District 52 All-Stars 11s • Friday, June 27, 2025

With Menlo-Atherton trailing 2-1 in the third, Henry Smith belted a two-run home run to left field to give his team the lead for good over Hillsborough in an elimination game at District Field.

Starting pitcher Dominic Napoli made the one-run lead hold up through 4 2/3 innings to earn the win, allowing two runs on nine hits. Elliot Kundinger emerged with two on and two out in the fifth, and got the last four outs to earn the save. Jack Veach and Justin Ng both pitched for Hillsborough.

M-A totaled just three hits and no walks at the plate, but set the tone on the mound in the first. Hillsborough opened the game with a double from Veach and a walk to Dylan Viera, but Napoli capitalized on a bunt that didn’t score the runner from third, bouncing back to induce a pop out and a strikeout to strand two runners in scoring position.

In the bottom of the inning, Kundinger got hit by a pitch and Johnny Arata reached on an infield error to put runners at the corners, before Kundinger scored on a wild pitch. Hillsborough swung ahead in the second, tying it on an RBI single from Ng and taling the lead when Ng scored on an RBI groundout off the bat of Bryant Lien.

Alpine 2, San Mateo American 1

Trailing 1-0 in the fourth, Alpine rallied for two runs to take the lead against San Mateo American in a pitching duel at District Field.

Jack Schneider sparked the go-ahead rally with a leadoff single, Connor Murphy got hit by a pitch, and Ryan Cohen singled home Schneider to tie it 1-1. Then Brandon Pyle produced a sacrifice fly to center to give Alpine the lead.

Cohen earned the win on the mound, allowing one run on two hits, four walks and two hit batsmen, while striking out three, through 4 1/3 innings of work. Luca McIntyre fired 1 2/3 perfect innings to record the save. Cullen Whiley worked four innings as American’s starter, allowing two runs on four hits. Noah Jones fired two shutout innings of relief.

American scored its only run in the second. Whiley set the table with a one-out single, and Avir Humphrey singled Whiley to third. After Drew Kettmann got hit by pitch, Dominic Speight drew a walk to force home Whiley.