Prep Report: Gators Snap Solid Baseball Win From Scots

By Rick Eymer/Palo Alto Online Sports
Sacred Heart Prep 5, Carlmont 1
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John Gardner started it with a two-out RBI single and it blossomed into a four-run inning as Sacred Heart Prep stunned host Carlmont, 5-1, in a Peninsula Athletic League contest Wednesday.

Gardner and Eric DeBrine each had two hits for the Gators (5-7-1, 2-1), who handed the Scots (10-1-1, 2-1) their first loss of the season. Schafer Kraemer drove in two runs.

Carlmont, ranked fifth in the Central Coast Section by Prep2Prep, visits Sacred Heart Prep for a 4 p.m game Friday.

Cole Spina (3-0, 1.99) did not allow an earned run on four hits. He walked one and struck out five in recording his first complete game of the season.

"Spina did a great job," Gators' coach Anthony Granato wrote in an e-mail. "He was locating with his fastball and was using his breaking ball and change-up effectively to keep them off balance. He's done a good job all year."

Carlmont scored its lone run in the third, though for a while it appeared that would be all the Scots would need.

After Gardner tied it, the SH Prep bats came alive.

"They have a good staff and you have to commit to quality at-bats if you want to have a chance offensively," Granato wrote

DeBrine, one of the leading scorers for the Sacred Heart Prep boys basketball team, has made a smooth transition to baseball. He's the team leader in batting average at .483 and is second on the team with 14 hits despite missing the fist few games of the season.

"DeBrine is a good left-handed bat in our lineup as well as a solid left fielder," wrote Granato."He's been playing with confidence and knows he can be a big contributor to our offense. He's a unique athlete because of his height and slim frame but is pretty smooth with his swing and movements."

He's also tied for third, with Nathan Fleischli, on the team with five RBI. Junior catcher John McGrory and Kraemer share the lead with eight.

Kraemer (.395), Jack Molumphy (.342, .519 on-base) and Brendan Semien (.360, .543 on-base) have also been key contributors for Sacred Heart Prep.

Meanwhile, in the SCVAL, Palo Alto continues to roll along.

Ryan Chang added a two-hitter to his resume, pitching the Vikings to a 3-0 victory over visiting Homestead on Wednesday.

Palo Alto (12-3, 7-0) travels to Homestead in a 4 p.m. rematch Friday. The Vikings, ranked No. 11 in the CCS, maintain a two-game edge on No. 7 Los Gatos. The teams meet the week of April 10.

Chang (4-0) has thrown two consecutive shutouts and has allowed one run in his past 27 innings. He gave up 10 hits in a narrow, 5-4, victory over Sacred Heart Prep on March 2 and has allowed a combined 10 hits in his four starts since.

Chang struck out six and did not walk a batter for the second straight game. He retired 18 of the first 19 batters he faced and 21 of 24 overall.

Max Jung-Goldberg, who had two hits in the game, got the Vikings rolling with a two-out single and stolen base in the bottom of the third.

Nike Lillios followed with an RBI double. He stole third ahead of Ben Cleasby's RBI single.

On Tuesday, Menlo baseball held off San Mateo, 3-2, in a Peninsula Athletic League-Ocean Division game. The Knights (6-4, 3-0) travel to Menlo-Atherton on Thursday for a 4 p.m. game.

James Sullivan pitched a two-hitter and did not allow an earned run and Menlo-Atherton topped host Aragon, 5-2, in a PAL contest on Tuesday.

The Dons are ranked 21st in the CCS.

The Bears (5-5-1, 2-0-1) host Menlo School in a 4 p.m. PAL game Thursday.
Daniel Heimuli, Nick Prainito and Oliver Biley each had two hits and drove in a run for M-A.

Also on Tuesday, Pinewood's Bo Fick pitched a two-hitter, recorded four hits, including a home run and two doubles, and drove in seven runs as the Panthers beat Alma Heights, 21-1, in a Private Schools Athletic League South contest.

Boys' Golf

In a West Bay Athletic League match that came down to the last hole, Menlo defeated rival Sacred Heart, 201-203, Wednesday at Palo Alto Hills Golf & Country Club.

The Knights (5-1, 4-1) were led by junior Max Ting, who won medalist honors with a round of 36 that included three birdies.

Sophomore Charlie Hsieh shot 38 and had a clutch 12-foot birdie putt on the ninth hole. Fellow sophomore Seth Pope also shot 38 in a steady round with seven pars.

The Gators (4-4, 4-3) made it close because all five golfers finished with two strokes of each other.

Erik Morris, Anderson Page, and Finn O'Kelly each shot a round of 40, Luke Peterson came in at 41, and both Anikait Bhardwaj and Holland Sutton followed with a round of 42.

Boys' Tennis

Menlo defeated host Crystal Springs Uplands, 7-0, in a West Bay Athletic League match Wednesday.

The Knights (15-2, 9-0 league) play at Pinewood on Thursday.

Brandon Aprill played at No. 1 singles, earning a 6-2, 6-0 victory. Sid Chari took a break from singles and partnered with Ian Costello to record a 6-3, 6-0 win at No. 1 doubles.

Sacred Heart Prep lost at Mitty, 5-2, with Beto Macedo and Samuel Lim earning wins for the Gators.

Boys' Volleyball

Eastside College Prep rallied from an 0-2 deficit to knock off visiting Sacred Heart Prep, 19-25, 19-25, 25-15, 25-22, 15-11, in a SCVAL El Camino contest.

Sacred Heart Prep (5-11, 0-6) was led by Michael Mooring, who recorded 16 kills.

Meanwhile, Menlo-Atherton (7-4, 5-1) remains in second place in the PAL following a victory over Hillsdale, also on Wednesday.

The Bears travel to San Mateo for a 6:30 p.m. Friday.
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Sacred Heart Schools Atherton

Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton

150 Valparaiso Ave
Atherton, CA 94027
650 322 1866
Founded by the Society of the Sacred Heart, SHS is a Catholic, independent, co-ed day school for students in preschool through grade 12