1979 Baseball: Hats Off to Hilltop and the Metropolitan League

The long game ended the longest wait in the 18-season history of the San Diego Section.  Hilltop’s 3-1 victory over Vista in the 17-inning 2-A finals marked the first year that a team not from the Eastern, Western or Grossmont leagues had won the title.

Championships had been won by Eastern League schools Hoover (4), Crawford (4), San Diego (1), and Patrick Henry (1), the Western League’s University (2), Kearny (1), Madison (1), and Point Loma (1), or the Grossmont League’s Helix (1), Santana (1) or Granite Hills (1).

Keeping with history, Hilltop coach John Baumgarten’s lineage included a link to the Eastern League.  Baumgartner was a 1958 graduate of St. Augustine.

Baumgarten was head coach at Hilltop from 1972-2001 and posted a career record of 407-299. His teams earned seven league titles and the 1983 and ’85 teams won San Diego Section championships.

5/15/79

Eight schools, half of the 16-team bracket, qualified for the San Diego Section playoffs.

Kearny earned the City Conference Eastern League title with an 8-4 win over Clairemont.  Madison claimed the No. 2 spot despite losing to Patrick Henry, 8-6.

University won the City Western League championship, 1-0, over Serra, and Hoover finished second with a 17-4 victory over Mira Mesa.

Hilltop’s 10-5 win over Bonita Vista gave the Lancers the Metropolitan League crown and a No. 2 qualifier went to the Barons.  Castle Park, 6-0 over Sweetwater and Coronado, 6-5 over Marian, filled out the first eight playoff positions.

—Kearny’s third consecutive title was fueled by the complete-game pitching performance of Mike Bregante and the hitting of Marty Hunter and John Wynns, who each drove in two runs.

—Gary Harris and Bob Warner combined for five runs batted in for Hoover.

—John Alvarez hit his sixth and seventh home runs and Helix beat Grossmont, 9-5, to climb into a tie for first place in the Grossmont League with the Foothillers, each with an 11-3 record. Highlanders catcher Jim Oxe was 4 for 4 and 8 for his last 12 at-bats.

5/18/79

Grossmont League teams concluded the regular season with Helix and Grossmont tying for first place after the Highlanders beat Valhalla, 3-1, and Grossmont defeated Monte Vista, 4-1. El Capitan was in the playoffs after a 11-4 win against El Cajon Valley and Mount Miguel, despite a 5-3 loss to Santana, took the final bid.

School bosses voted for Helix as the league’s No. 1 playoff seed.

—El Capitan lefthander Steve Cook allowed three hits and struck out six and the righthand-hitting Cook was 2 for 3 at the plate, scored three runs, and slugged a home run.

—Steve Lopez’ four-hit pitching stifled Monte Vista and Helix’ Steve Bazzar went the distance for the win over Valhalla.

FINAL STANDINGS

GROSSMONT LEAGUE

METROPOLITAN LEAGUE

EASTERN LEAGUE

WESTERN LEAGUE

AVOCADO WEST

AVOCADO EAST

5/22/79

SAN DIEGO SECTION PLAYOFFS

FIRST ROUND

University (20-5) 2, @Madison 6.

University’s attempt to be the first team since Crawford in 1964 and ’65 to win back-to-back championships came a cropper when Madison’s Mark Wilson and Bill Watson combined to halt the Dons on five hits.

The Warhawks batted around in the second inning and scored four runs on five singles. Paul Peterson, Steve Clark and Bill Davis paced Madison’s 10-hit attack with two hits each.

Hoover (17-7) 5, @Kearny 6.

—John Wynns hit a two-run home run and Forrest Goodman singled and tripled, and David Buttles pitched a complete-game eight-hitter as Kearny, after losing a five-run lead, scored a run in the bottom of the sixth inning for the victory.

El Capitan (14-10) 2, @Grossmont 5.

—Mike Hook gave up one hit, a fourth-inning, bases-empty home run to John Ramirez, and Grossmont defeated El Capitan, with Hook continuing to enjoy a hot streak.  The 6-foot, 170-pound senior pitched a two-hitter and one-hitter in his previous two starts.

