High School Baseball Roundup : Monte Vista Brings Helix Back to Earth

Helix High, the defending San Diego Section 3-A champion, had not lost a league baseball game in two years. The streak had reached 21 consecutive league victories, including the final game in 1987, 16 in a row in ’88 and the first four this season.

But Monte Vista, who had already contributed three losses to the streak, ended it Wednesday with a 3-2 victory behind the five-hit pitching of Vern Mullis and Ernie Reyes.

“I knew it would end some time this season,” said Jerry Schniepp, Helix’s coach. “There are just too many good teams in this league.”

One is Monte Vista, which improved to 14-6-2 and 3-3 in the tough Grossmont 3-A League. No. 6 Helix fell to 16-5, 4-1 and into a first-place tie with El Capitan. Granite Hills, which lost Monday to Monte Vista, 4-3, is fourth.

“Our No. 1 goal all year long has been to make it to the playoffs,” said Coach Rob Phillips, who took over a 5-21 program two years ago, improved it to 12-15 last year and has the Monarchs thinking playoffs this season.

The reason for that turnaround according to Mullis is “Coach Phillips and Coach (Mark) Smelko believing in us and believing we could win.”

Wednesday, they made believers of Helix.

Mullis (3-3) pitched six strong innings, allowing five hits and two runs before giving way to Reyes in the seventh. Reyes had two strikeouts in a one-two-three seventh to earn his second save.

The Monarchs, who were stifled by Rob Ippolito (6-2) through three innings, finally got to the junior right-hander in the fourth. Mullis led off the inning with a ground-rule double to left. Chris Cone drove him home with a slicing double down the right-field line, and Brian Paul scored Cone with a double to right center.

Monte Vista got its other run one inning later. With two outs, Steve Dietz walked, Mullis was hit by a pitch, and Cone had an infield single to load the bases. Ippolito then walked Paul to force home Dietz.

Helix got off to a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Rich Haar drove home Jason Ledford, who had singled, with a double to right center. In the sixth, Ledford scored on Ippolito’s sacrifice fly to right.

In between, Mullis allowed just one hit and received some exceptional defensive help. One play in particular was a diving catch by right fielder Darrin Rucker on a third-inning line drive by Ledford that appeared headed for the gap.

“Rucker making that catch was the turning point of the game,” said Mullis.