Palo Alto swept a three-set home match from The King's Academy, 25-14, 25-15, 25-23, and then received some good news from Santa Clara, where Sacred Heart Prep knocked Wilcox out of a first place tie with the Knights, beating the Chargers in a dramatic 26-24, 20-25, 24-26, 26-24, 15-11 decision.

Palo Alto (17-5, 11-2) clinched at least a title tie in the SCVAL El Camino Division and welcomes Wilcox (17-12, 10-3) for a 6:45 p.m. match Friday.

Sacred Heart Prep (19-6, 10-3) can finish in a three-way tie for first depending on the outcome of Friday's matches. The Gators play Fremont (8-11, 7-6) at home Friday at 6:45 p.m.

Carter Sun led the Gators with 42 assists, nine kills, nine digs and a service ace. Jack Loftus added 13 kills, eight digs and three blocks and Garrett Pinkston added 11 kills and a pair of blocks.

Lance Chou turned in 13 digs, David Macias had 11 digs to go with four kills, a block and an ace and John Marc Bautista had seven kills.

Sacred Heart Prep finished second with a team score of 407 but Menlo and Harker received the league's two automatic berths into the Central Coast Section because of a WBAL co-championship during the regular season.

SHP's Finn O'Kelly finished in a four-way tie for second with a round of 75, along with Menlo's Charlie Hsieh and Jeremy Yun. Pinewood's Taylor Chou shot a 76 and finished sixth, earning a spot in the CCS as an individual. Thursday's seeding meeting will determine the remainder of the team and individual fields.

SHP's Matt Flynn and Thomas Molumphy also finished in the top 10. Flynn was eighth with an 80 and Molumphy placed 10th with an 81.

Menlo advances into Tuesday's regional play at Laguna Seca Golf Ranch. The overall CCS championship is also at Laguna Seca Golf Ranch the following Tuesday.

Ronan Donnelly did not allow an earned run in five innings of relief but Sacred Heart Prep could not overcome an early four-run deficit and lost 6-3 at home to Carlmont in another PAL Bay Division game.

 

Sacred Heart Prep (10-12-1, 5-6) can still qualify for the Central Coast Section playoffs, though winning at least two of its three remaining league games would be a good idea. The Gators also have a non-league game scheduled with San Benito (18-4-1) on Saturday, May 11.

Hillsdale opened a 2-0 lead in the top of the first, scoring both runs with two outs and one on a passed ball. Knights starter Julien Hernandez settled in, retiring the next seven straight and nine of 10.

In Atherton, the Gators made the most of four hits in producing three runs. After Carlmont scored four runs in the top of the second, Sacred Heart Prep got one back in the bottom half. Reece Lindquist doubled to lead off, Teddy Purcell walked and Braden Fitzgerald singled to plate Lindquist.

In the third, Donnelly singled and was replaced by courtesy runner Akex Lim, who eventually scored on Yianni Gardner's sacrifice fly.

Carlmont added two runs in the fourth made possible by a two-out error and a passed ball.

The Gators loaded the bases with one out in the seventh on a single by Pete Desler and walks to Aidan Macaluso and Donnelly. Ryan Mo hit a sacrifice fly to score Desler but the other runners were stranded on a well-hit ball to the outfield that was tracked down.