As Garrett Chaussard prepared to chip onto the 9th green on Thursday afternoon, 25 feet from the pin, caddy Tony Sciandri leaned in and said, “This has you written all over it.”

Sure enough, Chaussard finessed the “straight downhill” chip and the ball rolled right into the hole for a birdie on the 612-yard par 5.

The shot was an immediate hit.

“I got about 10 text messages and three voicemails,” Chaussard said of the moments after the birdie. “Apparently, ESPN picked that up.”

Unfortunately for Chaussard, his first round at the 108th U.S. Open in San Diego had few other glowing moments. Chaussard, a 2001 Serra High graduate, posted a 9-over-par 80 at Torrey Pines’ South Course, leading the third-year professional to say, “To be honest with you, I’m a little disappointed in myself.”

Fellow Serra alum Jordan Cox (class of 2006) also shot 80, leaving the ex-Padres 12 shots behind co-leaders Kevin Streelman and Justin Hicks and in danger of missing the cut.

Cox, an amateur, birdied the par-4 4th hole and was at 1-under through six holes. But then the Stanford sophomore saw his driver begin to betray him, and he fell victim to a string of four straight bogeys and then two double bogeys.

“I was getting greedy when I shouldn’t have been. I was missing big,” said Cox, who attributed the poor driving to a pair of “set-up related” problems he fixed on the driving range afterwards. “I just started spraying it all over the place.”

Upbeat after his range session, Cox said he was eager to test out his improvements on Friday. Asked what it would take to make the cut, Cox said: “I probably have to shoot pretty close to even par.”

“It’s really, really doable,” said Cox, adding that he expects the cutline to be in double digits, “shooting a good score, putting together a really good round.”

Chaussard, who, like Cox, is making his first appearance at a PGA Tour event, said he never found a consistent rhythm and was frustrated by his “loose iron shots.”

“If you don’t hit really good, precise shots, you’re not going to score well,” he added. “You can’t fake it around the U.S. Open. “It’s just set up too tough.”

Despite playing on the Canadian Tour in 2006 and the Gateway Tour last spring, Chaussard said the large galleries made his first round at the Open “a whole new atmosphere.

“There’s always a little bit of a commotion going on, no matter what you’re doing,” he said, “people moving around. It takes a little bit of your focus away.”

“The combination of it being all brand new … and the course being really, really tough,” Chaussard continued, “I guess it’s just human nature to react that way.”

After bogeying five consecutive holes on the back nine, Chaussard finished with three pars. He said he learned a lot about himself in the up-and-down day, and was optimistic his second round would be a lot better.

Assessing the potential cutline and the score he would need to post on Friday to extend his Open stay, Chaussard said: “70 probably wouldn’t get it done.”

“I need a little help from the leaders,” he added. “I need a little good fortune, and I have to go out and kind of make my own luck.”

BASEBALL RANKINGS
(last week’s ranking in parentheses; records through 5/10)

1. Serra (1) 25-6: Still has bad taste from ’07 CCS quarterfinal loss to Santa Teresa
2. Menlo School (2) 21-8: Deepest Menlo team yet has expectation of extended CCS Division III run
3. Carlmont (4) 19-11: CCS win at Mitty on Wed. would be a hallmark moment for all of PAL
4. Terra Nova (5) 18-12: Ace Broadway & balanced lineup big pluses, but Monterey is no pushover
5. Menlo-Atherton (8) 20-10: Met goal of hosting CCS game, but Santa Teresa is a semifinal veteran
6. Half Moon Bay (3) 17-10: May be underestimated by Live Oak program that has a rich tradition
7. Aragon (6) 15-15: Franquez-led Dons bring postseason savvy after close loss in ’07 opener
8. El Camino (9) 18-12: Recent 10-game win streak enough to garner PAL Ocean’s fourth CCS bid
9. Hillsdale (7) 24-5: Senior-laden team finally hopes to shed Lake label with spirited CCS run
10. Sacred Heart Prep (10) 22-8: Eager for CCS rematch w/ RLS squad that eliminated Gators last season

SOFTBALL RANKINGS
(last week’s ranking in parentheses; records through May 10)

