The San Marin High softball team battled into the eighth inning before Cardinal Newman walked off with a 2-1 win in the North Coast Section Division III quarterfinals on Friday.
Izzie Kunimune hit a leadoff home run in the eighth inning to secure a hard-fought victory for the third-seeded Cardinals (22-5).
San Marin (14-11), the No. 6 seed, took a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning. Leah Cronin started the inning with a single then Savannah Reynolds drew a one-out walk. Cronin scored on an error by Cardinal Newman’s second baseman during a pickoff attempt.
San Marin starting pitcher Taylor Testa protected that 1-0 lead until the bottom of the sixth inning when her counterpart, Callie Howard, tied the game with an RBI single.
The Mustangs came close to scoring in the top of the eighth when Lauren Fong hit a two-out triple — just San Marin’s third hit of the game. Howard, who had 11 strikeouts, induced a pop out to get out of the inning.
The Branson School got off to an ideal start scoring four times in the top of the first inning en route to a 5-1 win against Bay School in the NCS D-V quarterfinals on Friday.
The No. 5 Bulls (10-15) advance to face No. 1 Berean Christian (20-6) at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill.
Mo Jacoby led off the game with a triple and scored on a sacrifice fly by Jackson Kayser. Thomas Lardner hit a two-run double for a 3-0 lead, scoring Cooper Tenney and Kaden Gustafson. Lardner came around to score on an error by Bay.
Jacoby had two of Branson’s four hits. Starting pitcher Wilson Wendt threw a complete game, allowing four hits and one unearned run while striking out five.
The 48th edition of the Marin Championships will take center stage June 4-9 thanks to support from the county’s dedicated tennis community. The deadline to register is Sunday.
The tournament is expected to draw players from throughout the nation who will be coming to Marin in hopes of earning points toward national rankings. The Marin Championships have been elevated to a Level 2 National event this year.
“The tournament has a rich history with Mill Valley Tennis Club being the host site,” says tournament director Chrissy Costamagna. “Belvedere Tennis Club has been added as a tournament site this year, which we are very excited about.”
Costamagna has led both the Branson School boys and girls tennis teams to MCAL and North Coast Section championships. She has been tournament director for the Marin Championships since 2015.
Other host clubs include The Club at Harbor Point and Scott Valley Swimming and Tennis Club, both in Mill Valley.
Competition will be held for men’s and women’s singles and doubles in the 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80 and 85 age groups along with mixed doubles. Players may enter more than one division as long as it’s in a lower age bracket. Prize money is offered in all divisions.
Terra Linda is looking to hire a girls varsity water polo coach for the fall 2024 season. Interested applicants should contact Terra Linda athletic director Steve Farbstein via email at sfarbstein@srcs.org.
