HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL : Poway, Grossmont, Midway Seeded First in Playoffs

Poway High, Grossmont and Midway Baptist received the top seedings in the 3-A, 2-A and 1-A divisions of the San Diego Section playoffs beginning next week.

Fifth-ranked Poway entered the week tied for second in the Palomar League with Rancho Buena Vista, but victories over Fallbrook Wednesday and Rancho Buena Vista Friday combined with Mt. Carmel’s loss to Vista Friday gave the Titans (19-6-1) the league title and the No. 1 seed in the playoffs.

Grossmont, The Times’ No. 1-ranked team throughout the season, was an easy choice for the top spot in the 2-A. Grossmont is 25-2 and won the Grossmont 2-A League with an 8-0 mark.

Midway Baptist, the champions of the Citrus League, finished 19-3.

The Metro Conference led all leagues with five teams. The Palomar, Grossmont 3-A and Avocado leagues each had four, and every other league had three.

Every team selected in the 3-A and 2-A divisions had winning records on the field.

Of 26 3-A teams, 16 had winning records. Vista, which was not selected, was hoping to sneak in on the strength of an 11-15-1 record and recent decisions over Orange Glen and Mt. Carmel.

Hilltop, which had to forfeit 17 victories earlier in the week, was seeded eighth, the second highest of the five Metro teams. Officially, Hilltop is 2-24.

Like the 3-A, the 2-A had 16 of 27 teams with winning records. El Camino, which finished 12-12, was not selected.

In 1-A, La Jolla Country Day (8-14-1) was the only team with a losing record. But LJCD must play Calipatria (13-8) in a special game Monday at Mtn. Empire for the final spot in the eight-team draw. The winner will meet Midway Baptist in the first round.

All other 1-A games begin Wednesday at the school with the higher seeding. The 2-A and 3-A first-round games begin Tuesday at the site of the team seeded higher.

League champions Helix (18-8-1), Montgomery (20-8) and Patrick Henry were seeded Nos. 2-4 in the 3-A. In the 2-A, the No. 2-4 seedings went to league champions USDHS (23-5), San Diego (17-7) and San Pasqual (13-10-1).

Playoff Notes

In league playoffs and games affecting the seedings, Helix defeated El Capitan, 4-3, to earn the No. 1 designation in Grossmont 3-A as David Shipp and Eric Nicholson combined on a five-hitter. . . . Montgomery beat Southwest, 14-4, to claim the No. 1 spot in the Metro Conference . . . Poway defeated Rancho Buena Vista, 4-0, on Danny Miller’s two-hitter for the Palomar title. Mt. Carmel lost its chance to win the Palomar title when Vista scored six runs in the second on the way to a 6-3 victory.