South County baseball teams tame Lions tournament: Bonita Vista, Montgomery win division championships

The annual San Diego Lions tournament — 132 teams strong across nine divisions this year — was generously kind to South County teams in its annual Easter week showcase.

Both Bonita Vista and Montgomery finished undefeated in their four tournament games in the 6A Division while Eastlake (Open Division) and Mater Dei Catholic (6A Division) both finished 3-1.

San Ysidro (Classic Division), Otay Ranch (Premier Division), Olympian (4A Division) and Castle Park (3A Division) all posted 2-2 records.

Overall, nine of the 11 Metro Conference teams entered in the March 30 to April 2 tourney picked up at least one victory.

Hilltop (4A Division), Southwest (3A Division) and Mar Vista (2A Division) all finished 1-3. 

Chula Vista (5A Division) and Sweetwater (4A Division) both finished 0-4.

Top shelf
Bonita Vista carried a 7-4 record into the tournament and came out with an 11-4 record after dealing successive losses to Madison (9-1 on March 30), San Pasqual (5-0 on March 31), Banning (6-0 on April 1) and Maranatha Christian (4-1 on April 2).

Junior Liam Zazueta drove in three runs to assist Bonita Vista’s win over Madison in the tourney opener while senior Antonio Orozco and junior Adrian Figueroa each had two RBI and sophomore Kensen Johnson had one RBI.

Senior Demarco Rojas got the win on the mound. The Barons stole four bases to set up scoring chances.

Zazueta and junior Adrian Figueroa each scored two runs in the win over San Pasqual while Johnson also came around to home plate. Senior Santiago Olivas was credited with one RBI.

Senior Marc Osorio pitched four innings with two hits allowed and six strikeouts to record the win while junior Anthony Sandoval pitched three innings with four hits and two strikeouts.

Figueroa had two RBI in the win over Banning. Five Barons stole bases, including a pair by junior Cole Margetts. Senior Aaron Cordero got the win on the hill by scattering three hits over six innings with four strikeouts. Zazueta pitched one hitless and scoreless frame.

Bonita Vista rapped out nine hits in the tourney finale against Maranatha. Junior Lucas Nguyen collected two RBI with a double while Johnson scored three runs and stole six bases while adding a double. Figueroa and Orozco also notched RBI.

Overall, the Barons recorded 12 stolen bases, including two by Margetts. Junior Jackson Hernandez pitched 6.2 innings with two hits, one earned run and six strikeouts.

Season leaders include Johnson with a 0.347 hitting average, 20 runs scored, 17 stolen bases, five doubles, one triple and two home runs, Cordero with a 0.333 average, Margetts at 0.281 with six stolen bases, Figueroa at 0.280 with 12 RBI and two triples. Zazueta (0.184) co-led the team with 12 RBI.

Cordero led the pitching staff with a 2-0 record, 0.00 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 16 innings. Following on the mound were Johnson at 2-0 with a 1.91 ERA, Osorio with a 3-1 record, a 3.79 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 20.1 innings, Rojas at 2-1 with a 1.52 ERA and 49 strikeouts in 32.1 frames and Hernandez at 1-0 with a 4.20 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 18.1 innings.

Rojas, Osorio, Cordero and Hernandez each recorded wins in the Lions tournament.

“Our pitching definitely has been a highlight and our center fielder Cole Margetts has been another highlight with his speed to get to the ball,” BVHS manager Dave Palet said.

The Barons are sequestered in the top-rung Metro-Mesa League again this season. “The favorite has to be Eastlake, the defending champion, but I think we’ll be competitive also,” Palet said.

Montgomery tamed La Jolla in its tourney opener as junior Isaak Perez and senior Marco Reyes each collected two RBI and juniors Ricardo Aguilar and Julian Martinez and senior Noah Flores each plated one run. Sophomore Sebastian Moreno threw a no-hitter with nine strikeouts to highlight the pitching heroics by the Aztecs.

Perez chipped in with three hits and three RBI in the win over Brawley while senior Marco Reyes and sophomore Juanluis Garcia each drove in a pair of runs.  Martinez and senior Cesar Abdul each scored two runs in support of junior pitcher Ricardo Aguilar.

