Lincoln sweeps Piedmont Hills, tied for 1st place
The Lincoln High baseball team scored 10 runs in the first inning Friday then held on for an 11-8 victory over Piedmont Hills to sweep the homeand-home two-game series.
Lincoln and Piedmont Hills are now tied for first place in the Blossom Valley Athletic League Santa Teresa Division standings. Lincoln began the week two games back, and now two weeks and four games remain in the regularseason.
“It's great for the kids to play in a big game, it's a great feeling to win a big game,'' longtime Lincoln coach Stuart Piraro said. “But if we start looking forward to a championship, we've just got to worry about what we've been doing all year.''
Piedmont Hills (16-6, 12-2) went into the week on a 14-game winning streak, which Lincoln ended Wednesday with an 8-6 win. On Friday the Lions put a quick reversal to a 2-0 lead the Pirates took in the top of the first with the 10run explosion, on five hits, six walks and an error, in the bottom half.
Daniel Saavedra and Ryan Bernwanger hit long back-to-back doubles up the power alleys to get the first-inning fireworks underway. Jonas Gamez hit a two-run single, followed by a walk, an error and back-to-back singles. Seven runs were in with the bases loaded when Piedmont Hills was forced to make a pitching change.
Ten runs were in by the time the inning concluded, even though the scoreboard was only able to show nine.
Piedmont Hills kept battling. Three runs in the third made it 10-5. And then after Lincoln added a run in the fifth when starting pitcher Diego Casorla tripled and scored on a sacrifice fly, the Pirates added three more in the sixth to make it 11-8.
Lorenzo Collazo, Saavedra and Gamez each had two hits for Lincoln (183, 12-2). Gamez, Bernwanger and Joey Telucci each had two RBIs.
Catcher Gabriel Badillo had two hits and three RBIs for Piedmont Hills. Sophomore left-hander Toby Torres went the last four innings for the Pirates, allowing two hits, one run, one walk and striking out six.
NO. 11 ST. IGNATIUS 3, NO. 3 SERRA 1 >> Chase Gordon allowed one run over 6 1/3 innings and AJ Wineinger had two hits and knocked in a run Friday as host St. Ignatius sent Serra to a second consecutive defeat in West Catholic Athletic League play.
St. Ignatius (15-6, 6-5 WCAL) scored two in the bottom of the fourth to break a 1-1 tie and then called on Gordon and Archer Horn, who pitched two-thirds of an inning, to finish off the Padres (17-5, 8-3), now a game behind Valley Christian for first place.
NO. 2 GRANADA 4, DUBLIN 1 >> Tied 1-1, Granada scored three in the bottom of the sixth to turn back Dublin in East Bay Athletic League play. Nate Brown had two hits and knocked in two runs and Parker Warner and A.J. Martinez each had an RBI for the Matadors (211, 10-1 EBAL).
Brandt Nunemacher drove in the only run for Dublin (9-13, 4-8).
NO. 5 DE LA SALLE 6, MONTE VISTA 3 >> De La Salle scored three in the visitor's half of the seventh to take a six-run lead. It needed the extra offense because Monte Vista rallied for three in the home half of the seventh before the final out was recorded in this EBAL game.
Joe McGee had two hits, drove in two runs and scored twice and Tyler Spangler, Hank Tripaldi and Ethan Sullivan each had an RBI to lead De La Salle (144, 8-2). Brandon Clizbe had two hits, including a double, and an RBI for Monte Vista (12-9, 4-7).
Softball NO. 1 ST. FRANCIS 17, PRESENTATION 3 (5 INNINGS) >>
Peyton Tsao hit two home runs and Kate Munnerlyn, Hayden Hummel and Rebecca Quinn each had one homer as St. Francis (19-0, 5-0 WCAL) overpowered Presentation (5-12, 1-5).
NO. 5 WILLOW GLEN 12, SANTA TERESA 0 >> Willow Glen scored eight runs in the visitor's half of the seventh as the Rams routed Santa Teresa in a Blossom Valley Athletic League Mt. Hamilton Division game. Alanna Clincy had three hits, including a homer and a double, and four RBIs and Haley Ocumen also homered and doubled while driving in three runs to lead Willow Glen (16-4, 9-2). Santa Teresa is 12-11, 6-7