Trailing by one game in the TCAL-Rock standings entering Wednesday's action, the Albany High baseball team needed a great performance against league-leading and Prep2Prep NCS #13 St. Joseph Notre Dame (18-3, 7-2). They got just that, as senior pitcher Clayton McDonald dazzled against the Pilots' lineup, allowing just five hits in the complete game 3-0 victory.
Albany (16-7, 7-2) staked McDonald to an early lead in the bottom of the first inning, on Cody Sim's two-run single to right field, scoring Jordan Williams and Cooper Morrison. Williams had led off the inning with a single to center, and both runners advanced when Morrison reached on an error by the St. Joe's first baseman, Joseph Ratto.
Liam Knowles' sacrifice moved both runners into scoring position, and Sim was able to take advantage on a 2-0 count, facing one of the Pilots' two standout pitchers, junior Hunter Hennigh.
St. Joe's threatened in the top of the third inning, when Ratto led off with the only walk of the game issued by McDonald, and was sacrificed to second. Ratto was thrown out at third, however, on Patrick Yajko's bunt back to McDonald, in what would prove to be a critical play. Augustus Moseley followed with a single to right field, with Yajko advancing to third, but McDonald was able to induce a pop-up to end the inning.
McDonald did not allow a runner past second base for the remainder of the game, and the Cougars added a little insurance in the bottom of the fifth. Knowles doubled to left, and scored one batter later when Sim crushed one into the left-center gap for a run-scoring double, giving him three runs batted in for the game.
In addition to not allowing a runner past second in the final four innings, McDonald needed just 64 pitches for the complete game win.
The two teams will now play on Friday, hoping to finish in a tie for the regular season title. Albany plays at third-place El Cerrito, while St. Joe's plays at fourth-place Saint Mary's. The TCAL tournament takes place the following week.
California 5 Amador Valley 4
The host Grizzlies scored three times in the bottom of the seventh inning, culminating with Matt Ramirez' one-out single to right field, which scored Noah Furrow with the game-winning run in a battle between teams in the middle of the EBAL standings.
Amador Valley (8-11, 2-7) had added what appeared to be an insurance run in the top of the seventh, when Justin Clark led off the inning with a solo home run off Grant Mendoza for a 4-2 Dons' lead. California (13-6, 5-4) wasted no time with its comeback in its final at-bat, however.
Junior Cody Nisbet opened the inning with a leadoff walk, prompting Amador Valley to replace pitchers, bringing ace Anthony Trucco to the mound in late relief. Junior James Tippett drew a full-count walk, however, and both runners were sacrificed into scoring position by Michael Peter's sacrifice.
Furrow then doubled to center on a 1-0 count, scoring both runners to tie the game. After the Dons intentionally walked Mitchell Briggs to set up a force play at any base, Ramirez ended the game by lining a 2-2 pitch to center field, scoring Furrow.
Ramirez and Sam York each had two hits for the Grizzlies. TJ Myers pitched a solid first six innings for Amador Valley, striking out eight while allowing just five hits.
San Ramon Valley 3 Livermore 2
Joey Spears' sacrifice fly with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh inning gave the host Wolves a walk-off victory, keeping them in the top three of the EBAL standings.
San Ramon Valley (13-6, 5-4) led 2-0 after four innings, but the Cowboys evened things with single runs in each the fifth and sixth innings. Tyler Larson walked to lead off the bottom of the seventh, however, and Nick Moroney's sacrifice bunt attempt resulted in both runners reaching safely. Ryan Davis was then hit by a pitch to load the bases, and set up Spears' game-winning at-bat.
The Wolves took an early lead in the game when Davis homered to center in the bottom of the first, and added to the lead on Mike Theisen's RBI single in the bottom of the fourth. Kade Gomes and Russell Stevenson then drove in runs for Livermore (9-10, 2-7) over the next two innings to tie the game.
De La Salle 6 Granada 2
Nick Sparks struck out seven over five innings of work, and the visiting Spartans scored three times in the top of the first inning, en route to the 6-2 win. De La Salle (16-3, 9-0) stayed unbeaten in EBAL action with the victory.
Granada (10-9, 5-4) ace Robert Chioino did not have his best stuff, walking the first three Spartans' batters to load the bases. His struggles continued with a bases-loaded walk to Gabe Giosso for the first run of the game, and Armani Smith then scored on a wild pitch to make it 2-0. Connor Redmond's fly ball to right field resulted in the first out of the inning, but another walk to Mason Behiel ended Chioino's day on the mound.
Sophomore Trace Tammaro greeted new pitcher Zac Heinz with a sacrifice fly, scoring Joe Vranesh for a 3-0 lead at the end of the first half-inning.
De La Salle added another run in the top of the second, when Vranesh drove in Ryan Cole with a two-out single to center field. Behiel's single to center scored Redmond in the top of the third inning, and the Spartans made it a 6-0 in the top of the fourth when Vranesh stole home with two outs.
Granada scored twice on a pair of errors in the bottom of the sixth inning.
