The Pipeline

Sunday, May 24, 2026

LJ track @ CIF Finals 5/23

Photos by Ed Piper

LJ's Chiara Dailey (L) begins to pull away

on the turn of the fourth and final lap

in the 1600 as second-place Ayanna Hickey

of Bishop's looks back to see who is close

(no one) to the front-runners.

Anchor Leed Smoole (L) takes the baton

from Asher Sternberg in the 4x100 relay.

The Vikings foursome took fourth place.

LJ softball 14, Kearny 0 - 5 innings - 5/22

By Ed Piper

La Jolla advanced in the Division 5 playoffs with a dominating 14-0 win over Kearny Fri., May 22, and Viking senior Jacey Taylor swatted her 28th home run in the bottom of the fourth inning to set a new LJHS record for career homers.

The two recent times the first baseman/pitcher has set the single-season record (three home runs May 14) and career mark have come in "mercy rule"/five-inning shortened games, a hurry-up situation when you didn't know if she would get enough at-bats or enough pitches in the strike zone to have a chance to hit a homer.

Jacey upped her single-season mark to 14, after breaking Emmy Cardenas' record of 12 a week ago. She had tied Emmy for the career record with the three-dinger onslaught, at 27, and sat there for eight days, until Friday's contest at home.

Coach Anthony Sarain's title hopefuls scored five runs in the first, five in the second, and added a pair of runs in each of the next frames to terminate the game against the over-matched Comets. Coach Aryn Hamilton readily admitted before opening pitch, "We're the underdogs. Most of our girls have never played softball before."

The Vikings extended their winning streak to 12 games. Sarain said last week that "we should continue winning" with that streak well into the postseason, as they are the top seed in a Division 5 that doesn't present a lot of obstacles.

Saturday, May 23, 2026

LJ baseball 6, RBV 5 - CIF D3 playoffs - 5/22

A pickoff throw by Will Griebe-Arzate (not in view)

catches RBV's Zach Roe with too big a lead

before Viking first baseman Ryan Khourajian (22)

applies the tag. See the ball upper left, just in the frame.

(Photo by Ed Piper)

By Ed Piper

The irony of the Vikings' 6-5 comeback win over Rancho Buena Vista Fri., May 22, can't be overstated. It earns them the right to travel four hours to the place they "never wanted to go"--having forfeited only two days before, when the chartered bus didn't show up on time to take them to distant Blythe--on Sat., May 23, as they continue in the Division 3 playoffs.

In reality, the Harper Lane and Carter Strauss-led La Jollans did want to travel to Riverside County, along the Colorado River. They just couldn't get a ride to get them there.

So, with the forfeit chalked up as one of the two losses they are allowed in the double-elimination postseason tourney, La Jolla battled back from a 5-4 deficit in the bottom of the seventh inning to tie the Longhorns on Lane's double to right, driving in pinch-hitter Oliver Obler.

Then, in extra innings, the just-hitting-enough red-and-black tallied for the 6-5 victory when Strauss got hit by a pitch, forcing in a run with the bases loaded. It was a dramatic way to survive in the playoffs, but a sad one for RBV, who played four games in five days this week to get this far.

Hunter Durfee, who Coach Gary Frank inserted into right field last week "to get an extra bat in the lineup" in the struggles against Lincoln, tripled just inside the first base foul line with the bases loaded to put La Jolla ahead, 3-2, in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Zach Gergurich, who has waited for a week and a half for another chance to contribute, followed with a sharp single up the middle, scoring Durfee. The lead was now 4-2.

After Viking starter Will Griebe-Arzate tired and gave up three runs to RBV in the top of the fifth on four singles, that set up the hosts for the late-inning comeback.

In the bottom of the seventh, La Jolla facing elimination, Obler, batting for shortstop Brady Wilson, hit a dunker into right to lead off.

Strauss, in the first slot, sacrificed him to second. Harper: "It was a fastball, middle-in. I was looking for it." Lane lined a rocket to right-center, bringing Oliver around. Tie ballgame.

Harper was thrown out at third base trying to advance on Charlie Martin's groundball to short, and the Vikings could do no more in the seventh inning.

In the first extra inning, Andrew Cardenas, called to pitch in another must-win game (6 2/3 innings versus Lincoln last Friday in the title decider), got the Longhorns out in short order, allowing a walk.

In the bottom of the eighth, after Durfee struck out, "Snacks" Gergurich walked. He was singled to second on Reed Hunter's infield hit gloved by shortstop Noah Lowman.

An intentional walk was issued to Brady Wilson, loading the bags. Strauss was hit by pitch by Collin LaVigne, RBV's third pitcher, and the Vikings had a walk-off win.

Friday, May 22, 2026

LJ baseball: The bats woke up

By Ed Piper

Every spot in the lineup got a hit except Harper Lane, who contributed plenty as the ballhawk he is in centerfield and two walks he contributed, the first leading to the Vikings' first run, in La Jolla's play-in victory Tues., May 19.

It was a welcome sign, after freshman righthander Sebas Estrada throttled the offense last Mon., May 11, then two different hurlers did the same in the Wed., May 13 game--both against Lincoln in the regular-season-ending series.

Catcher Carter Strauss had two RBI's, one in the fourth inning and another in the seventh when the Vikes added two runs for insurance. It gave them a little bit of a mental cushion when Vista came back with two runs in the last of the seventh.

Joseph Crudo, moved over to second base, had the two-run double that started things off in the top of the first, plating Lane and Charlie Martin.

One challenge a member of the peanut gallery sees after the last two weeks of play, going into today's contest against visiting Rancho Buena Vista: Coach Gary Frank has stayed pretty much with the same lineup last week (versus Lincoln in three games) and Tuesday. Some of the players sitting out have been watching for quite a few innings, and in crunch time when the games mean more in the past 10 days.

Can they respond? Will the alternate platooners get a chance to respond and contribute today, and tomorrow, if La Jolla wins today?

That's one thing a coach obviously wants to keep in mind. The red-and-black have several players "in the rotation", who have played regularly during the 2026 season, and they're used to the work.

Zach "Snacks" Gergurich has had one at-bat, pinch-hitting for Brady Wilson in the seventh inning at Vista. He walked. (He hasn't been on the mound either lately.)

Also used to playing time are Renner Smith (second base) and Luke Cripe (outfield).

I can hear the lyrics by John Fogerty, "Put me in, Coach/I'm ready to play today/Put me in, Coach/I'm ready to play/Look at me, I can be centerfield."

LJ baseball: No bus = forfeit = rested starter

By Ed Piper

The Vikings' trip to Blythe for a playoff game Wed., May 20, turned out to be longer--or shorter, depending on how you look at it--than planned. Chuck Podhorsky, principal at La Jolla High, said at the Viking softball team's playoff game Wednesday afternoon, "(Head Coach) Gary Frank said the bus company said it would be two hours or more (before they could deliver transportation to the school)."

The baseball team's scheduled time for departure was 10 a.m., since the trip covers 148 miles via Highway 78, not a freeway at express speed.

By the two hours later, or more, it would have been impossible to arrive at Palo Verde Valley High four hours away in time to warm up and play the Division 3 game.

This is the first time any school I have been associated with, that I remember, in my lifetime had to forfeit a postseason game--or any game--due to lack of transportation.

The advantage: Starter Will Griebe-Arzate is rested, and ready for the Vikings' home game today, Fri., May 22, against Rancho Buena Vista, who lost their playoff game.

The disadvantage: The Viking unit goes in with one loss already against them, in a double-elimination format. If Harper Lane, Charlie Martin, and company win today's game against RBV, they earn the right to play again Sat., May 23.