Scots stay in hunt for Bay title

“We’re starting to play really good ball. We’re peaking at the right time as playoffs approach and our confidence as a team rises the more momentum we build,” Carlmont manager Rich Vallero said.

Both teams traded runs early on, but it was Carlmont (8-4, PAL Bay, 14-10 overall) who opened up the scoring in the bottom of the second. Senior Logan Snow hit an RBI sacrifice fly to center field to give the Scots a 1-0 lead.

Scots starting pitcher Aiden Woodring was perfect through the first two innings until Sacred Heart Prep (5-7, 10-12-1) tied the game up at 1-1 with an RBI sac fly of their own by senior Aidan Macaluso. Woodring pitched five innings and gave up two runs on two hits and had three strikeouts.

Carlmont took the lead right back off of an error by the Gators second baseman. In the top of the fourth, Sacred Heart Prep tied the game again at 2-2 when sophomore Teddy Purcell hit an RBI groundout.

The Gators pitching staff had some trouble with their command and it led to a dozen wild pitches. One of them allowed Carlmont senior Daniel Friis to score from third to give Carlmont a 3-2 lead. That was followed with RBI singles by Kevin Shea and DeSmidt, and it extended the Scots lead to three. Carlmont would have tacked on more runs, but an incredible leaping catch by Gators shortstop Yianni Gardner put a stop to the bleeding.

The Scots started to pull away in the fifth by scoring five runs. Carlmont exploded for seven consecutive hits, and the bottom of the lineup kicked off the inning with a single and then three consecutive doubles extended the Carlmont lead to 8-2. The bottom of the lineup hit the ball well throughout the game and contributed six of the teams 13 hits, and that included five RBIs and seven runs. Two more runs would come in to score when senior Sean Vanderaa hit an RBI single to left and DeSmidt hit an RBI double down the left field line.

Sacred Heart Prep got outhit 13-6 and the lack of timely hitting with runners in scoring position ultimately cost them. Carlmont continued to put the pedal to the metal and scored another five runs to essentially put the game out of reach. After an RBI groundout set the score at 11-2, the bases were loaded with two outs for DeSmidt. His grand slam was an absolute bomb down the left field line, and it perfectly capped off an impressive offensive performance for the Carlmont senior.

The Gators scored three runs in the final inning, but it was too little too late as the Scots closed the game out.

The win puts Carlmont one game back from first place Burlingame. Sacred Heart Prep will need every win they can get as they battle Capuchino for the final playoff spot out of the Bay Division.