1. Notre Dame (1) 19-8: Stunning 10-inning win at Mitty an all-time high for Tigers
2. Carlmont (3) 23-7: Hot-hitting Scots need 2 CCS wins to get shot at payback vs. San Benito
3. Half Moon Bay (2) 21-5-1: Shares PAL Bay title after loss to Carlmont; may face Notre Dame on Sat.
4. Burlingame (4) 18-10-1: Late 8-game win streak gives momentum, but mighty Presentation looms
5. Hillsdale (6) 5-21: Forfeits hurt, but Knights capped season w/ 1-0 win over rival Aragon
6. Aragon (5) 17-11-1: Winning CCS Division II opener would land huge test against Presentation
7. Capuchino (7) 12-13-1: Young Mustangs hope Bay lessons result in big improvement next season
8. Terra Nova (8) 22-3: PAL Ocean champs gun for postseason win to complete historic year
9. Mills (10) 10-14: Vikings lose pitcher Lewis, but much of lineup set to return for ’09 campaign
10. Sequoia (NR) 15-5: Saved best moment for final week; thrilled to down rival Woodside

FINAL SOFTBALL STATISTICS
PAL Bay Division

BATTING AVERAGE: Ayers (Carl.) .533; Quadt (Burl.) .490; Barron (HMB) .468; Cunningham (Carl.) .447; Breen (Burl.) .432; Holeton (HMB) .429; Anderson (Hills.) .395; Rice (Burl.) .372; Suko (Carl.) .367; Pacheco (HMB) .364.

HITS: 25. Quadt (Burl.); 24. Ayers (Carl.); 22. Barron (HMB); 21. Cunningham (Carl.), Holeton (HMB); 19. Breen (Burl.); 18. Suko (Carl.); 17. Anderson (Hills.), Hansen (Carl.); 16. Rice (Burl.), Pacheco (HMB).

RUNS: 17. Quadt (Burl.), Barron (HMB); 14. Daines (Carl.); 13. Hansen (Carl.); 12. Ayers (Carl.); 11. Cunningham (Carl.), Breen (Burl.), Holeton (HMB), Pacheco (HMB). 10. Suko (Carl.), Steele (Carl.).

HOME RUNS: 2. Breen (Burl.), Hansen (Carl.), Quadt (Burl.); 1. Anderson (Hills.), Ayers (Carl.), Bright (Mills), Cardoza (EC), Craviotto (Arag.), Daines (Carl.), Garcia (HMB), Gauci (Mills), Lopez (Cap.), Mackwiez (EC), Malaspina (Burl.), Richwood (Hills.).

TRIPLES: 4. Quadt (Burl.); 3. La. Handy (Hills.), Lucero (Cap.); 2. Barron (HMB), Borg (Arag.), Craviotto (Arag/), Hansen (Carl.), Rice (Burl.), Steele (Carl.).

DOUBLES: 7. DePillo (HMB); 5. Breen (Burl.), Holeton (HMB), Lucero (Cap.), Ynostroza (Mills); 4. Ayers (Carl.), Craviotto (Arag.); 3. Barron (HMB), Cardoza (EC), Cunningham (Carl.), Grelli (Arag.), Hansen (Carl.), Richwood (Hills.), Steele (Carl.), Suko (Carl.), Sweitzer (Arag.); 2. Anderson (Hills.), Daines (Carl.), Haag (Carl.), Hahn (EC), Jones (Cap.), Pacheco (HMB), Sena (HMB).

RBIs: 14. Pacheco (HMB); 13. Hansen (Carl.); 12. Breen (Burl.), Craviotto (Arag.), Daines (Carl.); 11. Ayers (Carl.); 10. Quadt (Burl.); 9. Barron (HMB), Sweitzer (Arag.), Suko (Carl.), Bright (Mills).

TEAM BATTING AVERAGE: Carlmont .348; Half Moon Bay .306; Burlingame .304; Mills .230; Hillsdale .229; Aragon .225; Capuchino .217; El Camino .194.

WINS: 11. Mott (Carl.); 10. Garcia (HMB); 7. Breen (Burl.); 5. Sweitzer (Arag.), Richwood (Hills.), Pilster (Cap.)

ERA: Sweitzer (Arag.) 1.13; Richwood (Hills.) 1.22; Mott (Carl.) 1.26; Garcia (HMB) 1.47; Breen (Burl.) 2.24; Pilster (Cap.) 2.53; Stoner (Arag.) 3.89; Lewis (Mills) 4.86; Hahn (EC) .561; Cardoza (EC) 6.81.

