Lancers capture WCAL crown

SAN JOSE – Kyle McMillan's last pitch of the day – a up-in-the-zone two-strike fastball that was swing on and missed by Bellarmine's Arleigh Souza – sent the Saint Francis Lancers streaming out of the dugout in celebration.

The 4-1 road victory clinched the WCAL championship, something no player in the Lancers program or even coach Erik Wagle could previously claim. The closest thing to being a part of a league title came in 2018 when senior catcher Gino Cappellazzo was in the dugout as a batboy for the Lancers.

"We worked for this one," said Cappellazzo, whose seventh-inning home run over the fence in right-center field was very much like his home run on Tuesday – a no-doubter. "... That was for the team. That (home run) kind of set the tone late in the game, like, 'Hey, this is our game. Nobody's gonna take it from us.

"This one was big because we did something we haven't done in a few years. This is everybody on the team's first time."

McMillan allowed a run on a Vincent Kim home run in the first inning that gave the Bells a 1-0 lead and denied the Lancers of a 17th shutout this season, but the junior was tough after that.

He drilled a one-out home run in the top of the second to tie the game at 1 and then spent the rest of the day shutting down Bellarmine with an assortment of pitches that included some off-speed stuff that kept the Bells off balance for much of the days.

"Our pitching staff just throws strikes, we trust the defense, we trust the ball and what it's gonna do, and we work at controlling the controllables," said McMillan, who allowed four hits, while striking out nine. "I gave up a home run in the first and we bounced back, kept them off the board for the rest of the game."

Believe it or not, the 1-0 deficit was the first time Saint Francis came from behind to win this year. McMillan made it simple by retiring the last 10 batters he faced – 14 if you don't count Isaiah Beyah getting hit by a pitch in the fourth and quickly getting erased by Cappellazzo while trying to steal second.

The Lancers took a 2-1 lead in the third when Siale Tulua scored from third base one a first-and-third play when the throw to second to get Landon King went into centerfield.

Sophomore Emmet Arnott went the distance for the Bells, allowing three earned runs on four hits. He struck out six.

W: McMillan | L: Arnott | 2 hits- Sia. Tulua (SF). HR- McMillan (SF), Cappellazzo (SF), Kim (B). 2B- Sia. Tulua (SF).

Valley Christian 6, St. Ignatius Prep 0

The Warriors completed the sweep by shutting out St. Ignatius for the second straight game.

Sophomore Jack Graham allowed three hits over 4 2/3 innings to pick up the win. Alex Kim finished the game, allowing three hits in 2 1/3 innings.

Catcher Logan Mull had a two-run double for Valley, which scored all six of its runs in the top of the seventh inning.

W: Graham | L: Rhein | 2 RBI- Mull (VC). 2B- Hadfield (VC), Mull (VC).

Sacred Heart Cathedral 3, Mitty 1

Jacob Vines allowed one run on three hits, while striking out seven as the Irish completed the sweep of Mitty and bolstered their CCS tournament resume.

Sacred Heart will close the season with a series against Riordan. Another sweep should get them into the dance.

Lucas Fung had two hits, including a double, while Max Nylander had two singles for the Irish.

W: Vines | L: Mata | S: Indart | 2 hits- Fung (SHC), Nylander (SHC). 2B- Allen (M), Fung (SHC).

Serra 8, Riordan 3

Jack Wessell had two hits, including a home run, and drove in two runs, as the Padres completed the sweep of the winless Crusaders.

Brody Crudeli had two hits, while Aiden Beal drove in a pair.

Kolby Clair, who is coming back from elbow surgery, started and worked three scoreless innings to pick up the win. He allowed just three hits.

Santino Williams had two hits, while Logan Tuman had two hits, including a two-run homer for Riordan.

W: Clair | L: Williams | 2 hits- Wessell (S), Crudeli (S), Williams (R), Tuman (R). 2 RBI- Beal (S), Wessell (R), Tuman (R). HR- Wessell (S), Tuman (R). 3B- Hui (S), Williams (R). 2B- Bordin (S).

PAL-Bay Division

The King’s Academy 4, Menlo School 2

Dominic Myung picked up the pitching victory and collected two hits in The King's Academy's victory, which completed the sweep of 10th-ranked Menlo.

Brandon Kinoshita had two hits and pitched a scoreless seventh to notch the save.

W: Myung | L: Flanagan | S: Kinoshita | 2 hits- Kinoshita (TKA), Myung (TKA). 2B- Barnett (MS), Roeder (MS).

Carlmont 4, Burlingame 3

The Scots scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh to walk-off the Panthers, who entered Friday at the top of the Bay Division standings.

