Alameda High School’s baseball team scored two in the top of the eighth, then held on for a 4-3 victory over host Piedmont in the opening round of the West Alameda County Conference tournament on May 7.
The Highlanders (15-8) now await the North Coast Section playoff berths, which will be announced on May 12.
The Hornets took a 4-2 lead in the top of the eighth on back-to-back sacrifice flies by Cole Aney and Jaden Noonan. Piedmont responded with a two-out rally. Will Parker walked, Dimitri Papahadjopoulos singled and Peter Krumins then singled in Parker. Shafer Dando then lined out to end the game.
The Highlanders took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second. Dando singled in Papahadjopoulos and Krumins later scored when Brandon Dicke hit into a fielder’s choice.
Alameda came right back in the top of the third. Aney had another sacrifice fly and Julian Munoz scored on an error by catcher Markos Lagios.
John Olsen took the loss for the Highlanders, going the final 2 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on three hits. He struck out two and didn’t allow a walk. Seve Sanchez started, going 5 1/3 innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits with four strikeouts and a walk.
Aney started for Alameda, going one-plus innings and allowing one run on two hits with a walk and a strikeout. Max Cohen went the final seven innings, allowing two runs on six hits with six strikeouts and three walks.
Dando went 2-for-4 for Piedmont. Luis Sanchez went 2-for-4 for the Hornets.
On May 3, visiting Berkeley got two in the seventh on Jackson Ehrlich’s two-run homer to beat the Highlanders, 8-6. Ehrlich’s heroics came after the Highlanders scored four in the bottom of the sixth to tie the score 6-6.
With one out and runners at second and third, Parker singled in the first run. After Diego Delventhal walked to load the bases, Jordan Vo was hit by a pitch to knock in a run. Jack Meyjes then doubled in two to tie the score.
Antonio Nordman then struck out Lagios and got Dicke to bunt into a fielder’s choice to get out of the inning.
Nordman got the win, going the final two innings and allowing two runs on two hits with three walks and three strikeouts. William Ferreira took the loss, going one inning and allowing the two runs on two hits with a strikeout.
Papahadjopoulos went 1-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored. Meyjes went 1-for-3 with two RBI. Krumins went 1-for-3 with two runs scored.
Isaiah Mays went 2-for-2 with two runs scored for the Yellowjackets. Nordman went 2-for-3 with two RBI.
On May 1, Piedmont defeated host Berkeley, 7-5 in nine innings. Both ninth inning runs for the Highlanders scored on Yellowjacket errors.
Meyjes got the win, going the final four innings and allowing two runs on five hits with four strikeouts and a walk. Olsen went the first five for Piedmont, allowing three runs on four hits with five strikeouts and three walks.
Will O’Brien took the loss for Berkeley, going four innings and allowing two runs (one earned) on two hits with three walks and two strikeouts. Julian Ito started and went five, allowing five runs (four earned) on six hits with six strikeouts and two walks.
Krumins went 2-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored. Parker was 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Vo was 2-for-4 with two RBI.
Ehrlich was 2-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored. Trey Johnson was 2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI. Parks Ramsdale went 2-for-3 with a run scored.