Tigers #8 seed in Div. 3 tourney; Lions #9 in Div. 4
Playoff baseball can be equal parts excitement and disappointment, depending on which dugout your team occupies.
Analy and El Molino will try to harness more of the former this week when both teams take the field in their respective North Coast Section tournaments.
The Tigers (17-9) were awarded the #8 seed in the NCS Division 3 tourney and at press time were preparing to host #9 San Marin in the playoff opener on May 22. Should Analy win, it will advance to play the survivor of the #1 Miramonte versus #16 Albany game on May 25.
Meanwhile the Lions (13-9) landed the #9 seed in the NCS Division 4 playoffs and were prepping for the tourney opener at #8 ranked St. Patrick-St. Vincent on May 23 (5 p.m.). The winner will advance to visit #1 seeded Middletown in the quarterfinals on May 26 (time TBA).
Teams bounced in SCL playoffs
Both the Lions and Tigers competed in the four-team Sonoma County League playoffs last week, with #4 seeded El Molino falling to #1 Petaluma (10-0) while #3 seeded Analy blanked Piner (8-0) in the opener before falling to the league champion Petaluma Trojans in the tourney title game, 14-1.
All games were played at Arnold Field in Sonoma.
Analy sent junior ace Tyler Stasiowski to the hill in the May 16 playoff opener against Piner, baffling the Prospectors with an assortment of pitches in firing a five-hit, seven-strikeout gem. The Tigers busted it open in a four-run second inning and were never threatened en route to an 8-0 win. Top hitters were Will St. Martin (2 for 3, run), Toni Siri (1 for 4, 2 runs), Luke Tollini (1 for 4, 2B, 2 RBIs), Noah Rabin (1 for 1, 2B, 2 runs), Alex Leopard (1 for 4, run), Jeff Pearson (1 for 3, run), Austin Alvarez (1 for 4, RBI) and Evan Alvarez (1 for 3, 2 RBIs).
The outcome was decided early in the SCL tourney title game with regular season champion Petaluma, as the Trojans plated 10 runs in the fateful second inning during an eventual 14-1 rout in five innings. Brenden Medina took the loss while leading hitters included Tollini (2 for 2, RBI), Austin Alvarez (1 for 2), Thomas O’Brien (1 for 1, run), Pearson (1 for 2) and St. Martin (1 for 2).
The Lions suffered a similar fate against Petaluma in the tourney opener on May 15, as the Trojans busted open a relatively close game with a four-run fourth inning on their way to a 10-0 rout in six. Starter Sam Wilson-Mietz (3.2 IP, 9 hits, 5 ERs, K) took the loss. El Mo’s Aaron Daniels (1 for 2) collected the lone hit off of winning pitcher Blake Buhrer.