INNINGS PITCHED: Pilster (Cap.) 94.0; Richwood (Hills.) 92.0; Lewis (Mills) 89.3; Mott (Carl.) 89.0; Breen (Burl.) 81.3; Garcia (HMB) 81.0; Sweitzer (Arag.) 49.7; Cardoza (EC) 47.3; Stoner (Arag.) 39.6; Hahn (EC) 33.7.

STRIKEOUTS: Richwood (Hills.) 120; Pilster (Cap.) 80; Breen (Burl.) 76; Mott (Carl.) 67; Sweitzer (Arag.) 59; Lewis (Mills) 55; Garcia (HMB) 51.

PAL Ocean Division

BATTING AVERAGE: Schulze (TN) .658; Cotter (TN) .523; Vujovich (M-A) .452; Hoelper (Seq.) .450; Shepard (MS) .444; Boardman (Wood.) .425; Diaz (Wood.) .400; Bocanegra (TN) .391; Christensen (Seq.) .391; Gomez (SM) .378.

HITS: 25. Schulze (TN); 23. Cotter (TN); 19. Vujovich (M-A); 18. Hoelper (Seq.), Diaz (Wood.), Cooper (Seq.), Bocanegra (TN), Christensen (Seq.); 17. Boardman (Wood.), Hoffer (Wood.).

RUNS: 18. Bocanegra (TN), Alas (TN); 16. Schulze (TN), Diaz (Wood.), Christensen (Seq.), Cooper (Seq.), Hoffer (Wood.); 14. Vujovich (M-A); 13. Cotter (TN), Georgakas (Wood.); 12. Hoelper (Seq.), Boardman (Wood), Federico (TN), Parque (TN), Pignati (Seq.).

HOME RUNS: 2. Gemignani (SM), Hoelper (Seq.), Schulze (TN), Vujovich (M-A); 1. Alas (TN), Black (M-A), Bocanegra (TN), Cohen (SM), Cotter (TN), Dewitt (TN), Federico (TN), Garcia (Jeff.), Gemignani (SM), Georgakas (Wood.), Padilla (Jeff.), Piccolotti (TN), Pignati (Seq.), Pineda (SM), Pochini (SM), S. Samorano (Jeff.), K. Serrano (Seq.), Smith (Jeff.).

TRIPLES: 3. Black (M-A), Schulze (TN); 2. Christensen (Seq.), Cotter (TN), Gomez (SM), Lerohl (TN), Parque (TN), Poque (SM), Vujovich (M-A).

DOUBLES: 6. Bocanegra (TN); 5. Cooper (Seq.), Cotter (TN); 4. Hoffer (Wood.), Piccolotti (TN), Ramos (SSF), Schulze (TN), Shepard (MS); 3. Alas (TN), Boardman (Wood.), Federico (TN), Vujovich (M-A); 2. Aranda (SSF), Cain (M-A), Christensen (Seq.), Galvez (M-A), Garcia (Jeff.), Georgakas (Wood.), Hoelper (Seq.), Lerohl (TN), McCoy (Wood.), Padilla (Jeff.), Pignati (Seq.), Pochini (SM), Poque (SM), R. Samorano (Jeff.), Santos (M-A), K. Serrano (Seq).

RBIs: 18. Cotter (TN); 15. Pignati (Seq.), Hoelper (Seq.); 14. Vujovich (M-A), Schulze (TN), Boardman (Wood.), R. Samorano (Jeff.); 13. Hoffer (Wood.); 11. Bocanegra (TN); 10. Cooper (Seq.); Georgakas (Wood.), S. Samorano (Jeff.).

TEAM BATTING AVERAGE: Terra Nova .362; Sequoia .356; Woodside .316; Menlo-Atherton .272; San Mateo .258; Jefferson .204; Menlo School .178; South San Francisco .177.

WINS: 11. Rincon (Seq.); 10. Murphy (TN); 7. Miller (Wood.), Boardman (SM); 5. Vujovich (M-A); 4. Georgakas (Wood.).

ERA: Murphy (TN) 0.11; Georgakas (Wood.) 0.98; Miller (Wood.) 1.32; Vujovich (M-A) 2.44; Rincon (Seq.) 2.75; Boardman (SM) 3.46; Friedman (MS) 5.34; Rodriguez (Jeff.) 5.40; Ramos (SSF) 8.40.

