PLEASANTON, CALIFORNIA - MAY 31: Palo Alto's Charlie Bates (14) throws to first base after tagging out Foothill's Payton McMillan (9) at second base on a hit by Foothill's Jack Basseer (3) in the third inning of their CIF Northern California Division I Regionals quarterfinals game at Foothill High School in Pleasanton, Calif., on Tuesday, May 31, 2022. Basseer was safe at first. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)
BASEBALL
No. 18 Palo Alto 4, Sacred Heart Prep 1 (8 innings)
A little over a week after the Vikings played a 19-inning marathon against Sequoia, Palo Alto was once again deadlocked in a low-scoring extra-innings duel.
This time, it took just one inning of extra baseball to decide the game.
Palo Alto (6-6) got back to .500 by taking advantage of a big eighth inning to pull away from host Sacred Heart Prep (10-3-1).
Palo Alto sophomore Henry Harding threw the entire eight innings and allowed only three hits. Vikings coach Pete Fukuhara had complete faith in his pitcher’s ability to go the distance.
“Henry was lights out and wanted the ball,” Fukuhara said. “He stepped up huge for us today.”
Charlie Bates scored on a Sal Meehan popup when a two-out error by the Gators helped give Palo Alto the lead.
Isaiah Walker stretched the advantage to three runs when his ground ball into center scored two teammates a couple of batters later.
Paly senior Mostofizadeh hit a double and scored a run. Freshman Rallin Covey drove in SHP’s single run.
Bishop Amat 5, No. 3 Valley Christian 4
One of the Bay Area’s best teams seemed to have the game won entering the seventh inning, leading 4-2 at the National Classic Tournament in Fullerton.
But Bishop Amat figured out Valley Christian’s pitching, scoring three runs in the top of the seventh to rip the game away.
VC leadoff hitter Tatum Marsh had two RBIs, and Jordan Ortiz and Carmelo Rivera each drove in one run apiece. Bishop Amat did a solid job of slowing down the usually-prolific VC running game, holding the Warriors to one stolen base all game.
No. 9 Bellarmine 6, No. 6 Clayton Valley Charter 0
No. 9 Bellarmine 4, Marin Catholic 2
Bellarmine pitcher Paul Montgomery threw a complete game against Clayton Valley Charter as the Bells improved to 9-3-1, allowing just three hits and striking out six on 94 pitches against CVC (5-3).
It took a while for the Bells offense to get going, but it was unstoppable in the bottom of the fifth. Calem Filipek singled in two runs, Caden Sta Maria scored on a wild pitch, another two scored on a flyout and groundout, and Thomas Trombatore finished the inning with an RBI double into left.
In the second game vs. Marin Catholic, Chase Knight’s two-run double in the top of the seventh inning gave the Bells a two-run lead. Chris Rudell threw two scoreless innings, striking out four and being credited with the victory.
San Ramon Valley 5, Sac Joaquin Memorial 2
San Ramon Valley 13, Buchanan 6
SRV (8-6) won two games at the Fresno Easter Classic on Monday, first defeating host school Buchanan in a high-scoring game. The heart of the order did almost all of the damage, with Luke Baker, Colin Linteo and Brady Shay driving in seven runs combined. Cleanup hitter Julian Cambra was 2 for 4 with a home run and three RBIs.
Jordan Rutchena was San Ramon Valley’s star for the second game, pitching all seven innings and allowing only two hits while striking out eight. SRV’s Blake Jacobs scored two runs in the first inning with a single, and Cambra, Caden Tyacke and Max Ellis had one RBI apiece.
Concord 3, El Cerrito 2
Chase Taylor walked the home team off with a two-run single on the first pitch of the at-bat to help Concord improve to 9-4. It was a pitcher’s duel for most of the game, as Jared Bennett went five innings and struck out three for Concord, and Max Garcia struck out five while throwing the entire game. El Cerrito’s Andrew Nichols tripled in a run, and Concord’s Adrian Machado grounded into an RBI.
SOFTBALL
No. 4 Pinole Valley 1, Encinal 0
One run was all senior ace Kailani Tatro needed to propel her Spartans to a 13-0 start. The Robert Morris commit allowed two hits and struck out 10 in another dominant performance against Encinal. She also stole two bases and had one of Pinole Valley’s two hits.
Aneesa Brewer was the other star for Pinole Valley, getting on base to lead off the bottom of the seventh. A walk and a wild pitch moved Brewer up to third, and she walked it off on a wild pitch that dropped Encinal to 3-7.
No. 18 Willow Glen 8, No. 13 Valley Christian 4
For the second time in a week, Willow Glen (8-2) went on the road and knocked off a WCAL power. McKenna Campbell made the most of her one hit, driving in three runs on a triple into left during the top of the fourth inning. Like last week, Lea Crawford started the game and pitched three innings. Then fellow freshman Alanna Clincy closed out the win with four innings of one-hit ball while also striking out eight batters.
Los Altos 4, No. 9 Milpitas 1
Los Altos (6-5) used a four-run first inning to give the Eagles a lead they would never relinquish. Senior Lauren Han drove in two runs, and first baseman Maggie Byrne and third baseman Zoe Aguilar also had an RBI. Junior Sophia Asar pitched a complete game, allowing five hits and walking none. Senior Taija Warren scored a run and went 1 for 3 for Milpitas (12-3).
No. 1 St. Francis 1, Marina 0 (Saturday)
The top-ranked Lancers got a special performance from their junior pitcher in the semifinal of the Michelle Carew tournament. Shannon Keighran pitched a complete-game no-hitter, a walk being the only thing standing between her and perfection. Keighran also struck out seven. A solo home run by Alexis O’Gorman was all the offense St. Francis needed to win.
BASKETBALL NOTE:
Dougherty Valley boys basketball coach Mike Hansen was named Cal-Hi Sports’ coach of the year. Hansen led the Wildcats, who finished 27-4 to East Bay Athletic League and North Coast Section titles. Hansen is the first East Bay coach to win the award since Salesian’s Bill Mellis in 2012.
Originally published at Joseph Dycus