This week’s edition of the Press Banner Sports Ticker highlights local prep athletes for their performances during the week of April 15-21.
Preps of the Week
Boys: Scotts Valley High starting pitcher Blake LaRiviere recorded 10 strikeouts in six innings for the Falcons in a 3-2 win over Harbor High in Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League baseball action April 16. LaRiviere had three hits, including one double, one home run, three RBIs and three runs scored in three games for Scotts Valley.
Girls: Scotts Valley High freshman Chloe Kent had back-to-back monster games to help the Falcons softball team remain undefeated at 7-0 in SCCAL play. Kent batted 3-for-3, including one double, two RBIs, three runs scored and one stolen base in a 16-0 win against Santa Cruz High on April 16. She also recorded eight strikeouts in three innings pitched in the circle. Kent then had two hits with one RBI and three runs scored in an 11-0 victory over Soquel High on April 18.
Rising Stars
- Scotts Valley High’s Jack Sanders batted 3-for-3, including a pair of doubles for the Falcons in a 3-2 win over Harbor High in SCCAL baseball action April 16. Fellow teammate Jack Abel had one triple, and Lukas Bloom pitched a 1,2,3 in the seventh frame for the save.
- Scotts Valley High starting pitcher Corbin Giesen and reliever Jack Parker both had strong performances on the mound in an 8-2 non-league win against The Kings Academy on April 15. Giesen allowed just one run on four hits, three walks and had two strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings of work. Parker allowed one run on two hits, three walks and had four strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings pitched. Fellow teammate Quinn Turowski for Scotts Valley, which put up seven runs in the third inning.
- Scotts Valley High junior Sofia Niklaus had six goals and one assist for the Falcons girls’ lacrosse team in an 11-3 win against Salinas High in Pacific Coast Athletic League Gabilan Division play April 17. Niklaus also had nine draw possessions, four draw controls and forced five turnovers. Fellow teammate Skylar Dufour had three goals, one assist, three draw possessions, six draw controls and caused three turnovers. Claire Skinner had a pair of goals and Stella Cheney tallied one assist for the Falcons, who improved to 6-1 in league play.
- Scotts Valley High’s James Delaney, Henry Spitzer and Elijah Diamond each won their singles match for the Falcons in a 6-1 victory over Soquel High in SCCAL boys’ tennis action April 17. In doubles play, Jules Dudek and Aditya Hannon won their match at No. 1, while Hunter Young and Gabriel Dodge edged Soquel’s Nate Marcus and Liam Stiller (6-4,4-6, 1-0 [10-8]) at No. 2 in the afternoon’s most competitive match.
Games to Watch
- San Lorenzo Valley at Scotts Valley, softball – Tuesday at 4:30pm: The Falcons (7-4, 7-0) hope to keep things rolling in SCCAL play and keep their unblemished league record intact against a Cougars (10-8, 6-2) team still in the hunt for their third straight league crown.
- Scotts Valley vs. Monte Vista Christian, girls lacrosse – Wednesday at 4:30pm: The Falcons (8-1, 6-1) are looking to sweep the league season series against the Mustangs (8-5, 4-4), who stayed within reach during the teams’ first meeting March 18.
- Scotts Valley vs. Alisal, baseball – Saturday at noon: The Falcons (7-7, 3-5) will host a challenging Trojans (11-4, 8-3) squad in non-league action.
Coaches and athletic directors are encouraged to submit scores and highlights to [email protected]. Follow sports editor Juan Reyes (@jmreyes831) on Twitter for scores and news updates.
