Senior Ian Ehrhardt drove in junior Lane Giannini with the winning run in the eighth inning to lead Half Moon Bay to a 1-0 win over league rival San Mateo in the CCS Division 5 championship Saturday at Excite Ballpark, the home of the San Jose Giants.
Giannini led off the eighth with a triple and after an intentional walk to leadoff hitter Riley Jackson, Ehrhardt came up with the big hit. Jackson was thrown out at the plate to keep the score at 1-0, but San Mateo was unable to score against senior Kai Kung, who threw a complete-game, eight-inning two-hit shutout.
Senior Christian Louie went the distance for San Mateo, allowing just one run on eight hits. Junior Jesus Olivas got the Bearcats' only two hits.
The Cougars (20-9) will host Sonoma Valley in the first round of the CIF NorCal Division 4 playoffs. San Mateo, which finished tied for second in the PAL-Ocean with Half Moon Bay, ends the season with a 21-9 mark.
San Mateo, the top seed, reached the final with an 8-4 win over St. Francis-Watsonville. Olivas pitched 6 2/3 strong innings for the win and junior Julio Calderon went 2-for-3 with a triple and three RBIs. Half Moon Bay knocked off Sobrato, 6-2, in the other semifinal.
