Prep roundup: Elliott Webb leads Clayton Valley to dominant win over Alhambra in league opener

CONCORD — In a field of teams as tough as the Diablo Athletic League Foothill Division, sometimes all it takes is a special performance from an elite player to win a game. 

Clayton Valley got that from Elliott Webb on Tuesday. 

The senior pitched five scoreless innings, striking out five and giving up just three hits to lead Clayton Valley to 6-1 win over Alhambra in its league opener at home. Webb also 2 for 2 with a double and a run scored in a dominant win. 

“To have somebody go out and really attack the zone and be somebody that’s a lot of fun to play defense behind, it keeps everyone in the game,” Clayton Valley coach Jesse Medrano said. “To have his success with the bat as well is an added bonus. Elliott is a heck of a guy to have around the clubhouse, and he did a great job of keeping the team engaged.” 

Clayton Valley, ranked fifteenth in the latest Bay Area News Group rankings, snapped its two-game skid with the win. The Ugly Eagles started the season with 12 straight wins before dropping two games last week. 

“We wanted to score early and try to bury them,” Webb said. “While I was on the mound, I wanted to keep them off the bases and hold them to zero.”

The Ugly Eagles got out to a slow start, but found their groove in the third inning. Webb started the inning with a lead-off double and then scored when junior Vince Della Santina hit a single on a line drive to center field. 

After scoring another run in the fourth, Clayton Valley blew the game open in the fifth inning. 

Mateo Perez’s sacrifice fly to center field scored Josiah Morris. Two batters later, Jack Campbell was walked with the bases loaded, bringing Fabian Gomez across home plate to make the score 4-0. 

Despite having just five hits on the day, Alhambra had a chance to get within striking distance late. 

The Bulldogs opened the sixth inning loading the bases after Shane Cowperthwaite was walked on five pitches. Though sophomore Ismael Rivera Parra scored in the next at-bat, it came on a double play that sapped Alhambra’s momentum to make a comeback.

“We could have done a lot better,” Alhambra coach Gabriel Sahagun said. “We could have hit a lot better and we could have had better situational awareness.” 

Clayton Valley shut the door on Alhambra in the next inning, scoring twice more to take a five-run lead. 

The two teams will finish off the two-game series in Martinez on Thursday. Arizona commit Cameron Millar, who has yet to give up an earned run this season, could get the start for Alhambra in Game 2 on Thursday, according to Sahagun. 

Local teams shine at Boras Classic North tournament

Several of the Bay Area’s top teams traveled to Sacramento on Monday to play in the Boras Classic North – one of the premier baseball tournaments in the state. 

St. Ignatius has been dominant through the first two rounds, defeating Oak Ridge 8-4 and Benicia 7-2. The Wildcats will play the winner of the Archbishop Mitty-St. Mary’s-Stockton in the tournament semifinals tomorrow. 

Serra – the top team in the Bay Area News Group rankings – won its first round game against Pleasant Grove on Monday, but were blanked 6-0 by Rocklin on Tuesday. 

In its first round game against Franklin, De La Salle erased a three-run deficit to win 6-4. The Spartans then fell to Whitney 3-2 in the second round. 

No. 6 Pittsburg 3, Freedom 1 

Pittsburg opened Bay Valley Athletic League play with a gritty win over Freedom. 

Senior pitcher Diego Deluna gave up an earned run while striking out seven and allowing four hits in a complete game performance. 

Pittsburg will continue the two-game series at home on Thursday. 

No. 9 Dublin 6, No. 19 Livermore 5

Dublin erased an early five-run Livermore lead and junior Kolby Breining hit the walk-off sacrifice fly in the ninth inning to lead Dublin to its fifth straight win. 

Livermore scored five runs in the second inning fueled by a bases-clearing RBI double from Hayden Maas. 

The Gaels responded with a three run third inning to cut the Livermore lead to two runs. 

Late in the game, Dublin capitalized on its opportunities. In the fifth, Matthew Phelps tied the game when Livermore committed an error. 

The game went into extra innings, but no team was able to get a runner across home plate until the ninth inning. 

Dublin junior Ryan Gonzalez opened the ninth with a triple, putting the Gaels in prime position to seal the win. And that’s exactly what Breining did with his sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Gonzalez to lead the Gaels to another crucial East Bay Athletic League victory. 

Dublin improved to 15-2, 4-2. Livermore dropped to 11-5, 3-2. 

Softball 

No. 9 Mills 10, Gunn 0

Mills blanked Gunn in five innings behind a no-hitter from junior Hailey Pedroza. 

Pedroza struck out five and walked a batter in five innings of work. All nine players in the Vikings’ lineup recorded a hit and sophomores Lucy Esquivel and Jazzy Maske each totaled two RBIs. 

No. 15 San Ramon Valley 7, No. 12 Livermore 1 

San Ramon Valley sophomore Lila McLeod put on a pitching clinic, leading SRV to an EBAL win over Livermore at home. 

McLeod struck out five and allowed just three hits and no earned runs across seven innings in a dominant win. SRV junior Kayden West was 2 for 3 and knocked in a run in the win. 

The Wolves moved to 9-6-2, 3-3 and will travel to Monte Vista on Wednesday. Livermore dropped to 12-5, 4-2 and will play Amador Valley on the road on Friday. 

The King’s Academy 3, Hillsdale 0

The King’s Academy blanked Hillsdale and remained in a tie for first place with Woodside in the Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division with a dominant 3-0 victory. 

Junior pitcher Katia Nesper threw a two-hitter and struck out 16 batters in the win.