Chuck Kirman / Star staff Camarillo High's Marco Gutierrez, who hit three grand slams in one game last week against Taft in a summer league game, poses for a portrait. A teammate holds three baseballs to signify the feat. "It still hasn't really come into my mind how big this might be or could be," he said.

Marco Gutierrez can't seem to wipe the goofy grin from his face.

He's been wearing it since experiencing a day on the baseball field defying even the wildest of dreams.

The Camarillo High junior belted three grand slams in one game last week during a 20-0 victory over Taft in a summer league game at Woodland Hills.

Making the feat even more remarkable was the grand slams came in consecutive innings against three different pitchers.

"I still don't believe it, to tell you the truth," Gutierrez said last Friday, two days after his offensive explosion. "Three home runs in one game is an amazing accomplishment, but hitting three grand slams?

"That is unbelievable."

That description has been used a lot lately at Camarillo regarding grand slams.

In March, Camarillo softball player Delaney Willard tied a national record by hitting two grand slams in one inning.

Because Gutierrez's performance occurred in a summer league game, it won't count in the official record books. But he would have joined an exclusive club of sluggers.

According to the National Federation of State High School Associations, five prep baseball players in the nation — none from California — have hit three grand slams in one game.

Only one college player from Division I through NAIA has hit three grand slams in one game, and no major league player has ever done it.

In fact, the record for the most grand slams hit in an entire month by a major leaguer is three by Carlos Beltran in 2006, according to Elias Sports Bureau.

"Never in all my years of baseball have I seen anything like that," said Camarillo summer league coach Michael Minjares. "What are the chances of the bases even being loaded three times when you come up? And then to hit three in consecutive innings. Amazing. Absolutely amazing."

Gutierrez might have been the unlikeliest candidate to have capitalized on the RBI opportunities considering his recent history.

The right-hander entered the game riding an 0-for-12 streak, and was just hoping to put the ball in play.

But after a single up the middle and a pop-out in the second inning, Gutierrez's next three at-bats provided the ultimate slump-buster and turned a mercy-rule rout into a historical evening that left everyone shaking their heads and scrambling for baseball almanacs.

Gutierrez's first grand slam came in the third inning on a 2-2 count when he waited on a curveball and drove it over the left-field fence.

The bases were loaded again when he came to the plate in the fourth and he hit a knuckleball on a 1-1 count over the fence in right-center.

"Once I hit that one, I had a big smile on my face," Gutierrez said. "Two grand slams in one game is so rare and it made me feel incredible because of the bad week I'd had."

Little did Gutierrez know there was even more magic to come from his 33-inch, 30-ounce white Louisville Slugger TPX EXOGRID.

As he dug into the batter's box with the bases loaded in the fifth, fans from both sides rose to their feet in anticipation of the opportunity.

Gutierrez could hear murmurs of "Not this guy again" and see players and coaches saying "There is no way this could happen."

"I couldn't help but just start laughing at that point," Gutierrez said. "It was unreal."

Gutierrez's merriment continued all the way around the bases after receiving a fastball down the middle on a 1-1 count and driving it into the trees in right-center for his third grand slam in three innings.

"It is hard to explain what I was feeling," said Gutierrez, who finished 4 for 5 with 12 RBIs. "A million thoughts were going through my head all at once."

His teammates in the dugout were equally stunned.

"That was the most amazing thing in baseball I have ever witnessed," Michael Erb said. "The odds of that ever even having a chance to happen are crazy. It's something everyone will remember forever."

The only thing that would have made the feat even more special for Gutierrez would have been having his parents there to watch.

Since he began playing baseball at age 4, he estimates they have made "about 90 percent of my games." But both had work obligations that night.

Once he escaped the pats on the back and overflowing adjectives, Gutierrez called his father.

"He said, Hey, slugger. I hear you had a good day?' " said Gutierrez, whose most prodigious home run output prior to last week was two home runs in a youth game. "One of the parents had already called him. But he told me to remember sometimes you have an amazing day and another day you will be 0 for 4 with four strikeouts. Just play hard and enjoy the game no matter what."

Gutierrez finally reunited with his parents when he returned to Camarillo, and by sheer coincidence, they headed to Denny's for a celebratory dinner.

But Gutierrez didn't even think about ordering the chain's Grand Slam breakfast to symbolically cap his day. He settled for a ham and egg sandwich instead.

Because the game was stopped after five innings, there is no way to know if a fourth grand slam was possible.

But three was more than enough for Gutierrez to savor for a lifetime.

"It still hasn't really come into my mind how big this might be or could be," he said. "People are telling me, You will tell your kids and grandkids about this.' I just nod and say, Yes.' "