Here is a brief look at the CCS Division 4 baseball semifinals:
No. 2 Los Altos vs No. 3 Santa Cruz
Tuesday 3:30 pm
Santa Clara University
How they got here: Los Altos scored six runs in the first three innings and rolled to an 8-2 win over The King’s Academy in the first round. Sophomore Derek Etherington led a 10-hit attack with two hits and two RBIs to support the pitching of senior Anders Wood, who went the distance, allowing just two unearned runs.
Santa Cruz pushed across six runs in the second inning for a 7-3 win over Pioneer. Senior Cameron Fusari led the way with three hits, a run scored and an RBI.
Previous meetings: None.
Outlook: Santa Cruz will look to continue its strong play at the end of the season; the Cardinals have won 7 of 9 including a victory over SCCAL champ Soquel. After a four-game losing streak dropped the Eagles to 11-15, they have responded with back-to-back wins.
No. 1 Harbor vs No. 5 Piedmont Hills
Tuesday 4:00 pm
West Valley College
How they got here: Joey Raffo led off the bottom of the seventh with a double and scored the winning run on an errant throw following a bunt single by Aiden Boles to lead Harbor to a 3-2 walk-off win over Sequoia. The top-seeded Pirates won despite getting just four hits.
Piedmont Hills scored two runs in the first on a two-run homer by senior Jake Paskert and held on for a 2-1 win over Monterey. Senior Travis Linane worked the first four innings, allowing just six hits and an unearned run, before turning the pitching duties over to senior Toby Torres, who tossed three hitless innings with five strikeouts to earn the save.
Previous meetings: None.
Outlook: Piedmont Hills has recovered well from a late-season three-game losing streak, picking up back-to-back wins. Linane and Torres are available to pick up some of the innings in the semifinals, though the Pirates may need to mix and match to get through.
