Sacred Heart Cathedral softball on a roll
The Sacred Heart Cathedral softball program hasn’t had a winning season in nearly a decade.
The Irish are making up for lost time.
The rugged West Catholic Athletic League season, featuring powerhouses St. Francis and Mitty, has yet to start, but SHC is well on its way to its first winning record since 2014 when it went 1312.
Led by the all-around efforts of four-year letterman Danielle Cote, the Irish are 7-0 and have outscored opponents 85-9. For the first time in decades, they’ve earned a spot in The Chronicle’s Metro rankings at No. 15.
Cote, a senior pitcher and catcher, is off to a sizzling start at the plate with 16 hits in 22 at-bats (.727 average) with four doubles, four triples and three home runs. She has driven in 14 runs. On the mound, Cote is 3-0 with an 0.35 ERA, 22 strikeouts and seven hits allowed in 20 innings.
“She pitches, catches, hits for average, power,” SHC co-athletic director Phil Freed said. “It’s great to see all the hard work pay off.”
The Irish are hitting nearly .500 as a team and getting more big contributions offensively from sophomores Arden Walsh (.591) and Sydney Endo (.579), who each have driven in 11 runs, along with senior Sophia Turnbull (.579). Sophomore Adriana Giomi (.545) and junior Kaitlin Ruegg (.444) have each scored 13 runs. The Irish have stolen 25 bases in 29 attempts.
Bruce-Mahoney
decider at Oracle: The Bruce-Mahoney Trophy will be at stake at noon Saturday at Oracle Park when the baseball teams at St. Ignatius (7-1) and Sacred Heart Cathedral (2-5) will meet.
The trophy honors Bill Bruce, a 1935 St. Ignatius alum, and Jerry Mahoney, a 1944 Sacred Heart graduate, both of whom were killed in World War II.
The series is tied 2-2, with Sacred Heart Cathedral winning the football (10-0) and girls basketball (54-36) games. St. Ignatius won the boys basketball game (78-58) and girls volleyball match (26-24, 25-23, 25-18).
A second baseball game — Marin CatholicKentfield vs. San MarinNovato — is scheduled to follow. Tickets are $10$20 (for both games) and each are sponsored by the Dante’s Boys Foundation, helping Bay Area youth through active participation in sport.
SFPHOF on schedule: Following a nearly threeyear pause because of the pandemic, the San Francisco Prep Hall of Fame is scheduled to honor its 38th and 39th classes with banquets at the Basque Cultural Center in South San Francisco.
The 38th class will be enshrined in two sessions, May 27 and June 3, and the banquets for the 39th class are scheduled for Sept. 16 and Sept. 23.
Those honored in the 38th class are Galileo’s Ken Chelini, Polytechnic’s Marty Cole and Dave Klein, Balboa’s Michael Fauss and St. Ignatius coach Vince Tringali (to be held May 27), and Sacred Heart’s Matt Gallegos and Michael Murphy, along with April McDowell (Mission/McAteer) and basketball official Ralph “Buzz” Pujolar on June 3.
The 39th class honorees are McAteer’s Bolota Asmerom, Washington’s Harold Callan, ISA’s Deanna Goodwin, Riordan’s John Maxwell and Galileo’s Vince Moreci II (on Sept. 16). Balboa’s Roberto Jourdan and Marlon Redmond, along with St. Ignatius’ Alan Saunders and Alex Karakozoff, will be recognized Sept. 23.
Call Gary Bader at 415260-8027 for ticket information.
PSHOF inductees announced: The 2023 Peninsula Sports Hall of Fame class will be honored June 22 at the San Mateo County History Museum in Redwood City.
The inductees are: David Bakhtiari (Serra football), Nicole QuigleyBorg (Capuchino, CSM softball coach), Horace Hinshaw (Pacifica sports journalist), Mike Lewis (CSM track and field coach), Eddie Mack (San Mateo, CSM track) and Maddy Price (Menlo School track).
Ticket information: 650-299-0104.