Preps of the week: Four teams remain alive in softball, baseball playoffs

Four Marin teams were able to navigate their way into the semifinals of the North Coast Section softball and baseball tournaments this past week.

Leading the way was No. 1 seed San Rafael, which leaned on its ace to advance to the softball Division III semifinals.

Three baseball teams remain in the hunt — No. 2 Redwood in D-II, No. 2 San Marin in D-III, and No. 5 Branson in D-V.

Elsewhere, Tam’s top two golfers helped the team advance to the NorCal tournament following a strong showing at NCS.

In track, San Rafael resident Ellie McCuskey-Hay qualified for State in four events for St. Ignatius. A trio of Redwood athletes were among the standout performers and state qualifiers at the NCS Meet of Champions.

Thomara Drummer and Jaela Brown, San Rafael softball

Drummer had arguably her most dominant week of the season in the first two rounds of the D-III playoffs, throwing a perfect game against De Anza followed by a no-hitter in a 3-0 win against Sonoma Valley. Drummer pitched 12 innings of no-hit ball while striking out 25 hitters against no walks. Drummer struck out 16 against Sonoma Valley. Brown was one of two Bulldogs — along with Gabby Rodriguez — who drove in four runs in the 16-0 win against De Anza. Brown also had an RBI against Sonoma Valley.

Tyler Keehn and Sean McGrath, San Marin baseball

Keehn was one of the heroes of San Marin’s 7-2 win against Analy with four hits at the plate while also pitching four shutout innings to start the game. McGrath, the MCAL pitcher of the year, was at his best in the ensuing D-III quarterfinal against Novato. McGrath pitched a complete-game shutout, allowing one hit while striking out eight as the Mustangs won a 1-0 pitchers’ duel.

Chas Veley and Theo Trono, Redwood baseball

The Giants won a pair of one-run games against Tam and Petaluma last week to advance in the D-II playoffs. Veley came in and struck out nine hitters while pitching four scoreless innings of relief against Tam as Redwood came from behind for a 2-1 win. The Giants found themselves in another tight game against Petaluma with Trono providing the winning hit with two outs in the sixth after freshman Chase Johnson tied the game with a single.

Wilson Wendt and Thomas Lardner, Branson baseball

Wendt pitched three shutout innings in an 11-0 first-round win against Athenian then threw a complete game in a 5-1 upset win against Bay School. Wendt allowed four hits and an unearned run for the No. 5 Bulls against the No. 4 Breakers. Lardner was one of the key hitters in both victories, with one hit, two RBIs, and a run against Bay, plus a four-RBI game against Athenian.

Taylor Testa and Shelby Atkinson, San Marin softball

Testa threw a no-hitter in a 9-0 first-round win against Albany then took a shutout into the sixth inning in an upset bid against Cardinal Newman. The No. 6 Mustangs eventually fell to the No. 3 Cardinals 2-1 in eight innings. Testa also had three hits and drove in two runs against Albany. Atkinson had a two-hit, two-RBI, two-run stat line against the Cougars.

Lydia Battaglia and Sarah Conway, Archie Williams softball

The Peregrine Falcons went into the bottom of the seventh inning against Analy staring at a 5-3 deficit. Battaglia came up big with a two-out, two-triple to tie the game at 5-5 and force extra innings. Conway eventually delivered the game-winning single in the bottom of the eighth after Emma Freed reached on a walk and took two bases. The No. 7 Peregrine Falcons were eliminated by No. 2 Encinal in the quarterfinals.

Gio Castaing, Novato baseball

The Hornets needed a walk-off win to get to that quarterfinal against San Marin and Castaing delivered with a double in the bottom of the seventh to drive in the winning run of a 5-4 win against Miramonte. The hit was Castaing’s second of the day and he also scored a run.

Ben Friedman and Hayden Thill, Tam boys golf

Friedman and Thill were among the best golfers at the NCS D-I championship last Monday, shooting a 70 and a 72, respectively, to guide Tam to a third-place team finish and a spot in the NorCal tournament.

Ellie McCuskey-Hay, St. Ignatius track

The Marin Waves standout won two events at the Central Coast Section championships and also qualified for the State Meet in two other events. McCuskey-Hay’s marks in the long jump (18 feet, 1.5 inches) and the 100 (11.99 seconds) earned her a pair of CCS championships. She also finished third in the 200 (24.98) and helped the 4×100 relay team to a third-place finish (48.19).

William Ghalam and Antonio Bayon, Redwood boys track

Ghalam was the lone Marin winner at the NCS Meet of Champions on Saturday, taking first-place in the 400 meters with a time of 48.97 seconds. Bayon cleared 14 feet, 4 inches to take second in the pole vault. He also placed eighth in the 110 hurdles in 15.47. Both athletes qualified for the State Meet.

Annalise Horn, Redwood girls track

Horn was the top Marin finisher at NCS on the girls side, placing second in the long jump with a new personal record of 18 feet, 5.5 inches. Horn’s effort was good enough to qualify her for the State Meet as a freshman.