West Ranch victorious in sports roundup with Hunter Manning recording 12 strikeouts
Living the Baseball Dream Next Door: Hunter Manning's Journey
Got a ballgame right across the street? Sign me up!
Hunter Manning, a local high school baseball star, resides so near the West Ranch High baseball field that he can hear the crack of the bat and thud of balls being hit in the batting cage at night.
With his home just a stone's throw away, Manning opted for Sherman Oaks Notre Dame as a freshman, adjusting to early wake-up calls at 6:30 AM and battling traffic jams on the 5 Freeway. Now, however, he wakes up at a more leisurely 7:45 AM and strolls to school without being late, enjoying the company of old friends.
Manning's superb pitching talents will take him to UC Irvine this fall, yet all he wishes is for his fellow teammate, catcher Nolan Stoll, to join him. On a recent Wednesday, Manning struck out an impressive 12 batters with Stoll maintaining an incredible game-calling performance in West Ranch's 3-1 win over Hart, fighting for the top spot in the Foothill League. West Ranch boasts an impressive 16-8 record and an 8-1 league standing.
The harmonious partnership between Manning and Stoll began by chance when the PitchCom communication device malfunctioned earlier this season. Finding the setup effective, Stoll was given the green light to call the pitches for the rest of the season. Despite wearing a wire and receiving instructions from the dugout to guide fielders, their synergy led to remarkable results, such as a school record 16 strikeouts against Valencia, and an amazing effort on Wednesday.
"Stoll called an awesome game," Manning praised.
Stoll, a Stanford commit with an astounding GPA, may be Stanford-bound, but Manning hopes to devise a plan to have him follow him to UC Irvine.
"Unfortunately, I can't," he confessed.
Manning's teammate, Omar Gutierrez, powered West Ranch with a two-run first-inning single, while Hart managed two hits and an unearned run off Manning in the opening inning before seeing him strike out eight straight batters.
The two squads face off again on Friday at Hart.
Breaking the Scales: St. John Bosco, Mater Dei, and More
It ain't over till the final out!
- St. John Bosco secured a walk-off, bases loaded walk in the bottom of the eighth inning. Gavin Cervantes pitched all eight innings for the Braves.
- Santa Margarita overcame JSerra 5-1, with three-run triple by Warren Gravely IV in the ninth inning powering them to victory. Ben Finnegan finished the game with a double and triple.
- Lucas Perez, Adam Martin, and Keoni Wun contributed two hits apiece to knock off No. 1 Huntington Beach.
- Logan Steenburgen threw a shutout for El Dorado, striking out two and walking none. Diego Gonzalez hit a two-run home run.
- Sean Green hit a game-winning, three-run walk-off home run in the tenth inning for Foothill.
- Edison edged Corona del Mar 1-0 on a three-run home run in the sixth inning by Gavin Johnson.
- Luke Mendoza hit a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning for Etiwanda in their 1-0 triumph over Rancho Cucamonga. Michael Aleman pitched eight innings with nine strikeouts for the Eagles.
- Brody Buoncristiani and Matt McCliman combined on a two-hit shutout for Chino Hills in their 1-0 victory over Damien.
- Los Osos prevailed over Upland 10-4, with four hits from Roberto Topete spearheading their success.
- Dylan Harrison and Ian Stewart each contributed two RBIs for Summit (20-3), extending their winning streak to 17 games.
- J. Beckett Berg threw a complete game with eight strikeouts and no walks for Sherman Oaks Notre Dame in their 4-0 shutout of La Salle.
- Jackson Eisenhauer pitched four scoreless innings with five strikeouts for Crespi (17-1), allowing no earned runs this season. Josh Stonehouse recorded three hits.
- Kingston Monette struck out 11 in six innings for Sierra Canyon, while Dezi Delgado batted in four RBIs.
- Ace Tarango recorded three hits, and Aiden Pinn threw four innings of scoreless relief for Mira Costa, who improves to 20-2 and 9-1 in the Bay League.
- Jonas Jusay pitched 6 2/3 innings, striking out four for Vista Murrieta's 3-0 victory over Murrieta Valley.
- Four Cleveland pitchers combined for a no-hitter, with Joshua Pearlstein leading the way with five hitless innings.
- Luke Howe, Troy Shaw, and Adan Viner each added two RBIs for El Camino Real in their 10-2 triumph over Taft.
- The Patriots of Birmingham won on a walk-off in the eighth inning from Cristian Martinez, while Allen Olmos recorded the shutout.
- Dustin Dunwoody threw the shutout for Royal, with Brady Hewitt adding three RBIs.
- Max Ruiz knocked in a walk-off single in the seventh inning for Warren.
- Isaac Aguirre struck out eight, walked none, and threw a four-hit shutout for La Habra in their 5-0 win over Yorba Linda.
Ring the Belle: Softball Roundup
The fight for softball dominance continues.
- Kiarah Chukwudi hit a home run and contributed three RBIs for Carson. Giselle Pantoja struck out six in their win over Banning.
- Alana Miller tallied four RBIs, while Zoe Justman recorded four hits for Granada Hills in their 20-4 rout of Taft.
You're welcome to discover more highlights in Friday's high school baseball and softball scores. Check out the prep sports roundup: Westlake gets a sixth consecutive walk-off victory
Hunter Manning, a standout pitcher from Irvine, California, aspires to play sports at UC Irvine this fall.Manning's impressive pitching talents were on display in West Ranch's 3-1 victory over Hart, where he struck out 12 batters.Sadly, Manning's teammate, Nolan Stoll, who has an incredible game-calling performance, is Stanford-bound and may not follow Manning to UC Irvine.In Los Angeles, Gavin Cervantes pitched all eight innings for St. John Bosco in a walk-off, bases loaded walk win.Kiarah Chukwudi hit a home run and contributed three RBIs for Carson in their softball victory over Banning.
From baseball games right across the street in Los Angeles to softball matches vying for dominance, the sports scene in California is bustling.
