Livermore was not the best softball team in the East Bay Athletic League this year.
The No. 18 Cowboys navigated an up-and-down campaign that included five losses in league play and a fourth-place finish in the EBAL. Solid, to be sure, but not the resume of an elite team.
But all that goes out the window in the postseason. Livermore is the champion of the EBAL tournament after knocking off league leader Carondelet and No. 12 California in quick succession, culminating with a 7-4 win over California on Thursday to clinch the league crown.
Livermore (23-11) took control of the game in the top of the third inning with a quartet of runs, then doubled down with three more in the fifth to go up 7-1. The Cowboys gave up a run per inning in each ensuing frame, but they had more than enough cushion to sustain their lead.
Livermore got contributions from up and down the lineup in the big win. Pinch-hit eighth-place hitter Payten Williams roped a three-run homer to left in the fifth inning, giving the Cowboys some breathing room.
Kerigan Coates drove in two runs in the leadoff spot, while Laine McCosky and Kymber Dao also added RBIs.
Kaci Norton pitched a complete game for Livermore, finishing with two walks, five strikeouts, four earned runs and seven hits allowed.
Both teams will now await their fate in the North Coast Section playoffs. Seeding for the NCS brackets will be released on Sunday.
No. 2 Willow Glen 10, No. 11 Gilroy 0
Willow Glen finished off a perfect 26-0 regular season with a walk-off run-rule win over Gilroy on Thursday night.
This the first time in the MaxPreps era (since 2004) that the Rams have completed an undefeated regular season. In doing so, they also finished off a perfect 14-0 league slate, winning the Blossom Valley Athletic League’s Mt. Hamilton Division by three games over Gilroy (18-7, 11-3).
Senior Haley Ocumen led the charge for Willow Glen offensively, driving in and scoring three runs each with a double, triple and home run. Senior Sienna Wilson also doubled, drove in and scored a run, and Maia Mendoza, Catalina Medina, Katelynn Dilbeck, Bella Medina and Lea Crawford added RBIs for the Rams.
Alanna Clincy did her usual stellar work in the circle, pitching 5 1/3 innings of scoreless ball with just two hits allowed.
Willow Glen now awaits its fate in the Central Coast Section championships. The Rams will likely be the No. 2 seed in the Division I field behind St. Francis.
Seedings and full brackets will be released on Monday.
Lacrosse
NCS championships
Girls
Division II
No. 4 College Park 8, No. 6 Piedmont 7
College Park made history, capturing its first NCS title with a win over Piedmont at home.
Gillian Rose and Brady Lyons each had two goals for College Park. Alyssa Hennefer, Cheyenne Ruperto and Avila Jopes each recorded a goal in the win.
Friedie Schickedanz and Peyton Watson scored three goals a piece in the loss.
College Park finished the season 16-6 and won the Diablo Athletic League Valley Division crown.
– Nathan Canilao
Boys
Division I
No. 2 Marin Catholic 13, No. 1 Monte Vista 6
The North Bay school reigned supreme in this matchup in Danville. It is MC’s second straight Division I title. Monte Vista finishes the year with a record of 19-3.
Division II
No. 1 University-San Francisco 7, No. 3 Amador Valley 4
University edged out Amador for the D-II title in the City. AV finishes its season with a record of 14-8.
Boys volleyball
NCS championships
Division I
No. 1 Northgate 3, No. 3 Amador Valley 1
Northgate finally dropped a set, but the Broncos’ breezy run to the NCS Division I title was completed with little drama nonetheless. Nathan Canilao was in Walnut Creek and has the full story here.
Division II
No. 2 International-San Francisco 3, No. 5 Redwood 1
The higher seed had to work for it (25-20, 17-25, 25-20, 27-25), but International took care of business in the City to win the D-II crown.
Division III
No. 6 Washington-Fremont 3, No. 5 Albany 2
Washington won its first NCS title with a 3-2 win over Albany. The Huskies topped No. 3 Clayton Valley and No. 2 St. Joseph Notre Dame en route to winning Thursday’s Division III crown. Washington is 13-10 and will await its NorCal seeding.
Division IV
No. 2 Berean Christian 3, No. 12 Benicia 0
If you showed up at the end of the third set, you’d have a hard time believing this was a close match. Yet Berean and Benicia battled in the first two sets, with Berean escaping with wins of 25-23 and 26-24.
The Eagles dug their talons in during the third set, though, and won 25-13. Berean is 15-9 and will continue its season with the NorCal regionals.
CCS semifinals
Open
No. 6 St. Francis 3, No. 7 Los Gatos 0
St. Francis swept its way to the Open final (25-20, 25-21, 25-22), taking care of business in each set despite dominating none.
No. 1 Archbishop Mitty 3, No. 4 Harker 2
It will be an all-West Catholic Athletic League battle for the Open championship held at Harker. The Eagles gave it a good ride in their pursuit of a home game and pushed Mitty to the brink on the Monarchs’ home floor, but they ultimately lost 20-25, 25-17, 24-26, 25-22, 15-12. Mitty will host St. Francis in the Open title game at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday in San Jose.
Division I
No. 3 Leigh 3, No. 7 Carlmont 0
Leigh handled Carlmont in workmanlike fashion, beating the Scots 25-19, 25-23, 25-22 as they came off a 3-1 upset of No. 2 Menlo-Atherton in the quarterfinals.
No. 1 Branham 3, No. 5 Lynbrook 0
The Longhorns’ reward is a date with Blossom Valley Athletic League foe Branham, which has not dropped a set in the tournament. The Bruins took care of Lynbrook in breezy fashion, winning 25-16, 25-16, 25-13. The two BVAL squads will square off at noon on Saturday at Harker.
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Division II
No. 2 Harbor 3, No. 3 Monterey 1
A rare chalk semifinal went the way of the higher-seeded team in this battle of two coastal schools. Harbor won 25-18, 25-20, 23-25, 25-21.
No. 4 Monta Vista 3, No. 1 Sacred Heart Cathedral 2
The other semi did not go chalk, unless some of the participants needed some to dry out their hands. A titanic 13-25, 25-20, 25-23, 18-25, 17-15 heavyweight bout went the way of the visitors to the City. Monta Vista will enjoy a much shorter trip to San Jose to face Harbor at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday.
Baseball
Menlo School 10, Aragon 2
Menlo finished off a strong regular season on Thursday, securing the Peninsula Athletic League Ocean Division championship outright and sweeping Aragon in the process.
The Knights rattled off 13 consecutive wins after a loss to San Mateo. They enter the postseason with an automatic CCS bid and an 18-8 overall record. It is Menlo’s first league title since 2019.
In the home game against the Dons, the Knights racked up 12 hits. Freshman Liam Widner had a pair of knocks, three RBIs and scored twice. Zach Roeder, also a freshman, had two hits and two RBIs, while senior Kc Chavinson had two hits and an RBI in the cleanup spot.
Freshman right-hander Reid Plamondon threw six shutout innings, walking two batters and striking out four.