Acorns blanked by first-place Leland
PALO ALTO — In a possible Division II-playoff preview, Palo Alto humbled Sobrato, 12-3, in nonleague play Saturday in Palo Alto.
The Vikings (16-3 overall, 10-0 league), winners of 11 straight, outhit the Bulldogs 13-6 and rode a steady start by Jack Smale (3-1). Joc Pederson had four runs, three RBIs, two doubles and a triple to lead the De Anza Division front-runners.
The Bulldogs (7-9, 7-5) scored two runs in the first inning but were quiet from there. Ryan Williams provided a double and drove in a run.
Sobrato was coming off a 5-2 letdown Friday at Branham, which dropped SHS two games behind first-place Leland in the Mount Hamilton Division.
Friday, Leland handed Live Oak a third straight loss by 6-0 score in San Jose. The Acorns had no rally magic in them as seen Wednesday when they overcame a 5-0 deficit in a losing effort against Leland.
The Chargers (12-4, 9-3) kept them down for good this time. Dylan Bell (4-1) struck out four in 5 2-3 innings, and Nick Giotta collected two hits and an RBI for Leland.
Jakob Conlan doubled, and Sean Silveira had two hits for the seventh-place Acorns (6-9, 4-8), who committed five errors.
Live Oak and Gilroy will renew their rivalry at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday at Sarich Field.
