2026 North County Clout: A Dominant Regular Season

North County MSBL (San Diego), 18+ National Division

North County Clout 7, Dolphins 6

Submitted by Ben Penney, manager

‘Sanford Delivers Walk-off Single to Cement Championship’

The North County Clout wrapped up a dominant 15-1 season, outscoring opponents 121-46 through high-octane offense, lights-out pitching, and defensive toughness. The team success stemmed from a deep lineup that batted .322 with an .812 OPS.

Shawn Sanford anchored the offense, posting a .481 batting average, 1.372 OPS, and five home runs over 13 games. He teamed up with Ryan McClure, who batted .373 with two home runs and 12 RBIs.

Sean Helm starred as a two-way player. At the plate, he drove in a team-high 18 RBIs while batting .333. On the mound, he served as the team’s ace, starting 15 games and pitching 123.0 innings to finish with a 13-1 record, 1.37 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and 122 strikeouts.

In the field, North County compiled a .936 team fielding percentage, led by defensive standouts Christian Florido (99 putouts, .962 FPCT) and Patrick Fyfe (41 putouts, 29 assist

The season culminated in a thrilling 7-6 walk-off victory over the Dolphins.

The Dolphins struck early with an RBI single in the top of the second. North County countered behind Tyler Grihalva, who went 2-for-4 with four RBI. Sean Helm started on the mound, allowing three runs (one earned) and striking out five over five innings, following a complete-game win in the semifinals earlier that day.

Down to their final chances in the top of the ninth, the Dolphins rallied with a hit-by-pitch, a walk, and a clutch RBI single to tie the game 6-6. Ryan McClure came on in relief to record the final out of the inning.

In the bottom of the ninth, Chad Sanford delivered the game-winning walk-off single to seal the 7-6 title victory. North County finished the game with 12 hits, led by two-hit performances from Florido, Grihalva, and Ben Penney.