Bologna wins Big 8 triple crown

Delta entered the day with a one game lead atop the standings in the Big 8 Conference and locked up the championship with an 8-2 win at home over Modesto. And while Bologna entered the day needing two RBIs to catch teammate Zack Mathis for the RBI lead in the Big 8, he cashed in in style, going 1 for 2 with a two-run home run in his final at-bat of the regular season.

Bologna finishes the regular season with a .404 batting average and 11 home runs — leading outright in both categories among Big 8 hitters — along with 58 RBIs to tie Mathis atop the leaderboard. That RBI total also stands as tops in the state.

“It’s definitely a milestone,” Bologna said. “It’s pretty cool I did it. Honestly, I really wanted to do it. I just want to keep winning and win a state championship. But it’s up there with one of the coolest things I’ve ever accomplished.”

One week ago, Bologna was leading the Big 8 in all three offensive categories. But that changed April 20 when Delta earned a remarkable comeback victory over Cosumnes River by a final score of 33-16. In that extraordinary offensive output, Mathis totaled nine RBIs, surging ahead of Bologna for the state lead.

“I noticed,” Bologna said. “I always want to get him better, so I try to make him mad and mess with him a little bit … because that guy is so good. He’s a beast. So, when he gets hot, he’s pretty unbelievable.”

When Bologna was a junior at Carlmont in 2016, he witnessed his Scots teammate, Jordan Brandenburg, win a Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division triple crown. Bologna, however, had never accomplished the rare feat until play finished Monday.

The only person other than Mathis that could have threatened Bologna’s triple-crown run was Sierra’s Matt Lopez, who entered the day hitting .400, just four points behind Bologna. Lopez, however, went 1 for 4 with an RBI in Sierra’s 4-2 loss to Santa Rosa Junior College, dropping his batting average to .396.

Delta also clinched the No. 1 seed in Northern California, giving the Mustangs home-field advantage through all three rounds of the Nor Cal playoffs should they advance that far.

Brandenburg shares state HR crown

Bologna finished one home run shy of claiming a share of the state home run crown. Brandenburg, a freshman catcher, paced the state with 12 home runs entering play Thursday. Ohlone’s Zac Patterson homered Thursday to tie him, with both players finishing the regular season with 12 homers.

Skyline falls short of postseason

For the second straight year, the Skyline Trojans (9-9 Coast Pacific, 21-18 overall) will not advance to the California Community College Athletic Association playoffs, being officially eliminated Friday with a 6-2 loss to Hartnell College in Salinas.

Trojans starting pitcher Dylan McDonald took the loss, allowing four runs over six innings. The freshman right-hander finishes the year with a 6-3 record, leading the team in both wins and innings pitched with 79 2/3.

“Outstanding pitcher,” Skyline manager Dino Nomicos said. “Did a great job for us. Just got tired at the end because he hasn’t pitched that much.”

A graduate of Terra Nova, McDonald was one of three pitchers out of the Pacifica campus to fortify the Trojans’ pitching rotation, along with freshmen Nate Rumb and Tony Zamagni. McDonald, who played mostly as a catcher in high school, only started pitching regularly as a senior in 2018.

“With him and [starting pitcher Vinny Ferrari] coming back, and some of the other guys, it’s very promising for us (next year),” Nomicos said. “We bring in a couple hitters, it’s going to be pretty good.”

Sophomore right-hander Aiden Yarwood worked the final three innings to close out the season for the Trojans. A 2017 graduate of Capuchino, Yarwood ranked second among Skyline pitchers with 49 1/3 innings, all coming in relief. He had 16 appearances and entered play Friday with a 2.14 ERA.

Only sophomore left-hander Derek Flowers had more appearances for Skyline with 17.

“Yarwood and Flowers have basically saved our season,” Nomicos said.

With the loss, Skyline falls into a three-way tie for third place in the Coast Pacific Conference, along with Monterey Peninsula and Hartnell. Monterey is ranked ahead of both Skyline and Hartnell in RPI and would receive any at-large precedent if a third playoff berth is allotted to the conference. Ohlone took the Coast Pacific title, with Cabrillo finishing in second place; both earn automatic playoff bids.