Ceron slams Skyline baseball to big win over Chabot

“We were pretty sure but it was kind of one of those, because the wind was kind of a cross wind, we didn’t know if it was going to end up being enough,” Trojans manager Tony Brunicardi said. “And it ended up being enough.”

With the win, the Trojans take the three-game series from the second-place Gladiators (11-4, 24-10). First-place Skyline now takes a two-game lead in the Coast Conference North standings with five to play. The conference schedule, to this point, has consisted of five three-game series, one against each Coast North opponent. The final five games are singular matchups with each of those same five teams.

Prior to the eighth-inning explosion, the Trojans were six outs away from finding themselves tied for first place with Chabot.

“It puts us in position where we get to control our own destiny,” Brunicardi said of the win. “And going into the last five games of the season, you couldn’t ask for anything else.”

Chabot jumped all over Skyline early, knocking out starting pitcher Will Hanson in the second. Hanson worked one-plus innings, surrendering four runs on four hits. The Gladiators scored three in the first, then started playing long ball with a solo home run from Carmelo Rivera in the second, a two-run homer by Liam Forsyth in the fourth to make it 6-2, and a solo shot by Raoul Fabian in the seventh to set the stage at 7-4.

The Skyline bullpen mustered eight innings of work. Cole Kenyon was the first out of the pen to go four innings, allowing two runs on three hits while striking out four. Devin Costa followed with a scoreless sixth. Brandon Ashley earned the win, allowing one run on two hits and a walk with five strikeouts.

Cristian Padilla closed it out with a perfect ninth.

“Our bullpen did just an amazing job,” Brunicardi said. “It’s tough to pick up eight innings from your bullpen and still be in a spot to win the game.”

Skyline sent 10 batters to the plate in a wild eighth, with Ceron’s slam the only hit of the inning. Gabriel Melara, Ben Giovannetti and Sam Salvi led off the frame with three straight walks. With one out, Elijah Fairchild and Ethan Bergan got hit by pitches, each forcing home runs to close it to 7-6. Ethan Casas-Wu then lifted a sacrifice fly to left to drive home Salvi with the tying run, and Kaito Haake drew a two-out walk to reload the bases.

Ceron — who went 2 for 4 with five RBIs — followed with the go-ahead grand slam to give the Trojans their first lead of the day.

“It was chaotic, to say the least,” Brunicardi said.

CSM 17, De Anza 7

Brody Barker went 2 for 3 with four RBIs, and highlighted a five-run fifth with an RBI double and a run scored as the College of San Mateo Bulldogs (10-5 Coast North, 20-12 overall) finished off a baseball sweep Friday on the Hilltop of De Anza (1-14, 6-29).

The Bulldogs trailed 4-1 in the second, but Barker supplied a sacrifice fly before JoJo Cardinale singled home two runs to tie it. In the third, Will Bowen scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch, Aidan Taclas singled home Nathan Martinez, and Barker doubled home a run. Taclas then scored on a passed ball, with Cardinale capping the rally with an RBI groundout to plate Barker.

Taclas finished with two hits, including a double, an RBI and three runs scored. Vicente Feliciano went 2 for 3 with two walks, and Martinez was 1 for 2 with three walks and three runs.

CSM starting pitcher Danny Peters worked 6 2/3 innings, allowing seven runs on 11 hits, to earn the win. His record improves to 5-4. Chase Yocum followed with 1 1/3 scoreless innings, and Gino Rossi fired a scoreless ninth to close it out.

De Anza leadoff hitter Andre Butler led all hitters, going 3 for 5 with a steal and two runs scored.

With the win, the third-place Bulldogs — three games back of first-place Skyline, and one-game back of second-place Chabot — maintain a two-game lead over fourth-place Cañada with five games to play.

Cañada 21, CCSF 4

The Colts (7-7 Coast North, 19-15 overall) continued to swing it, scoring in all but one inning Thursday for a big win over City College of San Francisco (2-13, 8-23) at Mission College. It’s the sixth straight win for Cañada.

Leadoff man Max Ross enjoyed quite the day, going 3 for 4 with a double, two home runs and six RBIs. Cleanup hitter John Paul Avila also tabbed three hits, with a double, a homer and five RBIs. The Colts totaled 15 hits in the game.

Starting pitcher Drew Parenti earned the win, allowing four runs on six hits through five innings of work. It’s the freshman left-hander’s second straight winning decision. He left with an 8-4 lead. Cañada scored one run in each the first and second, three runs in each the third and fourth, four in the sixth, and three more in each the seventh, eighth and ninth.

Gianvito Carriglio tossed two shutout innings to bridge the middle innings, while Angelo Yslava and Zak Sullivan set down the side in order in the eighth and ninth, respectively, to close it out.

Carson Vance and Jonathan Sollano added two hits apiece for the Colts.

Lady Bulldogs back in win column

College of San Mateo pitcher Kennedie Magorian fired a three-hitter to earn her first win since March 28, and the Lady Bulldogs (9-2 Coast North, 29-4 overall) got back in the win column Thursday at home with a 4-1 softball victory over City College of San Jose.

Magorian yielded an unearned run in the top of the third as San Jose (7-4, 25-5) jumped out to an early lead. But the CSM bats answered back in the bottom of the frame, tallying two runs to jump ahead. Ari Williams had the big hit with a two-run single to put the Bulldogs ahead 2-1. CSM added two more runs in the sixth thanks to the bottom of the batting order, when No. 8 hitter Michelle Hara came through with an RBI single to score pinch-runner Ava Mendoza, and 9-hitter Arian Montiel lifted a sacrifice fly to plate Luda Gumataotao.

With the win, CSM sweeps the two-game season series from San Jose. The Bulldogs won the first matchup between the two March 12 with a 6-0 shutout. CSM now moves back into a first-place tie with West Valley in the Coast Conference North. CSM and West Valley match up Thursday, April 18.