BANG boys and girls athletes of the week
Amador Valley softball player Aleena Helms is the Bay Area News Group's girls athlete of the week and Saratoga baseball player Lucas Dennis is the boys athlete of the week for April 3-8.
In the girls poll, Helms received 7,326 votes (38.53%), finishing ahead of Archbishop Mitty softball player Ava Markert's 5,156 votes (27.12%). Prospect softball player Diana Noriega placed third.
Helms, a senior, drove in all three runs for the
Dons in their 3-2 upset over highly-ranked Archbishop Mitty, a team that had not allowed a baserunner in its previous two games. Helms' single in the bottom of the third inning gave Amador Valley the lead. The Dons also defeated Carondelet and Livermore during the
Livermore Stampede tournament.
In the boys poll, Dennis received 13,335 votes (49.81%), finishing ahead of Antioch baseball player Cristian Bajjalieha's 10,365 votes (38.72%). Los Gatos baseball player Donovan Freed placed third.
Dennis, a senior pitcher bound for Pomona-Pitzer, threw a perfect game, retiring all 21 batters as Saratoga won at home over Lynbrook 4-0. Dennis struck out seven and also went 2 for 2 with a triple, two RBIs and a walk. Last season, he pitched back-to-back nohitters. To nominate an athlete for next week's poll, email highschools@bayareanewsgroup.com by Monday, April 17, at 11 a.m. Please include stats and team results.
Votes by email do not count. Only votes submitted through the online poll on the Mercury News and East Bay Times websites will count.
Winners are announced each Friday on the Mercury News and East Bay Times websites, and in the print edition of the Mercury News and EB Times sports sections.