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Gunn is in and Palo Alto is hoping to get in following two key softball victories by the teams on Tuesday.
The Titans clinched their first berth into the Central Coast Section playoffs since 1996 with a 4-3 triumph over host Monta Vista in a SCVAL El Camino Division game. The victory keeps Gunn (9-2, 17-9) tied for first place while the Matadors fell out of a tie at 8-3 (16-6).
After falling behind 3-0 after one inning, Gunn rallied in the fourth with two runs on hits by Taylor Aguon, Nikki Schwardt and Laura Kidder. The Titans scored the deciding runs in the sixth. Freshman pitcher Claire Klausner walked and eventually scored the tying run. Senior Brooke Binkley tallied the winner after reaching base on an error, advancing to third on singles by Carly Fisher and Aguon and then stealing home.
Klausner improved to 16-8 with 12 strikeouts. She allowed six hits, but settled down after giving up the three first-inning runs.
Gunn will close its regular season on Thursday by visiting Cupertino.
At Palo Alto, the Vikings (6-6, 18-9) kept their CCS playoff hopes alive with an 8-7 victory over visiting Fremont in 11 innings on Tuesday. Paly will have to hope for an at-large berth into the section playoffs after its second-straight victory.
“That was unbelievable,” said Paly coach Tim Anderson. “I was jumping up and down during and after the game. It was a wonderful thing to be a part of.”
Palo Alto had to endure two different tiebreakers (first with a runner starting at second and the other with a runner at third) after the contest ended in a 4-4 deadlock after seven innings. The Vikings trailed in both, 6-4 and 7-6, before finally winning it in the 11th on Caroline McDonnell’s RBI single.
The bottom of the 11th started with Caitlin Tirador placed at third with the Vikings trailing by 7-6. Gracie Marshall ripped a triple to right field to bring Tirador home with the tying run. Marshall then was thrown out at home trying to score on Gracie Stafford’s grounder.
Lauren Bucolo singled Stafford to second and McDonnell followed up her triple earlier in the game with the game-winning single.
Paly, which also got three hits from Mariah Philips, finished with a season-high 15. Senior Kelly Jenks pitched all 11 innings to get the victory, despite arriving only five minutes before the start of the game after taking an AP test in psychology.
Anderson scoured all the league standings late into the evening in hopes of figuring out if his team, which finished fourth in the De Anza Division, has a shot at CCS.
“There’s no way we can be denied,” he said. “I think we have the second-best record in D-II.”
In the West Bay Athletic League, Sammy Albanese pitched a four-inning perfect game, striking out all 12 batters she faced, to lead Castilleja to a 15-0 softball victory over visiting Mercy-San Francisco on Tuesday.
Albanese now has 304 strikeouts this season. The Gators (11-1, 16-7-2) maintained a share of first place in the WBAL with the easy win. Albanese ended the game with a walk-off home run (her second homer of the game) to cap festivities on Senior Day. Albanese is the only graduating senior on the team. She finished with seven RBI while Gina Freehling added two doubles and Amy Yamamura one.
Castilleja will visit co-leader Mercy-Burlingame on Wednesday (3:30 p.m.) in a crucial league matchup that should help determined the WBAL champion.
Also in the WBAL, Menlo (8-5, 11-5) got a two-hitter from freshman pitcher Kelly McConnell in a 1-0 victory over Notre Dame-San Jose.
Girls’ lacrosse
Castilleja held off Menlo-Atherton for the second time in back-to-back matches, but the latest triumph proved to be the most important as the Gators advanced to the semifinals of the West Bay Athletic League lacrosse playoffs with a 17-16 victory over the Bears on Tuesday. The previous meeting between the teams resulted in an 18-16 win by Castilleja, which earned the Gators the No. 4 seed in the playoffs.
Stephanie Merenbach scored five goals and added three assists for the Gators (6-7) while Martha Harding had six goals and one assist in the high-scoring affair. Neli Jasuja added four to Castilleja’s total. Christina Rodgers and Becca Higgitt each scored three times for the Bears.
Castilleja now advances to the semifinals on Thursday against host and No. 1 Menlo (15-4) at 5:30 p.m. In the other semifinal, No. 2 seed Sacred Heart Prep will host No. 3 Burlingame, also at 5:30 p.m. The winners will meet for the WBAL championship on Saturday at Palo Alto High at 9 a.m.
— Palo Alto Online Sports
— Palo Alto Online Sports
— Palo Alto Online Sports