San Mateo County diamond briefs • Monday, April 14, 2025

Hillsdale 12, Aragon 3

Trailing 1-0 in the fifth, the Fighting Knights (8-4) rallied for three big innings to win by a landslide in non-league play at rival Aragon (5-9). Hillsdale swung ahead with three runs in the fifth, then added six in the sixth and three more in the seventh. It is the first time the rivals have met since 2023, when they split a two-game series.

Hillsdale’s sophomores enjoyed a big day. Curtis Lee went 2 for 3 with a double and four RBIs, while Parker Jessup had a double and three RBIs. Senior Jake Belloni added two hits with a double and two RBIs. Aragon senior Adi Shankar paced the Dons with two hits, including a solo home run, the first of his varsity career.

Hillsdale starting pitcher Hugo Guzman worked six innings to earn the win. The junior right-hander allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits and three walks while striking out seven. His record improves to 2-1 with a 2.37 ERA. Senior reliever Bennett Young worked a perfect seventh to close it out.

Half Moon Bay 5, Sacred Heart Prep 4

The Cougars (6-11) overcame a 4-0 deficit to claim a non-league win at Sacred Heart Prep (8-11). HMB tied it with a four-run rally in the fourth, then scored the go-ahead run in the sixth. Senior Connor Heath led the way, going 2 for 3 a triple and three RBIs, while seniors Jason Cuoto and Ian Lemen also knocked in a run apiece for the Cougars. The Gators were paced by senior Daniel Gee with two hits and an RBI.

Senior starting pitcher Andreas Hipkins worked five innings to earn the win, allowing four runs (one earned), navigating two hits, seven walks and two hit batsmen, while striking out five. Junior Maverick Johnson closed it out with two scoreless innings to notch his first varsity save.

SHP starter Connor Schmalzle worked three scoreless innings before giving way to the bullpen. The senior allowed just one hit while striking out five to take a no-decision. Despite a 1.52 ERA through his two-year varsity career, Schmalzle is still in search of his first win. He is 0-1 this season with a 0.72 ERA.

Carlmont 5, Bellarmine 4

The Scots (6-9) scored a single run in the top of the seventh to win a back-and-forth battle in non-league play at Bellarmine-San Jose (10-8). With the game tied 2-2 in the fifth, Carlmont jumped ahead with a two-run rally. After the Bells tied it with two in the sixth, the Scots fired back to win it in their final at-bat.

Senior Grant Goetz went yard for the first home run of his varsity career, and was 2 for 4, including a double and three RBIs. Senior Nate Bateman hit his first varsity homer for Bellarmine. Carlmont starting pitcher Jonathan Fong navigated six innings to earn the win, allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits. His record improves to 4-2 with a 2.55 ERA. Sophomore Nate Werbinski fired a scoreless seventh to record the first save of his varsity career.

Softball

Lowell 16, El Camino 10

A 10-run first inning was not enough for the Lady Colts, as Lowell (8-5) scored in all but one inning, including a go-ahead seven-run rally in the third at El Camino (1-8). Two Lowell pitchers allowed 10 runs (nine earned) in the first, but senior reliever Kaylee Kline emerged to fire six shutout innings to win it. Kline allowed just one hit, one walk and two hit batsmen while striking out 15, pushing her across 100 strikeouts on the year for the second straight season. Juliana Bazlamit paced the Colts with two hits, including a double and two RBIs. Kline shined at the plate as well for Cardinals, going 4 for 5 with two doubles and an RBI.

FRIDAY

Baseball

Serra 14, Mitty 3

Starting pitchers Riley Lim and Joseph Engin battled through four innings of what had the makings of a classic pitchers’ duel before the Padres broke through with nine runs in the fifth. Mitty scored once in the first before Lim settled in for Serra to work four-plus innings in a winning effort. Serra scored single runs in the in the second and fourth to swing ahead before breaking it open in the fifth.

The Padres banged out 17 hits, with Ian Josephson leading the way. The senior was 3 for 3 with a solo home run, his third of the year. Senior Tyler Harrison and sophomore William Walbridge also went deep. Harrison has now homered in three of the last four games, while Walbridge clubbed for the first home run of his varsity career, going 2 for 5 with three RBIs. Senior Noah Greenspan added a double and three RBIs for the Padres.

Sophomore Derek Allen paced the Monarchs with two hits, with an RBI, while senior Grayson Munoz knocked in two runs.

