The Piedmont High School baseball team was swept in a home-and-home series against West Alameda County Conference Foothill division rival Bishop O’Dowd.
The Highlanders lost at home in 11 innings on April 15, 3-2, then fell in the rematch at Bishop O’Dowd on April 17, 1-0.
Piedmont is now 8-10-2 on the year.
On April 15, Charlie Sellman singled in Marco Cecchin in the 11th for the go-ahead run. Dimitri Williams retired the side in order in the bottom of the inning to nail down the win. Williams went four innings, striking out nine and retiring all 12 batters he faced to earn the victory.
The Highlanders got two runs in the bottom of the sixth to take a 2-1 lead. The inning started with a walk and two singles to load the bases. After tying the score, Piedmont went ahead when Jack Meyjes grounded out to score Lucas Delventhal.
Bishop O’Dowd tied the score in the seventh on a sacrifice fly by Lucas Partrite.
Dragons pitching was strong all game. Luca Fazio went the first five, allowing a hit and a walk but no runs with four strikeouts. Ollie Makeig went the next two, allowing the two runs on three hits and three walks.
George Bishop took the loss for the Highlanders, going the final 4 2/3 innings, allowing a run on four hits with five strikeouts and two walks. Ben Sorensen went the first six, allowing an unearned run on five hits with four strikeouts and three walks. Jonah Cha-Foster went 1/3 of an inning, allowing a run on two hits.
Delventhal, Cha-Foster, Bishop, and Massimo Mittone had singles for Piedmont.
Cecchin was three for five with two runs scored for Bishop O’Dowd. Sellman was two for three with an RBI and a run scored. Luke Peters was two for five.
In the rematch two days later, the Highlanders allowed just one hit. However, the Dragons were one better, throwing a combined no-hitter in the victory. Riley Stewart had the only hit of the game, an infield single leading off the bottom of the fourth. But it had nothing to do with the game’s only run.
That came in the fifth. A leadoff walk by the catcher Cecchin followed by a ground out and a wild pitch put courtesy runner Keenan Entrekin on third. Peters eventually brought him home on a ground out.
Piedmont had runners on base in four innings and its best chance came in the sixth when it loaded the bases with one out on two walks and a hit by pitch. Sellman struck out Sorensen and got Aidan Bell to ground out to get out of the jam.
Tucker Eddy went the first five for Bishop O’Dowd, getting the win while allowing three walks and striking out eight. Selman went an inning, striking out two and walking two. Williams got the save, retiring the side in order in the seventh with two strikeouts.
Meyjes was the hard-luck loser, allowing the run and the hit in five innings, striking out four and walking four. Mittone went the sixth, walking one and striking out one.
Piedmont has a home-and-home with Alameda, hosting the Hornets on April 22, and playing at Alameda on April 24.