Top Tier Jets, Hornets and SJND Squads Hit The Wall Against Peak Performing Opponents
Story and Photos By Ben Wiley, ANN Student Journalism Intern & Youth Writer
Across the island, Alameda, Encinal, and Saint Joseph Notre Dame (SJND) High Schools’ baseball and softball teams came up short this past week in their respective quest for North Coast Section (NCS) playoff glory.
Alameda High School (AHS) Hornets Softball Fights Hard To The End
The Hornets’ varsity softball team, captained by standout senior pitcher Jasmine Whorley (0.79 ERA), finished its 2024 schedule with an impressive 20-4 record. They went 5-2 in the West Alameda County Foothill League, tying Bishop O’Dowd High School for first place. Then, the fourth-seeded AHS team made it to the semifinals in the NCS Division Two tournament.
In the first round, Whorley, freshman Mia Wong, and sophomore Leaira Robinson led the way in an 8-1 home victory over Rancho Cotate High School. Whorley continued shining in their 5-3, second-round triumph against O’Dowd, holding the Dragons to three runs across ten tightly-contested innings.
Unfortunately, the Hornets could not scale the summit in the semifinals as number one seed Casa Grande High School ended their season for the second straight year.
The 3-1 victory marked the hosts’ 24th straight win at their home field in Petaluma. The Hornets, who entered the May 21 game on a five-game winning streak, had no answer for Casa Grande’s dominant junior pitcher Lila Partridge. The University of Kansas commit pitched the entire game, only allowing one run and striking out seven.
Cardinal Newman Ends Two Alameda Squads’ Seasons
Both the AHS baseball team and Encinal High softball team’s seasons ended in the wake of defeats by the Cardinal Newman High School Cardinals (Santa Rosa).
Thanks to a nice mix of impact upperclassmen (seniors Cole Aney and Max Cohen) and newcomers (freshman Archie Schullstrom and Jaden Noonan), Hornets’ baseball had a 17-10 season with a fourth-place (5-5) league finish. The team peaked at the end of the regular season, winning the league postseason tournament. They took that momentum into NCS action with Cohen leading the way in his team’s opening-round 11-6 victory over Maria Carrillo High School (Santa Rosa).
However, the Hornets could not eliminate two straight Santa Rosa schools as number-one seed Cardinal Newman, unbeaten in their league, ended Alameda’s season and four-game winning streak with a 3-0 victory on May 18.
The Cardinals were not done picking off Alameda opponents. On May 22, the perennial athletic powerhouse ended Encinal softball’s bid to return to the NCS title game for a second-straight year in a tightly-contested back-and-forth semifinal game between the two and three seeds in the NCS Division Three softball bracket.
This game lived up to the hype as both teams were chock-full of talent, each having won over 20 games in the regular season. The host Jets sought to continue a strong season, which included regular- and post-season league titles; yet they ran into a squad that arguably gave them their toughest battle.
Newman won their 11th straight game, pulling off the 6-to-4 upset in a seesaw game with momentum constantly flipping from one dugout to the next. Encinal’s junior second baseman Jazzy Alcantar hit a two-run home run in the third inning to knot the game at 3.
An inning later, Jets sophomore first baseman Emiko Takemoto smashed a homerun to complete her team’s comeback from behind (3-1) to take a 4-3 lead. After that, Jets head coach Maureen Layag changed pitchers, replacing sophomore Cameron Tran with senior Celeste Hurtubise to nail down the victory for the last three innings.
Newman took advantage as they collected numerous hits off the new Jets’ pitcher to take a 6-4 lead that they held onto until the end of the game, getting revenge for Encinal defeating them earlier this year. The Cardinals’ elite junior pitcher Callie Howard racked up 12 strikeouts and seemed to get better on the mound as the game progressed, especially once her team took the lead. In the bottom of the seventh, the hosts had one final chance with the tying run at the plate, but seniors Lola Whalen and Hurtubise hit into outs to end their team’s last-chance rally attempt.
Following the game, Layag commented on her takeaways from the contest and complemented Howard, who the Jets did not face when they played the Cardinals in February.
“They hit more, they made fewer errors, that is what wins games. Howard is outstanding. She has many strikeouts in her arsenal and it was tough hitting her…They were a better team today and got the win,” Layag said.
However, she also noted that it has been “an amazing two years for Encinal softball.”
Now the focus turns toward the future. Encinal has multiple key players returning but may face challenges replacing Whalen and Hurtubise, who have had a massive impact on the program.
Sticking with Encinal, the school’s baseball team finished their 2024 season with a 20-8 record, finishing in first place in the league with a perfect 10-0 record. Like the softball team, the boys made it to the NCS semifinal round before falling short in a blowout loss at San Marin High School (Novato), ending the Jets’ stellar 12-game winning streak.
Sophomore shortstop Evan Furuichi put together an excellent season, leading his team in numerous statistical categories, and with two years left he can get even better. He may be counted on even more next year as the Jets stand to lose senior leaders Angus Olaes and Leo Paredes to graduation. Although both the Jets’ baseball and softball teams came up short of glory, the players and the school should be proud of each team’s impressive performance this Spring.
SJND Also Falls Short
SJND baseball had a down season compared to past years with an overall record of 11-13; however, they did well in league competition with an 8-4 mark. Earning the eighth seed in the NCS Division four tournament, the Pilots’ run did not last long as the ninth seed Healdsburg High School eliminated them on May 18 by a 2-1 score. Junior Robbie Fintland performed well all season for the Pilots, finishing with a .485 batting average and three hits in four at-bats in his team’s final game.
The Pilots’ softball team also went one and done in NCS, losing 3-2 to Salesian College Preparatory after both teams had a first-round bye. They went 14-4 overall and 11-2 in the league to finish in a three-way tie for first place. Sophomore Cassandra Sanchez and junior Lexi Roben were two of the squad’s most impactful players throughout this season
All these teams made Alameda proud and left it all on the field. They have all completed solid seasons and feature several underclassmen who are set to take on bigger, more prominent roles next year as each team looks to carry over and build on this year’s success.