Mount Miguel (11-12) 4, @Helix 6.

The Highlanders’ Phil Oyos pitched a complete game victory…in relief.

Oyos stepped in for starter Joe Carter after the Matadors scored four runs before anyone was out in the first inning and allowed two singles and struck out 13.

Coronado (9-15) 3, @Hilltop 12.

Kerry Everette’s two-run home run was among 12 base hits by the Lancers, who led, 8-0, after three innings.

Castle Park (12-10-1) 6, @Bonita Vista 7.

Fallbrook (12-13) 4, @San Pasqual 11.

Trailing, 4-2, the Golden Eagles scored nine runs in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Mt. Carmel (16-8) 2, @Vista 5.

Bill Baldwin gave up five hits, Tom Davis hit a two-run home run in the first inning, and Vista jumped to a five-run lead in the first three innings.

QUARTERFINALS

5/23/79

Kearny 3, San Pasqual (15-10) 2, @University San Diego.

Kearny players gave coach Jack Taylor a signed birthday card on his 49^th and then delivered a victory.

Steve Dreher relieved starting pitcher Mike Bregante with one out after the Eagles had scored a run and had the tying and winning runs on first and third base.

Dreher got Dan Lane to miss an attempted squeeze bunt that resulted in one runner being tagged out in a run down. Lane then struck out to end the game.

“It was a tough situation but I kind of like pressure,” said Dreher, who moved from his position at third base to the mound.  “I signaled to coach Taylor in the dugout that I was ready if he needed me.”

Hilltop 6, Grossmont (15-8-1) 4, @Grossmont College.

The Lancers rode a five-run first inning to victory.

Vista 5, Madison (18-7-1) 4, @Palomar College.

The Panthers stunned the favored Warhawks with a four-run rally in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Helix (20-5) 3, Bonita Vista 4, @Grossmont College.

Steve Ray worked his way out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the sixth inning to preserve the Barons’ win over the favored Highlanders.

5/25/79

SEMIFINALS

Hilltop 4, Kearny (19-7) 3, @University San Diego.

Successive singles in the fifth inning by Todd Filecia, Bryan Wagner, and Manny Salinas scored one run and a hit batter forced in another run as Hilltop tied the score at 3, and Wagner’s double over the centerfielder’s head, drove in the winning run in the seventh.

Vista 11, Bonita Vista (16-10) 1, @Grossmont College.

Ed Lisi’s three-run home run highlighted a four-run third inning and Doug Moxley’s grand slam in the top of the sixth was the coup de grace as Vista hammered the Barons, handcuffed by Bill Grim’s two-hit pitching.

5/26/79

CHAMPIONSHIP

Hilltop (19-6-1) 3, Vista (16-7-1) 1, 17 Innings, @University San Diego.

The game was so long, five hours, that the 1-A title contest between Christian and Mountain Empire, had to be rescheduled to the following Wednesday.

With the score tied, 1-1, Hilltop’s Howard Rasmussen drew a one-out walk in the top of the 17^th.  Rob Hughes’ single advanced Rasmussen to third and Todd Felecia, hitless in his first five times at bat, singled in Rasmussen.  Hughes scored one out later on a single by Manny Salinas.

Bill Collins pitched the first 8 1/3 innings for Hilltop and Davie Martinez blanked the Panthers over the last 8 2/3 innings.  Panthers starter Bill Baldwin pitched 10 innings before giving way to three relievers.

The sides combined for 28 base hits, all singles.  Collins gave up one run in the first and survived a near disaster in the bottom of the seventh, when the Panthers loaded the bases with none out.

After a walk in the ninth inning, Lancers coach John Baumgartner called on Martinez, normally used in short relief.

Bryan Wagner and Hughes each had three hits for the Metro League squad.  Ron Tart and Charlie Somers had three hits each for the Avocado West representative.

5/30/79

1-A CHAMPIONSHIP

Mountain Empire defeated Christian, 2-0, at University of San Diego.

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