Abdul had three RBI and Aguilar had two RBI in the win over RBV while Reyes had three hits. Junior Julian Martinez picked up the win with a complete game six-hitter with three strikeouts.

The Aztecs shut out Scripps Ranch to cap tourney play with a combined two-hit effort from Garcia and sophomore Andres Ruvalcaba. Six players recorded RBI: Flores, freshman Liam Wilson, Aguilar, Reyes, junior Sebastian Arroyo and Abdul. Flores, Reyes, Perez and Arroyo each had two hits while sophomore Giovanni Chalico scored two runs.

Montgomery moved its winning streak to five games following Tuesday’s 7-1 win over Steele Canyon as Flores, Aguilar and Abdul each drove in two runs. Aguilar picked up the win with 10 strikeouts in six innings  while scattering four hits.

Season leaders include Perez with a 0.485 hitting average, followed by Reyes (0.465), Flores (0.326), Aguilar (0.237) and Abdul (0.233). Aguilar and Abdul co-led the Aztecs with 11 RBI.

Aguilar is 4-1 with a 1.40 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 35 innings. Martinez is 2-1 with a 2,96 ERA with 21 strikeouts in 26 innings. Moreno (1-3, 2.26 ERA) has 21 strikeouts in 26 innings.

Rising stars
Junior Erick Villeda and sophomore Joel Vargas each drove in two runs in Eastlake’s 6-2 tournament-opening  win over Christian Brothers Academy while sophomore Lucas Yriqui and senior Hamza Hatahet each had one RBI.

Villeda, Vargas and Hatahet each stroked doubles in support of winning pitcher Colton Maxwell (senior), who hurled a complete game seven-hitter while striking out four batters.

Villeda had three hits, including a home run, and four RBI in a 16-0 win at Point Loma on April 1 while junior Ethan Dang two hits, including a home run and two RBI. Senior Aaron Corona added two RBI while juniors Jowen Weston and Caleb Flores each had two hits. The Titans racked up 16 hits in the game while exploding for nine runs in the first inning.

Yriqui pitched six innings with nine strikeouts and three hits.

Junior Jesse Morales notched four RBI with a home run in the tourney finale against San Marcos, a 6-4 Eastlake win. Junior Myles Reyes, senior Jordan Gomez and junior Miles Filamor took turns on the mound.

Villeda was hitting 0.500 through 13 games with nine RBI and three doubles while Dang was hitting 0.400 in nine games, Watson 0.395 in 15 games with 17 hits, six RBI and four doubles. Junior Caleb Foss was hitting 0.387 with eight RBI while Hatahet was batting 0.340 with eight RBI and three home runs.

Mater Dei Catholic scored 15 runs on 11 hits with 13 RBI in a tourney-opening15-4 win over Roosevelt. Senior Nickolas Edwards was the RBI leader with three while junior Nathan Sosa and senior Marc Moran each had two. Four players each had one RBI: seniors Eli Zamora and Omar Santos, sophomore Ethan Nesbit and freshman Oscar Duarte.

Edwards, Sosa, Moran, freshman Nathaniel Carrasco and senior Noah Cook each scored two runs. Duarte received credit for the win.

The Crusaders improved to 2-0 in tourney play with an 8-2 win over Maranatha Christian on March 31.  Moran led the 10-hit attack with three RBI on three hits while junior Nathan Garcia had two RBI.

Senior Colton Gregg pitched six innings with seven strikeouts for the win.

Mater Dei Catholic defeated Mira Mesa, 8-4, on April 2 to collect its third tournament win. Garcia had three RBI with a double and home run as Duarte picked up his second tourney win.

Sosa was hitting 0.457 through 13 games with seven RBI while Cook was batting 0.439 through 14 games with 12 RBI and four home runs. Edwards was hitting 0.400 through 14 games with 11 RBI. Other EBI leaders included Garcia (0.344) with 13, Duarte (0.350) with 12 and Moran (0.362) with 10.

