Bells complete the road trifecta

How's this for a CCS resume: In consecutive days, Bellarmine defeated Saint Francis, Serra and Valley Christian to win the WCAL tournament. All of them on the road.

The Bells, who started the WCAL season 0-5, entered the tourney as the No. 5 seed and left it No. 1 – the last man standing.

"We took the hard road, having to play on the road all three games," said Bellarmine coach Nate Sutton. "I'm super proud and happy for the boys. They could have quit when we started 0-5 in league. Instead, they put their heads down and continued to improve."

On Thursday, Chistian Duarte used the same recipe that had worked in the first two games. He pounded the strike zone, relied on solid defense and waited for Bellarmine to come through with a timely hit or two.

Duarte, the Santa Clara signee, went the distance allowing a run, four hits and two walks, while striking out two.

"Duarte was excellent," Sutton said. "He attacked some really good hitters. He threw the best game of his life in his biggest one. I'm very proud of him."

The Bells (15-12) scored in the first inning when Luke McNeil singled with one out against Kole Laubach. Ollie McNamara singled to put runners on first and third. And after Laubach got the second out on a strikeout, Dash Knight scored McNeil with a base hit.

Bellarmine extended the lead with another run in the third. McNamara singled and Vincent Kim drilled a base hit up the middle that Brock Ketelsen, the defensive hero in the Warriors' 3-1 win over St. Ignatius Prep the day before, mishandled, allowing McNamara to score on the play.

The Warriors (23-6-1) scored their only run on a walk to Jacob Pauka, a single by Ketelsen and consecutive infield grounders by Christian Navarez and Quinten Marsh.

Mills 4, Terra Nova 0

MILLBRAE – If Thursday's 4-0 shutout of Terra Nova truly was Mills senior Nate Lafon's pitching finale – if the suddenly surging Vikings haven't done enough to punch their ticket to the CCS tournament – what a way to go out.

The Vikings (11-10) will get one more chance to bolster their case when the same two teams meet Friday at Westmoor High, Terra Nova's de facto home field in season that has seen the Tigers play every game on the road while their field undergoes a multimillion-dollar renovation.

"We're just taking it one game at a time," Lafon said after scattering five hits and a walk in a 93-pitch complete game. "We've got one left in the regular season, so we're going to go out there try to steal one on the road, and then we'll hope that fate lies in the right hands."

The Vikings wrapped up third place in the PAL Ocean Division by winning nine of their last 12 games, including their last six games. They left a few games on the table and will have played just 22 games – five fewer than what was allowed – by Friday's official end to the regular season.

None of that mattered on Thursday. Lafon was masterful, having control of all of his pitches in handing the Tigers (17-6-1) their first loss in three weeks.

"I can't be happier with the way my team played behind me," he said. "I give everything to them, my brother in centerfield, my shortstop and my third baseman. Everyone played their butts off today."

Brother Nick Lafon, patrolling centerfield, made no fewer than three stellar catches, including one against the wall in right-centerfield to rob Joey Donati of extra bases in the third inning with one man on. He also came in to make a diving catch of an Isaac Roman liner in the fifth inning.

The Vikings scored three runs in the first inning against Aiden James to take control of the game. Two of those runs came on a double by Nate Lafon – a gapper that went to the wall in right-centerfield.

Givanni Angelini led off with a single. He got to second and scored an out later on Nick Lafon's base hit. The junior centerfielder was picked off a few pitches later, but a Jeremiah Reyes single and Aiden Brown walk set the table for Nate Lafon's two-run double.

That hit snapped a oh-for-22 skid he had been on. Pitchers can't hit, anyway, right? He added a drag-bunt single later in the game.

W: Nate Lafon. L: Aiden James. 2 hits- Nate Lafon (M), Nick Lafon (M), Brown (M), JT Snead (TN). 2 RBI- Nate Lafon (M). 2B- Nate Lafon (M), Nick Lafon (M), Brown (M), JT Snead (TN).

W: Duarte. L: Laubach. 2 hits- Ketelsen (VC), Knight (B), McNamara (B).

Half Moon Bay 9, El Camino 3

Andreas Hipkins went five innings and somehow survived an outing that saw him walk eight batters, while also giving up five hits, to pick up the win.

It helped that the Cougars scored three in the third, two in the fourth and three more in the fifth.

With the score tied, 1-1, Half Moon Bay took the lead for good in the third inning when Jason Couto and Riley Jackson walked. Both moved into scoring position on a passed ball. An Ian Lemen single plated one of the runners. Jackson scored on Connor Heath's sacrifice fly to make it 3-1 and Brady Miller plated the fourth run with a single through the right side of the infield.

W: Hipkins. L: Iniguez. 2 hits- Ormando (HMB), Couto (HMB). 2 RBI- Heath (HMB). 3B- Couto (HMB), Kung (HMB). 2B- Osorio (EC), Jang (EC).

Menlo School 10, Aragon 2

The Knights wrapped up their PAL Ocean Division crown in convincing fashion. They pounded out 12 hits and rode the right arm of freshman pitcher Reid Plamondon.

Plamondon carried a 4-0 lead into the sixth inning when the Knights broke it open by sending 11 batters to the plate and scoring six runs.

Liam Widner, KC Chavinson, Zach Roeder and Ben Salama had two hits each for Menlo, while Jordan Kiaaina had two hits for the Dons (8-18).

W: Plamondon. L: Miller. 2 hits- Widner (MS), Chavinson (MS), Roeder (MS), Salama (MS, Kiaaina (A). 3 RBI- Widner (MS). 2 RBI- Roeder (MS). 2B- Shanker (A), Roeder (MS) 2, Widner (MS).

Woodside 2, San Mateo 1

Anderson Comfort singled in the top of the fifth, stole second and scored on a Mateus Mokhtarani base hit to snap a 1-1 tie and give the Wildcats the victory.

Joseph Hohl came out of the bullpen to throw four innings of scoreless relief. He struck out five, walked three and allowed just one hit to earn the victory.

Hudson Brandt had two hits for the Bearcats (12-15).

W: Hohl. L: Olivas. 2 hits- Brandt (SM), Comfort (W).