HIGH SCHOOL ROUNDUP : Rounsifer, Stone Lead Vista to Palomar Title

Get out the saw and prepare to split the Palomar League Player of the Year Award down the middle.

Vista Coach Butch Smith said Wednesday he will nominate two players for the award. Both players made a good case for themselves Wednesday.

Behind shortstop Aaron Rounsifer and pitcher Matt Stone, fourth-ranked Vista (19-4, 10-3) clinched its second consecutive league title with a 15-2 victory at home over fifth-ranked Poway (16-7, 9-4) with one game remaining.

Rounsifer led the 15-hit attack. He hit two home runs, drove in three and scored four times. He might have done more, but Poway twice walked him intentionally.

They might have done well to walk him three times.

With a runner at third and a run in on a throwing error in the first inning, Rounsifer crushed the first pitch from Kevin Van Dommelen (4-2) over the left-center field fence, about 380 feet.

It was Rounsifer’s second consecutive homer, and his fourth-inning one-run homer gave him four in five games. His two-run seventh-inning homer on Friday gave Vista a 2-0 victory over Fallbrook and one of the league’s best pitchers, Steve Pack.

Rounsifer, one of only two senior starters, is batting nearly .500 with six homers and 22 RBIs in 13 league games.

With runners on second and third in the second inning, Rounsifer got an intentional pass, loading the bases. Justin Kern, with 29 RBIs, sprayed a single to right field after his pop-up was dropped in foul territory. That sparked a six-run inning and a 9-1 lead for Vista with its best pitcher on the mound.

A junior left-hander, Stone (11-1) had his earned-run average rise to 0.65. He pitched the shutout against Fallbrook and made the four-day turnaround to face Poway.

“He was still tired from Friday,” Smith said. “It was a great performance because he didn’t have a lot. But he’s intimidating--(opposing batters are) not as pumped up as when someone else is on the mound.”

Stone pitched five innings and allowed eight hits, two earned runs, walked three and struck out seven, giving him 88 on the year.

Stone also had two hits, including a three-run triple in the second inning.

Jerry Butkiewicz led Vista with three hits. Steve Chatham, Tim Burton and Brian Field had two apiece.

Jeff Pattison homered, and Mike Sharp tripled and scored on the first of John Grosely’s two hits for Poway.