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    Strong pitching keeps Huntington Beach baseball rolling
    • April 20, 2026

    Huntington Beach is one of only two Orange County baseball team that are undefeated in their league going into this week.

    That is an example of how difficult it is to be consistently successful in Southern California high school baseball.

    The Oilers are 12-0 in the Sunset League. Newport Harbor is in second place at 10-2.

    Huntington Beach last week swept Fountain Valley in three league games. The Oilers outscored the Barons, 28-6.

    “Our pitching staff overall has been really good,” said Huntington Beach coach Benji Medure. “Tanner Brown, Cayden Hammond along with Christian Haupt and Earnest Marchbank. The whole staff has pitched really well and not just in league but in the Boras (Classic), as well.”

    Huntington Beach's Tanner Brown (26) pitches against La Mirada in the 6th inning during the second round of the Boras Classic South baseball tournament at Mater Dei High, Wednesday, March 26, 2025.(Photo by Steven Georges, Contributing Photographer)
    Huntington Beach’s Tanner Brown (26) pitches against La Mirada in the 6th inning during the second round of the Boras Classic South baseball tournament at Mater Dei High, Wednesday, March 26, 2025.
    (Photo by Steven Georges, Contributing Photographer)

    Medure, in his 26th season as head coach at Huntington Beach, did not mention pitcher Jared Grindlinger because everyone knows all about him. Grindlinger is 3-0 with a 1.04 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 33⅓ innings. He committed to Tennessee and has reclassified to be a senior this season to be eligible for the MLB Draft.

    Among the other pitching standouts for the Oilers are Brown, who is 4-1 with a 1.56 ERA, and Hammond, who is 2-1 with a 0.95 ERA.

    Among the team’s top hitters is senior first baseman Dane Cunningham, who is batting .382 with a team-high 20 RBIs.

    “Dane’s gotten so many key hits for us,” Medure said. “Every game, he seems to be a tough out.”

    Huntington Beach (16-4-1 overall) plays Los Alamitos in three league games this week. The Oilers next week conclude the regular season with three league games against second-place Newport Harbor.

    NOTES

    Orange Lutheran won the Boras Classic State championship game Saturday by beating St. Mary’s of Stockton, 7-0, at Santa Clara University. Orange Lutheran’s CJ Weinstein hit a three-run triple and Ricardo Hurtado had three hits and two RBIs. …

    Cypress pitchers Tate Belfanti and Drew Slevcove threw shutouts last week during Cypress’ three-game sweep of El Dorado in the Crestview League. Slevcove pitched a three-hitter in a 5-0 win to start the week. Belfanti threw a two-hitter in a 2-0 win to finish the series. …

    Cypress pitcher Tate Belfanti reacts after striking out three Villa Park batters with the bases loaded in the second inning in a Crestview League baseball game in Cypress on Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
    Cypress pitcher Tate Belfanti reacts after striking out three Villa Park batters with the bases loaded in the second inning in a Crestview League baseball game in Cypress on Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)

    Cypress senior catcher Noah Johnson is out for the season. Johnson was All-County as a junior. …

    Yorba Linda has won 11 of its past 13 games. The Mustangs are in first in the North Hills League with a 5-1 league record. …

    Aliso Niguel is in fourth place in the South Coast League. In a five-team league like the South Coast, the top three finishers are automatic qualifiers for the CIF-SS playoffs. The Wolverines (2-3-1 in league) have games remaining against two teams above them in the standings: second-place San Clemente (5-4 in league) this week and third-place Dana Hills (3-3) next week. …

    El Toro has maneuvered its way to a first-place tie with San Juan Hills in the Sea View League. The Chargers beat San Juan Hills in two of their three league games last week. El Toro had several players who stood out during the series, including: Ethan Barro pitched a complete game; Gavin Broesamle had four hits and got a pitching victory; Nathan Broesamle hit two home runs; Jonathan Gould drove in five runs. …

    Beckman won the Santa Ana Elks tournament championship. The Patriots beat Northview, 2-1, Paraclete, 4-3, Ceres Central Valley, 2-1, and Century, 4-0, in the tournament. …

    Savanna is in first place in the Coast League with a 7-1 record. The Rebels are good in all categories and have avoided injuries like those that have plagued the pitching staffs of the league’s other four teams. …

    Orange can clinch a share of the Grove League championship with a win over Anaheim on Tuesday. …

    Among Tuesday’s other key league games: Orange Lutheran at Santa Margarita in the Trinity League; Mission Viejo at El Toro, Sea View League; Aliso Niguel at San Clemente, South Coast League; Foothill at Cypress, Crestview League; Costa Mesa at Fullerton, Empire League; and Savanna at Loara, Coast League. …

    Orange Lutheran is No. 1 in the Prep Baseball Report state rankings. Huntington Beach is at No. 3, Cypress is No. 14 and Newport Harbor is No. 25. …

    The CIF Southern Section baseball playoff brackets will be released May 9 at 1 p.m. Division 1 will be a 16-team group. The other eight divisions will be 32-team brackets. …

    Cal State Fullerton will be the site for some of the CIF-SS baseball championship games.

     

     Orange County Register 

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