The No. 7-seeded Mt. Madonna Hawks are back in the Central Coast Section Division II semifinals for the first time since 2013 after Thursday night’s 19-25, 25-23, 21-25, 25-18, 25-11 win over No. 2 Branham High.
Mt. Madonna (18-12) will play the two-time CCS D-II defending champion Saratoga High on Saturday at 3 p.m. at St. Francis High in Mountain View for the right to advance to the section final.
Brigg Busenhart had 21 kills, Luca Peruzzi added 12 kills and Jordan Willis had a huge game with 11 kills and six blocks from the middle. Zac Wagner made 58 assists.
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HS BASEBALL
• MVC 8, Monterey 4 – The Monte Vista Christian Mustangs secured the Monterey Bay League Gabilan division’s final playoff spot with an 8-4 win over Monterey High on Thursday night in Monterey.
Jackson Collins was 2-for-3 with a home run, four RBIs and two scored runs for the Mustangs (11-12, 7-11), who will find out where and who they will play over the weekend at the Central Coast Section’s seeding meeting.
Lucas Schmidt was 3-for-4 with an RBI and a scored run. Cody Paresa was 2-for-4 with two scored runs, while Jacob Beardsley and Matthew Sanders both went 2-for-4 and scored a run.
Tyler Clark picked up the win after 6 2/3 innings. He allowed six hits, no earned runs and four walks while striking out three.
• St. Francis 14, NMC 2 – Chase Watkins and Ruben Ibarra each hit a home run and combined to drive in seven runs in the St. Francis High Sharks’ 14-2 non-league win over North Monterey County High on Thursday.
Watkins was 2-for-3 with a double and three scored runs to go along with his four RBIs and homer. Ibarra went 1-for-2 with his home run, three scored runs and three RBIs. Brandon Moakler and Richie Martinez also doubled for the Sharks.
Joseph Kovacs went five innings for the win. He allowed seven hits, two earned runs and a walk.
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HS SOFTBALL
• Watsonville 11, North Salinas 1 – The Watsonville High Wildcatz finished second in the Monterey Bay League Gabilan division with an 11-1 win over North Salinas High on Thursday in Salinas.
Savanah Quintana was 4-for-4 with a double, a pair of triples, three RBIs and three scored runs. Julian Wilson went 2-for-3 with a double, two RBIs and two scored runs. Jazmyn Martinez, Nicole Wilson and Angelina Heredia doubled and Zaira Pena tripled.
Jessica Rodriguez went the distance for the win. She held the Vikings to just three hits and struck out 13 batters.
Watsonville finishes the season with at 20-4 overall and 8-4 in league play. The Wildcatz will find out who and where they will play in the upcoming Central Coast Section playoffs during this weekend’s seeding meeting.