Duarte was 2-0 with a 1.17 ERA while Gregg (2-2, 4.14 ERA) had logged 27 strikeouts in 22 innings.

San Diego Lions 2026 Baseball Tournament

South County records

Open Division: Eastlake (3-1)

Classic Division: San Ysidro (2-2)

Premier Division: Otay Ranch (2-2)

Division 6A: Montgomery (4-0), Bonita Vista (4-0), Mater Dei Catholic (3-1)

Division 5A: Chula Vista (0-4)

Division 4A: Olympian (2-2), Hilltop (1-3), Sweetwater (0-4)

Division 3A: Castle Park (2-2), Southwest (1-3)

Division 2A: Mar Vista (1-3)

Lions Tournament Scores

Monday, March 30

Bonita Vista 9, Madison 1

Eastlake 6, Christian Brothers Academy 2

Otay Ranch 7, Vista 2

Castle Park 6, Verdugo Hills 5

Mater Dei Catholic 15, Roosevelt 4

Montgomery 7, La Jolla 0

Canyon Hills 9, Mar Vista 5

Coastal Academy 8, Southwest 1

Gulliver Prep 13, Olympian 0

Sutter 11, Hilltop 2

Mountain Crest 11, Chula Vista 2

Del Norte 12, San Ysidro 8

South 12, Sweetwater 0

Tuesday, March 31

Montgomery 11, Brawley 1

Mater Dei Catholic 8, Maranatha Christian 2

Bonita Vista 5, San Pasqual 0

Mar Vista 5, Foothills Christian 1

Olympian 8, Escondido 0

San Pedro 3, Otay Ranch 1

Poly 9, Hilltop 2

Ridgeview 6, Sweetwater 0

Paloma Valley 7, San Ysidro 5

North Hollywood 12, Castle Park 5

Legacy 10, Southwest 3

Colfax 6, Chula Vista 5

Birmingham 6, Eastlake 1

Wednesday, April 1

Eastlake 16, Pt. Loma 0

Bonita Vista 6, Banning 0

Otay Ranch 14, Steele Canyon 3

Montgomery 7, Rancho Buena Vista 3

Southwest 7, Washington 5

Castle Park 12, San Fernando 10

Hilltop 6, Southeast Career Tech

San Ysidro 4, Santa Fe Christian 4

Berkeley 12, Mater Dei Catholic 1

Crossroads 12, Mar Vista 0

Bell 7, Olympian 3

Francis Parker 12, Sweetwater 1

San Dieguito Academy 6, Chula Vista 3

Thursday, April 2

Eastlake 6, San Marcos 4

Montgomery 7, Scripps Ranch 0

San Ysidro 6, South Hills 1

Bonita Vista 4, Maranatha Christian 1

Mater Dei Catholic 8, Mira Mesa 4

Green Valley 9, Otay Ranch 3

Woodland Christian 6, Mar Vista 0

Narbonne 5, Southwest 4

Legacy 7, Castle Park 3

Liberty 9, Chula Vista 2

Ridgeview 5, Hilltop 3

Canyon Hills 7, Sweetwater 6

San Diego Section Rankings

Division I: 1. Cathedral Catholic 6-1, 2. Granite Hills 11-3, 3. Rancho Bernardo 11-1, 4. San Marcos 8-5, 5. Patrick Henry 8-5, 6. Pt. Loma 8-5-1, 7. La Costa Canyon 6-7, 8. Torrey Pines 7-6, 9. Southwest El Centro 14-5, 10. Del Norte 7-5, 11. Mt. Carmel 8-4-1, 12. Eastlake 4-3, 13. St. Augustine 4-4, 14. La Jolla Country Day 7-5, 15. Sage Creek 3-10, 16. San Ysidro 5-11, 17. Coronado 3-8, 18. Carlsbad 5-7, 19. San Pasqual 1-10, 20. Madison 10-5

