Marsh, Valley Christian top Serra in a key WCAL game
Pitching has been the key to success this season for the Valley Christian and Serra baseball teams.
Junior left-hander Quinten Marsh gave Valley Christian the edge over Serra on Tuesday, though, throwing a complete-game four-hitter and allowing just one unearned run in a 4-1 Warriors victory.
The win moved Valley Christian into a tie with Serra on top of the West Catholic Athletic League standings.
Valley Christian (16-2, 4-1) went into the game with a 1.20 team ERA. Serra (133, 4-1) had its team ERA rise to 1.52 after one of its coaces, Sam Kretsch (4-1, 1.83 ERA), incurred his first loss of the season.
Marsh, already committed to Stanford as a junior, is now 6-2 on the season.
“Today what was really working for me was my slider,” Marsh said. “They weren't biting on my changeup early. Just knowing my defense behind me was making great plays gave me a lot of confidence.”
The most spectacular defensive play was turned in by left-handed Valley Christian left fielder Hunter Fujimoto, who reached across his body to make a diving catch in left-center for the third out in the fourth.
Fujimoto, who is headed to Santa Clara to play college baseball, also scored Valley's first run in the bottom of the third after reaching base, stealing second and scoring on Nathan Choi's double.
That run brought the Warriors even. Serra had taken a 1-0 lead in the top of the first when Ian Armstrong tripled to score Ian Josephson.
Marsh also sparked Valley's three-run fourth-inning rally with a leadoff single, taking second when the
center fielder didn't come up with the ball cleanly. He came around to score the go-ahead run after a single by Brock Ketelsen and another Serra error. SACRED HEART PREP 2, MENLO SCHOOL 0 >> Sacred Heart Prep got RBIs from Rallin Covey and Max Courson. Gator pitching took over from there, with Devin Saltzgaber throwing six innings and striking out 10. Covey then closed out the seventh with two strikeouts. Menlo's Ryan Schnell struck out eight in a complete game. Sacred Heart Prep is now 6-12 while Menlo School dropped to 12-7. ALAMEDA 9, ENCINAL 1 >> Alameda rolled past rival Encinal in the Willie Stargell Classic tournament. Alameda starting pitcher Max Cohen kept Stargell's alma mater in check, throwing six scoreless innings and striking out six. Jaden Noonan had two RBIs for Alameda (9-6), and teammates Luis Sanchez, Kayden Thai, Archie Schullstrom and Cole Aney each had RBIs. Encinal fell to 8-7 overall.
Softball
NO. 8 HILLSDALE 1, CAPUCHINO 0 >> With a runner on first and a shaky defense lining the infield, all Hillsdale's Sophia Shelton had to do was put the ball in play. An
error on Shelton's ground ball helped get Liana Mack home all the way from first base, providing Hillsdale's Alexis Kuka the support she needed to win the pitcher's duel. Kuka allowed just one hit and struck out five in a complete game, while Capuchino's Lola Sierra allowed only two hits in six innings. Hillsdale improved to 15-1 and 5-1 in Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division play, while Capuchino fell to 5-9, 3-2.
PIEDMONT HILLS 7, SANTA CLARA 0 >> Sophomore Isabella Flores was one walk away from a perfect game but still shined with a 20-strikeout seven-inning no-hitter. Of her 96 pitches, 70 were strikes. Madison Montez was 3 for 4 with two RBIs, and Flores helped her own cause by driving in a run as Piedmont Hills (10-3) led 7-0 after three innings. NO. 11 AMADOR VALLEY 5, NO. 5 CALIFORNIA 1 >> Amador Valley scored three runs in the fifth inning to pull away from California. McKenna Charbonneau was 1 for 2 with a home run and two RBIs, and Taylor Oxe and Ava Davis each had two hits and one RBI. The Dons improved to 7-5, 4-2, while California fell to 6-3, 4-1.