The Piedmont High School baseball team is getting outstanding pitching at the moment. The Highlanders are 3-1 since a 7-1 loss to Head-Royce on March 7, allowing just three runs in the process.
On March 11, Piedmont shut out visiting Miramonte 1-0. Freshman Massimo Mittone went the distance, allowing just three hits and no walks while striking out four. Austin Bilello was the hard-luck loser for the Matadors, going the distance and allowing just the one run on seven hits with five strikeouts.
The Highlanders got their run in the bottom of the fifth when Diego Delventhal hit a two-out double. Will Parker followed with an RBI-single but was thrown out trying to advance to second.
And that was it. Mittone allowed a one-out single to Preston Rguem in the seventh but then got David Leibowitz and George Gilbert on infield grounders to nail down the shutout. Delventhal went 3-for-3 on the day. Shafer Dando went 2-for-3.
On March 13, Piedmont was on the short end of a 2-1 loss to visiting El Cerrito. The Gauchos scored the winning run in the top of the seventh when Ellis Fuller staged a Rickey-Rally. He singled with two outs, stole second, went to third on a wild pitch by George Bishop and scored on an error by catcher Enzo Ong.
Bishop took the loss, pitching the final four innings and allowing the one unearned run on two hits. He struck out three and walked one. William Ferreira went the first three, allowing an unearned run on three hits with four strikeouts and a walk.
El Cerrito took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third. Kamal Bhatt drew a one-out walk, advanced to second on a passed ball and stole third. Talio Ubalde then singled Bhatt in.
The Highlanders answered immediately in the bottom of the inning. Brandon Dicke singled to lead off and stole second. With one out, Ong singled him in. Delventhal followed with a single but Jack Meyjes struck out and Markos Lagios flied out to end the threat.
Piedmont had two on again in the fourth and got a one-out double by Dando in the sixth but couldn’t score.
Warren Lieu went the first six innings for the win for El Cerrito, allowing the one run on six hits with six strikeouts and no walks. Evan Tank worked a 1-2-3 seventh for the save. Dando went 2-for-3.
On March 20, Piedmont beat visiting San Leandro, 1-0. Mittone threw his second consecutive shutout, allowing four hits and no walks with six strikeouts. Sam Linnevers had the misfortune of opposing Mittone this time, going the distance and allowing one run on two hits with four walks and two strikeouts. He entered the seventh with a one-hit shutout going. However, he hit Dicke with a pitch leading off. Meyjes followed with a sacrifice. Jordan Vo then singled in Dicke to win the game.
The Pirates put two men on in the fourth, but Gary Ferguson then lined out to Meyjes at third.
On March 22, the Highlanders beat host Healdsburg, 4-1. Ferreira had another strong start, going three shutout innings and allowing two hits. He walked one and went without a strikeout. Meyjes followed with two scoreless and hitless innings. He struck out three and walked one. Bishop allowed a run on two hits in an inning with two strikeouts and a walk and Delventhal finished it off with a 1-2-3 seventh, striking out two.
Piedmont put up a picket fence with single runs in the third, fourth and fifth. The Greyhounds got their run in the sixth and the Highlanders answered with a run in the top of the seventh. Mittone hit a one-out single in the third. With two outs, Delventhal singled and Lagios followed with the run-scoring single. Meyjes hit a two-out double in the fourth and scored on an error. Jonah Cha-Foster and Delventhal drew back-to-back walks to lead off the fifth. Dando later singled in Cha-Foster.
Nova Perrill singled in Xander Harms for Healdsburg in the sixth. Dicke drew a bases-loaded walk in the seventh to get the run back. Harms was 2-for-3.
Piedmont (6-2) next has a home-and-home with West Alameda County Conference Foothill division rival Encinal. The Jets will host on March 26 with the Highlanders hosting on March 28.