HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL : Holtville’s Long Journey Ends With 1-A Title

The two questions of the day during the San Diego Section 1-A baseball championship between Holtville and Bishop’s were: “Where’s Bishop’s, anyway?” and “How far away is Holtville?”

After Holtville romped, 15-0, Tuesday, its 140-mile ride back to the Imperial Valley must have seemed a whole lot shorter than Bishop’s quick jaunt to La Jolla.

Holtville scored at least a run in every inning.

Isn’t there a 10-run rule, here? Section Commissioner Kendall Webb overheard that question, conjured a puzzled expression, looked at his watch and quipped, “Isn’t it getting kind of dark?”

If it were, the the game could have been called on account of darkness. But at 5 p.m. the sun was still bright and warm.

Except of course, in Bishop’s dugout, where any sunshine was obscured by the skyscraper Holtville built in the run column.

Most of the building material was provided by Bishop’s. Holtville’s first eight runs were unearned, and for myriad reasons: bases on balls, dropped fly balls, hit batsmen, missed cut-off men, wild pitches, and throwing errors.

Holtville’s two runs in the third typified the entire game:

With two out, Junio Flores singled to left and later moved to third when a pick-off attempt by pitcher Ryan Urquhart sailed down the right-field line. The next batter, George Asuna was hit by a pitch and took first.

With runners on first and third, Holtville tried a double steal. But when Asuna took off for second, Urquhart wheeled around and caught him between first and second.

Or so it seemed. Urquhart’s throw to second sailed into center field. Asuna went to third and Flores scored. Asuna later crossed the plate on a single from Albert Valenzuela.

Valenzuela started on the mound for Holtville and went six innings, scattering eight hits while striking out four and walking two.

Holtville’s first earned run did not come until the fifth when Flores led off with a home run to left. It was the first of three home runs in the inning off reliever Jake Hamer. Anthony Iten followed with a two-run shot over the fence in left-center and Kevin McKenzie added a solo homer to left.

Holtville (15-7) not only won the championship, but earned revenge on the San Diego coaches who make up the advisory committee that chooses the top four seeds. Not only was Holtville unseeded, but because it does not belong to a league of at least four teams, it had to play a qualifying game against La Jolla Country Day to get into the playoffs.

Bishop’s finished at 10-13.