INNINGS PITCHED: Vujovich (M-A) 91.7; Friedman (MS) 91.7; Rincon (Seq.) 89.0; Boardman (SM) 83.0; Ramos (SSF) 76.7; Rodriguez (Jeff.) 67.3; Murphy (TN) 64.0; Miller (Wood.) 58.3; Georgakas (Wood.) 28.7.

STRIKEOUTS: Vujovich (M-A) 127; Miller (Wood.) 95; Boardman (SM) 76; Friedman (MS) 75; Ramos (SSF) 60; Rincon (Seq.) 56; Murphy (TN) 56.

BASEBALL RANKINGS
(last week’s ranking in parentheses; records through May 5)

1. Serra (1) 22-6: No outright WCAL title; brutal league tourney run starts today
2. Menlo School (2) 20-8: Farewell salute to PAL includes hoops & baseball championships
3. Half Moon Bay (7) 17-9: Can clinch PAL Ocean title & CCS bid by winning at Carlmont on Wed.
4. Carlmont (8) 18-11: Holds CCS tiebreaker in Ocean tri-championship; needs win & Terra Nova’s help
5. Terra Nova (3) 17-12: Hopes for CCS at-large bid; may have most power points in Ocean
6. Aragon (5) 14-14: Looks for sweep of M-A as teams battling for momentum w/ playoffs nearing
7. Hillsdale (6) 23-4: PAL Lake champ hopes Mills can provide CCS tune-up in regular-season finale
8. Menlo-Atherton (9) 19-11: Offense returns to get Bears back on track in wins over Cap & Burlingame
9. El Camino (4) 17-12: Late three-game skid takes Colts out thrilling Ocean race
10. Sacred Heart Prep (10) 19-8: All signs point to PSAL title showdown vs. Harker on Friday

SOFTBALL RANKINGS
(last week’s ranking in parentheses; records through May 5)

1. Notre Dame (1) 16-8: No. 2 seed can earn share of first WCAL crown by winning tourney
2. Half Moon Bay (2) 18-4-1: Can de-throne 5-time defending PAL Bay champ Carlmont w/ win today
3. Carlmont (3) 21-7: Needs wins over HMB & Burlingame to land a co-championship in Bay
4. Burlingame (5) 12-10-1: Streaking Panthers can lock up CCS bid by winning at Aragon today
5. Aragon (4) 17-9-1: Late rally not enough at HMB; battles Burlingame for Bay’s third place
6. Hillsdale (6) 10-14: Despite ruling of three forfeits, Knights record pair of Bay wins last week
7. Capuchino (7) 11-12-1: Pilster strong in 1-0 loss to Burlingame; then Carlmont too hot for Mustangs
8. Terra Nova (9) 21-3: Looks to clinch PAL Ocean title & CCS bid by beating Menlo on Wed.
9. Woodside (8) 16-6: 6-4 loss to Sequoia on Mon. likely to cost Wildcats share of Ocean title
10. Mills (NR) 9-13: Looked sharp in leading most of contest in 6-5 defeat to Half Moon Bay

BASEBALL STATISTICS
Peninsula Athletic League
(reported games only)

BATTING AVERAGE: Montague (Hills.) .581; Linney (TN) .548; Waddell (HMB) .545; Pon (Hills.) .529; Broadway (TN) .526; Umphreys (MS) .514; Woodall (Hills.) .485; D. Diekroeger (MS) .471; Davidson (SM) .460; Morris (MS) .449; Sanchez (Wood.) .447; Nasser (Burl.) .436; Masket (M-A) .436; Pagano (Hills.) .433; Wilkins (HMB) .431; Viegas (M-A) .429; K. Diekroeger (MS) .419; Turner (Wood.) .417; T. Williams (MS) .413; Misa (Carl.) .410; Meyers (HMB) .405; Hopper (Carl.) .405; McGill (EC) .400.

