- East Bay Prep Corner
NCS baseball softball scores
By Kyle Bonagura
Wednesday, May 21st, 2008 at 8:09 pm in Uncategorized.
BASEBALL
3-A
Alameda 5, Pinole 4
Arroyo 7, DLS 5
College Park 6, Foothill 1
Monte Vista 8, Bishop O’Dowd 0
Newark Memorial 3, Liberty 2
2-A
El Cerrito 5, Moreau Catholic 2
SOFTBALL
3-A
Foothill 17, Clayton Valley 3
California 4, Pinole 1
Freedom 4, Berkeley 0
2-A
Albany 5, Las Lomas 0
Heritage 15, Moreau Catholic 4
Concord 6, Alhambra 4
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May 21st, 2008 at 8:11 pm
College Park simply out played Foothill today.
The played better defense, hit better, pitched better, were just the better team.
Not the same Foothill team that went 20-4-1 during the regular season.
May 21st, 2008 at 8:13 pm
Seems like CP may have outprepared them.
May 21st, 2008 at 8:31 pm
Piedmont 2, Concord 1 – Chu CG
May 21st, 2008 at 9:10 pm
The 4 unearned runs that came off 4 errors certainly didn’t help. You can’t really prepare for your team making errors though, they will just happen in HS baseball. I doubt any extra grounders in practice would have made a difference.
Same thing goes with hitting, they hit the cover off the ball last week and the hits just didn’t come today. CP made the plays they had to, Foothill didn’t, that simple.
May 21st, 2008 at 9:40 pm
Arroyo High is winnin this whole thing. De La Salle just got a taste of the HAAL today. It was a hell of a game though I tip my hat off to the Spartans.
Although the biggest/intense grudge match will be on Saturday when Arroyo takes on Alameda.
I predict Arroyo wins because they are playing at their peak right now.
May 21st, 2008 at 9:49 pm
I was at the Monte Vista pummeling of O’Dowd. Christian Jones struck out 14, threw 75 pitches and basically dominated a team that could really hit. Dragons made too many errors, and they knew that scoring more than 1 or 2 runs was a tall order…once MV got out 3-0, BOD simply folded…too bad, I watched that team play all year and they pretty much picked the wrong day to play the worst game of the year…however, even if they played flawlessly, 1 run was too many to allow on this day. Best catch MV when Jones is not on the hill.
May 21st, 2008 at 9:59 pm
Hey Hugo, I covered the MV-O’Dowd game and your right, Jones was simply amazing. I actually had him with 13 K’s on 80 pitches, but same difference. His breaking pitch (which he said he calls a curve ball but acknowledges it breaks a little tighter than a traditional deuce) was unhittable. Ten of those K’s were on balls in the dirt and had to be finished with a strong down to first. Sure O’Dowd made some errors, but like you said, even a flawless game wasn’t going to be enough. Nobody was going to score off Jones today.
May 21st, 2008 at 10:02 pm
Arroyo is hitting the ball and being very patient at the plate. Very good discipline today and a great job of going the other way by the entire team. Also, Jack beared down when he needed to and the defense didn’t make any big blunders. Great game and congrats to the Dons.
May 21st, 2008 at 10:15 pm
Pries did not pitch for Alameda. Arroyo is going to have a tough task on Saturday.
May 21st, 2008 at 10:42 pm
Thanks Michael and Jimmy – extra details you provided are appreciated. Post the links to your articles when available.
May 22nd, 2008 at 12:15 pm
Doesn’t matter who is throwing for Alameda, Arroyo saw the best out of DLS and still had quality at bats all throughout the lineup.
Pries would need to throw an impeccable game to knock off Arroyo.
May 22nd, 2008 at 2:01 pm
Pries just isn’t another HS pitcher. He’s a Stanford commit and probably the best pitcher in the East Bay.
I don’t think “Pries would need to throw an impeccable game to knock off Arroyo”
More like the opposite.
I think Arroyo would need to have an impeccable game to beat Pries/Alameda.
May 22nd, 2008 at 2:38 pm
Kyle, Michael and Jimmy:
Do you know which games you are covering on Friday? I’ll be in Moraga to watch a couple of the other top pitchers in the East Bay. Also, based upon Hugo’s and Jimmy’s reports, Christian Jones (a Junior, right?) may be working his way into that top tier as well, assuming he hasn’t already arrived.
May 22nd, 2008 at 4:03 pm
I’ll be at Livermore vs Irvington (after NCS swimming in the morning)
May 22nd, 2008 at 5:32 pm
Kyle…Kyle…Kyle…
Just a couple of thoughts for now and maybe a bit more later.
I seem to remember a pitcher at Castro Valley last year I believe (sorry, can’t remember the name), a Stanford commit, who was hit HARD and repeatedly by the Arroyo offense. Point to remember…
NEVER ASSUME ANYTHING…
By the way Kyle, I must ask…how many Arroyo games did you see this year?? Just wondering.
Comment last and I will try to get back to you later.
I have seen Pries pitch and he is a definite stud. BUT, do not forget that when Alameda scored 6 runs in a 6 -4 win over Arroyo, 2 of those 6 were unearned. Defense was the difference.
I would like to hear some comments about Alameda OTHER than Pries. Any takers??
