Spring roundup: Casa Grande wins, Petaluma falls in baseball

BASEBALL

The unbeaten Cardinal Newman baseball team out scored host Petaluma for a 15-9 win Saturday morning.

The Cardinals tallied six runs in the fourth inning in a contest that began at 10 a.m. and held on from there as the game approached afternoon status.

The loss was the second straight for Petaluma’s Trojans who are now 3-2 on the season. The win was the ninth straight without a loss for the Cardinals.

Petaluma started well against Cardinal Newman left-handed pitcher Richie Kingsborough with a walk and a long home run over the left-field fence by Joe Brown giving the Trojans two runs with their first two batters.

Petaluma loaded the bags in the second, but a double play off a sizzling grounder hit by Brown limited its production to just one run.

Petaluma catcher Logan Fiene threw out would-be Cardinal Newman base stealers in each of the first two innings to limit the Cardinal production to two runs, but in the third, the Cardinals broke the game open with six runs on a succession of bunts and a grand slam off the bat of Carson Crawford.

With the dam burst, the Cardinals flooded the Trojans with two more runs in the fourth, four in the fifth and two more in the seventh.

Petaluma did not go quietly, rallying for four runs in the sixth and two more as a parting shot in the seventh.

Petaluma had nine hits from seven different batters in the game, with the season-hot Mark Wolbert adding three to his growing total.

Five Petaluma pitchers paraded to the mound before it was all over.

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Three Gaucho pitchers combined on a two-hit shutout of visiting Justin Siena on Friday to keep the Casa Grande baseball team undefeated on the season with a 5 - 0 victory.

Southpaw starter Evan Johnson earned his second win of the year, pitching five innings while yielding two hits with four strikeouts and two walks.

Nick Tobin and Jake McCoy then came on to each pitch an inning with each recording two strikeouts and not yielding a hit to preserve the shutout.

The Gaucho pitching was helped by an errorless defensive effort.

The Gauchos made the most of their two hits, one each from Zane Bennett and Gavin Ochoa, in combination with six walks, two hit batsmen, seven stolen bases and aggressive base running.

Isaac Sheeks continued his remarkable start to the season by scoring the first Gaucho run in the first inning. After walking to lead off the game, Sheeks’ first of four free passes, he promptly stole second base and then third before scoring when Vinny Glaviano was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.

Glaviano would add another RBI with a sacrifice fly in the third inning and Sheeks went on to steal four bases on the day.

Casa ended up scoring two in the first and third innings, and then added its final run in the fifth inning.

“We’re finding ways to win even when the bats are quiet,” said Casa Manager Pete Sikora, “Shutout pitching and flawless defense are always welcome.”

SOFTBALL

The Petaluma High softball team started its week right with an 8-0 thumping of Justin-Siena.

Freshman Maya Gonzalez gave the Trojans excellent pitching, working four shutout innings while allowing just two hits and striking out four.

Petaluma used the long ball to good advantage with Mo Lynch and Hollie Pardini both belting home runs.

Last week, the busy Trojans played three games in three days, winning two and losing one.

The loss came to American Canyon 9-5. Even in the defeat, Petaluma continued its strong hitting with Lynch and Pardini homering in that game as well. Each had two hits as did Katrina Johnson who doubled.

The following day Petaluma had to rally from behind for a 9-8 win over Cardinal Newman after giving up six Cardinals runs in the fifth inning.

Rachael Bles had a single, double and triple to lead Petaluma. Casey Sullivan also had two hits, including a double.

Petaluma capped off a busy week with a 14-1 thumping of Sonoma.

Bles pitched the win, allowing just one run on five hits with four strikeouts over seven innings. She also went 3-for-4 at the plate with a double.

Karlie Berncich and Lynch also each had three hits with each slugging a pair of doubles.

Logan Pomi provided the home run ball for Petaluma with her first-ever round-trip blast.

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The St. Vincent softball team thumped Piner’s overmatched Prospectors twice in succession, winning 18-4 in a game played at Piner and 22-6 on the visitors broke the game open, scoring six runs on a succession of bunts and a grand slam from

Junior Maddy DelaMontanya, pressed into pitching service with an injury to pitching ace Sophia Skubic, pitched both wins.

In the game at Piner she allowed just four hits with four strikeouts and three walks.

The Mustangs rapped 15 hits with Abby Carvajal leading the way with three hits, including a double, four runs scored and 5 RBIs.

Katrina Cespedes, Sarah Sarlatte, Skubic, Kate Freeman and DelaMontanya each had two hits with Sarlatte slamming a double and Freeman a triple.

In the five-inning game at St. Vincent, DelaMontanya pitched three innings, allowing six runs, six hits and a walk while striking out three. Skubic allowed just one hit with two strikeouts in two innings.

St. Vincent had 20 hits in just four turns at the plate.

Freeman and DelaMontanya led the plate parade with four hits apiece. Cespedes chipped in three hits, while Sarlatte, Carvajal and Sofia Roman had two apiece.

Sarlatte slammed a monster home run over two fences.

DelaMontanya doubled twice with Vanessa Rios and Carvajal also blasting two-baggers and Skubic a triple.

GIRLS LACROSSE

Casa Grande’s talented girls lacrosse team ran into a buzz saw last week, losing for the first time this season to a good Redwood team 18-11.

Sierra Schmidt scored three goals to lead Casa. Trinity Merin scored two goals and provided three assists. Anaka Esstrella and Natalie Labanowski each had two goals and an assist. Taylor Peri scored two goals.

Goalie Trinity Salus made eight saves.

The Gauchos bounced backi to dominate Drake 17-3.

Peri led a long list of Casa goal makers with four.

Labanowski added five assists and scored three goals herself. Schmidt scored three goals and had two assists and Merwin scored twice and dished off three assists. Megan Marston scored two goals and Estrella, Sophia Gardea and Megan Mainaris a goal each with Bianca Conroy contributing an assist.

Casa Grande is now 4-1 for the season and 2-0 in league play.

GIRLS SOCCER

The Casa Grande girls soccer team used a strong defense to defeat Napa, 6-1, on the Casa field.

Erin Stanly led the Gaucjos with three goals. Isabelle Thors, Brenna Barich and Marisol Vargas also scored goals for the winners.

Lauren Reposa assisted on two Casa Grande goals. Natalia Young, Taylor Ingram, Barich and Jordan Eckelhoff provided assists.

That win came after a tough 2-0 triumph over Sonoma.

Stanley and Thors scored the deciding goals with Lily Peterson providing an assist.

BOYS SOCCER

The Casa Grande boys soccer team has found goals hard to come by, but managed to make a goal by Nico Rahman good for a 1-1 tie against Rancho Cotate.

The Gauchos continued to play strong defense in a 1-0 loss to Napa, a Division 1 school.

Casa’s junior varsity team beat both Maria Carrillo 5-0 and Napa 1-0.

Christian Alvarado scored what stood as the winning goal against Napa.

Jose Chavez and Santiago Rivas each scored two goals against Maria Carrillo with Alvarado also scoring.