Prep roundup: Sequoia softball ends regular season with an upset and cupcakes
Carlmont will now share league title with Capuchino, St. Francis and Mitty split WCAL championship, Pinole Valley wins TCAL. Berkeley baseball wins WACC tournament, Gilroy claims league title. Menlo School takes CCS team tennis title.
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Softball
Sequoia 7, Carlmont 2
The stakes for Carlmont were straightforward: win at Sequoia and claim sole possession of the PAL Bay Division title.
Sequoia appeared poised to contend for that crown at one time, but dropped three of its last six games to PAL opponents to end that possibility.
All the Redwood City school had to play for was the satisfaction of being the spoiler against a team riding a seven-game winning streak.
And so on assistant coach Hannah Singh’s birthday, the Ravens played that role to perfection in the 7-2 home victory before enjoying some celebratory cupcakes.
“I’m pretty sure we’ve played a game on my birthday every season I’ve coached, and haven’t always won,” said Singh, an alum who has coached at Sequoia for the past four season. “And to have our last home game for the seniors against Carlmont … to get the win was awesome.”
Carlmont and Capuchino now share the league championship with 11-3 records, and Sequoia is a close third at 10-4.
The Ravens (18-5) put up five runs in the first inning, with freshman Nisha Mehta batting 2 for 3 and walking once as the leadoff hitter. Jamie Elkington drove cleared the bases with a three-RBI triple in that inning, and Ainsley Waddell drove in one run too.
“I’ve got pretty quick hands, so I can pull inside,” said Mehta, who her coach described as ‘dynamite.’ “Just get on base.”
Waddell had another solid start in a season full of them, allowing just three hits and striking out nine. After allowing two earned runs through three innings, both scored by Isabella Wilson, Waddell retired her last 13 batters.
“It’s a dream as a coach,” Sequoia coach Michelle Sarrail said about Waddell’s consistency. “And she knows that when the ball gets put in play, the defense has her back.”
Carlmont (15-8) missed out on winning sole possession of the PAL Bay title, but coach Steve Rianda had a positive outlook as the Scots approached the Central Coast Section playoffs.
“Depending on where we place, I think we can do really well,” Rianda said.
Mitty, St. Francis share West Catholic Athletic League title
The top two teams in the WCAL will share the league title after finishing their schedules 9-1, the only losses being to one another. Barring a remarkable upset, the teams will face each other for a third time in the CCS final.
Archbishop Mitty 6, Valley Christian 3
Mitty senior Alyssa Onyeagwa batted 2 for 3 and hit a home run while driving in three runs, and Mia Rodriguez and McKenna Woliczko each had one RBI.
Freshman Kyleigh Mace pitched seven innings in relief, allowing no runs and only three hits. Mitty ends the regular season 20-3, and Valley Christian finishes 14-9 and 5-5.
St. Francis 16, Sacred Heart Cathedral 0
It took just five innings for St. Francis to put 16 runs on Sacred Heart Cathedral. Seniors Carly Cummings and and Hannah Cushing each hit a home run for the Lancers. Sophomore Hayden Hummel batted 2 for 2 and drove in two runs.
Kate Munnerlyn shined on the mound, allowing one hit, and at the plate, where she led the team with three RBIs and tied Jaime Oakland for the most hits with three. St. Francis finishes its regular season 24-2, and SHC ends it 11-12, but 0-10 in the WCAL.
Leigh 10, Lincoln 0
Leigh completed a 10-0 run through its Santa Teresa West Division with a fitting 10-0 victory over Lincoln-San Jose. The Longhorns, which had already clinched the league crown, needed only five innings to achieve that score.
Junior Sam Vasquez hit a triple and scored two runs, senior Kiersten Low had a double and three RBIs, and freshman Sophia Hooper hit two doubles. Sophomore pitcher Sophia Gandara had seven strikeouts.
Pinole Valley 12, Salesian 0
Kailani Tatro struck out 10 and threw a five-inning no-hitter as Pinole Valley won the Tri-County Athletic League Rock Division playoff tournament final over Salesian.
The Spartans got contributions from a variety of players. Senior Milanya Rosales and junior Jennifer Ramirez led Pinole Valley with two hits each, and Jennifer Ramirez and Kathleen Gonzales leading the Spartans with two RBIs apiece.
Pinole Valley improved to 25-1 and Salesian dropped to 13-8. Pinole Valley will learn where it will be seeded on Saturday.
Baseball
Gilroy 5, Piedmont Hills 0
The Mustangs shut out Piedmont Hills to claim the Santa Teresa league title with a 13-1 record, narrowly edging Prospect and its 12-2 record.
No single player was more responsible for the victory than senior pitcher Quinn Larson, who struck out 18 of 24 batters faced in one of the best all-around performances of the season.
Larson also went 3 for 3 with a solo home run, and stole two bases. Evan Passama and senior Jacob Baker each had two hits and two RBIs for the Mustangs, who improved to 17-6-1. Piedmont Hills dropped to 12-13 and 7-7.
Berkeley 20, Castro Valley 3
Berkeley’s hitters scattered 18 hits as it overwhelmed Castro Valley to win the West Alameda County Conference championship.
Berkeley junior Manny Selles batted 3 for 5 and drove in a team high four RBIs. Seniors EJ Cord and Leo Asfar had three RBIs apiece, and junior Trey Johnson had three hits and three RBIs. Senior William Chang had two hits and also scored four runs.
Junior Julian Ito pitched six innings and struck out four. Castro Valley’s Matthew Cormier and Luca Boccasile each had a triple.
Berkeley improved to 18-7, and Castro Valley dropped to 10-15.
Tennis
CCS playoffs
Menlo School punched its ticket to NorCal play as it won the CCS team tennis playoffs after defeating Cupertino 4-3 in the final. The Knights (20-1) entered the tournament as the No. 1 seed, and defeated Archbishop Mitty, Leigh and Saratoga to reach the final.
NCS playoffs
The semifinals are set in the NCS Division I team playoffs, with No. 1 seed Mission San Jose set to face No. 4 Washington-Fremont. No. 2 California will play No. 3 Amador Valley in the other semifinal. The teams will play at San Ramon Valley on Saturday.