Division II: 1. Clairemont 13-2, 2. Calexico 7-2, 3. Poway 5-8, 4. Scripps Ranch 7-7, 5. Montgomery 7-7, 6. Bonita Vista 11-5, 7. Santa Fe Christian 7-6, 8. El Capitan 5-9-1, 9. Christian 7-7-1, 10. Helix 7-6, 11. Bishop’s 8-6, 12. Escondido 2-8, 13. El Camino 6-7, 14. Maranatha Christian 8-6, 15. Mira Mesa 7-8, 16. Grossmont 7-8, 17. Mission Bay 8-6, 18. Mission Hills 5-8, 19. Brawley 10-6, 20. University Coty 6-10

Division III: 1. Ramona 10-2, 2. Santana 5-9, 3. La Jolla 6-8, 4. Vista 2-4, 5. Lincoln 6-1, 6. Steele Canyon 2-5, 7. Hilltop 5-5, 8. Olympian 3-3, 9. West Hills 0-4, 10. Mater Deo Catholic 8-4, 11. Otay Ranch 10-4, 12. Westview 10-3, 13. Classical Academy 8-6, 14. Rancho Buena Vista 5-10, 15. Monte Vita 8-8, 16. Valley Center 3-10, 17. Fallbrook 2-01-1, 18. Imperial 8-7, 19. Palo Verde Valley 16-1-1, 20. Valhalla NA

Division IV: 1. San Diego 2-0, 2. High Tech San Diego 5-4, 3. Rock Academy 1-4, 4. Mt. Miguel 0-7, 5. Foothills Christian 11-6, 6. Escondido Charter 6-2-1, 7. Mountain Empire 5-5, 8. Mar Vista 7-9, 9. Sweetwater 5-4, 10. Kearny 1-12, 11. Morse 4-13, 12. Francis Parker 10-5, 13. Oceanside 5-6-1, 14. Holtville 6-6, 15. San Dieguito Academy 9-6, 16. Southwest 8-7, 17. Chula Vista 5-11, 18. Mission Vista 8-5, 19. Canyon Crest Academy 1-9, 20. Central Union 7-7-1

Division V: 1. Canyon hills 12-2, 2. Bayfront Charter 0-1, 3. Chula Vista Learning Community Charter 5-1-1, 4. High Tech Chula Vista 0-7, 5. Guajome Park 0-2, 6. Orange Glen 7-5, 7. Gompers Prep 1-5, 8. Crawford 4-8, 9. Coastal Academy 12-4, 10. Pacific Ridge 6-3, 11. Castle Park 8-9, 12. Hoover 2-12, 13. El Cajon Valley NA, 14. High Tech Mesa NA

Division V-AA: 1. Ocean View Christian Academy 4-0, 2. Victory Christian Academy 4-6-1, 3. St. Joseph Academy 4-2, 4. Warner 0-1, 5. Army-Navy Academy 2-3, 6. Vincent Memorial 2-3, 7. Julian 1-5, 8. Liberty Charter 6-5, 9. Calvin Christian 6-2, 10. Caiptatria 0-5, 11. Bonsall 1-8, 12. Tri-City Christian 4-3, 13. Borrego Springs 5-2

South County Baseball Records

(Through April 7)

CVLCC                                        6-1-1
Ocean View Christian             5-2
Otay Ranch                                11-4
Bonita Vista                               11-5
Olympian                  11-6
Eastlake                                      10-5
Mater Dei Catholic                   9-5
Montgomery                              8-7
Southwest                                  8-7
Castle Park                                8-9
Mar Vista                                    7-9
Hilltop                                          6-8
Victory Christian Academy   4-6-1
Chula Vista                               6-11
Sweetwater                               5-10
San Ysidro                                 5-11
Bayfront Charter                     0-3
High Tech High Chula Vista          0-8

Spring sports preview

SOFTBALL:
Bonita Vista 12, El Capitan 3
Bonita Vista 5, San Marcos 4
Bonita Vista 11, San Marcos 1
Mater Dei Catholic 12, Granite Hills 0
Mater Dei Catholic 3, Rancho Bernardo 1
Mater Dei Catholic 2, Bonita Vista 0 (8 innings)
Otay Ranch 5, Cathedral Catholic 1
Eastlake 5, La Costa Canyon 2
Eastlake 7, Mission Hills 6
Hilltop 9, Holtville 2