Torrey Pines 0--Vista senior Kelli Schott (10-2) threw a perfect game and struck out 13. Schott has allowed just two earned runs this season.