Peninsula Prep Baseball
The reverberations of Bellarmine's roll through the WCAL tournament were felt all over the Peninsula. It probably cost Menlo-Atherton a spot in the Division I bracket. And it was definitely felt in Belmont.
"It definitely helped us," said Ryan Hamilton, whose Carlmont Scots nabbed the No. 1 seed in the Division IV bracket, thanks largely to a 5-4 victory over Bellarmine on April 12.
The CCS selection committee treated Bellarmine as a co-champion in the WCAL, which meant that the Scots – who finished 13-14 overall and in a three-way tie for third place in the PAL Bay Division – suddenly had a solid mark on their resume.
That solid mark vaulted them to the top seed in the bracket, where they'll face a Santa Clara team with only three losses this season, but the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League's El Camino Division is not nearly as competitive as the Bay Division.
"We haven't hosted a CCS game since before COVID, so I was just hoping to be a host," Hamilton said. "I didn't think we'd get a one seed, but I was pleasantly surprised by it. We'll take it."
Carlmont has had its ups and downs this year. It lost No. 1 pitcher Henry Massey while he was diving back to first on a pickoff play in an early-season loss at Wilcox. It was without Zach Luzzo, one of its best hitters and senior leaders, because of a shoulder injury.
The Scots kept plugging along. They were as streaky as they come. Lose four straight. Win four in a row. Drop three in a row. Win the next three. And in the end, it was a walk-off win against Sequoia in the second-to-last game that probably clinched the Scots' fate.
Now the big question is simple: Can they win three in a row again? That's what it will take.
No. 8 Santa Clara (24-3) at No. 1 Carlmont (13-14), 11 a.m.
Santa Clara Bruins, Santa Clara
Record: 24-3 (17-1, SCVAL El Camino Division champion)
Coach: Petro Martinez
Key Offensive Players: Jaxton Chao (.558 batting average, 21 RBI, 40 runs, 24 SBs), Andrew Traffas (.355 batting average, 34 RBI, 33 RBI, 5 HRs, 188 SBs), Drew Diffendender (.382 batting average, 21 RBI, 22 runs).
Mound Ace: Drew Diffendender (5-0, 23 Ks in 23 innings, 0.30 earned-run average).
Carlmont Scots, Belmont
Record: 13-14 (7-7, tied for third in PAL Bay Division)
Coach: Ryan Hamilton
Key Offensive Players: Grant Goetz (.398 batting average, 13 RBI, 1 HR, 18 runs), Jason Tofigh (.305 batting average, 19 RBI, 22 runs), Tyler Webster (.291 batting average, 15 runs, 11 SBs).
Mound Ace: Jonathan Fong (5-4, 24 strikeouts in 61.2 innings, 3.52 earned-run average).
No. 5 Branham at No. 4 Mountain View, 11 a.m.
Branham Bruins, San Jose
Record: 13-10 (8-6, fourth in the Mount Hamilton League)
Coach: Gregory Olimpia
Key Offensive Players: Ryan Field (.290 batting average, 12 RBI, 14 runs), Luka Knezevic (.294 batting average, 18 RBI 11 runs), Ethan Vietvu (.250 batting average, 9 RBI, 17 runs).
Mound Ace: Kuka Knezevic (2-0, 55 Ks in 44 innings, 1.43 earned-run average).
Mountain View Spartans, Mountain View
Record: 16-11 (6-8, fifth in the De Anza league)
Coach: Jeff Schawan
Key Offensive Players: Austin Xu (.381 batting average, 14 RBI, 29 runs), Luke Orrock (.373 batting average, 16 runs, 17 RBI), Zander Yocum (.342, 16 RBI, 2 HRs, 17 runs).
Mound Ace: Brennan Dooley (8-4, 60 Ks in 74.2 innings, 1.69 earned-run average).
No. 7 Hillsdale at No. 2 St. Francis SCP, 3 p.m.
Hillsdale Knights, San Mateo
Record: 12-13 (6-8, sixth in PAL Bay Division)
Coach: Willie Baroncini
Key Offensive Players: Jake Belloni (.411, 18 RBI, 4 HRs, 20 runs), Bennett Young (.276, 8 RBI, 15 runs), Hugo Guzman (.279, 15 RBI, 11 runs).
Mound Ace: Jake Belloni (2-4, 63 Ks in 40 innings, 2.10 earned-run average).
St. Francis SCP Sharks, Watsonville
Record: 13-14 (8-10, fourth in PCAL Gabilan Division)
Coach: Ken Nakagawa
Key Offensive Players: Noah Magana (.333 batting average, 19 RBI, 24 runs), Nash Horton (.369 batting average, 12 RBI, 34 runs), Javier Fonseca (.342 batting average, 28 RBI, 22 runs).
Mound Ace: Nash Horton (4-1, 47 Ks in 44.1 innings, 1.89 earned-run average).
No. 6 Homestead at No. 3 Scotts Valley, 1 p.m.
Homestead Mustangs, Cupertino
Record: 12-15 (5-9, sixth in the De Anza League)
Coach: Travis Sunseri
Key Offensive Players: Andrew Sun (.295, 12 RBI, 20 runs), Jayden Duong (.271, 10 RBI, 12 runs), Logan Christenson (.2r0 batting average, 12 RBI, 2 HRs, 14 runs).
Mound Ace: Andrew Sun (4-3, 24 Ks in 48 innings, 2.33 earned-run average).
Scotts Valley Falcons
Record: 12-15 (8-7, third in the Santa Cruz Coast League)
Coach: Kevin Taylor
Key Offensive Players: Lukas Bloom (.372 batting average), 18 RBI, 17 runs), Monte Jordan (.310 batting average, 15 RBI, 11 runs), Clayton Pryor (.356 batting average, 15 RBI, 15 runs).
Mound Ace: Bryce McDonnell (2-1, 49 strikeouts in 46.2 innings, 2.40 earned-run average).
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