GRIFFINS SWEEP IMPERIAL VALLEY

EL CAJON – The Grossmont College Griffin baseball team helped their playoff chances with a three game sweep of Imperial Valley on Tuesday and Wednesday. 
 
Sophomore Bradley Barkley (1-1, 7 saves) finished the sweep in style throwing a complete game six-hit shutout for the Griffins (19-17, 12-12 PCAC). 
 
Over the course of the three games, the Griffins hit a nice .326 (31-for-95) with nine doubles and two home runs. Outscoring Imperial Valley (4-34, 1-24 PCAC) 27 to 8. 
 
Individually, Luke Denos paced the Griffins going 6-for-10 with a double and five runs batted in, four walks and stole three bags. Skyler Agnew (five RBI) and Juan Nunez (7 RBI) each had four hits. 
 
On Tuesday, the Griffins defeated Imperial Valley 10-1. Kyle Dobyns (6-2) threw seven innings allowing just three runners to reach base and striking out nine. Nevan Noonan and Nunez each had two hits and as a team Grossmont registered 11 against a pair of IVC pitchers. 
 
The Griffins scored one run in the bottom of the first with a sacrifice fly RBI by Noonan. The Green and Gold added a pair of runs in both the fourth and fifth. Nunez drove in both runs in the fourth on a single to right field. Noonan hit a two-run homer to left in the fifth. Back-to-Back doubles by Agnew and Nunez in the seventh added two more runs to the tally. Wrapping the scoring up in the eighth inning, Denos had an RBI ground out and a two-run double to right for Noah Lane. 
 
Then 18 and a half hours later, the two teams returned to Noel Michelsen Field to play a doubleheader. 
 
Game one of the double-dip was very dramatic. Imperial Valley scored three runs in the top of the first inning. In the bottom of the fourth, Nunez (2-for-5, 4 RBI) got the Griffins on the board with a two-run single through the right side to cut the lead to 3-2. IVC would add two more in the top of the fifth to make it 5-2 halfway through the game. GC would add single runs in the sixth and seventh. In the sixth, Nunez would single to right center to bring in Denos. The run in the seventh was Agnew when he scored from third on a wild pitch. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Agnew singled in Lane and Brodie Romero brought in Nicholas Rocha to make it 6-5 Grossmont. IVC scored their final two runs of the day in the top of the ninth to make the score 7-6 IVC. Denos singled to bring in Luke Mansy (0-1, 2 runs and 4 walks) to tie the game at 7-all. Denos then stole second and Noah Lane walked to load the bases (Noonan was on third). Nunez reached on a throwing error by IVC allowed Noonan to score the game winning run. 
 
Game two was much easier. The Griffins would score two runs in the first, three runs in the fourth and threatened a run-rule victory with four runs in the sixth. The whole time, Closer turned Starter Barkley was chugging along and kept sending the Imperial Valley batters back to the dugout. Eight runners reached base in the nine innings while striking out six batters. Three Griffins including Luke Mansy, Lane and Cole Duffy all had multi-hit games. 
 
Grossmont will wrap up the regular season on Saturday, April 29 when they host San Diego Mesa (12-25, 10-12 PCAC) for a Noon matinee. Then on Sunday night or Monday morning, they will find out if they make the 2023 CCCAA Baseball playoffs.