Carlmont Scots seize control of PAL Bay Division

Carlmont (6-1 PAL Bay, 14-4-1 overall) scored first and scored plenty, tallying seven runs in the top of the first en route to a decisive 10-2 win Wednesday afternoon at Washington Park.

“I think coming in we felt pretty confident,” Carlmont senior Aidan Kurt said. “We were on a good streak. We knew they’re a good team, but we felt we had the stuff to beat ’em.”

The Scots put up crooked numbers in both the first and second innings, and Kurt was in the middle of both rallies. Carlmont sent 11 batters to the plate in the first inning, with Kurt socking an RBI single to left.

In the second inning, he came to the plate with Tripp Garrish standing at first base and promptly singled to put runners at the corners. Carson Vance followed with a two-run triple and later scored on an RBI single by Jack Wiessinger.

“The team came out ready to play,” Scots manager Ryan Hamilton said. “They had a lot of fun early and then it died after the third inning. But pretty much they were ready to roll from the get-go.”

Burlingame starting pitcher Nolan Dempsey lasted just two innings, surrendering 10 runs, though only four of those were earned. The Panthers (5-2, 11-7) have relied on strong defense this season, but Dempsey’s defense betrayed him in the first inning, committing four errors in the opening frame.

But the at-bat that no doubt will haunt Dempsey was the second batter of the game. After Dempsey induced a fly out off the bat of Scots leadoff man Collin O’Driscoll to open the afternoon, the right-hander plunked Tanner Van Why right between the numbers. Van Why was the first of eight straight Scots to reach base.

What could have been different if Dempsey navigated the first two outs of the game uncontested?

“Maybe a little closer,” Panthers manager Shawn Scott said. “But those errors hurt. What can you say? You can’t allow a team that puts the ball in play as much as they do extra at-bats, and we allowed them a lot of extra at-bats today.”

Burlingame reliever Lukas Habelt settled things down, tossing five scoreless innings while allowing just two hits and striking out two.

Carlmont starting pitcher Colton Fisher was on point, though, pitching through early trouble en route to working five innings to earn the win. Of course, “early trouble” is a relative term when pitching with a seven-run lead.

“It sets the tone completely,” Kurt said. “It allows our pitchers to go out and want to throw strikes, and feel more confident throwing strikes, and I think that helps us and propels our offense even more.”

Burlingame looked poised to come back two batters into the bottom of the first. Lou Martineau led off with a single, and Jonny Suarez followed with an RBI double down the left-field line to knock him home. Suarez tagged up and moved to third on a flyout by Dexter Quisol. But there Suarez would be stranded as Fisher bounced back with tow harmless flyouts.

The second out of the inning to left saw Garrish, and his cannon arm, charging in on the ball. And Suarez, a former teammate of Garrish with GamePrep Baseball Academy, wasn’t about to challenge him. And it’s a good thing as Garrish’s throw was perfectly on line to the plate.

“That’s Tripp Garrish in left, I played with that guy,” Suarez said. “He’s got an arm and I don’t want to test his arm like that. … I’ve seen him throw that ball in summer and he’s going to throw me out.”

With the win, Carlmont takes a one-game lead in the PAL Bay standings. Burlingame is all alone in second place, thanks to Sequoia defeating third-place Aragon 6-0.

The two teams rematch Friday for first pitch at Carlmont schedule for 4 p.m. It will feature a classic battle of left-handers, with the senior ace Garrish taking on Burlingame’s junior groundball specialist Holden Glavin.

“I expect it to be a very close game on Friday,” Hamilton said. “I know their lefty is very good as well. That team never gave up throughout the entire game after being down as much as they were, they were still fighting and battling every single pitch. So, I expect it to be close.”