HITS: 24. Waddell (HMB); 23. Davidson (SM); 22. Morris (MS); Wilkins (HMB); 21. Linney (TN); 19. Umphreys (MS), T. Williams (MS), Barraza (SM), Luhrs (TN); 18. K. Diekroeger (MS), Viegas (M-A), McGill (EC), Montague (Hills.), Pon (Hills.); 17. D. Diekroeger (MS), Nasser (Burl.), Masket (M-A), Sanchez (Wood.), Meyers (HMB), Mayorga (EC), Silveria (HMB), Broadway (TN); 16. Cukar (Cap.), Misa (Carl.), Gresh (EC), Woodall (Hills.); 15. Turner (Wood.), Ross (HMB), Flores (Seq.), J. Fanti (Carl.), Price (EC); 14. Sylvestor (M-A), Franquez (Arag.), Gregory (Burl.), Bordy (Wood.), Quirk (Wood.), Freitas (EC), Kelly (EC).

RUNS: 20. Davidson (SM); 19. Mosbacher (MS), T. Williams (MS), Montague (Hills.); 18. Luhrs (TN); 17. K. Diekroeger (MS), Pagano (Hills.); 16. Waddell (HMB), Medeiros (Hills.); 15. McGill (EC), Kelly (EC); 14. Masket (M-A), Wilkins (HMB), Hopper (Carl.), Woodall (Hills.); 13. D. Diekroeger (MS), Mayorga (EC); 12. Morris (MS), Slack (Arag.), Silveria (HMB), Brill (SM), Becker (SM), Mi. Labbie (SM), Barraza (SM), Kitagawa (Hills.); 11. Melanson (Burl.), Diekman (Burl.), Sortwell (Arag.), Grennan (HMB), Meyers (HMB).

HOME RUNS: 7. Mosher (M-A); 4. Masket (M-A), K. Diekroeger (MS), Hopper (Carl.), Montague (Hills.); 3. T. Williams (MS), Franquez (Arag.), Diekman (Burl.), Kelly (EC), Montague (Hills.), Davidson (SM); 2. Umphreys (MS), T. Williams (MS), Bader (M-A), Sortwell (Arag.), McDonough (TN), Meyers (HMB), Thomas (Wood.), Mayorga (EC).

DOUBLES: 7. Sanchez (Wood.), Davidson (SM); 6. D. Diekroeger (MS), Gresh (EC), Pon (Hills.), Linney (TN); 5. Gregory (Burl.), Diekman (Burl.), Mayorga (EC), Misa (Carl.), Meyers (HMB), Bordy (Wood.), Silveria (HMB), Waddell (HMB), Montague (Hills.), Becker (SM), Barraza (SM), Brenner (TN), McDonough (TN); 4. K. Diekroeger (MS), Morris (MS), Hoem (Mills), Ferrando (Arag.), Cochran (Burl.), Kalush (Arag.), Gutierrez (Cap.), Webster (Carl.), J. Fanti (Carl.), Freitas (EC), Woodall (Hills.).

RBIs: 23. Montague (Hills.); 21. Davidson (SM); 19. Silveria (HMB); 18. Umphreys (MS); 17. Mosher (M-A); 16. K. Diekroeger (MS), Woodall (Hills.), Linney (TN); 15. Diekman (Burl.), Sortwell (Arag.), Pon (Hills.); 13. T. Williams (MS), Kelly (EC), Masket (M-A), McDonough (TN); 12. Waddell (HMB), Franquez (Arag.), Barraza (SM); 11. Morris (MS), Gresh (EC), Mayorga (EC), Hopper (Carl.), Misa (Carl.), Precht (SM).

STOLEN BASES: 15. Brill (SM); 11. Stosz (M-S); 10. Pagano (Hills.), Davidson (SM); 9. Asuncion (SM); 8. K. Diekroeger (MS), Diekman (Burl.); 7. Mosbacher (MS), Mi. Labbie (SM); 6. Craig (Seq.), McGill (EC), Barraza (SM), Ma. Labbie (SM), Lewis (SM).

SOFTBALL STATISTICS
PAL Bay Division

BATTING AVERAGE: Ayers (Carl.) .538; Breen (Burl.) .514; Quadt (Burl.) .455; Holeton (HMB) .452; Cunningham (Carl.) .450; Anderson (Hills.) .432; Sweitzer (Arag.) .417; Barron (HMB) .415; Suko (Carl.) .405; Blanco (Burl.) .379.

