Foothill and Clayton Valley each overcome upset bids

The top two seeds in the North Coast Section Division I baseball playoffs found themselves in an identically tense spot as they came to bat in the home half of the sixth inning Tuesday.

With six outs potentially left in their season, both trailed double-digit seeded opponents in their opening-round games.

Then, just like that, both rallied.

Top-seeded Foothill scored five in the sixth to defeat No. 16 seed Monte Vista 6-2. No. 2 seed Clayton Valley Charter scored four in the sixth and held off No. 15 seed Dublin 5-3.

Monte Vista had scored a run in the fourth and another in the sixth to take a 2-1 lead. Dublin also led 2-1 in the sixth.

Gabe DeBenedetto had two hits and two RBIs and Nick Walsh drove in two runs for Foothill.

Leighton Helfrick and Carl Rice each had two RBIs for Clayton Valley.

Foothill (23-4) will play host to Heritage and Clayton Valley (21-4) will be at home to face Liberty in the quarterfinals on Friday. NO. 3 DE LA SALLE 10, NO. 14 FREEDOM 3 >> De La Salle spotted Freedom two runs in the visitor's half of the first inning and then took command on its way to an opening-round home win.

The win was De La Salle's 17th in a row in the NCS playoffs dating to a loss to College Park in the 2015 Division I final. The Spartans won four consecutive section titles from 2016 to 2019. There were no NCS playoffs the past two years because of the pandemic.

Donovan Chriss and Cade Cushing each knocked in two runs and Chriss allowed two runs (one earned) in five innings as De La Salle advanced to the quarterfinals Friday at home against San Ramon Valley.

NO. 12 GRANADA 3, NO. 5 COLLEGE PARK 2 >> Joshua Morano stuck out seven in five innings as Granada upset host College Park.

Morano and Colin Johnston each knocked in a run and Gio Costello got the save for the Matadors (16-10).

Peter De Wit and Jacob Courtney had an RBI apiece for College Park.

Granada will visit California on Friday. California beat Granada 1-0 this spring in East Bay Athletic League play.

NO. 6 SAN RAMON VALLEY 7, NO. 11 PITTSBURG 5 >> San Ramon Valley rallied with two outs in the visitor's half of the sixth inning, scoring two runs to break a 5-5 tie and beat Pittsburg in a first-round game.

Blake Jacobs roped a single to right-center field to score Chase Salisbury for the winning run. Luke Baker then brought in Jacobs with a double to make it 7-5.

San Ramon Valley (1610) will play at De La Salle on Friday.

NO. 7 LIBERTY 3, NO. 10 ACALANES 2 >> Liberty's Michael Baker hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the home half of the fifth to lift the Lions to a first-round victory over Acalanes.

David Roberts pitched a complete game and struck out five for Liberty, which advances to play at second-seeded Clayton Valley on Friday.

NO. 9 HERITAGE 10, NO. 8 BERKELEY 0 (5 INN.) >> Heritage scored nine runs in the first inning on the road and rolled past Berkeley in an opening-round game.

Anthony Potestio hit a home run and a triple and knocked in three runs.

Heritage (16-10) advances to play at top seed

Foothill on Friday.

DIVISION III NO. 2 BISHOP O'DOWD 8, NO. 15 SONOMA VALLEY 3 >>

Bishop O'Dowd, playing at Laney College in Oakland, broke a 2-2 tie by scoring six runs in the fourth inning and beat Sonoma Valley in a first-round game.

Bishop O'Dowd (17-9) will host San Marin on Friday at Laney College. DIVISION V

NO. 1 BEREAN CHRISTIAN 20, NO. 16 UPPER LAKE 0 (5 INN.) >> Tom Reed, Griffin DeRusso and Ivver Vertulfo threw a combined no-hitter in Berean Christian's win over visiting Upper Lake.

Berean Christian (16-9) will host The Bay School on Friday at Concord High.

NCS softball

DIVISION II

NO. 1 LIVERMORE 11, NO. 16 UKIAH 0 (5 INN.) >> Livermore overpowered visiting Ukiah as Taylor Rodriguez pitched a perfect game with 14 strikeouts and Jae Cosgriff went 4 for 4 with two homers and seven RBIs.

Jori Wilkendorf also homered for Livermore (23-3-1).

NO. 2 BENICIA 17, NO. 15 LAS LOMAS 1 >> Benicia scored 13 runs in the first two innings in a first-round win over visiting Las Lomas.

The Panthers, who will host Alhambra on Friday, had 15 hits, allowed three hits and improved to 19-6.

Boys golf

CCS CHAMPIONSHIPS >> Lynbrook senior Anton Ouyang shot a 1-under-par 70 to edge Serra junior William Walsh by a stroke to capture the Central Coast Section boys golf championship on Tuesday at Laguna Seca Golf Ranch.

Crystal Springs Uplands (377) won the team title, with Lynbrook (382) finishing second and Stevenson (389) placing third.