Acalanes overpowers 15th-seeded Rancho Cotate to capture Division II title. Las Lomas dominates once again with pitching to win Division IV crown.
Acalanes returned to the winner’s circle on Saturday for the first time in nine years when it scored three runs in the first inning and added two more in the fifth to lead by five before giving up a run.
The Dons went on to a 7-1 victory over 15th-seeded Rancho Cotate to capture the North Coast Section Division II baseball championship.
Acalanes last won a title in 2016 when it beat Analy 4-1. The Dons have captured eight NCS baseball championships, though they had to settle for a co-title with San Marin in 2011 when the ultimate game was called because of darkness.
Saturday’s game at Diablo Valley College was settled quickly. Ando Butner singled in the first, stole second and came around on a hit by James Stadt. Keegan Goddard followed with another single, then he and Stadt executed a double steal to put runners at second and third. Jimmy Cusumano drove both runners home with a single.
Cusumano had three RBIs for the day, including a double to left in the fifth that made it 5-0. Stadt was 3-for-4 with two runs and three RBI. Goddard scored two runs and drove in another.
The beneficiary was starting pitcher Brady Quinn, who pitched five shutout innings and allowed two hits. Acalanes improved to 17-10-1. Rancho Cotate slipped to 16-13.
Division IV
No. 13 Las Lomas 5, No. 6 Clear Lake 1
This was only Division IV, so the Knights’ first North Coast Section baseball title in the school’s 74-year history might not get the pub it deserves. But find another section champion that has had a more impressive run.
Here are some cool numbers from that title:
– The Knights went on the road for all four playoff games. They traveled just under 400 miles for those four contests. Did they have a magic bus?
– Las Lomas outscored its four opponents 25-2. Knights’ pitchers allowed five hits in 26 innings. That included a no-hitter (Alessandro Martinez-Cabrera), a one-hitter and a pair of two-hitters.
In Saturday’s championship game, Las Lomas (16-11-1) scored single runs in the third and fourth innings, then had a three-run outburst in the fifth to put the game away. Clear Lake (19-6) didn’t score until the seventh.
Jack Foscalina led the offense with three hits and three RBI. Harrison Bay also had three hits and scored two runs. Starting pitcher Noah Sison worked the first six innings. He allowed a run, two hits, walked five and struck out five. He and Martinez-Cabrera each had two wins.
Division V
No. 2 St. Mary’s-Berkeley 3, No. 1 Swett 1
Logan Donoviel pitched five shutout innings in relief, scored a run and drove in a run as the Panthers captured their fourth NCS baseball title.
Donoviel took over in the bottom of the third with the game knotted at one apiece, and proceeded to allow just two hits and two walks while striking out seven.
The Panthers, who have four straight after a 6-17 regular season, scored the deciding runs in the top of the fourth. Reid Rakowski walked and was sacrificed to second by Nico Pilara. Donoviel drew a base on balls to put two runners on, and both scorer when Damien Nolan doubled.
Swett (14-7-2) scored in the bottom of the second on a walk, a hit batter and two wild pitches.
Division I third-place game
No. 9 Casa Grande 6, No. 3 Foothill 3
Foothill’s season ended as the Falcons couldn’t beat Casa Grande at home in the Division I third-place game.
The Pleasanton school matched Casa Grande’s seven hits, but couldn’t overcome four errors. Foothill trailed by as many as five runs going into the bottom of the fifth inning.
Hudson Flora led Foothill with two hits and three RBIs. Casa Grande’s Brady Laubscher hit a three-run homer in the fifth inning that gave the Gauchos a commanding lead.
Casa Grande (21-8) secured the section’s final NorCal bid. The matchups will be announced Sunday.
Foothill finished 21-8.
Softball
Division II
No. 1 Cardinal Newman 12, No. 2 Carondelet 8
Cardinal Newman combined for seven runs in the fourth and fifth innings to break open a 3-3 game and prevent Carondelet from winning its first section softball title since 2018.
The Cougars (15-13) didn’t go quietly after falling behind 10-4 after five innings. They scored four in the top of the sixth to close within two runs, but Cardinal Newman (22-6) put up two runs in the bottom of the inning for some breathing room.
Leading the Carondelet offense was sophomore Reese Albano. She had two hits and three RBI. Freshman Arielle Henriquez had a triple and three runs batted in.
Nicole DiMarco of Cardinal Newman was the standout at the plate. She homered and tripled, and had five RBI.
Division V
No. 4 Miramonte 3, No. 2 Kennedy-Fremont 2
The Matadors, who have been successful at so many other sports, finally added some softball hardware to the school trophy case.
Miramonte (18-8) scored three runs in the top of the sixth and made it stand up for the school’s first-ever NCS softball title.
The Mats, who had never had a plus-.500 record in softball in the MaxPreps era dating back to 2004, relied on the arm of pitcher Abby Warren and the clutch bat of Talia Hagan.
Warren pitched a complete-game seven hitter and struck out 10. She allowed two runs, both unearned. Talia Hagan had the key hit in the Miramonte sixth, a two-run single.
Kennedy (12-9) had a chance. The Titans had a 7-3 advantage in hits. They also had three fewer errors than the Mats. Madelyn Montague’s single in the seventh drove in Marilyn Rivas in the seventh to make it a one-run game, but the Titans couldn’t get any closer.
Division I third-place game
No. 13 Foothill 16, No. 3 Livermore 13
Foothill punched its ticket to the CIF NorCal playoffs by upsetting Livermore on the road.
Senior Kaycie Burdick had a monster game for the Pleasanton school. She went 5 for 5 with two triples and a home run and had six RBIs. Sophia Burdick had four hits and three RBIs for Foothill, which improved to 16-9-1.
Livermore’s Laine Macosky went 3 for 5 and knocked in four runs.
Both teams combined for 33 hits. Livermore finished 19-10.
Nathan Canilao contributed to this report.