Sports Briefs: Mill Valley LL blanks Vacaville in must-win contest
Starter Rory Murphy was solid on the mound as Mill Valley Little League upended Vacaville National, 5-0, in Saturday’s elimination game during the Section 1 12-under Tournament at Hall Memorial Park in Dixon. Mill Valley is scheduled to play Sunday afternoon against either Alameda or Petaluma American.
Murphy threw four innings of scoreless ball, with three hits and two strikeouts, before handing the ball to Cole swift for the fifth inning to complete the shutout.
Davis Marshall, who was 3-for-3 with three RBIs for Mill Valley, got the game rolling with a leadoff double in the top of the first inning. Levi Webber singled to bring Marshall around for winning run.
Kadin Mokari’s RBI single helped kickstart Mill Vallley’s surging offense in the top of the second. With the bases loaded and two outs, Marshall came to the plate for a three-run double to give Mill Valley a five-run lead. Marshall added a single in the fifth inning.
11s >> Novato North’s season ended Saturday with a 4-3 loss in a rematch with Lafayette during elimination play in the Section 1 11-under All-Star Tournament at American Canyon. Ian Bowman and Enzo Martinelli had two hits each for Novato North, which lost a first-round game 2-1 to Lafayette on Thursday. Novato North finishes the tournament season with a 9-3 record.
After Lafayette scored all four runs in the second inning Saturday, Novato tried to chip away at the deficit, scoring in the third and sixth innings, but came up empty with the bases loaded in the fourth in a key setback.
Novato struck first in the opening frame as Martinelli hit a two-out single, then worked his way into scoring position before Novato got an RBI triple. Novato got another RBI triple in the third inning to cut the gap in half, 4-2. Novato made one last stand with a one-run sixth inning, but could not bring the tying run across with runners at second and third.
9-10s >> Twin Cities’ bats heated up as the temperatures cooled down in a 10-0 victory over Napa American in four innings during Friday’s Section One All-Star Tournament opener in Petaluma.
Leo Ellenzweig pitched a one-hitter with three strikeouts and a walk in a commanding effort on the mound for Twin Cities, which advances to the semifinals Sunday at 7 p.m. against either Alameda or Petaluma National.
Twin Cities, sitting on a five-run lead, doubled its run production in the fourth inning. Cooper Peterson hit a grounder to third with two runners on base, but an error allowed him to reach second base as Cole Shambroom and Owen Cordasco scored. Cameron Costa drew a bases-loaded walk for an eight-run lead. Doug Formby then closed the book on the evening with a two-run double.
Pecos League baseball
Aki Buckson’s three-run homer in the bottom of the third powered the San Rafael Pacifics to a 17-4 home victory at Albert Park over division rival Martinez in Friday’s Pecos League action. The Pacifics (28-13) sealed the can on the Sturgeon with three-run homers by Blake Diggle in the seventh and Esai Santos in the eighth.
San Rafael starter Jake Dent (4-0) allowed three hits and three runs, with two strikeouts and a walk through six innings.
Buckson added a double to his 3-for-4 night at the plate, while Santos, Mark Hernandez, and Chris Blyskal had two hits each.
San Rafael, which leads the Pacific Division by four games over Marysville, beat the Drakes 3-2 on Thursday. The Pacifics wrapped up the three-game homestead against Vallejo on Saturday before heading to Bakersfield on Monday to play the Train Robbers.
Travel baseball
NorCal Black 16U split a Saturday doubleheader in Sunnyvale. A late rally fell short in the matinee, but the NorCal squad found the momentum to win the second game.
Tam High’s Lars Jackson struck out 11 batters as he gave up two runs on three hits through seven innings as NorCal held off the California Bulldogs, 3-2. NorCal did all its damage at the plate in the bottom of the first inning. Tam’s Conrad Phillips hit a double to score San Rafael’s Mikey Giannino and Petaluma’s Harlan Barry, then scored on an error with the bases loaded.
NorCal Black 16U mounted a rally in the bottom of the seventh inning, but came up short, 5-3, against GP 14U Navy in Saturday’s opener. Starter Jason Quinn from San Marin allowed one run through four innings in the loss. He was 1-for-2 at the plate with a double.
NorCal was trailing 5-0 in the bottom of the final frame when Tam High’s Lucas Dippa hit a leadoff double. Archie Williams’ Drew Evans and Parker Ott reached base to set the table for Marin Catholic’s James Root, who connected for an RBI single. Jackson and Phillips followed with bases-loaded walks to tighten the score, but the next two batters struck out to end the game.
• NorCal Black 18U rallied to tie BBT 17U 1-1 with a run in the sixth inning on Saturday in Folsom.
• NorCal Black’s 2027 squad (9-5-2) split two games in tournament action Saturday in Lincoln. NorCal dropped the opener, 12-1, to the Rock, but rebounded for a 16-2 victory over the DSA Valley Dogs.
Open positions
Redwood High School is hiring for head coaches for girls frosh volleyball and JV cheerleading for the fall 2024 season. Interested candidates please contact Athletic Director Jessica Peisch at jpeisch@tamdistrict.