Santa Margarita Continues Sunset Sweep, Defeats Huntington Beach in Round 2 (2025)

Huntington Beach – Oilers Field

Huntington Beach found itself on the wrong end of a dramatic late-inning battle Tuesday, falling 6-5 to Santa Margarita in a tightly contested Round 2 playoff game. The Oilers carried a 5-1 lead into the sixth inning but couldn’t hold off a relentless Eagles offense that surged in the final two frames. With the score tied in the top of the seventh, Santa Margarita’s Chase Marlow delivered the decisive blow—a clutch RBI single to center—that ultimately sealed the win and advanced the Eagles in the postseason bracket.

The game opened with promise for Huntington Beach. Ethan Porter’s sacrifice fly in the first gave the Oilers a 1-0 lead. Santa Margarita answered quickly in the second when Carter Enoch sent a fly ball over the left field fence to tie it up. The Oilers responded with a pair of runs in the next two innings—one off a Trevor Goldenetz RBI single in the second and another from Cole Clark’s sacrifice fly in the third—to take a 3-1 lead.

Huntington Beach added two more in the fourth, capitalizing on a bunt single by Jayton Greer and a fielding error that allowed both him and Goldenetz to advance into scoring position. Jared Grindlinger added a sac fly to left, stretching the lead to 5-1.

But the tide began to shift in the sixth. A ground ball off the bat of Gavin Spiridonoff led to a run-scoring error, and Warren Gravely IV followed with a clutch two-RBI double to tie the game. Then in the top of the seventh, a two-out single from Marlow pushed Santa Margarita ahead for good.

Despite outhitting the Eagles 11-6 and controlling the tempo early, the Oilers couldn’t recover in the bottom of the seventh. With the loss, Huntington Beach’s postseason run comes to an end, while Santa Margarita advances to the quarterfinal round.

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Pitching

Jared Grindlinger turned in a strong start for Huntington Beach, going five full innings and allowing just one earned run on one hit, striking out six and walking one. However, the bullpen faltered late. Tyler Bellerose, Otto Espinoza, and Tanner Brown combined for two innings of relief, yielding five runs (two earned) on five hits, with four walks and three strikeouts. Espinoza was tagged with the loss.

Santa Margarita started Ethan Russell on the mound, who gave up six hits and three runs (two earned) over two innings. Brennan Bauer earned the win in relief, tossing 4.1 innings and allowing just two runs while striking out four.

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Batting

Jayton Greer led the Oilers with a 3-for-4 effort at the plate, scoring once. Goldenetz also had a multi-hit day, going 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI. Porter, Clark, and Grindlinger each drove in one run. The Oilers were productive throughout the lineup with 11 total hits but struggled to capitalize in the late innings.

For the Eagles, Marlow’s 2-for-4 day—including the game-winning RBI—highlighted the offense. Gravely IV delivered the biggest swing of the game with a game-tying two-RBI double in the sixth. Enoch added a solo homer in the second to ignite Santa Margarita’s scoring.

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What’s next

Huntington Beach’s postseason run ends in a heartbreaking finish, falling just short in Round 2. The Oilers wrap up their season with a strong showing that yet again, puts them on the board nationally.

As for Santa Margarita, the Eagles continue their playoff march into the semifinals, where they’ll face another familiar Sunset League foe: Los Alamitos. After defeating Newport Harbor in Round 1 and Huntington Beach in Round 2, this marks the Eagles’ third straight matchup against a Sunset League opponent. The Round 3 showdown is set for Friday, May 23rd, and promises to be another tightly contested battle as both teams fight for a spot in the CIF-SS division 1 finals.