Huntington Beach baseball beats Villa Park with comeback in CIF-SS playoffs
Villa Park’s Adian Young is tagged out trying to score by Huntington Beach catcher Trent Grindlinger in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 1 baseball playoff in Orange on Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
VILLA PARK – It was Huntington Beach’s turn to make the late comeback.
The Oilers scored three runs in the sixth inning to beat Villa Park 5-3 on Tuesday in the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division 1 baseball playoffs at Villa Park High.
Last year Villa Park scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to beat Huntington Beach 2-1 in a Division 1 second-round playoff game.
Huntington Beach (22-8) will play at home against Santa Margarita (21-8-1) in the quarterfinals Friday. Santa Margarita beat Gahr 6-3 on Tuesday.
After fielding a ball up the middle, Villa Park second baseman Gunner Santillo, left, makes the throw to shortstop Aaron Sambath, right, to force out Huntington Beach outfielder Trevor Goldenetz in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 1 baseball playoff in Orange on Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Villa Park outfielder Nate Lewis lets a sinking line drive get by him allowing Huntington Beach to score a run in the seventh inning of the second round of the CIF-SS Division 1 baseball playoff in Orange on Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Huntington Beach shortstop Travis Curry lets the ball play him allowing Villa Park to score a run in the fifth inning in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 1 baseball playoff in Orange on Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Huntington Beach’s Nate Cox, right, steals second in the sixth inning as Villa Park shortstop Aaron Sambath fields the late throw in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 1 baseball playoff in Orange on Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Huntington Beach shortstop Travis Curry, center, drops the ball as Villa Park outfielder Zach Mattern, right, steals second in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 1 baseball playoff in Orange on Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Huntington Beach players cheer as their team scores in the seventh inning against Villa Park in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 1 baseball playoff in Orange on Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Huntington Beach relief pitcher Tanner Brown after getting the last out to defeat Villa Park in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 1 baseball playoff in Orange on Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Villa Park’s Dominic Gutierrez rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run in the first inning against Huntington Beach in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 1 baseball playoff in Orange on Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Villa Park relief pitcher Justin Tims waits for a visit from the pitching coach after giving up runs to Huntington Beach in the sixth inning in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 1 baseball playoff in Orange on Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Villa Park starting pitcher Aaron Sambath delivers a pitch against Huntington Beach in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 1 baseball playoff in Orange on Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Villa Park shortstop Gunner Santillo dives to stop a hard grounder but is unable to make a play to first against Huntington Beach in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 1 baseball playoff in Orange on Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Villa Park’s Jordan Laird, right, scores in the fifth inning as Huntington Beach catcher Trent Grindlinger takes the late throw in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 1 baseball playoff in Orange on Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Huntington Beach’s Trevor Goldenetz (27) is forced out at second by Villa Park shortstop Aaron Sambath in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 1 baseball playoff in Orange on Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Huntington Beach starting pitcher Tyler Bellerose delivers a pitch against Villa Park in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 1 baseball playoff in Orange on Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Huntington Beach’s Tanner Edson, right, congratulates Nate Cox, left, after Cox scored against Villa Park in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 1 baseball playoff in Orange on Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Huntington Beach’s Trevor Goldenetz, right, beats the throw to Villa Park shortstop Gunner Santillo to steal second base in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 1 baseball playoff in Orange on Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
Led by catcher Trent Grindlinger, center, Huntington Beach players cheer as they score again in the sixth inning against Villa Park in the second round of the CIF-SS Division 1 baseball playoff in Orange on Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
“We just had to compete the entire game,” said Huntington Beach junior catcher Trent Grindlinger, who had an RBI and started the Oilers’ sixth-inning rally with a leadoff double. “We knew it was going to be a rough ball game from the beginning. We lost to (Villa Park) last year and we didn’t want to repeat history.”
Villa Park finished 18-12. The Spartans defeated Bishop Amat in the first round last week. They were Crestview League co-champions with El Modena and Foothill.
Villa Park scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to take a 3-1 lead.
Grindlinger’s 12th double of the season led off the top of the sixth. The right-handed hitting Jayton Greer followed with a hard ground ball between first and second to send Grindlinger to second base.
One out later Matt Hansen sent a line-drive base hit to center field. Grindlinger jogged in to score on the hit. The throw from center field went through the infield and to the backstop, allowing Greer to score and tie the game 3-3.
John Petrie then hit a sharp grounder that took a wicked hop over the back-handed attempt by Villa Park’s shortstop. Hansen, who had gone to third on the throw that allowed Greer to score, scored on Petrie’s grounder to put Huntington Beach on top 4-3.
Huntington Beach added a run on Grindlinger’s line-drive single to center field that drove in CJ Weinstein for a 5-3 lead.
Oilers freshman left-hander Tanner Brown struck out the side in the seventh inning to finish the game.
Brown entered in the fifth inning when Villa Park had the bases loaded and two outs. Brown got a fly out to end that inning and pitched a 1-2-3 sixth inning with two strikeouts.
Postgame with Huntington Beach junior catcher Trent Grindlinger who started the Oilers 5-3 comeback win over Villa Park with a double to lead off the sixth inning. HB lost to VP 2-1 in the playoffs last year… pic.twitter.com/LNM3qp2gd0
Huntington Beach coach Benji Medure was confident that his freshman lefty could handle the situation, since Brown had pitched against some of the best teams in California this season.
“He’s been in big games all year,” Medure said. “He pitched against OLu (Orange Lutheran) at the beginning of the year and against Corona at the beginning of the year. So we just threw him into the fire in little spurts, a couple of innings there and a couple of innings there, and that prepared him for this moment.”
Villa Park’s Dominick Gutierrez led off the bottom of the first with a solo home run.
Huntington Beach tied it in the third on a Grindlinger sacrifice fly that sent home John Petrie.
The Spartans scored two unearned runs in the fifth inning, including a bases-loaded walk by starting pitcher Aaron Sambath, for their 3-1 lead.
Huntington Beach’s Trevor Goldenetz had two hits to push his team-leading total to 33.
Villa Park senior starting pitcher Aaron Sambath held the Oilers to one run and five hits in his five innings.
Huntington Beach starter Tyler Bellerose gave up one earned run, the Gutierrez homer, in 4⅔ innings.
Huntington Beach, champion of the Surf League and an 11-2 winner over Santiago of Corona in last week’s first round, is No. 3 in the Orange County Top 25. Villa Park is ranked No. 14.
