Lancers closing in on crown

MOUNTAIN VIEW – After graduating its entire rotation from a year ago, Saint Francis went into this season with a mindset that it might have to win a lot of 8-6 games.

"We knew our offense was going to attack, but the pitching staff took that to heart," said Brody Larocque, who has teamed with Kyle McMillan to give the Lancers the best rotation on the Peninsula this season. "We were like, 'screw 8-6. Why not just throw up zeros all year? We took that personally, and we want to go out there and prove everybody wrong and continue putting up zeroes."

Larocque, pitching with runners on base most of Tuesday, pitched five scoreless innings and the Ethan Tang threw two perfect innings as Saint Francis posted its 16th shutout of the season in a 7-0 victory over Bellarmine that puts the Lancers one win away from clinching a WCAL crown.

"We're hunting something a little bit different right now," said Saint Francis coach Erik Wagle, who said a CCS crown is the ultimate goal. "That's what we're pushing for. I'm motivating them in a much different way this year, as far as, like, trying to shoot for greatness and find something special."

It's unfolding as something special, and the most meaningful games – from the CCS tourney to possibly the NorCals – are still on the horizon.

"We just got to keep, keep doing our thing," said senior catcher Gino Cappellazzo, whose two-run homer in the bottom of the first provided the spark for Saint Francis' nine-hit attack. "We've got practice tomorrow. We've got some things we've got to work on. ... No game is more important or less important. They all matter."

The Lancers came out strong against the Bells and pitcher Ollie McNamara. With one out, Jack Leeper lined one into the gap in right-center field for a triple. Tanner Wall lined a single to left to make it 1-0 and Cappellazzo followed by skying one off the scoreboard in left field.

"We knew we had to strike first," Cappellazzo said. "You know, get ahead first. I hit it good."

That was more than enough offense for Larocque, who scattered five hits and walked two while striking out four. He got out of a third-inning jam with a Landon King-to-Kyle McMillan-to-Siale Tulua double-play grounder.

"I feel like I've just grown into my role," he said. "I have trust in my defense, but I've trusted them since day one."

The Lancers broke it open with back-to-back doubles by Sione Tulua and King in the fourth inning.

W: Larocque | L: McNamara | 2 hits- McNamara (B), Cappellazzo (SF). 2 RBI- Cappellazzo (SF), Sio Tulua (SF). HR- Cappellazzo (SF). 3B- Wall (SF), Bonini (SF). 2B- King (SF), Sio Tulua (SF).

Valley Christian 2, St. Ignatius Prep 0

Gabe Felix allowed two hits over 5 2/3 innings, while striking out six in a combined shutout with Alex Kim on a shutout of the hard-hitting Wildcats.

The Warriors got RBI hits from Christian Cabanas and Chase Vong.

DJ Delaney had two hits for St. Ignatius Prep, which will host Valley Christian on Friday at Fairmont Park.

W: Felix | L: Gordon | S: Kim | 2 hits- Delaney (SI). 2B- Cabanas (VC).

Sacred Heart Cathedral 8, Mitty 2

Cooper Rogers-Lewis allowed one run over six innings of work. The southpaw struck out six to keep the Irish's Central Coast Section pursuit alive.

Sacred Heart will put Jacob Vines on the mound Friday in search of a series sweep before closing the WCAL season with two games against winless Riordan.

Jacob Vines, Lucas Fung and Max Nylander had two hits each for the Irish, while Austin Mak had two hits for the Monarchs, who lost their fifth straight game.

W: Rogers-Lewis | L: Ferrell | 2 hits- Mak (M), Fung (SHC), Vines (SHC), Nylander (SHC). 3B- Chang (SHC), Fung (SHC). 2B- Deninger (SHC), Matthews (SHC), Nylander (SHC), Chase (M), Whelan (M).

Serra 3, Riordan 0

Riley Lim tossed a shutout by scattering seven hits and striking out three for the Padres, who bounced back from a loss to St. Ignatius Prep with a win over the Crusaders.

The Padres didn't pound the ball – just three hits off losing pitcher Mason Cohn – but one of them was a William Walbridge home run, his fifth of the season.

Serra will try for a series sweep Friday in San Francisco before closing out the season with a series against Saint Francis next week.

Dante Curmi and Daniel Ordonez and freshman Rio Lamotte had two hits each for the Crusaders.

W: Lim | L: Cohn | 2 hits- Ordonez (R), Curmi (R), Lamotte (R). HR- Walbridge (S). 2B- Crudeli (S).

PAL-Ocean Division

Sacred Heart Prep 3, Terra Nova 0

The Gators can clinch at least a tie for the PAL-Ocean Division with a win at Terra Nova on Thursday.

Rallin Covey allowed three hits in six scoreless innings to notch the victory. He outdueled Terra Nova's Jesse Martinez, who went the distance and allowed just five hits. He struck out seven.

Sacred Heart Prep got a big hit from third baseman JP Durrett, whose sixth-inning two-run homer provided the Gators with some insurance runs. Nico Pollioni pitched the seventh to earn the save.

Thomas Barton's third-inning double game the Gators a 1-0 lead.

W: Covey | L: Martinez | S: Pollioni. 2 hits- Barton (SHP). 2 RBI- Durrett (SHC). HR- Durrett (SHC). 2B- Barton (SHC).

San Mateo 14, Mills 4

Jesus Olivas has three hits, including two doubles and a homer, and drove in six runs for the Bearcats, who won their second straight game.

His three-run homer highlighted San Mateo's 10-run first inning.

Hudson Brandt had three hits, while Tyce Copus had two hits, including a double. Wilson Morales drove in two runs.

W: Copus | L: Wong | 3 hits- Olivas (SM), Brandt (SM). 2 hits- Copus (SM). 6 RBI- Olivas (SM). 2 RBI- Morales (SM). HR- Olivas (SM). 2B- Olivas (SM) 2, Brandt (SM), Copus (SM).

Woodside 13, South San Francisco 9, 10 innings

Cruz Torres' walk-off grand-slam home run in the bottom of the 10th inning broke a 9-9 tie and lifted the Wildcats to the come-from behind victory.

Woodside trailed, 9-7, going into the bottom of the 10th, but rallied to tie the game on bases-loaded walks to Anderson Comfort and Mateus Mohktarani.

That br0ught Torres, the defending Ocean Division batting champion and co-player of the year, to the plate and he wasted no time turning on a pitch.

Adam Keith had three hits for the Warriors, while Vince Bernal, Josh Nabung and Josh Ornelas had two hits each.

Anderson Comfort, Mohktarani and Hunter Taylor had two hits each for Woodside.

W: Comfort | L: Munsayac | 3 hits- Keith (SSF). 2 hits- V.Bernal (SSF), Ornelas (SSF), Nabung (SSF), Comfort (W), Mohktarani (W), Taylor (W). 4 RBI- Torres (W). 2 RBI- Tinson (W), Mohktarani (W), Ornelas (SSF), Munsayac (SSF). HR- Torres (W), Arias-Torres (W). 2B- Ortiz (W), Mohktarani (W), Ornelas (SSF) 2, V.Bernal (SSF).

Half Moon Bay 4, Aragon 0

Kai Kung threw a two-hit shutout with 10 strikeouts to keep Half Moon Bay in the hunt for second place in the PAL-Ocean Division and a possible berth in the Central Coast Section tournament.

Clark Calucci had two RBI, while Cole Giannini had a tripe for Half Moon Bay, which won its fifth straight game.

W: Kung | L: Ruiz | 2 RBI- Colucci (HMB). 3B- C.Giannini (HMB).