Carlmont tail end inflicts damage

SUNNYVALE – When the bottom of Carlmont's lineup is hitting, there isn't much the opposition can do.

We learned that on Wednesday in the Scots' 10-7 victory over The King's Academy when Luke Tofigh, Jonathan Fong and Pano Koutoulas combined for six hits, including three doubles and a triple, along with five runs score and three RBI.

But don't flip the batting order, they insist.

"You get more fastballs at the bottom of the order," Tofigh said. "We'll stay down there."

The bottom-of-the-order onslaught came on the heels of Saturday's 5-4 victory over Bellarmine Prep, a win that coach Ryan Hamilton hoped would serve as a springboard to the second half of the season.

"I was telling someone, like, two days ago that I feel rejuvenated after we won that, game," Tofigh said. "I feel like we're heading in the right direction."

But Koutoulas is quick to point out that Carlmont is still two games under .500 and not nearly where it wants to be at this point of the season.

Coach Ryan Hamilton "just kept repeating to us, 'It's going to come. We're going to break out soon,'" Koutoulas said. "I think the Bellarmine win, and then this one today, were big. We have to just keep it rolling. That's it. Just stay humble, but, I mean, we're not good yet, but this one was needed."

They're getting there.

If Carlmont was looking for signs of a springboard following the Bellarmine win, it got it early when it scored three runs in the first inning against Toby Trotter. Tyler Webster singled with one out and Jason Tofigh followed with a bloop down the right-field line that rolled to the fence after an ill-advised dive attempt failed. It went for a triple and the Scots had a 1-0 lead.

Grant Goetz walked and Henry Massey cleared the bases with a two-run double that gave Carlmont a 3-0 lead.

The Knights responded in the bottom of the inning by putting up three runs. Justin Cho singled and following a fielder's choice grounder, Ethan Johnson doubled, and Trotter doubled in two runs. A Ty Petersen single tied the game at 3.

Carlmont broke it open by scoring a run in the fifth, four in the sixth and two more in the seventh to make it 10-3.

"We're confident," Hamilton said. "We kind of know we lost some games early that we could have won if we just had the bats going. But everything else has been good.

"Now we're starting to hit. I think we're a scary team."

The King's Academy put up a fight in the seventh by scoring four runs – Johnson had a run-scoring single and Trotter another two-run double – but the Knights had dug themselves too deep a hole.

"We've got some fight in us," said

W: Goetz. L: Trotter. S: Werbinski. 3 hits- Cho (TKA), Johnson (TKA). 2 hits- L. Tofigh (C), Fong (C), Koutoulas (C), Trotter (TKA). 4 RBI- Trotter (TKA). 3 RBI- Koutoulas (C). 2 RBI- Massey (C), 3B- J. Tofigh (C), Koutoulas (C). 2B- Massey (C), O'Driscoll (C), L. Tofigh (C) 2, Fong (C), Plata (TKA), Johnson (TKA), Trotter (TKA) 2.

St. Mary's 7, St. Ignatius Prep 2

The Wildcats missed out on their best chance to get back into the game in the third inning. The scored two runs to get within a run but Giani Camacho struck out three straight hitters with the bases loaded to get out of the jam.

After AJ Wineinger and Atticus Gibson singled, Jack Callen bunted for a base hit that loaded the bases. Archer Horn reached back on an error cutting St. Ignatius' deficit to two, 3-1. And Emmett Johnson walked to force in another run.

But that was as close as the Wildcats would get in the loss, which dropped them from the winner's bracket of the Boras Baseball Classic in Sacramento.

Moses Alexander did most of the damage for the Rams. The junior outfielder had two hits, including a home run, and drove in four runs.

W: Camacho. L: Gordon. 2 hits- Corbin (SM), Alexander (SM). 4 RBI- Alexander (SM). HR- Alexander (SM). 2B- Johnson (SI), Grove (SM), Hardcastle (SM), Escalante (SM).

De La Salle 5, Serra 2

The Padres were three outs from a victory but couldn't close the deal as De La Salle rallied for four runs in the top of the seventh inning to record the victory at the Boras Baseball Classic in Sacramento.

The Spartans pieced together a rally on four hits and a walk off Ian Josephson. The big hit of the inning was a Niko Baumgartner triple that plated two runs.