With one out in the seventh, Ryan Weiss singled. Vishnu Iyer tripled to score pinch-runner Zaden Luzzo and tie game, 3-3. The Panthers intentionally walked Connor Chow and Caden Stinson walked to load the bases.

Mikey Nishikawa's infield grounder forced out Iyer at the plate, but the catcher's throw to first base went into right field, allowing Chow to score the winning run.

Iyer had two hits and drove in two runs, while Weiss also had two hits for Carlmont, which climbed back to .500.

Drew Gall, Mark O'Grady and Preet Mallen had two hits each.

W: Kelly | L: Gall | 2 hits- Gall (B), O'Grady (B), Mallen (B), Weiss (C), Lyer (C), Stinson (C). 2 RBI- Mallen (B), Lyer (C). 3B- Lyer (C). 2B- Howard (B), Werbinski (C), Weiss (C).

Menlo-Atherton 6, Capuchino 4

Trailing, 4-0, the Bears scored three in the fifth and three more in the sixth to remain in contention for the Bay Division crown.

Menlo-Atherton still has four league games to play, beginning Saturday with The King's Academy. The Bears will face Hillsdale in a series that begins Wednesday in Atherton before finishing the season next Saturday against Sequoia.

Merrick Lee continued on his recent tear by collecting two hits and driving in a pair of runs.

Caden Lewis went the distance for the win. He allowed just two earned runs, while scattering six hits, walking two and striking out eight.

Dominic Fanara and Jordan Estrella had two hits each for Capuchino, which fell below .500 for the first time all season.

W: Lewis | L: Estrella | 2 hits- Fanara (C), Estrella (C), Lee (MA). 2 RBI- Lee (MA). 2B- Zayac (C), Ow. Coupe (MA).

Hillsdale 17, Sequoia 2

In an up-and-down season, Hillsdale put together its most convincing victory of the season by pounding out 14 hits, including four by Parker Jessup, who had two doubles and three RBI.

Jackson Snodgrass had two hits and two RBI, while Kymani Chamolack and Tyler Dang had two hits each. Chamolack drove in three runs.

W: Guzman | L: Deitrich | 4 hits- Jessup (H). 2 hits- Murray (S), Snodgrass (H), Chamolack (H), Dang (H). 3 RBI- Jessup (C), Lee (H), Chamolack (H). 2 RBI- Snodgrass (H). 2B- Jessup (H) 2, Dang (H).

SCVAL-De Anza Division

Homestead 10, Mountain View 2

The Mustangs eased to a victory by scoring five runs in the first inning, which was more than enough offense for starter Jayden Duong, who allowed two unearned runs in four innings of work.

Freshman Ivan Hwang had three hits, including a double, and drove in two runs, while Spencer Jones had two RBI.

Zander Yocum and Caleb Low had two hits each for Mountain View.

W: Duong | L: Yocum | 3 hits- Hwang (H). 2 hits- Yocum (MV), Low (MV). 2 RBI- Cho (H), Hwang (H), Jones (H). 2B- Jones (H), Low (H), Hwang (H), Cho (H), Duong (H).

Palo Alto 17, Santa Clara 4

Jackson Sims had three hits, including a home run, and drove in three runs for the Vikings, who continued their winning ways.

Freshman Paxton Liu drove in four runs, while Rex Martin had two RBI.

The Bruins, who pounded out 13 hits in a loss, got three hits from Dylan Rahbar.

Nathaniel Sanchez, Dominick Chavarria, Bruce Gibson and Kalani Tesimale had two hits each.

W: Chen | L: Lopez | 3 hits- Sims (PA), Rahbar (SC). 2 hits- Sanchez (SC), Chavarria (SC), Gibson (SC), Tesimale (SC). 4 RBI- Liu (PA). 3 RBI- Sims (PA). 2 RBI- Martin (PA). HR- Sims (PA). 3B- Rahbar (SC). 2B- Tesimale (SC), Sanchez (SC), Bader (PA).

Wilcox 1, Los Altos 0

Sophomore Josh Porda pitched a complete-game shutout to outduel Anders Wood, who struck out nine and didn't allow a run until the bottom of the seventh inning.

Isaiah Mata singled for the Chargers in the seventh. Bishop Roque reached first on an error. Pinch-runner Jaymien Agustinez moved all the way to third base on the play. Dylan Jackson was intentionally walked to load the bases and Max Hales Tzoutzov ended the game with a walk-off single.

Jonah Altschuler and Sean Hamby had two hits each for the Eagles.

W: Porda | L: Wood | 2 hits- Altschuler (LA), Hamby (LA).