Top seed De La Salle scored five times in the bottom of the third inning, and sophomore left-hander Kyle Harrison allowed just one hit in four innings, as the Spartans cruised past Castro Valley, 9-1, in the first round of the North Coast Section Division I baseball playoffs.
Harrison struck out eight in his dominant stint, and De La Salle got contributions throughout the lineup to oust the Trojans. Trace Tammaro's RBI single and a run-scoring double from freshman Blake Burke staked the Spartans to an early 2-0 lead, but it was Austin Elder's three-run homer in the bottom of the third which pushed the lead to seven runs, and effectively put the game out of reach.
Taison Corio and Burke each had two hits in the win, while Jared Amigh also drove in a run. Gunner Mayer pitched a perfect inning in relief, while Collin Cate needed just six pitches to complete his inning of relief on the mound.
De La Salle hosts San Ramon Valley in the quarterfinals, after the Wolves blanked Acalanes, 6-0.
