Markos Lagios went 3-for-5 including a three-run home run to lead Piedmont High School’s baseball team to a 15-7 win over visiting Hayward on March 14.
The Highlanders have now won their first five games of the season.
Lagios’s home run came in the bottom of the third inning and gave Piedmont a 10-5 lead. That opened what had been a close game to that point.
“I just got a swing early in the count,” Lagios said. “That’s what I was thinking. Batting leadoff, I’m trying to get deeper in the count. But at the same time, I’m trying to hit the ball, too. If it’s there, I’m going to take a hack. It was a fastball, left it right over the plate.”
Jack Meyjes started the game on the mound for the Highlanders and was touched for three runs in the top of the first. With two on and two out, Isaac Hunter singled in one run. Meyjes hit Adrian Rodriguez with a pitch to load the bases and Diego Delventhal then committed an error which let in two more runs.
In the bottom of the inning, consecutive run-scoring singles by Will Parker, Dimitri Papahadjopoulos, Shafer Dando, and Brandon Dicke gave Piedmont the lead.
In the second, two singles and a walk loaded the bases for the Farmers, Meyjes then walked in the tying run and was done on the mound. Sammy Ragones came in and although he did hit Rodriguez to force in another run, he settled the situation down. Ragones went three innings, allowed one run on two hits, striking out five and walking two. He ended up with the win.
The Highlanders came back to take control with a six-run third inning. Parker and Papahadjopoulos opened the inning with back-to-back doubles to tie the score. Dando singled in Papahadjopoulos to put Piedmont up for good and after an errant pickoff throw by Hayward pitcher Fernando Ramos, Dicke singled in Dando and it was 7-5.
Jordan Vo doubled and one out later, Lagios capped the inning with a three-run homer to left.
The Highlanders had a four-run fourth to all but put the game away.
Dando finished 3-for-3 with four RBIs and two runs scored. Papahadjopoulos went 3-for-3 with three runs scored and two RBIs. Dicke was 3-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs. Parker went 2-for-3 with three runs and an RBI. Vo was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a run. Delventhal went 2-for-5 with a run scored.
Hunter and Jakye Smith each went 1-for-4 with an RBI for Hayward.
Delventhal pitched two scoreless innings with a pair of strikeouts to finish things up for Piedmont. Ramos was charged with eight earned runs on 11 hits in two-plus innings to take the loss.
On March 12, Piedmont defeated visiting St. Patrick-St. Vincent-Vallejo, 8-6. Papahadjopoulos went 2-for-2 with a home run, three runs scored and two RBIs. Dando went 3-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI. Ellis Moss started for the Highlanders and went 4 1/3 innings while allowing four earned runs on three hits. He struck out six and walked four. George Bishop came on and picked up the win, going two innings and allowing two earned runs on five hits with one strikeout and one walk.
Robert Caine took the loss, allowing four earned runs on four hits in four innings. He walked two and didn’t strike out a batter.
Piedmont led 4-2 entering the fifth but the Bruins chased Moss and tied the game. The Highlanders came right back with a four-run fifth. Parker doubled in a run to regain the lead and Papahadjopoulos followed with a two-run home run to left.
Piedmont was next scheduled to play at Archie Williams on March 15. The Highlanders will be at St. Joseph-Notre Dame on March 19.