HITS: 21. Ayers (Carl.); 20. Quadt (Burl.); 19. Breen (Burl.), Holeton (HMB); 18. Cunningham (Carl.); 17. Barron (HMB), Suko (Carl.); 16. Anderson (Hills.); 15. Sweitzer (Arag.), Hansen (Carl.).

RUNS: 15. Quadt (Burl.); 14. Barron (HMB); 12. Hansen (Carl.); 11. Breen (Burl.), Holeton (HMB); 10. Ayers (Carl.); 9. Cunningham (Carl.), Suko (Carl.); 8. Steele (Carl.), Craviotto (Arag.), Rice (Burl.).

HOME RUNS: 1. Anderson (Hills.), Breen (Burl.), Bright (Mills), Cardoza (EC), Craviotto (Arag.), Daines (Carl.), Garcia (HMB), Gauci (Mills), Hansen (Carl.), Lopez (Cap.), Richwood (Hills.), Quadt (Burl.).

TRIPLES: 3. La. Handy (Hills.), Quadt (Burl.); 2. Barron (HMB), Borg (Arag.), Craviotto (Arag.), Hansen (Carl.), Steele (Carl.).

DOUBLES: 7. DePillo (HMB); 5. Breen (Burl.), Holeton (HMB), Ynostroza (Mills); 4. Craviotto (Arag.), Lucero (Cap.); 3. Ayers (Carl.), Barron (HMB), Cardoza (EC), Cunningham (Carl.), Grelli (Arag.), Hansen (Carl.), Richwood (Hills.), Suko (Carl.), Sweitzer (Arag.).

RBIs: 12. Breen (Burl.), Craviotto (Arag.); 11. Hansen (Carl.); 10. Ayers (Carl.); 9. Sweitzer (Arag.), Barron (HMB), Suko (Carl.); 8. Bright (Mills); 7. Holeton (HMB), Anderson (Hills.), Steele (Carl.), DePillo (HMB).

TEAM BATTING AVERAGE: Carlmont .354; Half Moon Bay .296; Burlingame .294; Aragon .248; Mills .232; Hillsdale .226; Capuchino .219; El Camino .186.

WINS: 9. Garcia (HMB), Mott (Carl.); 6. Breen (Burl.); 5. Sweitzer (Arag.); 4. Pilster (Cap.); 3. Richwood (Hills.).

ERA: Sweitzer (Arag.) 0.86; Mott (Carl.) 1.12; Richwood (Hills.) 1.44; Garcia (HMB) 1.57; Breen (Burl.) 2.29; Pilster (Cap.) 2.77; Stoner (Arag.) 3.25; Lewis (Mills) 5.39; Hahn (EC) 5.56; Cardoza (EC) 6.35.

INNINGS PITCHED: Pilster (Cap.) 81.0; Richwood (Hills.) 78.0; Lewis (Mills) 75.3; Mott (Carl.) 75.0; Breen (Burl.) 67.3; Garcia (HMB) 67.0; Cardoza (EC) 46.3; Sweitzer (Arag.) 40.7; Stoner (Arag.) 36.6.

STRIKEOUTS: Richwood (Hills.) 106; Pilster (Cap.) 72; Breen (Burl.) 69; Mott (Carl.) 62; Garcia (HMB) 41; Sweitzer (Arag.) 40; Lewis (Mills) 37.

PAL Ocean Division
(through May 2 games)

BATTING AVERAGE: Schulze (TN) .656; Cotter (TN) .553; Shepard (MS) .467; Hoelper (Seq.) .444; Boardman (Wood.) .417; Diaz (Wood.) .415; Vujovich (M-A) .400; Castillo (Wood.) .389; Cooper (Seq.) .386; Christensen (Seq.) .381.

HITS: 21. Schulze (TN), Cotter (TN); 17. Diaz (Wood.), Cooper (Seq.); 16. Hoelper (Seq.), Christensen (Seq.); 15. Boardman (Wood.), K. Serrano (Seq.), Hoffer (Wood.); 14. Shepard (MS), Vujovich (M-A), Castillo (Wood.), Cohen (SM), Bocanegra (TN).

RUNS: 17. Bocanegra (TN); 15. Cooper (Seq.), Hoffer (Wood.), Alas (TN); 14. Schulze (TN), Diaz (Wood.), Christensen (Seq.); 11. Cotter (TN), Hoelper (Seq.), Boardman (Wood.), Pignati (Seq.).

