King's avenges tough loss

SUNNYVALE – It's fitting that Nate Plata stood on third base representing the winning run on Friday.

Forty-eight hours earlier, he was in a similar position. The go-ahead run on first with the bases loaded. Ethan Johnson homered, but Plata was called out for not touching the plate and The King's Academy would eventually lose to Sequoia, 10-9.

This time he left no doubt.

After Ty Peterson walked with the bases loaded, Plata, the reigning Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division's Player of the Year, ran down the line toward home. Everyone – from players on the bench to fans in the stands – were yelling at him to touch home plate.

He smiled bashfully as he left no doubt by stomping on the plate, giving the Knights a come-from-behind 6-5 victory that allowed them to split the series with the visiting Ravens.

"I've watched it many times on the replay," said Plata, who is adamant that he touched it. "I couldn't see home plate, first of all. It was all dirty.

"But I made sure and touched it this time."

The Knights (6-4) rallied from a five-run deficit by scoring two in the third, two in the fifth and two more in the seventh. The walk-off seventh was more a case study in baseball strategy than it was one of spot-on execution.

Dominic Myung led off by being hit by a pitch. After Justin Cho bunted him to second, the Ravens elected to intentionally walk Plata, brining Johnson to the plate with the winning run on first base.

"The strategy was to get a ground ball," said Sequoia coach Mike Doyle.

The grounder didn't come until after Johnson walked on four outside pitches – "It was an unintentional intentional walk," said Greg Mugg, coach of The King's Academy – to load the bases, but make no mistake the ground ball came, Doyle insists.

Toby Trotter's two hopper to shortstop had all the makings of a tailor-made double play, but Sequoia shortstop Vince Olinger Giana looked toward second base and the ball kicked off the heal of his glove, tying the game at 5 as the bases remained loaded.

"When you do that, and the baseball gods give you the ground ball and you don't execute, that's what happens," Doyle said. "Vince makes that play 99 out of 100 times."

As painful as it was at the time, Wednesday's loss was a double-edged sword, Johnson said.

"It kind of lit that fire," he said. "Even though that would have been a great win to get the other day, we came back today because we had that fire. We were able to get it done."

W: Peterson. L: Hymer. 3 hits- Myung (TKA). 2 hits- G. Johnson (S), Plata (TKA), E.Johnson (TKA). 2 RBI- Trotter (TKA), Olinger Giani (S). 3B- Olinger Giana (S). 2B- Johnson (TKA), Myung (TKA).

Saint Francis 9, Sacred Heart Cathedral 0

Nick Chow allowed two hits in six innings of work and the Lancers scored seven runs in the third inning to win on the road.

Chow struck out seven and walked two as his earned-run average remained below a run per game.

Saint Francis (13-4) scored seven runs in the third when Bobby Hill led off with a double and Jack Leeper singled. Tanner Wall then hit a three-run homer, but the Lancers were just getting started.

Gino Cappellazzo walked and Matteo Pignati singled, putting runners on first and third. A double steal plated Cappellazzo and Aaron Bonini walked. Henry Doomer then cleared the bases with a single.

Doomer, who drove in three runs, hit his first home run of the season, while Leeper and Pignati had two hits each.

W: Chow. L: Vines. 2 hits- Leeper (SF), Pignati (SF), Doomer (SF). 3 RBI- Wall (SF), Doomer (SF). HR- Wall (SF), Doomer (SF) (1). 2B- Bonini (SF), Hill (SF), Middleton (SHC).

Hillsdale 6, Burlingame 3

Robby Gilbert threw a complete game victory as Hillsdale completed the PAL Bay Division sweep of the Panthers.

Gilbert scattered eight hits, while allowing two runs and striking out six.

Jake Belloni had two hits for the Knights (7-4).

Mark O'Grady, Jean-Luc Uharriet and Grayson Howard had two hits each for the Panthers (7-7).

The Panthers face Capuchino on Saturday at Oracle Park in a game featuring two teams that have combined to lose eight of their last nine games.

W: Gilbert. L: Flores. 2 hits- Belloni (H), Howard (B), O'Grady (B), Uharriet (B). 2B- Jessup (H).

Sacred Heart Prep 5, Capuchino 0

Devin Saltzgaber came within an out of the complete-game shutout of the Mustangs, who dropped their fourth straight game.

