LA COSTA CANYON HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL

Story by Rob Terranova, North County Times:

For the second consecutive year, the La Costa Canyon High baseball team won the Avocado West League title, beating Oceanside 4-0 on Wednesday at home.

The Mavericks (18-9, 9-3) jumped on the scoreboard early with four runs in the first inning, and that would prove to be enough for senior starter Andrew Hinkle, who scattered seven hits while only walking one batter.

"(Hinkle) has really stepped it up for us this year," Mavericks coach Justin Machado said. "He pounds the zone. He gets a ton of ground balls. He really has put it all together and stayed consistent all year long.

"He's got a great presence on the mound."

Machado said strong pitching and solid defense is why his team was in position to claim the league championship again.

"Every team in this league had a lot of good pitching, and every game we played was well contested," said Machado. "But our guys went out and competed every time they took the mound, and the defense stood tall behind them, and anytime you do that you have a chance to win."