HOME RUNS: 2. Hoelper (Seq.), Vujovich (M-A); 1. Alas (TN), Bocanegra (TN), Cohen (SM), Cotter (TN), Dewitt (TN), Federico (TN), Gemignani (SM), Georgakas (Wood.), Padilla (Jeff.), Pignati (Seq.), Pineda (SM), Pochini (SM), S. Samorano (Jeff.), K. Serrano (Seq.), Smith (Jeff.), Schulze (TN).

TRIPLES: 3. Black (M-A), Schulze (TN); 2. Cotter (TN), Gomez (SM), Lerohl (TN), Parque (TN), Poque (SM).

DOUBLES: 5. Cooper (Seq.), Cotter (TN); 4. Bocanegra (TN), Hoffer (Wood.), Piccolotti (TN), Ramos (SSF), Schulze (TN), Shepard (MS); 3. Boardman (Wood.), Federico (TN), Piccolotti (TN), Vujovich (M-A).

RBIs: 18. Cotter (TN); 14. Vujovich (M-A), Pignati (Seq.); 13. Hoelper (Seq.), Boardman (Wood.), Hoffer (Wood.); 10. Bocanegra (TN); 9. K. Serrano (Seq.), Cohen (SM); 8. Schulze (TN), Diaz (Wood.), Cooper (Seq.).

TEAM BATTING AVERAGE: Sequoia .365; Terra Nova .350; Woodside .319; Menlo-Atherton .282; San Mateo .267; Jefferson .204; Menlo School .189; South San Francisco .162.

WINS: 10. Rincon (Seq.); 9. Murphy (TN); 7. Miller (Wood.); 6. Boardman (SM); 4. Georgakas (Wood.).

ERA: Murphy (TN) 0.12; Miller (Wood.) 0.68; Georgakas (Wood.) 0.98; Rincon (Seq.) 2.73; Vujovich (M-A) 2.79; Boardman (SM) 3.06; Rodriguez (Jeff.) 5.19; Friedman (MS) 5.60; Ramos (SSF) 9.38.

INNINGS PITCHED: Rincon (Seq.) 82.0; Friedman (MS) 80.0; Vujovich (M-A) 77.7; Boardman (SM) 71.0; Ramos (SSF) 62.7; Rodriguez (Jeff.) 59.3; Murphy (TN) 59.0; Miller (Wood.) 51.3; Georgakas (Wood.) 28.7.

STRIKEOUTS: Vujovich (M-A) 110; Miller (Wood.) 88; Boardman (SM) 72; Friedman (MS) 67; Rincon (Seq.) 55; Murphy (TN) 50; Ramos (SSF) 43.

The Peninsula Athletic League’s Ocean Division only receives one automatic bid to the upcoming Central Coast Section baseball playoffs. And Half Moon Bay High has the inside track at garnering that berth, as the Cougars can do so by clinching the Ocean title with a win at Carlmont on Wednesday.

But if Half Moon Bay (17-9, 10-4 PAL Ocean) loses, the Cougars would share the crown with Carlmont … and maybe Terra Nova (17-11, 9-5) as well. While each program would then be credited with a share of the Ocean championship, only one could be awarded the division’s automatic CCS bid.

Who has the tiebreaker? In the case of a co-championship, it’s straightforward. But a tri-championship? Umm, got a minute?

If Carlmont (18-11, 9-5) beats Half Moon Bay AND Woodside beats Terra Nova, Carlmont and Half Moon Bay would be co-champions at 10-5. For CCS purposes, the PAL’s first tiebreaker is head-to-head competition. Half Moon Bay would have won the season series over Carlmont, two games to one, so Half Moon Bay would take the CCS bid.

But if Carlmont beats Half Moon Bay AND Terra Nova beats Woodside, three teams would all finish with 10-5 Ocean records. Carlmont, Half Moon Bay and Terra Nova would be tri-champions. As for the tiebreakers, here’s where it gets complicated.

The first tiebreaker, again, is head-to-head competition. In this case: what was each tri-champion’s record against the other two?

Carlmont: 1-2 vs. HMB; 2-1 vs. Terra Nova. That’s 3-3.

Half Moon Bay: 1-2 vs. Terra Nova; 2-1 vs. Carlmont (with a win on Wednesday). That’s also 3-3.

