Valley spins 4th straight shutout

Valley Christian ran its scoreless streak 32 innings on Thursday in a big way by shutting out top seeded De La Salle in the NorCal Division I playoff semifinals.

The Warriors, who last gave up a run in the third inning of the CCS-Division I quarterfinal victory over Willow Glen nearly two weeks ago, advanced to Saturday's NorCal championship game.

They'll travel to Elk Grove, which beat Valley, 9-8, on March 12.

Gabe Felix went 6 1/3 innings on Thursday, scattering seven hits and striking out four before giving way to Alex Kim, who picked up his fifth save of the season by getting the final two outs.

The Warriors jumped on De La Salle, the defending NorCal champion, by scoring two runs in the first inning. Alex Moutzouridis had a first-inning RBI and added an exclamation point to his day with a solo home run in the top of the fourth inning.

Colton Hadfield had two hits for the Warriors.

W: Felix | L: Jones | S: Kim | 2 hits- Gray (DLS), Hadfield (VC). 2 RBI- Moutzouridis (VC). HR- Moutzouridis (VC). 2B- Gray (DLS).

Division IV

Half Moon Bay 10, West Valley 0

There's a baseball revival going on in Half Moon Bay right now. Winning tends to make everything looks better, and there seems to be both a bright present and even brighter baseball future in the coastal town.

The Cougars, who punched their ticket to Saturday's NorCal Division IV title game with a 10-0 victory over visiting West Valley of Cottonwood on Thursday – their school-record 14th straight victory – will return the bulk of this year's squad in 2027.

They'll host second-seeded Livermore, a 13-5 winner of Immanuel, on Saturday at 1 p.m.

"We love everyone we have coming back," said Half Moon Bay coach Brian Anderson. "We have some players down at the JV level we really like and there is a great eighth-grade class coming in next year."

There's also junior shortstop Riley Jackson, a three-year starter who has already etched his name on the short list of best Half Moon Bay players ever. With a year to go before he moves onto Santa Clara University, there's optimism for a first PAL-Ocean Division crown.

Winning seems to attract athletes, and a first-ever Central Coast Section championship is the type of winning that is transforming this program. So, imagine what one more win on Saturday will do for the Cougars – and the community.

On Thursday, sophomore Paxton Holden shut out West Valley over 4 1/3 innings on just two hits. He struck out three and won his fifth straight start during the Cougars' winning streak.

"I wouldn't say I'm surprised," Anderson said. "He puts in so much work and has gotten so much better since the start of the year. He's just more confident. He really wants the ball now."

Holden, just a sophomore, will have big shoes to fill when he steps into the role of ace with the graduation of senior Kai Kung, who will bring a 13-1 record into Saturday's championship game.

Kung has five innings – 15 outs – to use on Saturday after pitching five scoreless innings in Tuesday's victory over Sonoma Valley.

Half Moon Bay took charge of the game in the second inning on Thursday by scoring five runs in the second inning. They added two in the third and three more in the fourth to end the game after five innings.

Jackson had two hits, while Cole Giannini had a bases-loaded triple.

W: Holden | L: Wiley | 2 hits- Jackson (HMB), C.Giannini (HMB). 3 RBI- C. Giannini (HMB). 3B- C.Giannini (HMB). 2B- Springer (WV).

Division III

Menlo School 2, Alameda 1

The Knights advanced to their second straight NorCal championship game and upped their postseason winning streak to 14 games over the last three seasons with a 2-1 victory over third-seeded Alameda.

Jack Freehill drove in both Menlo runs, including a fifth-inning sacrifice fly that gave the Knights a 2-0 lead. After Battle Scott was hit by a pitch, Logan Tran singled and Zach Roeder loaded the bases with a bunt single.

Freehill followed with his sacrifice fly.

Liam Widner went the first 5 1/3 innings and allowed four hits and a walk, while striking out three. Reid Plamondon got the final five outs to pick up the save.

The second-seeded Knights will travel to No. 1 Roseville to play for the Division III championship.

W: Widner | L: Berger | S: Plamondon | 2 hits- Roeder (MS), Larson (MS), Majalya (MS), Nanato (A). 2 RBI- Freehill (MS). 2B- Shullstrom (A).

Division II

Mitty 3, Rodriguez 2, 8 innings

The Monarchs advanced to Saturday's Division II championship game at Franklin by breaking a 2-2 tie with a run in the top of the eighth inning.

With two outs in the eighth, Ethan Chase and Kelen Johnson walked to put a runner into scoring position. Chase scored on Noah Fishman's infield grounder that was misplayed at first base.

Mitty's unexpected postseason run continues for one more game. The Monarchs, who finished seventh in the WCAL standings, have reeled off five straight wins to capture a CCS-Division II title and a place in the NorCal Division II title game.

Gabe Lopez allowed two runs over 5 1/2 innings before Andre Lopez-Monsivais came on to close out the next two innings and get credit for the win. Nico Mato pitched the final inning to pick up the win. The trio combined to allow four hits, while walking six and striking out two.

Tyler Manago had two hits for the Monarchs.

W: A.Lopez-Monsivais | L: Fullen | S: Mata | 2 hits- Manago.

Franklin 7, Los Gatos 6, 8 innings

Los Gatos saw its season come to an end in much the same way that it did a year ago. The Wildcats, who fell to Serra in extra innings in last year's NorCal semifinals, were walked off in eight innings at Franklin.

Chase Frolich and Jackson Fitzpatrick had two hits each for Los Gatos, while Brady Simon, playing his last high school game, and Trent Welsh drove in two runs each.

Frolich didn't pick up an RBI but finished the season with a school-record with 49.

Ethan Williams allowed four hits and four runs over five innings. He struck out six but came up empty in his chance to win his 13th game of the season.

W: Timmons | L: Schaffer | 4 hits- Fernald (F). 2 hits- Frolich (LG), Fitzpatrick (LG). 2 RBI- Hernandez (F), Simon (LG), Welsh (LG). 2B- Fernald (F), Hernandez (F), Roberts (LG).