A four-RBI game any time is cause for celebration.
Drive in four runs in a league game at Petco Park and, “It’s kind of surreal,” said Mission Hills High School sophomore right fielder Oliver Mulford after a 10-0 Palomar League win over Escondido on Friday in a game that was called after five innings because of a run rule after Mission Hills scored five runs in the bottom of the fifth.
The game was the first of six over two days at Petco Park in the 2026 John Baumgarten High School Baseball Series.
Otay Ranch and Mater Dei Catholic played the second game with Southwest-El Centro, ranked No. 9 in San Diego, playing Imperial in the nightcap.
Mountain Empire and High Tech Mesa play at 10 a.m. Saturday, followed by Helix-El Capitan at 1 p.m. and Vincent Memorial-Borrego Springs at 4 p.m.
“This game has been on my calendar for a long time,” Mulford said of the win that extends Mission Hills’ winning streak to 10 games and moves the Grizzlies to 13-8 overall and 8-0 in league play. “To do something like this in the ballpark where the Padres play, that’s at the top of the list.”
And the Padres, in cooperation with the CIF San Diego Section, made the preps feel special with a full left-field scoreboard, public-address announcer and a grounds crew between games.
In three games against Escondido this week — Mission Hills wins by 15-2, 9-1 and 10-0 — Mulford, who had a double and triple Friday, was 7 of 12 with 12 RBIs.
Zeke Munoz, Cody Reed, Micah Mecucci, Dominic Davis and Will Sheriff all drove in runs for Mission Hills.
Daxton Hyde, Braden Kaylor and Reed all scored twice.
Right-hander Noah Litchfield threw a one-hitter, struck out four, didn’t walk a batter and retired the last seven Cougars in a row.
“This team is on a roll,” Mulford said. “We started slow (3-8), but the coaches didn’t give up on us, stuck with us. And we have great chemistry.
Mission Hills coach Griffin Teisher noted that the Grizzlies are young, starting four sophomores — Mulford, Mecucci, Hyde and Sheriff — along with Reed, a junior, and seniors Canaan Valdovinos, Davis, Kaylor, Litchfield and Munoz
“We have really turned it around,” said Mecucci. “Early on, when we were struggling, we said, ‘We’re not done.’
“This was a game that could have gotten away from us. Everything was a little different. I woke up early. Tried to relax, but we’re playing where the Padres play. We’re playing in a ballpark where I hope to play someday.
“How cool is that?”
Munoz, a shortstop, said his father told him to enjoy the experience of playing in a major league ballpark.
“He said to get the most out of the day, soak in everything because someday I’d be sitting in the stands and tell my kids that I played here,” said Munoz.
Hyde said that despite some of the restrictions … no sunflower seeds, no infield practice, no walking on the infield grass unless to make a play … he was determined to enjoy the day.
“Playing here is such a big opportunity,” Hyde said. “You have to be mentally prepared, not let the surroundings overwhelm you and make the most of it.”
The coaches — Teisher for Mission Hills and Aaron Hooford for Escondido — had different philosophies coming into the game.
Escondido, which is sophomore-heavy, slipped to 4-17 overall, 1-7 in league play and has lost seven in a row.
“We graduated 12 seniors, eight of them starters, so it has been a struggle,” Hoofard said.
“My young guys are getting a lot of experience, something that we hope pays off next season.”