Terra Nova: 2-1 vs. HMB; 1-2 vs. Carlmont. Again, 3-3.

That didn’t resolve anything.

The next tiebreaker is each champion’s record against the next-highest finisher (in this case, fourth-place El Camino). Well, Carlmont went 2-1 against El Camino. So did Half Moon Bay. And Terra Nova.

The tiebreaker moves on to the teams’ records against the fifth-place finisher, Woodside. If Terra Nova beats Woodside on Wednesday, somewhat unbelievably, the tri-champions would all be 2-1 against the Wildcats.

Completing what would be a perfect deadlock within the division, all three teams went 3-0 against last-place Sequoia.

The entire set of tiebreakers within the division would be exhausted, without any ties being broken!

The PAL’s bylaws state the next tiebreaker is the teams’ records against common opponents, outside the Ocean. Carlmont, Half Moon Bay and Terra Nova shared just one non-Ocean opponent … Burlingame.

Carlmont beat Burlingame, 3-2. Terra Nova topped Burlingame twice, 10-1 and 5-3. And Half Moon Bay lost to Burlingame, 6-2.

Thus, Half Moon Bay’s defeat to Burlingame would serve as the tiebreaker to eliminate the Cougars.

In that case, Carlmont and Terra Nova would still be knotted, and their two-way tie would need to be broken.

Instead of continuing by comparing Carlmont and Terra Nova’s results against any other shared non-Ocean opponents, the tiebreaker reverts back to the top. The teams would be compared as if they were co-champions, PAL Comissioner Terry Stogner and 21st-year Menlo School coach Craig Schoof confirmed.

As always, the first tiebreaker is head-to-head competition. And Carlmont beat Terra Nova two out of three times, the last a 1-0 victory at Terra Nova on April 30.

So in the event of a tri-championship, Carlmont would hold the tiebreaker. The Scots would garner the Ocean’s automatic CCS bid.

BASEBALL RANKINGS
(last week’s ranking in parentheses; records through April 28)

1. Serra (1) 21-5: All the WCAL marbles on the line at Valley Christian on Friday
2. Menlo School (2) 19-7: Easily the class of PAL; can clinch outright Bay title Wednesday
3. Terra Nova (3) 17-8: PAL Ocean front-runner has kept three challengers at bay so far
4. El Camino (4) 16-10: Unsightly loss to Terra Nova puts huge dent in Colts’ postseason plans
5. Aragon (6) 12-14: Dons are seemingly most deserving of rest of County’s lackluster pack
6. Hillsdale (5) 20-4: Has positioned itself to breeze in PAL Lake despite loss to San Mateo
7. Half Moon Bay (8) 15-9: Falls a game back of Terra Nova in Ocean after loss to Woodside
8. Carlmont (9) 16-11: Can give itself (and HMB & EC) life in Ocean by beating Terra Nova
9. Menlo-Atherton (7) 17-11: Desperate to stop confounding skid; Bears shut out twice in a row
10. Sacred Heart Prep (10) 16-8: Davila-led offense shines in Gators’ six-game win streak

SOFTBALL RANKINGS
(last week’s ranking in parentheses; records through April 28)

1. Notre Dame (1) 14-8: Likely relegated to 2nd banana status to Mitty in WCAL–again
2. Half Moon Bay (2) 16-5-1: PAL Bay leader totaled 21 hits in wins over Capuchino & Hillsdale
3. Carlmont (3) 19-7: Weathered El Camino scare; has big week with Aragon & Capuchino
4. Aragon (4) 17-7-1: 7-3 Dons need to beat Carlmont (again) & HMB to join Bay title race
5. Burlingame (6) 14-10-1: Resurgent Panthers (5-5 in Bay) hope to continue surge into CCS playoffs
6. Hillsdale (5) 11-11: After tough week, Knights hope to get well vs. El Camino & Mills
7. Capuchino (7) 11-10-1: Mustangs’ postseason hopes dwindling as Bay skid hits five games
8. Woodside (10) 14-5: Miller 1-hits Terra Nova to propel ‘Cats to share of PAL Ocean lead
9. Terra Nova (8) 19-3: Tigers’ 17-game win streak stopped in 1-0 defeat at Woodside
10. El Camino (NR) 3-14: Scrappy Colts play Carlmont tough before suffering one-run loss