Del Mar's Darcy Houts tosses one across the diamond in last week's win over Gunderson.




Photograph by Skye Dunlap







Dons, Warriors, Panthers win titles

Prospect, Westmont advance to Central Coast baseball playoffs

By Dick Sparrer

The spring diamond season has ended for many teams in the area. But not for softball and baseball teams from Del Mar, Westmont and Prospect.

Teams from the three local schools are still in action as they prepare to open play in the Central Coast Section playoffs.

Del Mar, Prospect and Westmont have each won berths in the CCS Division II girls softball playoffs after either winning or tying for league titles, and the Panthers and Warriors have claimed spots in the CCS Division II baseball tournament.

Panthers win title

Prospect earned a place in the baseball playoffs after winning the championship in the Santa Teresa Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League.

The Panthers finished the year 14-4 to finish a game up on Silver Creek in the division. Prospect, 15-8 for the year, will open the playoffs at home against San Mateo (17-7) on May 18, 3 p.m. The winner will face the Willow Glen (19-7)-Wilcox (22-5) winner on May 20, 7 p.m., at Santa Clara's Washington Park.

Prospect finished the season with a 5-1 loss to Gunderson, despite a solo homer by Nick Vidal in the fifth inning.

Prospect had beaten Overfelt 6-4 and Piedmont Hills 14-0 a week earlier.

Vidal went the distance to toss a two-hit shutout in the win over Piedmont. Vidal, who struck out seven, pushed his pitching record to 4-2.

Vidal also had two hits drive in four runs in the Prospect win. Derrick Yamada ripped three doubles to knock in two runs, J.D. Mazzuca doubled and singled twice, Brad Bonvecchio doubled twice to plate a pair and Chris Hesenflow singled and doubled to knock in two runs.

The Panthers had opened the week with the 6-4 win over Overfelt. Bonvecchio singled and tripled to drive in two big runs for Prospect.

Curtis Wills tossed five innings of one-hit baseball to get the win, his second in as many decisions, and Yamada came on late to get his first save of the year.

Warriors advance

Westmont finished the regular season with a 7-1 win over St. Lawrence Academy, and enters the playoffs with an 11-14 record.

The Warriors will visit Gunn (19-8) on May 18, 3 p.m., in Palo Alto. The winner will face the Carlmont (15-7)-Monterey (24-6) winner on May 20, 4 p.m., at Washington Park.

Tony LaVista tossed a three-hitter to lead the Warriors to last week's win over St. Lawrence. LaVista, who struck out 11, pushed his mound mark to 7-4 with the win.

Ben Peterson singled and tripled for the Warriors

A week earlier, the Warriors had upset Leland 3-2 in 10 innings and knocked off Del Mar.

LaVista tossed a complete game for the win over Leland, striking out seven and walking just two. He scattered eight hits over 10 frames.

Peterson singled and doubled to drive in two runs in the win and Reed Dickert had two hits.

Tony Perez picked up the win in relief and he also helped the Warriors offensively with three hits to drive in two runs in the 10-9 win over Del Mar. LaVista and Fred Mills had two hits apiece in the Westmont win.

Clayton Sakoda had four hits, including a double, and he drove in two runs for the Dons. Sean Scott had three hits for Del Mar, Scott Martin singled and doubled and Andrew Cedillo added two hits.

The Dons lost two games last week to finish the year 1-13 in the Mt. Hamilton Division and 4-24 overall.

Del Mar lost 5-1 to Leigh, despite a double by Sakoda, and fell 15-1 to Oak Grove.

Warriors tie for title

The Westmont girls softball team wrapped up Mt. Hamilton Division play with a 4-1 win over Santa Teresa to tie for first place with Mitty. Each club finished at 10-4.

Westmont, 20-10 for the year, will open CCS play against Prospect (19-5) on May 18, 3 p.m., at PAL Stadium. The winner will face North Monterey County (21-8) on May 20, noon, at Sherwood Park in Salinas.

Lisa Chapman tossed a three-hitter to lead the Warriors to the 4-1 win over Santa Teresa last week. Chapman, 9-2 for the year, struck out 12 in the win.

Bonnie Huggett doubled and singled twice to drive in three of her club's four runs in the win. Jessica Parola belted a triple.

Perfect Panthers

The Prospect girls wrapped up a perfect season in the West Valley Division with two wins last week. The Panthers ended up 12-0 in league play after beating Hill and Overfelt, and will take a 19-5 season record up against Westmont this week.

Cassie Gilford tossed a one-hitter to lead the Panthers to an 11-1 win over Hill. Gilford, who pushed her pitching record to 11-4, also had two hits to drive in two runs.

Annie Gillespie and Sara Nichols each homered and singled twice in the win, and Amber Madsen had three hits to knock in four runs.

Gillespie flipped a one-hitter, striking out 13 along the way, in a 13-2 win over Overfelt. Gillespie, who improved her record to 9-1 with the win, singled and tripled to drive in two runs.

Gilford had three hits to drive in two runs, Annie Kailbrier doubled and tripled to knock in two and Madsen tripled.

Dons are champions

The Del Mar girls softball team enters CCS play after winning the title in the Santa Teresa Division of the BVAL. The Dons beat Gunderson 10-0 and Mt. Pleasant 2-0 last week to clinch the crown.

The Dons, 20-7 for the year, hit the road to face Monterey (18-9) in the first round of CCS on May 17, 4 p.m., at Sherwood Park in Salinas. The winner will face No. 1 seed Mitty (23-5) on May 20, 10 a.m., at PAL Stadium.

Shannon Kagel tossed back-to-back shutouts to lead the Dons to the division championship.

First place was on the line when the Dons and Cardinals collided last week. Mt. Pleasant needed a win to force a first-place tie in the division.

But Kagel had other ideas. She slipped a one-hit shutout to lead the Dons to the title-clinching win. Kagel, 18-4 as a pitcher for the Dons, knocked in both her club's runs in the game, one in the second and one in the fourth.

Jennifer Godfrey singled and doubled for the Dons and Tonya Honore doubled.

Del Mar had unloaded 10-0 on Gunderson earlier in the week. Kagel tossed a three-hit shutout, striking out 10 along the way.

Kandice Lynch tripled twice and singled and Heather Saugen singled and doubled to drive in two runs. Godfrey and Darcy Houts ripped two hits apiece, Honore doubled home two runs and Emily DeLong drove in a pair of runs.

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