High school baseball
The Greyhounds have hit their first rough patch of the spring baseball campaign this week, dropping a road and home series with red-hot Santa Rosa, 9-8 (10 innings) and 7-3.
The setbacks pushed Healdsburg’s season record to 9-3 and an even 2-2 in league, with upcoming dates with El Molino this week. The Hounds will start a two-game series with the Lions in the friendly confines on Wednesday, May 5 (7 p.m., Recreation Park) before traveling to Forestville this Friday, May 7 in a 4 p.m. start.
Hounds drop a pair
Healdsburg had its hitting shoes laced up for the April 28 road clash at Santa Rosa, pushing across a combined seven runs in the second and third innings for a big early lead. Leading 8-3 after five, the Panthers mounted a great comeback, scoring a total of five runs in the sixth and seventh frames to send it into extra innings knotted at 8-8. Neither team could break the deadlock until the ninth, when the Panthers scored a solo run to escape with a 9-8 victory.
“We got out to a great start but couldn’t hold the lead late,” Hound’s coach Mark Domenichelli said. “Credit goes out to Santa Rosa for coming back and fighting the whole way.”
Sophomore starter Gavin Valls (5.1 IP, 4 hits, 4 ERs, 4 Ks) was strong through five-plus innings before handing the ball to relievers Justice Brilliant (1.2 IP, 4 hits, 3 ERs) and Ayden Herrguth (2.2 IP, 3 hits, ER, 3 Ks). Leading hitters were Herrguth (2 for 4, 2B, 2 RBIs), Conroy Smith (1 for 4, 2 runs, 2 RBIs), Hunter Irons (1 for 3, RBI), Jayson Licea (1 for 1), Sam Vanden Heuvel (1 for 3, RBI) and Jack Domenichelli (1 for 3, 2 runs).
The Hounds fell behind early in Friday’s home rematch with Santa Rosa, as the Panthers tallied three runs in the opening frame and never trailed en route to a 7-3 win.
“They jumped on us early and we never could get anything going,” Domenichelli noted. “(Brett) Delfino and Brilliant did a great job of keeping us close but we could get the bats going.”
The Greyhounds used five pitchers in the game, including Delfino (3 IP, 3 hits, 1 ER, 4 Ks), Brilliant (2.1 IP, 2 hits, 0 ERs, K), Cole Conley (1 IP, 0 hits, 0 ERs, K), Henry Gomez (.1 IP, hit, 2 ERs) and Domenichelli (.1 IP, hit, ERs).
Hitting safely were Matthew Rowland (1 for 3, run), Domenichelli (1 for 3), Irons (1 for 2, run) and Delfino (1 for 1, run). Owen Smith, Hergguth and Conley each drove in solo runs for Healdsburg.
