San Clemente tops College Park for 2015 National High School Invitational championship
Photo by Alyson Boyer Rode
San Clemente players celebrate Saturday in North Carolina after winning the National High School Invitational.
In the week prior to the start of the National High School Invitational, San Clemente (Calif.) coach Dave Gellatly received the worst possible news – All-American lefthander Kolby Allard would not be available for the tournament due to a back injury.
Gellatly's team showed that it is more than just Allard, as the Tritons swept through the competition at the NHSI, including an 8-3 win over College Park (Pleasant Hill, Calif.) in the championship game Saturday in Cary, North Carolina.
"We are deep in pitching," Gellatly told Baseball America following his team's championship game win.
Tanner Lawson and Dylan Riddle took to the mound Saturday with Lawson going the first 4 1/3 innings and Riddle finishing up the final 2 2/3. Lawson gave up three earned runs on three hits while walking three and striking out three. Riddle was untouchable, striking out three.
However, Gellatly credited most of the Tritons' success to catcher Lucas Herbert.
"We haven't called one pitch all year long," Gellatly continued to Baseball America. "He knows how to get hitters out, he knows how to block balls, he knows when to back pick and he makes us look like great coaches. It's all him."
Besides shining behind the plate, Herbert was solid at the plate as well. He went 1-for-2 with two runs scored, a double and an RBI.
Tyler Ankrom, Connor Sealey and Chris Puckett also had big games for San Clemente. Ankrom had a double and scored three runs while Sealey was 2-for-3 with two RBIs. Puckett was 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a double.
Nick Oar had the only extra base hit for College Park with a double. Joe DeMers and Willie MacIver each had RBIs in the loss.
San Clemente is now 12-0 on the season while College Park fell to 6-2.
Lambert (Suwanee, Ga.) 5, Mosley (Lynn Haven, Fla.) 2
After winning its first 14 games of the season, Mosley lost its second in a row.
Seth Beer did most of the damage for the Longhorns, as he pitched 6 2/3 scoreless innings and gave up three hits with seven strikeouts. On offense, Beer hit a solo home run in three at-bats.
Jeremy Johnson and J.D. Dutka also excelled on offense for Lambert, with Johnson going 2-for-4 with two RBIs and Dutka hitting a double with an RBI.
Gunner Smith had two of Mosley's three hits in the loss.
Huntington Beach (Calif.) 11, Whitewater (Fayetteville, Ga.) 2
The Oilers bounced back from their semifinal loss to San Clemente to beat Whitewater. Tyler Murray, Logan Poulesen, Daniel Amaral and Cooper Moore all had doubles with Moore going 3-for-4 with five RBIs and Murray going 3-for-3.
Jabari Richards was 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI for Whitewater.
JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) 5, DeSoto Central (Southaven, Miss.) 3
The Lions finished 3-1 in the tournament, winning three in a row after an opening-round loss to Mosley. JSerra Catholic scored five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to overcome a 3-0 deficit.
Royce Lewis and Lyle Lin each hit a double for the Lions, while Collin Quinn pitched the final 4 2/3 innings for the win.
Keegan James, Hayden Tapper and Dallas Woolfolk all had doubles for DeSoto Central.
Horizon (Scottsdale, Ariz.) 13, Lambert 3
Horizon finished the tournament 2-2 after the Huskies defeated the Longhorns late Saturday afternoon.
Horizon pounded 17 hits off five Lambert pitchers. Matt Kroon was 3-for-4 with a triple, Evan Williams was 3-for-4, Ryan Bricker was 3-for-5 with a double and Josh Bristyan went 3-for-4.
Beer continued to hit well for Lambert, going 2-for-4 with a double, home run and two RBIs. Dutka went 2-for-4 with two doubles.
Farragut (Knoxville, Tenn.) 8, DeSoto Central 7
The Admirals finished 3-1 in the tournament with a come-from-behind win over DeSoto Central. Farragut scored four runs in the bottom of the seventh to come back from a 7-4 deficit. The Admirals were outhit 12-4 but managed to gain the win thanks in part to three DeSoto errors.
Duncan Pence was 1-for-3 with a double and two RBIs for Farragut. Colin Coates led the DeSoto Central offense, going 3-for-4 with a double, a home run and two RBIs. Austin Riley also had two hits, including a double.
St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) 11, College Station (Texas) 6
St. Thomas Aquinas evened its record at 2-2 in the tournament. Trailing 6-4, the Raiders scored six runs in the top of the sixth and added another in the seventh to down College Station.
Anthony Mulrine led the Raiders' 14-hit attack with a 3-for-5 effort. Jawuan Harris was 2-for-4 with a double while Alex Dickinson was 2-for-5 and Kenny Hornig was 2-for-4.
Loyalsock Township (Williamsport, Pa.) 5, Leesville Road (Raleigh, N.C.) 0
Three Loyalsock Township pitchers combined to limit Leesville Road to just one hit. Kyle Datres went four innings and got the win. Caleb Schmucker pitched two hitless innings while Luke Glavin pitched one.
Jimmy Webb was 3-for-3 with a double and Tommy Baggett was 2-for-3 with a double.
Whitewater (Fayetteville, Ga.) 10, Trinity Prep (Winter Park, Fla.) 8
Whitewater had its best offensive performance of the tournament. Of its 11 hits, Whitewater banged five doubles, including two by Austin Gardner. Brandon Bell, Jabari Richards and Tyler Burdette also doubled as well and had two hits apiece.
Puyallup (Wash.) 5, Trinity Prep 0
The Vikings collected their third shutout win of the tournament. Griffin Stiffarm went six shutout innings to get the win for Puyallup. He allowed two hits with six strikeouts and three walks.
CJ Krippaehne led the offense with a 2-for-4 effort that included a double. Ryan Peterson went 1-for-3 with two RBIs.
Tournament Records
San Clemente 4-0
College Park 3-1
JSerra Catholic 3-1
Farragut 3-1
Puyallup 3-1
Huntington Beach 3-1
Loyalsock Township 2-2
St. Thomas Aquinas 2-2
Whitewater 2-2
Mosley 2-2
Horizon 2-2
DeSoto Central 1-3
College Station 1-3
Lambert 1-3
Leesville Road 0-4
Trinity Prep 0-4