With the win, Lim improves his record to 4-0 with a 2.76 ERA. The right-hander allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits through four-plus innings of work. Engin took the loss, allowing four runs on seven hits. His record falls to 4-3 with a 2.59 ERA. Serra relievers Aiden Waters, Blake Ayoob and Kelley Crawford combined for three shutout innings to close it out.

King’s Academy 6, Sequoia 5

After a weird finish to Wednesday’s series opener — in which a would-be go-ahead home run in the seventh inning was nullified when a baserunner missed home plate — the King’s Academy (2-2 PAL Bay, 7-4 overall) got its comeback win Friday with a two-run rally in the bottom of the seventh. Sequoia (2-2, 8-6) jumped out to a 5-0 lead after two innings, but the Knights closed the deficit with two runs in the third and two more in the fifth.

Dominic Myung paced TKA with three hits with a double and three runs scored, while senior Toby Trotter drove in two. Junior Garrett Johnson had two hits for the Ravens, while senior Vince Olinger Giani was 1 for 3 with a triple and two RBIs.

Menlo-Atherton 7, Pioneer 3

Even with his .435 batting average, Merrick Lee enjoyed his biggest day of the season. The sophomore tallied a career-high three hits, including a double and a home run, with two RBIs and three runs scored as the Bears (12-4) won in non-league play at Pioneer-San Jose (5-8). Senior Jack Molise added two hits with a double and three RBIs for M-A. Junior starter Caden Lewis worked three innings to earn his first varsity win. Pagee fired with three scoreless innings of relief, and senior Jimmy Zaharias closed it out with a perfect seventh.

Design Tech 12, Summit Tahoma 0

Logan Garrett and two Dragons relievers combined on a one-hit shutout as Design Tech (5-1 PSAL, 6-6 overall) cruised to a five-inning mercy-rule win at home against Summit Tahoma-San Jose (0-5, 0-7). Garrett fired three no-hit innings, striking out nine, while Isaac Wood and Reilly Sutton each added a scoreless inning of relief. The Tom brothers enjoyed a big day at the plate. Aidan Tom was 3 for 3 with a double, a triple, three RBIs and three runs scored, while Branden Hom had a triple and three RBIs. Senior Eoin Halili added a triple and three RBIs, while seniors Eddy Yee and Isaac Gradek had two hits and one RBI apiece.

Sacred Heart Prep 5, Capuchino 0

Devin Saltzgaber fired 6 2/3 scoreless innings, and Rallin Covey threw two pitches to close it out at the Gators (3-3 PAL Bay, 8-11 overall) recorded a six-hit shutout at home against a Capuchino team hitting .350 on the year. Saltzgaber allowed six hits and one walk while striking out eight. The senior improves his record to 3-2 with a 1.22 ERA. Senior Dylan Gee tabbed two RBIs for SHP, while freshman Sully Fischbein had two hits with one RBI. Senior Will Hafer paced the Mustangs (2-3, 10-8) with two hits. With the win, the Gators finish off a two-game series sweep of Cap.

Hillsdale 6, Burlingame 3

Hillsdale (3-1 PAL Bay, 8-4 overall) rallied for five runs in the sixth, and starting pitcher Robby Gilbert went the distance to earn the win at Burlingame (2-5, 7-9). Gilbert allowed three runs (two earned) on eight hits and a walk while striking out six. Burlingame senior Nick Armstrong allowed one run on one hit and four walks, with five strikeouts to take a no-decision. Sophomore Parker Jessup had a big swing of the bat for the Knights with a two-run double during the sixth-inning comeback. Grayson Howard and Jean-Luc Uharriet had two hits apiece for the Panthers.

Softball

Burlingame 11, Mercy-Burlingame 5

The Panthers (3-5) matches their best single-game output of the year in non-league action at Mercy (8-7). Burlingame totaled 18 hits, with Madeline Koo leading the way. The sophomore was 4 for 4 with an RBI and three runs scored. Senior Amalia Alfers added two hits with a double, a home run and two RBIs, while junior Samantha Arce also had two hits and two RBIs. Mercy sophomore was 2 for 2 with a triple and two RBIs, while Andrea Martin and Isabele Reburiano added two hits apiece.

Notre Dame-San Jose 16, El Camino 3

El Camino (1-7) was held to just three hits, at Notre Dame-SJ (10-7) cruised to a five-inning mercy-rule victory. Five Notre Dame batters recorded multi-hit games, led by freshman U’ilani Wells, who went 3 for 4 with a double and two RBIs, sophomore Kamile Beals logged two hits and three RBIs. Sophomore Isabella Totah paced the Lady Colts with a double and two RBIs.