High School Baseball Roundup : Vista Scores 14 Runs in the Third on Way to 20-6 Rout of Sweetwater

More than anything else, Vista High’s turn at bat in the third inning against visiting Sweetwater Wednesday afternoon was lengthy.

You’d also have to say--18 batters and 14 runs later--that it was quite incredible, too.

Let’s see. Shortstop Scott Collins drove in six runs. Second baseman Brandon Hawkins drove in three runs on a single and a double. Ryan Tamburrino walked twice and was one of five players who scored twice.

As for Sweetwater, three pitchers issued six walks and one hit batsman in the inning. There problems in other innings, too. Vista, in fact, scored in every one and cruised to a 20-6 victory in the Madison Warhawk tournament. But no inning was quite like the third. A reprise:

Start with the bases loaded and no outs, after three walks by Sweetwater starter Joe Picone.

Throw in a strikeout by reliever Victor Garcia and a sacrifice fly by Reggie DeLeon. Two outs, only one run in.

Since Vista led by only 5-3 at this point, the game was still in doubt. Soon, it wouldn’t be.

The bases were loaded again when John Miller walked. Hawkins singled in a run. Collins hit a grand slam to left. Brian Fleming doubled, then scored on an error. A single by John Land and another walk loaded the bases again.

Out came Garcia. In came Lorenzo Ruelas. He hit the first batter he faced and walked the second. Miller singled. Hawkins doubled. Collins singled in two more. Finally, Fleming flied out to end it.

Realistically, the game was over at this point. But the sun lasted two more innings, and Vista had to ride them out in order to improve to 7-0-1. Sweetwater, which actually played on even terms except for the third, fell to 4-3.

“You would have to say that everything just went our way,” Vista Coach Butch Smith said. “It was just one of those innings where everything we hit fell in.”