LJ baseball 2, Patrick Henry 4

Viking players had fun doffing their caps when
each of their names was announced
in pregame introductions at Petco Park.
(Photos by Ed Piper)

 

By Ed Piper

In a big night for La Jolla High baseball, the Vikings were sailing through four and a half innings at Petco Park versus Patrick Henry, before the Patriots rallied for three runs in the crucial fifth to garner a 4-2 win and City League bragging rights at the major league home site for the Padres Fri., April 12.

Having warmed up on the impossibly manicured stadium grass, spirits high, La Jolla forged a 2-0 advantage behind RBI blows by Gavin Graff in the top of the first and starter Koa Scott in the fourth.

Scott, the Vikings' ace, fashioned a sharp four innings on the Petco mound, throwing good stuff with accurate location on an efficient pitch count, allowing only a couple of hits by Henry.

But then a big blow by Patriot third-slot hitter Ryan Preciado drove in two runs in the bottom of the fifth and gave Coach Sheldon Watkins' squad a 3-2 lead it would never relinquish.

Howard Frank, father of La Jolla head coach Gary, threw the Vikings' ceremonial first pitch to senior catcher Arman Sanchez-Mohit. A contingent of faithful LJHS students and family members sat behind their team's dugout on the visitors side along the third base line.

One Viking asked a teammate during the game,
"Is that cool or what to have your name
in the line-up on the scoreboard?"

Shortstop Noah Brown handled the bat well, laying down a perfect sacrifice bunt to move leadoff batter Blaise Gimber over to second to set up La Jolla's first run.

Left fielder Devin Brown, likewise, did the honors in the fourth to push Luke Brunette into scoring position in time for Scott's RBI single.

Everybody on Gary Frank's varsity roster played a role during the evening, the nightcap of a tripleheader of high school games hosted by the Padres organization in an annual exercise.

The Vikings were last invited to play at Petco three years ago, in a rotational system that CIF employs to give various schools a chance to enjoy the spotlight on the major league field.

La Jolla beat Point Loma, 4-3, in a Western League game at Petco Park in April 2016, when former Yankee lefthander David Wells was the Pointers' head coach.

In that thrilling game, the Vikings scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh to come from behind and take the win.