Only one thing was in doubt during Miramonte’s 12-0 win over American Canyon on Monday afternoon, and that was whether Matadors’ pitcher Declan McManus would allow a base-runner. It turned out he would not, as the 6-foot-2 junior right-hander was perfect over the five-inning victory, needing just 11 pitches in the final inning to face the minimum 15 batters for the win.
“The rain delay (before the game) threw me a little bit, but I managed to keep warm and come out with a strong first inning,” McManus said. “My change-up and curveball were both complementing my fastball and were big for me.”
Indeed, McManus did start strong in the first inning, striking out the side on 10 pitches, throwing all strikes. And by the time he took the hill, the Matadors’ offense had already staked him to a 2-0 lead, on Billy Duby’s two-run single with two outs, scoring Ben Mollahan and Sam Liang. Charlie Mollahan extended the lead with a run-scoring single in the second inning, plating Will Cassriel, who had stolen second base to get in scoring position.
“I had a lot of confidence because I was pitching with a cushion,” McManus added. “The offense came through from the beginning, and my defense was really strong as a whole.”
After a five-run third inning stretched the lead to 8-0, the only real question left was whether McManus could preserve his perfect start. Liang made a nice play at shortstop in the bottom of the fourth inning, and Charlie Hom put the exclamation mark on the perfect game by making a great play at second base for the final out of the game.
“Sam and Charlie made great plays behind me, and it was a real fun experience for me, especially going through it with this team,” McManus said. “It definitely feels cool to throw a perfect game.”
Cassriel swung one of the big bats for the offense, going 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI, while Adrese Azzani also drove in a pair of runs.
Miramonte has a showdown with Marin Catholic this Wednesday, while American Canyon faces Vintage-Napa on the same day.
Heritage outlasts Drake in early showdown
With Drake moving up from Division III to Division II this spring, the defending section champions went out and beefed up their non-league schedule. This past Saturday, that meant a visit from Heritage, who has reached the semifinal round of the Division I playoffs in each of the past two seasons.
With Bryson Kinnick on the mound for Heritage and returning first-team All-NCS selection Ryan McLaughlin on the hill for Drake, runs figured to be at a premium, but both offenses got on the board early.
After Chaz Myers and Keith Jones opened the game with a double and single off McLaughlin, Ryan Jackson’s ground ball to shortstop scored Myers. Two batters later, Oscar Murray singled to score Jackson for a 2-0 Heritage lead. Despite loading the bases after that, McLaughlin got a pair of strikeouts to escape without further damage.
Drake wasted no time getting to Kinnick and tying the game up in the bottom of the first. Isaac Friedenberg singled to lead off the game – part of a 4-for-4 game for the Pirates’ leadoff hitter – and was followed by back-to-back doubles from Eamonn Lance and Case Delst, the latter tying the game. The Pirates were in great position to take the lead, especially after a walk to E Woodrow, but Woodrow was thrown out by Murray trying to steal second, and Delst was thrown out at home on a ground ball to third, ending the threat.
From that point, McLaughlin and Kinnick settled into the pitching duel that was anticipated before the game. Both held the opponent scoreless over the next four innings, until Heritage loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the sixth inning. With Jackson at the plate, Drake opted to bring Lance in to pitch, and a full count pitch resulted in a hit batter, scoring Jeff Heinrich – who had a team-high three hits – from third for the 3-2 lead.
Kinnick set the Pirates down in order in the bottom of the sixth inning, notching the last two of his 10 strikeouts in the game, while Jake Jackson closed the game in the bottom of the seventh.
Pittsburg off to fast start - literally
The Pirates’ season opener meant having to face Pinole Valley’s Dominic Pipkin, who is committed to Cal and was an Area Code Games selection this past summer. Undaunted, Pittsburg scored six runs off Pipkin in the first four innings of their 7-1 win, also showcasing speed on the bases by swiping five bags.
This past Saturday, the Pirates again ran wild, this time stealing eight bases in a 9-5 win over De Anza. Zack Ellsworth and Christian Blevins each had three steals. Ellsworth made the Dons pay for walking him three times, while Blevins led Pittsburg with two hits and a pair of RBI.
Early standouts
San Leandro’s Gerald Nervis, who is committed to Saint Mary’s College, is 7-of-8 with two doubles, a triple, six RBI, and four stolen bases in the first two games for the Pirates. Despite his efforts, San Leandro is off to a 0-2 start, having lost to St. Joseph Notre Dame and American.
Even when no one is on the bases, Petaluma’s Brad Smith is a threat at the plate. In the first two games of the season, Smith has smashed a pair of solo home runs. He accounted for the only run in a season-opening loss to Drake, and then had a key at-bat in the Trojans’ 4-3 win over Tamalpais, with his home run to left field in the fourth inning.
El Cerrito is off to a 3-0 start, and a big part of that is sophomore Ricky Salas, last season’s NCS Freshman of the Year. In a recent 2-0 win over Bethel-Vallejo, Salas struck out four and allowed just one hit in four innings on the mound. He also struck out five batters in three innings of a 5-2 win over Galileo, and has allowed just two baserunners in seven innings pitched.
