Menlo shows its might in Bay opener

Those who expected Menlo School to be humbled by a promotion to the PAL-Bay Division might want to think again.

The Knights, winners of two straight CCS-Division V championships, after competing in the PAL's Ocean Division, showed in the opener that the jump to the Bay Division to be quite manageable.

Menlo jumped all over Tommy Schultz for six runs in the bottom of the first, thanks to Matthew Majalya, who homered and then added another homer and a double. He drove in six runs as the Knights steamrolled Hillsdale, 10-3.

That was more than enough offense for pitcher Jackson Flanagan, who went the distance by scattering six hits and striking out two.

Jack Freehill had two hits and drove in two runs for Menlo, while Zach Roeder had two hits.

Parker Jessup had two hits for Hillsdale, which will host Menlo on Friday.

W: Flanagan | L: Schultz | 3 hits- Majalya (M). 2 hits- Jessup (H), Freehill (M), Roeder (H). 6 RBI- Majalya (M). 2 RBI- Freehill (M). HR- Majalya (M) 2. 2B- Majalya (M), Guzman (H), Jessup (H).

Los Gatos 3, Wilcox 1

SANTA CLARA – Wilcox did almost everything right on Wednesday. In the end, misplaying a couple of popups was their only downfall. Those misplays led to all three Los Gatos runs and a 3-1 Wildcats victory.

"The baseball gods were smiling on us today," said senior right-hander Ethan Williams, who scattered four hits over six innings and struck out six to improve to 3-0.

On a day when the Chargers baffled Los Gatos with their infield bunt coverages and the left arm of senior Eliah Laureles, it was a couple of seemingly routine popups that did them in.

"We make those plays, we win the game," said Wilcox coach Matthew Huth.

After Wilcox took the lead in the second on doubles by Ryan Cabildo and Joel Herrera – both line drives to the fence in right-center field – Los Gatos tied the game in the fifth with an unearned run.

Sully Roberts lofted a two-out pop fly into shallow left field that bounded off Cabildo's glove. A hustling Roberts slid into second as the throw there got away, allowing him to go to third on a two-error play.

Roberts scored on Beau Musser's single to right.

The Wildcats took the lead for good in the sixth on a leadoff base hit by Brady Simon and an RBI double to the fence in right-center field by Jackson Fitzpatrick. After Chase Frolich's sacrifice bunt, Rowan Smith's fly ball to shallow centerfield was dropped, making it 3-1.

Laureles went the distance, scattering seven hits, while striking out seven.

W: Williams | L: Laureles | S: Olcott | 2 hits- Fitzpatrick (LG), Welsh (LG). 2B- Fitzpatrick (LG) 2, Cabido (W), Herrera (W).

Bellarmine 8, Santa Cruz 6

Drew McClelland had three hits, while Isaiah Beyah had two hits and drove in three runs for Bellarmine, which rebounded from Tuesday's loss to Valley Christian with a non-league victory.

Emmet Arnott drove in two runs for the Bells, who will travel to Valley Christian on Friday.

W: Pennington | L: Parisi | 3 hits- McClelland (B). 2 hits- Beyah (B), Fusari (SC). 3 RBI- Beyah (B). 2 RBI- Arnott (B), Fowler (SC). 2B- Souza (B).

Terra Nova 5, Carlmont 4, 12 innings

The Tigers scored the winning run in the bottom of the 12th on an infield error as Carlmont lost its sixth straight game.

In the ninth inning, both teams had runners at third with less than two outs. Carlmont's inning ended in less-dramatic fashion with Lucas Chan striking out and Nate Werbinski grounding out to shortstop Brody Finale.

Terra Nova bases the loaded on a Trevor Snead single, a catcher's interference with Austin Snead at the plate and an Issac Roman single.

Robby Derby then struck out, and, with Wes McDougal at the plate, pinch runner Evan Wilson tried score on a wild pitch and Carlmont Catcher Ryan Attard played the ball off the backstop and applied a diving tag for the final out of the inning.

Jesse Martinez pitched the final four innings for Terra Nova, allowing just two hits, while striking out four. He didn't allow a run.

