HIGH SCHOOL ROUNDUP : LJCD Stages Rally to Beat Imperial

In the opening round of the San Diego Section 1-A baseball playoffs, La Jolla Country Day came up with two runs in the bottom of the eighth to beat Imperial, 5-4.

Imperial scored two in the seventh to tie, then added another in the top of the eighth to take its first lead, but all was spoiled when Country Day came up with two runs in the bottom half of the inning.

With Todd Graves and Mark Smith on base for second-seeded LJCD in the eighth, Daniel Sparling, who had gone two for four, was intentionally walked to bring up Jamie Blake. Blake hit a two-run single to win the game.

Blake pitched the first seven innings, striking out six and walking only two. Eric Abrams helped the winning cause by going two for four with a home run, and Billy Neiswender went two for four with a run and a stolen base.

In another 1-A quarterfinal game:

Holtville 8, Julian 7--Top-seeded Holtville (17-4) got a heads-up play from shortstop Anthony Iten, who threw the tying run out at the plate with one out in the top of the seventh. Paul Hoyt, who took the mound in the sixth, struck out three, including the final out of the game, to pick up his third save. Hoyt tripled in the first inning and drove in the winning run with a sacrifice fly in the fourth.

Boys’ Tennis

San Diego Section Team Tournament Quarterfinals

3-A

Torrey Pines 13, Monte Vista 5--Defending champion Torrey Pines (20-2), the No. 1 seed, had three set winners from its No. 2 and No. 3 doubles teams of Derek Baker and David White and Christian Abbott and Mike Kao and No. 1 singles Taryn Burgk. At No. 1 doubles, Eric Nelson and Scott Lippitt lost their first set then won the next two as did No. 3 singles Justin Phillips. Mikko Salminvuo split sets before he defaulted because of an injury.

2-A

La Jolla 15, Rancho Bernardo 3--Top-seeded and five-time defending champion La Jolla breezed by visiting Rancho Bernardo, winning eight of nine possible points in singles--the Vikings defaulted a singles set--and seven points in doubles. Fredrick Danielsson was perfect for the day for La Jolla. He won his three sets by a 6-0 score.