Down 1-0, William Walbridge led off the fifth inning with a walk. Nate Fahey came in to pinch run. He advanced to second on a grounder and scored on a Jack Armstrong single.

Serra took the lead in the sixth on Josephson's single, a walk to Nate Hui and a throwing error on a try for a double play on a Davis Minton grounder that allowed Josephson to score.

Riley Lim threw a lot of pitches – 75 in 4 1/3 innings – but he allowed just a run on three hits. He was tagged with four walked.

W: Barnes. L: Josephson. 3 hits- Vargas (D). 2 hits- Maier (S), Gray (D). 2 RBI- Baumgartner (D). 3B- Baummgartner.2B- Vargas (D), Gray (D).

Mitty 8, Pleasant Grove 2

The Monarchs scored three in the first and added three more in the third, which was more than enough for pitcher Andres Lopez, who picked up the victory at the Boras Baseball Classic in Sacramento.

Lopez allowed two runs on four hits in five innings of work. He didn't record a strikeout but needed just 62 pitches. Shoto Oyama worked two perfect innings for the Monarchs (10-9).

Felix Chang and Ethan Chase had two hits each, while Derek Allen drove in three runs, two of them on a third-inning double that put Mitty comfortably ahead for the rest of the game.

W: Lopez. L: Bantau. 2 hits- Chang (M), Chase (M). 3 RBI- Allen (M). 2B- Allen (M).

Valley Christian 17, Jesuit 7

This one didn't end in a tie. Brock Ketelsen saw to that, nearly singlehandedly. The senior centerfielder collected four hits, including a triple and two doubles, and drove in six runs as the Warriors run-ruled Jesuit in five innings.

After Tuesday's tie with Cobb County Christian, Valley Christian advances out of pool play at the All Faith Classic in Las Vegas.

It seems only fitting that a Ketelsen hit would end the night. His bases-loaded double game Valley the 10-run margin needed to end the contest in the fifth inning.

The Warriors (14-4-1) jumped to a 9-0 lead after three innings, thanks largely to a six-run second inning. Ketelsen had a bases-loaded triple in the frame.

Colton Hadfield, Logan Mull and Hunter Fujimoto had two hits each for Valley, while Christian Navarez drove in two runs. Fujimoto had three RBI.

W: Laubach. L: Quigley. 4 hits- Ketelsen (VC). 2 hits- Hadfield (VC), Mull (VC), Fujimoto (VC), Kane (J). 6 RBI- Ketelsen (VC). 3 RBI- Fujimoto (VC). 2 RBI- Navarez (VC), Erdmann (J). HR- Kane (J). 3B- Ketelsen (VC), Walczykowski (J). 2B- Hadfield (VC), Ketelsen (VC) 2, Navarez (VC).

Menlo-Atherton 6, Capuchino 2

Jack Molise scattered seven hits over five innings, allowing just two runs as Menlo-Atherton won the first game of a crucial PAL Bay Division series against the reeling Mustangs.

Capuchino (10-9) held a 2-1 lead until the fifth inning when the Bears struck for three runs to take the lead for good.

With one out, Masataka Shudo doubled. Merrick Lee then hit a grounder to right side advancing Shudo to third base. After a Ryder Kelly walk, Jimmy Zaharias doubled in both runners to make it 3-2. A Malise single scored Zarias with the Bears' fourth runs.

Molise struck out five, while Tyler Rosental picked up the save with two solid innings of one-hit relief.

W: Molise. L: B.Gomez. S: Rosenthal. 3 hits- Shudo (MA). 2 hits- A.Gomez (C). Ciardella (C), Hafer (C). 2 RBI- Zaharias (MA), Kelly (MA). 2B- Zaharias, Shudo, Manuel (C).

Sequoia 4, Hillsdale 0

Garrett Johnson threw a three-hit shutout as the Ravens won the opener of a key PAL Bay Division series.

Johnson struck out five and walked three, picking up the victory in his most impressive outing of the year.

Sequoia scored all four of its runs in the third inning against Jake Belloni. The big hit was a two-run double by senior catcher Logan Mathias.

W: Johnson L: Belloni. 2 hits- Lee (H). 2 RBI- Mathias (S). 2B- Mathias, Belloni.