May 22nd, 2008 at 5:47 pm
I haven’t seen Arroyo this year, but I have seen Pries enough to know it will take a special effort from a HS to beat him. De Groot (CV, Stanford) isn’t even in the same league as him.
Now that you brought up that they hit De Groot hard, I guess I have to point out that Arroyo only managed 5 hits and 1 run against Jeff McLeod of Foothill, who is an average HS pitcher.
And like you said, Alameda already has beaten Arroyo once, errors and all, so neither outcome should really shock anyone.
I’m not saying Arroyo isn’t a good team or that they have no chance, I’m just going with my gut instinct, which (caution, selfless bragging ahead) has led me to an 11-1 record in baseball games so far and a 17-3 record in softball.
May 22nd, 2008 at 7:57 pm
Ballfan,
Originally I was slated for St. Mary’s-Piedmont, but instead I’ll be in the City for Game 3 of the TransBay girls soccer series between Oakland Tech and Lowell since Tech won today to force a third game. That will be one helluva game. And yeah, Christian Jones is a junior and I’d say he’s in the upper tier of pitchers. He was sure impressive last night.
As for EmDog and the Arroyo-Alameda showdown, my other comments non-Pries related would be that it is a very well-coached disciplined team. They have speed, play solid fundamental ball and have a few guys who can knock the ball around a little bit. (Lately, Pries has been hitting just about as well as he’s been pitching). I haven’t seen Arroyo in two years so I can’t speak much about them, but I’d say they need to bring their A game. Alameda tends to not make mistakes, so Arroyo needs to do the same.
May 22nd, 2008 at 11:30 pm
Kyle, you’re not trying to protect that record with those “coming soon” picks, are ya? Just kidding, I am sure you are pouring over those stat sheets as I write, trying to glean whatever edge you can find – OR, maybe you’re waiting for the Tarot card lady to open for business in the AM. Tell us, what’s the secret to your success? (so far).
May 23rd, 2008 at 12:41 pm
Kyle, I like the picks (same as mine, except I have El Ceritto over Alhambra) Hope your streak continues – for the sake of my winning percentage, although I am rooting against myself in the Arroyo and CP games as I’d prefer those teams, and not the ones I picked, to win.
May 23rd, 2008 at 5:08 pm
Whomever plays the better defensive game between Arroyo and Alameda will win.
And believe me, this pitching matchup is much better than you may think.
I know one thing for certain. This is going to be an outstanding game.
May 23rd, 2008 at 5:12 pm
Jimmy, you and I appear to be in agreement.
Bringing “A” game is a must.
But I have to tell you, here is my prediction:
Arroyo 3
Alameda 2
in extra innings.
Let the games begin!!!
May 23rd, 2008 at 5:43 pm
Hope that someone will be able to give updates re:
Livermore/Irvington!!!
May 23rd, 2008 at 8:19 pm
ErnDog,
It wouldn’t shock me too much to see that as the result. Most games Alameda plays in (except for against the lower tier) stay pretty close. I think the biggest advantage Alameda has (and this can’t be discounted) is it’s playoff experience. Most of those players were around for the playoff run two years ago when they won the title as the No. 10 seed and for last year’s run to the finals. It should be a good game.
May 24th, 2008 at 12:39 am
I picked Alameda, but wouldn’t be shocked at all if Arroyo won this game. The one thing that I have noticed about the Dons that could help them today (Saturday) against Pries, is their ability to hit the ball the other way.
Against a guy like Pries, that is a must. Arroyo is pretty patient at the plate as well and that could help. Arroyo is one of the smartest hitting TEAMS I have seen. They really have a team concept of hitting not an individual one.
As for the pitching matchup, I wouldn’t expect Alameda to shell Tyler Machado like I think most people are thinking. Machado is a heck of a pitcher and should be fine. It will be up to Arroyo’s offense to get some runs off Pries, though. If they can concentrate on taking the ball the other way, then Arroyo can win this game. Should be a good one either way.
May 24th, 2008 at 7:47 pm
Kyle, back on Thursday you said “I have seen Pries enough to know it will take a special effort from a HS to beat him”.
I can only presume you had no knowledge of a sore arm…or something of that sort…
May 24th, 2008 at 8:22 pm
Yeah, I had no knowlegde of that. Just looking at the box, it looks like Pries was lights out when he finally came in … 8 of 12 outs by way of K, no runs.
Seems like a pretty good HS game. Congrats to the Dons.
If I knew Pries wasn’t starting I would have picked Arroyo, but what can you do.
Arroyo 040 000 0— 4 6 0
Alameda 002 100 0— 3 8 2
Machado, Boyson (4) and Grucza. Miller, Brown (4), Pries (4) and O’Reilly. W: Boyson. L: Miller. Records: Arroyo 22-4, Alameda 18-8. Highlights: ARR — Boyson 4 IP, 4 strikeouts, 1 run; Bratton 2-for-3, hit-by-pitch; Petros 2 RBI, diving catch in 4th. ALA — Pries 4 IP, 8 strikeouts, no runs; O’Reilly 2-for-3, walk; Smith 1-for-2, walk.
May 24th, 2008 at 8:47 pm
He went more than was expected. He is a competitor.
I heard a lot of good things about Arroyo’s play from Alameda.
Good Luck to the Don’s against Livermore!