Oilers Capitalize On Griffins Miscues To Secure Fifth Series Win
Two errors in the first inning help Oilers regain lead, then Jared Grindlinger takes charge on the mound to notch his third win as a starter
The Huntington Beach Oilers (18-4-1) continued their winning ways this week versus the Los Alamitos Griffins (7-17) with a 4-2 victory Wednesday afternoon from HBHS Stadium. Adding another win to the mix pushes the Oilers to a 34-16 (.680) record against the Griffins in their last 50 matchups, while continuing to be undefeated in the Sunset League (14-0). Since the Boras Baseball Classic completed on April 10, Huntington Beach holds a five-game winning streak, which is the second-longest winning streak of the regular season.
Falling behind early was not on the bingo card for manager Benji Medure as Los Alamitos jumped to an early 1-0 lead, courtesy of a RBI double by Taner Nickols. Coming into the game, the Oilers were 4-2-1 in situations where the opposition scored first, with three of the four wins being at home. However, the Oilers would return the favor by reclaiming the lead in the home half of the first, taking advantage of two massive errors. The rally began with Jared Grindlinger reaching on a dropped catch by second baseman Parker Sanchez, then with runners on second and third with two outs, Owen Bone skyed a mile high pop up to left that doinked off the glove of Jackson Gomes, scoring both runners. With a 2-1 advantage, Sol Moriyama added to the ledger with an RBI single to bring home the aforementioned Bone.
From this point on, the game turned into a tight knit pitching battle on both sides. Grindlinger once again dazzled in his 10th appearance this season. Matching a career-high with appearances in a single season, the future Tenneesse Volunteer spun five innings, allowing only one run on four hits and totalling eight strikeouts, matching a season-high set on April 8 versus St. John Bosco. Outside of the two errors, Griffins starter Garran Beanum went four innings and limited the Oilers to just three hits.
Huntington Beach would tack on an insurance run with a bases loaded walk to Moriyama, netting his third multi-RBI performance of the season. With only four hits as a team today, the Oilers recorded their second-lowest total behind the two-hit affair on April 7 versus Los Osos at the Boras Baseball Classic.
Los Alamitos would threaten to tie if not take the lead in the seventh as back-to-back batters reached via a double and a walk with one scoring on a single to left field by Will McCullough. After reliever Mason Tapia was lifted, closer Steel Kurtz induced two straight fly balls to centerfielder Ely Mason to end the ballgame. For the second consecutive day, Kurtz worked a quick and painless seventh inning as fearless as possible.
With this win, the Oilers improved to 11-0 at HBHS Stadium and 6-1 in their white pinstripe uniforms. Courtesy of Fountain Valley knocking off Newport Harbor 4-2, Huntington Beach now holds a three-game lead in the Sunset League standings. This means the magic number for the Oilers to clinch sits at two with four games remaining.
Oilers Scoring Plays:
Bot 1: Owen Bone Reaches on Error, Jared Grindlinger and Dane Cunningham Scores (2-1 HB)
Bot 1: Sol Moriyama Singles, Owen Bone Scores (3-1 HB)
Bot 3: Sol Moriyama Walks, Ely Mason Scores (4-1 HB)
Stars of the Game:
Jared Grindlinger: 5 IP, 1 ER, 8 K (W)
Sol Moriyama: 1-2, 2 RBI
Dane Cunningham: 1-2, R & Extends Hitting Streak to 7 Games
Steel Kurtz: 0.2 IP, 0 ER (SV)
The Oilers finish up on the road with the Los Alamitos Griffins on Friday (4/24) to complete the penultimate three-game series within Sunset League play in 2026. You'll be able to listen to all the action on hbhsathletics.mixlr.com with the "Voice of the Oilers" Dominick Lorenz, with the pregame show at 3:00 PM, followed by first pitch at 3:15 PM (projected times).
LISTEN TO HUNTINGTON BEACH VS. LOS ALAMITOS GRIFFINS HIGHLIGHTS HERE (CLICK IMAGE BELOW):
