Roundup: St. Joseph softball dominant in opener; SJHS, PVHS golf teams keep rolling

Mar. 24—St. Joseph's softball team started its 2021 season with a dominant win over Santa Ynez.

The Knights won 24-0 in the season opener as they knocked out 22 hits and held the Pirates to just three with the pitching of Brianna Munoz and Charli Ray Escobedo.

Munoz struck out seven over four innings. Escobedo pitched the fifth and final inning of the run-rule shortened game.

Munoz went 4-for-5 at the plate with three runs and nine RBIs. Dylan Prandini finished 4-for-4 with five runs scored and two RBIs.

Lizette Carlos had three RBIs as Shianne Gooley and Jaylee Cantu drove in two runs apiece.

Desirae Marroquin went 3-for-3 with three runs and an RBI.

The Knights are slated to play at Arroyo Grande in another non-league game on Wednesday.

Baseball

Santa Maria 8, San Luis Obispo 5

Two games against Mountain League teams, two wins for the Santa Maria Saints.

Santa Maria defeated San Luis Obispo in a non-league game at home Tuesday.

That moved the Saints to 2-0 on the season following last Saturday's 6-2 win at St. Joseph.

The Saints can get another win against a Mountain League team on Saturday: They play at Righetti at 11 a.m. then. Righetti is set to play at Pioneer Valley Wednesday at 4:30 p.m.

Julien Sepulveda had three hits to get 3/4 of a cycle: he had a single, a double and a triple. Brayan Nunez also notched three hits for the Saints. Raymond Rodriguez had two.

Joey Saucedo was the starting pitcher. He gave up four runs over two innings before Ricky Figueroa came in and went five innings and only gave up one run.

Figueroa also earned the win Saturday against St. Joseph.

Arroyo Grande 7, Santa Barbara 6

Arroyo Grande moved to 2-0 with a win over the Dons Tuesday. A.G. started the season with a 10-3 win over Mission Prep.

Now an intriguing non-league game on deck: Arroyo Grande plays at unbeaten Morro Bay (2-0) on Wednesday.

Girls golf

St. Joseph 249, Orcutt Academy 295

Freshman Annie Heybl had another stellar outing for the Knights, earning medalist honors with a score of 47.

The Knights are undefeated on the season.

Bella Aldridge wasn't too far behind Heybl, shooting a 48 at the Santa Maria Country Club. Lita Mahoney followed with a 49 and Sophia Cordova shot a 51 and Macie Taylor carded a 54.

For the Spartans, Danica Black had a stellar day, shooting a 48. The other scorers for Orcutt Academy were Luna Sahagan (55), Lauren McClung (57), Debbie Sawyer (66) and Vivian Meyer (67).

Pioneer Valley 289, Santa Maria 328

Carmen Guerrero earned medalist honors for the Panthers with a solid score of 48 at the Santa Maria Country Club.

The other top scorers for the Panthers were Clarissa Novela (51), Marissa Dollinger (57), Breanna Villalobos (65) and Meghan Contreras (68).

Vivecca Baray, a senior, led the Saints with a 59. Phoebe Becerra shot a 61, while the other Saints scorers were Sofia Regalado (63), Yuridia Ramos (72) and Natalie Gonzales (73).

The match was played on holes 7 through 15 as the Knights and Spartans were holding their dual at the same time.

"Carmen has been playing very well and consistent lately," coach Marcus Guzman said of Guerrero. "She has been medalist three out of our last four matches. She also recorded her first career birdie on the 14th hole. Clarissa has also been leading the way for us with her consistent play and leadership. We currently sit in second place alone in league."

The Panthers' next match will their senior day against Santa Maria on Blacklake's Canyons course Thursday.

Tennis

St. Joseph falls 5-4

Atascadero beat St. Joseph Tuesday in girls tennis.

MJ Lundberg won for the Knights, 6-0, 6-1. Shianne Gooley won 6-2, 6-2, Marlee Hernandez 7-6 (5), 6-4 and in doubles Lundberg and Gooley won 6-0 and 6-1.

Santa Ynez teams win

In the first matches for the teams in more than a year, the Santa Ynez boys and girls teams beat their Lompoc counterparts 18-0.

The boys match was a non-league match. The girls match was a scrimmage.

In the boys match, the Pirates' No. 1 doubles team of Micah Thomas and Charlie Hoose swept three sets, 6-0, 6-0, 6-0.

Santa Ynez singles players Noah Thompson, Luke Lockhart and Josh Kazali lost a combined 13 games. Thompson swept his matches 6-1, 6-1, 6-1.

In the girls scrimmage, Emmy Withrow swept three sets without losing a game. Santa Ynez's singles players lost one game between them.

Jazz Feeley won both her sets without dropping a game. Morea Noretto lost one game in a three-set sweep.

Men's basketball

Hancock splits with COS

In game one against the Giants, the Bulldogs trailed at the intermission, but an explosive second half with efficient play down the stretch led to a 64-60 victory on Friday.

Amari Stroud led all performers on the night after pouring in 19 points and grabbing 12 rebounds, marking his third double-double of the shortened season. He sunk eight shots on the night, three of which were from distance. Tasson Aubry-Thomas also notched an 18-rebound, 11-point double-double performance.

In game two on Saturday, COS bounced back at home, claiming a 78-63 victory in Visalia.

Ryan Cartaino's hot-hand led the fight for Hancock after his season-high performance of 20 points.

Hancock is set to return to action with another two-game series against Cerro Coso this week. The Bulldogs will hit the road on March 25 before returning home for a 5 p.m. tip-off on March 26.

Women's basketball

Hancock falls to COS

The Hancock women dropped a contest 55-52 at College of the Sequoias on Saturday.

Jayci Bayne and Alijah Paquet led a trio of double digit scorers for the AHC squad after pouring in 13 points apiece, while Aryana Gonzales added 12 points and seven rebounds to the mix. Danielle Morgan led the Bulldogs on the glass after nabbing 10 rebounds. She stuffed the stat sheet by also adding four points, three assists, two steals, and two blocks.

The Bulldogs will return to action on Thursday with a home contest vs. Taft. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. inside Joe White Memorial Gymnasium.

Santa Maria Babe Ruth sign-ups end Thursday

The final Santa Maria Babe Ruth late-bird sign-up date is set for Thursday from 6-8 p.m. at the Bases Loaded batting cages in the mall.

All new incoming players need to bring a copy of birth certificate and proof of residency.

Also, for anyone interested in managing/coaching, there are a couple positions open.

If you have any questions please call or text Brenda at (805) 354-3930.