Lancers, Kim blank Valley, 4-0

MOUNTAIN VIEW – Landon Kim wasn't coming out. There might have been double-barrel action in the bullpen in the top of the sixth inning, when Valley Christian had two runners on with none out.

But that meant nothing.

"It was his game," said Saint Francis catcher Gino Cappellazzo. "We knew it was his to finish."

The right-handed senior got the first out when Jordan Ortiz lined out to centerfield. He then induced Brock Ketelsen to ground into a 4-6-3 double play to get out of the inning unscathed.

"I know (Ketelsen is) a really good player, but one of my main focuses is to play to my strengths, and I'm a ground ball guy," Kim said. "I just needed a ground ball in that moment, and I got one."

Kim went on to finish off the Warriors with a perfect seventh in a 4-0 WCAL opening victory over Valley Christian.

The Lancers had a solid approach from the start against Valley Christian lefty Quinten Marsh, who threw 32 pitches in the first inning and was flagged with three runs, equaling the number of runs the Warriors had surrendered in their first seven games.

Jack Leeper led off with a walk, and one out later, Cappellazzo drew a free pass. Matteo Pignati loaded the bases with an infield single and designated hitter Aaron Bonini unloaded them with a two-run double down the first first-base line that gave Saint Francis a 2-0 lead.

Pignati scored on Siane Tulua's sacrifice fly to right field to make it 3-0.

And really, that was all Kim needed. Scoring three in the first, he said, allowed him to challenge hitters and throw strikes. The Warriors were shut 0ut for the second straight game.

"We didn't make a couple pitches that we probably should have made, but we didn't score a run again," said Valley Christian coach John Diatte. "You can't win when you don't score runs."

Three Things We Liked

• Double plays. The two teams combined for three twin killings in the game – two off the bat of Ketelsen – and there were two or three others that were close to rally-killing double plays. In each case, the lead runner was knocked down at second.
• Bonini's double. After falling behind in the count 0-2, he took an inside-out approach to put the ball past first baseman Daniel Solis. It was something Lancers' coach Erik Wagle said his team worked on extensively at practice on Monday.
• A game played in under 2 hours. The three pitchers threw strikes. The batters put the ball in play. And there was plenty of strategy. They just did so at a crisp pace.

He Said It

"I couldn't have placed it any better. Getting three runs in the first inning was big for us. I think it just it set the whole tone for the game." – Aaron Bonini, Saint Francis designated hitter.

Up Next

The same two teams will play Friday at Valley Christian at 4 p.m.

W: King. L: Marsh. 3 hits- Marsh (VC). 2 hits- Pignati (SF). 2 RBI- Bonini (SF). 2B- Bonini (SF).

Serra 4, Bellarmine 1

The Padres improved to 9-0 and opened the WCAL season by scoring a run in the fourth and two more in the sixth to break a 1-1 tie.

Richie Calderon came out of the bullpen to pick up the victory, while Nate Hui pitched 2 2/3 innings of one-hit baseball to earn a save. He struck out four in an impressive finish.

The Padres broke a 1-1 tie in the fourth when Aaron Minton drive in Aaron Maier with a single. Maier reached first base on a two-out error and moved to second on William Walbridge's walk.

Serra padded the lead with two in the sixth. Tyler Harrison doubled and Maier singled to put runners on second and third. Aaron Minton again delivered – this time a run-scoring double – to put the Padres ahead, 3-1. Hui followed with an RBI double.

Catcher Nate Bateman had two hits for the Bells, who fell to 5-3. They'll have another chance to beat Serra on Friday when they travel to San Mateo for a 4 p.m. game.

W: Calderon. L: Duarte. S: Hui. 2 hits- Bateman (B), A.Minton (S). 2B- Hui (S), Harrison (S).

Half Moon Bay 8, Mills 2

Half Moon Bay rode the left arm of junior Kai Kung, who pitched six innings, allowing just two runs to earn his third victory of the season.

The Cougars came from behind to beat the Vikings by scoring five runs in the fourth against Mills senior Nate Lafon.

Tyler Schwartz and Clark Colucci had the big hits in the inning – hits that each produced two runs. Schwartz's double came at a much-needed time for Half Moon Bay.

"I didn't try to do too much," Schwartz said. "I was actually just trying to get my team a hit. I wanted to make contact."

Colucci said he turned on a fastball and made solid contact.

That was more than enough for Kung, who has all three of Half Moon Bay's wins this year. Early on, he didn't have the confidence to throw his breaking ball, but pitching with a lead motivated him to get his hook working.

"Once he got the lead, I threw a lot more breaking pitches," he said. "I felt like I could throw it with a lead and it turned out to be a good pitch for me."

Giovanni Angellini led the Vikings with three hits, while George Campos had two hits. Mills took an early lead on a double by Tino Jenke.

Half Moon Bay sophomore shortstop Riley Jackson had three more walks. That's seven walks in the last two games since hitting two homers in a game 10 days ago.

W: Kung. L: Nate Lafon. 3 hits- Angellini (M). 2 hits- Campos (M), Cuoto (HMB), Ormando (HMB). 2 RBI- Jenke (M), Schwartz (HMB), Colucci (HMB), Lemen (HMB). 2B- Jenke (M), Reyes (M), Cuoto (HMB), Schwartz (HMB).

Mitty 9, Riordan 6

The Monarchs opened WCAL play by jumping to a 9-0 lead and then hanging on as the Crusaders rallied for six runs in the seventh inning.

Derek Allen did most of the damage for Mitty. He had three hits, including a double, and drove in four runs. Grayson Munoz had a double, while Waylon Walsh had a two-run double.

That was more than enough offense for Joseph Engin, who kept Riordan off the scoreboard during his five-inning stint.

W: Engin. L: Tuman. S:Humbert. 3 hits- Allen (M). 2 hits- Fong (R), Cook (R). 4 RBI- Allen (M). 2 RBI- Walsh (M), Fong (R). 2B- Cook (R), Ordonez (R), Walsh (M), Munoz (M).