9-run inning fuels Carlmont win

BELMONT – In the big picture, Carlmont's 12-8 victory over visiting Terra Nova – where else would the Tigers be, but on the road? – was far more important to the home team.

With the victory, the Scots climbed back to .500 and won their fourth straight game, heading into Wednesday's Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division series opener with Capuchino.

"We're high right now and we're going to ride this momentum," said senior first baseman and pitcher Grant Goetz, who had three hits in the game, including an RBI single in Carlmont's nine-run third inning.

Terra Nova, meanwhile, had a rough week by losing three straight games, but the Tigers have the toughest part of their PAL Ocean Division season behind them and are poised for a strong finished based on their remaining schedule.

Carlmont's nine-run third inning featured 14 batters coming to the plate to collect seven hits, two walks and the Tigers committing three error. That all but dampened out any of the sugar high Terra Nova (11-5-1) got from a four-run first inning.

"We haven't had anything like that the whole year, and to get one today and a comeback victory, this is very special," Goetz said.

Down 4-0, Jason Tofigh had an infield single. Goetz reached first base on an error and Zach Luzzo singled to load the bases. A Johnny Dunne base hit plated Carlmont's first run and Pano Koutoulas was was safe on another booted infield grounder that kept the bases loaded and made the score 4-2.

A wild pitch made it 4-3 and Levi Wellman tied the game with a single. Luke Ornelas came into the game for starter Cooper Santamato and got the next two batters, but the Carlmont loaded the bases again and Tofigh delivered a long bases-clearing double that gave Carlmont the lead for good.

Goetz and Dunne closed out the big inning with run-scoring singles.

"That was a big inning for us," said Carlmont coach Ryan Hamilton. "We're hitting. We look at it as being right in it again. We have to let the chips fall where they will and keep playing good baseball."

Early on, it looked like the Tigers would be the ones to find a way to snap their losing skid. They scored four runs – two of them earned – in the first inning and Koutoulas, but could do no more damage in the next few innings.

"We came together as a team," said Terra Nova coach Jared Milch, whose team was held to three hits by Menlo School's Jackson Flanagan on Thursday in dropping to games to the Knights. "We've just got to get some good swings on the ball, and we know we're capable of playing winning baseball."

The Tigers scored four more runs in the fifth inning – the big hit being a two-run double into the left-centerfield gap by second baseman Robby Derby, who was getting a rare start in the non-league game.

They could get no closer, though, as Tofigh closed out 2 2/3 innings of relief with by blanking the Tigers over the last two innings.

Three Things We Liked

• A bunt single by JT Snead. Terra Nova's No. 5 hitter, at 6-foot-2, 235 pounds, poses a threatening stance, but in the midst of the Tiger's four-run first inning, he dropped a bund down the third-base line and ran to first without a throw as Carlmont hoped it would go foul.
• The Carlmont offense. On a day when Hamilton started a handful of bench players, the Scots still pounded out 15 hits. They might have the best offense in the Bay Division.
• Austin Snead. The Terra Nova centerfielder was out of the lineup on Saturday after spending the morning in the emergency room, but Milch informed everyone that the junior is fine and will be back on the field soon enough.

He Said It

"We know Capuchino has a really good pitcher (Declan Mendel) who is probably coming against us on Thursday, but we're playing well. If we do our thing, we'll be fine." – Ryan Hamilton, Carlmont coach.

W: Koutoulas. L: Santamato. 3 hits- Goetz (C), Dunne (C). 3 RBI- J. Tofigh (C). 2 hits- Ornelas (TN), Derby (TN), Webster (C), J.Tofigh (C), Nishikawa (C). 2 RBI- Ornelas (TN), Derby (TN), Dunne (C). 2B- McDougal (TN), Ornelas (TN), Derby (TN), J. Tofigh (C).

Los Altos 14, at Half Moon Bay 6

Los Altos pounded out 15 hits in a lopsided win over the host Cougars, who fell to 6-12 with the non-league loss.

Derek Eltherington had four hits, while Kyle McKinney drove in five runs for the Eagles, who improved to 12-4.

Gavin Moore had three RBI for Los Altos.

Half Moon Bay was led by sophomore Lane Gianinni, who also had a triple and three RBI.

W: Wood. L: Hipkins. 4 hits- Eltherington. 3 hits- Gianinni (HMB). 2 hits- Miller (HMB), Heath (LA), Wesley (LA). 5 RBI- McKinney (LA). 3 RBI- Moore (LA). 2 RBI- Gianinni (HMB). HR- Moore (LA). 3B- Wesley (LA), McKinney (LA), Gianinni (HMB). 2B- Eltherington (LA), Wesley (LA), Nicolas (LA), Miller (HMB), Cuoto (HMB), Jackson (HMB).

American 8, San Mateo 7

The Eagles pounded out 12 hits and broke a 7-7 tie in the bottom of the sixth to win their fourth game of the season.

Julien Bleess and Hayato Nishiyama had two hits each for the Bearcats (9-8), whle Tyce Copus drove in two runs.

W: Yudaskim. L: Okimura. 3 hits- Morales (A). 2 hits- Bleess (SM), Nishiyama (SM), Sarbiay (A), Cooper(A). 2 RBI- Cooper (A), Bleess (SM), Copus (SM). 2B- Bleess (SM).