Brandon Dieter Hits Walk Off Against Defending Boras Classic Champs

SANTA ANA, Calif.—South Hills (West Covina, Calif.) High and Stanford commit Brandon Dieter took down reigning Boras Classic champion Huntington Beach (Calif.) High during the tournament’s first game at Mater Dei High School on Tuesday by a final score of 3-2.

Dieter, the top draft prospect playing in the game, started on the mound for South Hills and allowed two runs in six innings. He didn’t have his usual fastball control and walked an uncharacteristic four batters, but he also struck out four Oilers’ hitters, as well. He relied on an upper-70s/low-80s changeup with impressive fading action, generating five swings and misses with the pitch and throwing from a stretch whether runners were on base or not.

A legitimate two-way player, Dieter was most impressive in the batter’s box Tuesday morning, leading off the game with a triple to straightaway center that one-hopped the fence. Dieter, a below-average runner on the bases, showed good awareness when he rounded second and headed for third after seeing Huntington Beach’s center fielder bobble the ball at the warning track.

South Hills was unable to bring Dieter home, and the game remained scoreless until Huntington Beach struck for a pair of runs in the top of the second with three hits and a walk againt Dieter in a 15-pitch inning. The Huskies managed to stop the bleeding there, however, as class of 2018 outfielder/lefthanded pitcher Mike Ortega threw out Huntington Beach sophomore Jag Burden at the plate to end the inning.

South Hills still trailed 2-0 until the bottom of the seventh inning, when the Huskies rallied to load the bases with a trio of singles, bringing Dieter to the plate with one out. After watching a 71 mph pitch for a ball in the dirt, Dieter jumped on the next pitch he saw and hit a hard line drive over shortstop. The hit was good enough on its own to drive in two runs and tie the game, but South Hills managed to clear the bases after the Oilers misplayed the ball in left-center field. The walk-off win handed recently-ranked No. 15 Huntington Beach just its third loss of the season.

Class of 2020 outfielder Jake Vogel went 3-for-3 out of the leadoff spot for Huntington Beach, with a stolen base and a walk. Vogel is committed to San Diego. 

Etiwanda 2, Notre Dame 0

Junior righthander Marcus Johnson threw a seven-inning shutout against the No. 1 ranked high school team in the country Tuesday, helping push Etiwanda (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) to a 2-0 win over Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.). Listed at 6-foot-6 and 180 pounds, Johnson is a tall and lanky Duke commit who threw in the mid-to-upper 80s for most of his outing, stuck out three batters, walked four and allowed just three hits.

Three batters at the top of Etiwanda’s lineup had multi-had efforts: 2019 infielder Cody Freeman went 2-for-4 with an RBI; 2018 infielder Ryan Meza also went 2-for-4 with an RBI; and 2020 righthanded pitcher/outfielder Matt Bardowell went 2-for-3 with a walk.

The loss is Notre Dame’s first of the season after entering the Boras Classic with an 11-0 record.

La Mirada 9, Vista Murrieta 0

La Mirada (Calif.) exploded for nine runs against Vista Murrieta (Calif.) Tuesday afternoon, scoring in every inning except for the first and second. Four different La Mirada hitters had two-hit efforts. 2018 outfielder Brandon Rho reached base safely in each of his four plate appearance with a single, a double and a pair of walks, while 2019 catcher Darius Perry and 2018 first baseman Joe McNealey each had two hits and tied for a team-high with three RBIs apiece.

2020 righthander Jared Jones backed up the offensive outburst by throwing an extremely efficient no-hitter. The Southern California commit needed just 70 pitches to throw a complete game, striking out three batters, walking two and preventing any hits. Jones threw first-pitch strikes to 20 of the 25 batters he faced and averaged just under three pitches per batter.

 

Mater Dei 5, West Ranch 0

Mater Dei (Santa Anna, Calif.) defended its home field in Tuesday’s final game, with another impressive start from 2019 righthander Hunter Cope. Cope—who is committed to San Diego—stands at 6-foot-11 and weighs 220 pounds and is coming off of a solid performance in Cary, N.C., at the National High School Invitational. Getting the ball in the first game of the Boras Classic on his own field, Cope struck out seven West Ranch (Santa Clarita, Calif.) batters and walked three, while scattering four hits and allowing no runs.

The top three batters in Mater Dei’s lineup scored every run for the team, with 2018 infielder Max Foxcroft going 0-for-2 with a pair of walks and two runs, 2018 shortstop Emilio Rosas (ranked No. 211 on BA’s Top 300 draft prospects list) going 2-for-3 with a double and two runs and 2021 infielder/righthander Alonzo Tredwell going 1-for-3 with one run and three RBIs.