Brody Finale led Terra Nova's 13-hit attack with three hits, while Wes McDougal, Joey Donati and Trevor Snead had two hits each.

Donati and Martinez each drove in two runs for the Tigers. The Scots were led by Caden Stinson and Jacob Shinsecki, each of whom had two hits. Lucas Chan drove in two runs for Carlmont.

W: Martinez | L: Debono | 3 hits- Finale (TN). 2 hits- Stinson (C), Shinseki (C), McDougal (TN), Donati (TN), T.Snead (TN). 2 RBI- Donati (TN), Martinez (TN), Chan (C). 2B- Stinson (C), Donati (TN).

San Mateo 6, Mt. Eden 1

The Bearcats pounded out 13 hits, including two each from Christian Louie, Hudson Brandt, Wilson Morales, Michael Lackey and Apollo Lee, to win their fifth game of the season.

Louie threw two innings to pick up the win, while Morales drove in three runs and Sean Passalacque added two RBI.

W: Louie | L: Alfaro | 2 hits- Louie (SM), Brandt (SM), Morales (SM), Lackey (SM), Lee (SM), Schafer (ME). 3 RBI- Morales (SM). 2 RBI- Passalacque (SM). 2B- Lee (SM), Louie (SM), Olivas (SM).

Los Altos 5, Mountain View 4

The Eagles remained unbeaten in SCVAL-De Anza Division play by collecting 10 hits and getting a strong pitching effort from Sal Soto.

Cooper Very, Wes Calhoun and Soto had three hits each for Los Altos, while Ishan Devarapalli had two hits for the Spartans.

W: Soto | L: Dooley | 2 hits- Very (LA), Calhoun (LA), Soto (LA), Devarapalli (MV). 2 RBI- Tsuruoka (MV). 2B- Jain (LA), Hamby (LA), P.Huang (MV), Yocum (MV).

Homestead 8, Santa Clara 3

The Mustangs won their first games of the season behind Ivan Hwaang's two hits and three RBI from Howard Cheng.

Ian Denny and Bruce Gibson had two hits each for the Bruins.

W: Hsu | L: Tresimale | 2 hits- Denny (SC), Gibson (SC), Hwaang (H). 3 RBI- Cheng (H). 2 RBI- Lopez (SC). 2B- Sanchez (SC), Lopez (SC), Cheng (H).

The King’s Academy 4, Sequoia 3

The Knights recorded the upset in the Bay Division opener over Sequoia, the early favorite to win the league title.

The King's Academy managed just three hits in the contest, two of them doubles by Dominic Myung and Tyler Huff.

The Ravens got two hits from Mario Fausto, while Cole Hymer had a two-run homer.

Sequoia mounted a rally in the top of the seventh when Luke Ostrander waked. After two flyouts, Morgan Winfield, the hero of last week's walk-off victory Santa Teresa with a grand-slam homer, was intentionally walked to put runners on first and second.

Nolan Fausto then hit a bloop single to shallow centerfield that was fielded by Brandon Kinoshita, who threw home, where catcher Nate Plata fielded the ball in front of the plate and made a dive to tag out Ostrander and end the game.

W: Myung | L: Johnson | 2 hits- M.Fausto (S). 2 RBI- Hymer (S). HR- Hymer (S). 2B- Myung (TKA), Huff (TKA), Pagnotta (S).

Menlo-Atherton 9, Burlingame 4

Menlo-Atherton, the defending Bay Division champion, showed in its opener it has no intention of relinquishing its crown without out a fight.

The Bears pounded out 12 hits, including three from MJ Ellazar and two extra-base hits from senior Ryder Kelly.

Joseph Pagee and Lucas Ten Vaanholt had two hits each for the Bears, while Drew Gall paced the Panthers with two hits. Ten Vaanholt, Elazar and Max Brubacher drove in two runs each.

W: Lewis | L: MacMillian | 3 hits- Ellazar (MA). 2 hits- Gall (B), Kelly (MA), Pagee (MA), Ten Vaanholt (MA). 2 RBI- Ten Vaanholt (MA), Ellazar (MA), Brubacher (MA). 3B- Kelly (MA). 2B- Pagee (MA), Kelly (MA), Ten Vaanholt (MA).