Senior Austin Braff cracked a three-run HR in the fourth inning to cap a four-run rally to lead top-seeded Palo Alto past Evergreen Valley, 9-0, in first-round CCS Division I action Wednesday afternoon in Palo Alto. The win advances the Vikings (26-6) into the CCS quarterfinals, where they will take on Bellarmine (15-14), a 6-3 winner over Santa Teresa, on Saturday.
After scoring single runs in the first and second innings, Paly exploded for three runs in the third. Senior John Dickerson, who finished the game on the mound, hit a two-run double to score Alec Wong and Braff to make it 4-0. Clay Carey then drove Dickerson home with a single to make it 5-0.
Palo Alto put the game out of reach with Braff's blast to left-center in the fourth that increased the lead to 8-0. Senior Kevin Kannappan (three no-hit innings) and three relievers combined on the shutout for the Vikings. Evergreen Valley, which finished tied for second in the BVAL-Santa Teresa Division, ended its season at 11-15.
