APTOS—Watsonville High freshman Cameron Llamas sprinted her way to home plate for the go-ahead run that helped lift the Wildcatz past Aptos High in an extra-inning thriller on Saturday.
The Wildcatz edged the Mariners, 8-7, in eight innings to close out their season in Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League play on May 22.
Seniors Anastacia Alba, Tea Villalta and Maliyah Sandin along with juniors Marissa Martinez and Rylee Gomez all managed multiple hits for Watsonville (16-1), which racked up a total of 14 hits on Saturday.
Martinez batted 2-for-3 with two home runs, four RBIs and two runs scored. Alba batted 3-for-4 with a home run, an RBI and two runs scored.
Martinez and Alba got things started in the first with back-to-back home runs that gave them a 3-0 lead.
In the third, Martinez hit a two-run blast on a 1-0 count; while Alba had a base hit RBI that gave them back the lead at 6-4.
Aptos took its first and only lead of the game, 4-3, after Dejanae Soria hit a triple that drove in two runs in the first inning.
Ada Neu hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh that tied the game at 7-all. The Mariners tallied two home runs, including a blast from Charlotte Ramirez in the fifth inning.
Neu threw for eight innings, allowing seven runs on 14 hits and striking out six. The Mariners’ defense was solid and did not commit an error.
At Saint Francis 11, Watsonville 8: Alicia Mendez nearly hit for the cycle for the Sharks in a win against the Wildcatz in SCCAL play on May 20.
The junior pitcher hit a single in the first, a double in the third and sixth and a clutch home run in the fifth. She batted 4-for-4 and is now hitting .667 on the season.
With the win, St. Francis snapped Watsonville’s 15-game winning streak and the chance of an unbeaten regular season.
The Sharks trailed 6-5 in the bottom of the fifth inning when Mendez hit a three-run shot on a 1-1 count. She also pitched a complete game, striking out five batters and giving up no walks.
St. Francis junior Mariah Montalvo had a home run and three RBIs. Mendez, junior Aaliyah Gomez and freshman Breanna Padilla each had multiple hits for St. Francis (10-3), which plays Monte Vista Christian on Tuesday at 4:30pm.
Boys basketball
At Aptos 60, St. Francis 27: Cameron Saldana scored a game-high 15 points for the Mariners in a win against the Sharks in SCCAL play on May 20.
Anwar Ayyad added 13 points, followed by Jojoe Moreno with 12, Kelly McGinn with six and Hassan Ayyad with four points. The Mariners played at Soquel in the SCCAL “A” Division postseason tournament on Monday.
St. Francis sophomore Diego Rameriz scored seven points. Nathaniel Madrigal and Josh Hernandez each had five points; while Christian Magana scored four points for the Sharks, who finished the season 0-13.
MVC 49, St. Francis 35: The Sharks lost against the Mustangs in SCCAL play on May 19.
Joseph Rose, a freshman, and Diego Rameriz each scored a team-high eight points for St. Francis.
Sharks senior Davin Avila contributed six points, sophomore Christian Magana finished with four and senior Ruben Castaneda finished with three points.
Girls basketball
Aptos 42, Scotts Valley 33: Jasmine Ackerman notched a double-double for the Mariners in a win against the Falcons in SCCAL play on May 21. The junior forward finished with a game-high 17 points and 10 rebounds.
Aptos juniors Jaylen Dang, Erin Schmidt and freshman Laurel Southall each contributed six points for the Mariners, who host Soquel in the SCCAL “A” Division postseason tournament today at 5pm.
Soquel 36, at Watsonville 34: Xitlali Montesino scored a team-high 14 points for the Wildcatz in a loss against the Knights in SCCAL play on Friday. The sophomore guard also had eight rebounds and four assists.
Kaylani Trout-Lacy added nine points and 20 rebounds for Watsonville, which came short of a come-from-behind victory after being down by as many as 18 points.
At Scotts Valley 53, MVC 48: Mackenzie Tellez, a junior, scored a team-high 18 points for the Mustangs in a loss against the Falcons in SCCAL play on May 20.
MVC junior guard Paloma Ramirez contributed 16 points and sophomore forward Sophia Tellez finished with 12 points.
At Aptos 51, Watsonville 34: Jasmine Ackerman scored a game-high 22 points and racked up 11 rebounds for the Mariners in a win against the Wildcatz in SCCAL play on May 20.
Jaylen Dang, a junior, contributed 17 points and six rebounds for Aptos.
Watsonville sophomore Xitlali Montesino had 11 points and six rebounds. Lucynell Rosales and Daisy Ortiz each contributed six points for the Wildcatz.
At Watsonville 45, MVC 38: Xitlali Montesino scored a game-high 15 points for the Wildcatz in a win against the Mustangs in SCCAL play on May 18.
Watsonville sophomore Kaylani Trout-Lacy recorded her fourth double-double of the season with 14 points and 23 rebounds.
Mackenzie Tellez scored a team-high 13 points for the Mustangs
MVC junior Paloma Ramirez contributed 12 points. Marissa Cortes, a junior, was injured during the game and will be out for the rest of the season.
Soquel 40, Aptos 35: Jaylen Dang, a junior, scored a team-high 13 points for the Mariners in a loss against the Knights in SCCAL play on May 18.
Aptos senior Mikayla Garcia contributed 10 points; while juniors Jasmine Ackerman and Grace Parry each finished with four points.
Boys golf
At Aptos 213, St. Francis 298: Nick Gavasse shot a season-best for the Mariners in a win against the Sharks in SCCAL play on May 17.
He finished 1 over par 35 to take home medalist honors at the Seascape Golf Club in Aptos.
Aptos’ Vito Riccabona shot 42, followed by Cody Gavasse (43), Ben Cox (45) and Coleman Beech (47).
Diego Gomez shot 55 for the Sharks, followed by Nico Schnack (60), Wyatt Galster (60), Reilly Moakler (61) and Nate Bagchee (62).
The Mariners finished the regular season 6-0 and they will compete in the SCCAL finals on Tuesday at 3pm.
Boys soccer
Pajaro Valley 4, Watsonville 2: Kevin Rincon, a senior, scored a game-high three goals for the Grizzlies in a win against the Wildcatz in SCCAL action on May 19.
Alan Bedolla, a senior, contributed a goal for PV, which beat Watsonville for the first time since 2013. The Grizzlies finished the regular season with a 13-0-0 record.