Saltzgaber allowed six hits and struck out eight in a 94-pitch outing. Rallin Covey came in for the final out, needing just three pitches to get Lucas Zayac to ground out and to preserve the shutout.

Sully Fischbein led the Sacred Heart Prep attack with two hits.

The Gators won their third straight game with the sweep of Capuchino.

W: Saltzbaber. L: A. Gomez. 2 hits- Fischbein (SHP), Hafer (C). 2B- Affrunti (SHP).

Menlo-Atherton 7, Pioneer 3

Merrick Lee had three hits, including a double and his first home run of the season, and drove in a pair of runs for the fifth-ranked Bears, who won the out-of-league contest.

JT Anderson added his first home run of the year and drove in two runs, while Jack Molise had two hits and a two RBI.

The Bears (12-4) return to PAL Bay Division play on Wednesday when they begin a series with Capuchino.

W: Lewis. L: Forbes. 3 hits- Lee (MA). 2 hits- Molise (MA). Kanaday (P), Vermillo (P). 3 RBI- Molise (MA). 2 RBI- Lee (MA), Anderson (MA), Kanaday (P). HR- Anderson (MA), Lee (MA). 2B- Molise (MA), Lee (MA), Kanaday (P), Degura (P).

Serra 14, Mitty 3

Tyler Harrison's fourth-inning home run broke a 1-1 tie and set the stage for Serra's biggest inning of the season – nine runs in the fifth – in the lopsided victory over the Monarchs, who have now lost six straight games.

The home run was Harrison's third this week.

"I just have to keep it going," he said. "It's pretty crazy, especially in this league where there is a lot of good pitching. I just have to go out there and do my best."

The top-ranked Padres (15-2) broke it open in the fifth. Ian Josephson's leadoff homer ignited an inning that saw Serra send 13 batters to the plate and collect eight hits, including a home run from William Walbridge.

Josephson had three hits, while Walbridge, Evan Bradshaw and Harrison had two hits each. Noah Greenspan and Walbridge drove in three runs each, while Harrison and Ben Garibaldi drove in two runs each.

Riley Lim went four innings to pick up the victory. He allowed two earned runs and six hits.

Grayson Munoz drove in two runs for the Monarchs in his return to the Mitty lineup from an injury, while Derek Allen had two hits.

W: Lim. L: Engin. 3 hits- Josephson (S). 2 hits- Walbridge (S), Bradshaw (S), Harrison (S), Allen (M). 3 RBI- Greenspan (S), Walbridge (S). 2 RBI- Harrison (S), Garibaldi (S), Munoz (M). HR- Josephson (S), Harrison (S), Walbridge (S). 3B- Bradshaw (S). 2B- Garibalidi (S), Greenspan (S), Hui (S).

Valley Christian 7, Riordan 1

Brock Ketelsen had three hits, including two home runs as Valley Christian won its fourth straight game.

Quinten Marsh had three doubles for the Warriors (12-4), who have officially broken out of their early season hitting slump in a big way. In this winning streak, Valley had scored 30 runs.

Kole Laubach went the first four innings to pick up the victory.

W: Laubach. L: Parenti. 3 hits- Marsh (VC), Ketelsen (VC). 2 hits- Ordonez (R), Williams (R). 2 RBI- Ketelsen, Marsh (VC). HR- Ketelsen (VC), 2. 2B- Marsh (VC) 3.

Bellarmine 2, St. Ignatius Prep 0

Apolo Lapiz blanked the Wildcats over 4 2/3 innings as Bellarmine upset No. 2-ranked St. Ignatius Prep.

It was the second time this week the Wildcats (8-5-2) were shut out.

Lapiz struggled with his control by walking six but allowed just two hit and struck out four.

Chase Gordon allowed just one earned run over six innings. He struck out five and threw just 63 pitches.

Nate Bateman led off the second inning with a single for the Bells (9-7). Dash Knight then reached base when Archer Horn mishandled a grounder. Isaiah Beyah then loaded the bases with a bunt single.

A Luke McNeil single game Bellarmine a 1-o lead. The second run cross the plate on DJ Dunne's double play grounder.

W: Lapiz. L: Gordon. S: Pera. 2B- Kim (B), Horn (SI).