There are many indicators that a school year is coming to a close: prom, graduation and the end of the spring sports season. Alameda high school athletes put together an impressive body of work on the diamond in the 2014 postseason.

St. Joseph Notre Dame High School Pilots Baseball
The St. Joseph Notre Dame High School Pilots (SJND) had a stellar 2014 season going 18-10 overall and 8-2 in the Tri-County Athletic League (TCAL) good for a tie for first place in the TCAL Rock League. 

The Pilots’ record earned them a third seed — out of 15 teams — in the North Coast Section (NCS) Division V baseball playoffs. SJND beat South Fork of Miranda 7-0 in the first round on May 20. 

Sophomore Steve Manzo led the Pilots with two RBIs in the contest without recording a single hit. The Pilots recorded another shutout in its 3-0 quarterfinals victory aver Bentley of Lafayette Senior Robert Hanson pitched a gem. He threw a complete-game shut out while striking out five batters and giving up just two hits. He also did not give up a single walk. SJND scored all three of its runs in the sixth inning.

The Pilots defeated Branson of Ross 3-2 in an upset — the Bulls were the two seed — in the semifinal on May 28. The Pilots held on for dear life as the Bulls had the bases loaded in the bottom of seventh with two outs and down just a run. Hansen forced what would be the last Branson batter to ground out to third base for the final out. Manzo pitched the first six-and-two-thirds innings giving up two runs and forcing six strikeouts. SJND scored all of its runs in the first inning. Sophomore Colin Karch had two RBIs. 

The Pilots made it to the NCS Division V finals, but were no match for Head Royce of Oakland. The Jayhawks defeated the Pilots 5-0 in the contest on May 30. The Pilots could only muster up three hits.

Alameda High School Hornets Baseball
The Alameda High School baseball team finished 12-12-1 overall including 4-6 in the West Alameda County Conference (WACC). The Hornets earned an invite into the NCS Division II playoffs as a 12 seed — out of 16 teams. However, the Hornets stay in the playoffs was short lived as they fell to Marin Catholic of Kentfield 11-1 in the first round on May 20. 

Encinal High School Jets Baseball
The Jets’ baseball team went 9-15 overall on the season and 6-9 in the WACC. Encinal did not earn a birth in the NCS playoffs. The Jets highlight of the season came in a 4-3 victory over rival Alameda on May 6.

Encinal High School Lady Jets Softball
The Encinal softball team, however, had a great season. The Lady Jets went 15-10 overall and 7-6 in the WACC and received the number one seed — out of 14 teams — in the NCS Division III playoffs. The Jets also earned a first-round bye. 

The Jets took down Eureka in the quarterfinal round 5-3 on May 23. Encinal sophomore Isabella Deatherage recorded all four of Encinal’s RBIs in the contest. The Jets scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh to take the 4-3 victory. The Jets lost in the semifinal round, however, 5-3 to Terra Linda of San Rafael.  

St. Joseph Notre Dame Lady Pilots Softball
No Alameda high school team had a better regular season than the Lady Pilots who went 17-7 overall and a perfect 10-0 in TCAL. 

Despite the stellar play, the Lady Pilots earned a five seed — out of 13 teams — in the Division V playoffs. The Pilots blew through its first two opponents. SJND beat Urban of San Francisco 13-3 in the first round on May 20. 

The Pilots recorded 18 hits. Freshman Eileen Rhatigan led the Pilots with four RBIs. SJND followed that up with an 11-2 victory over Valley Christian of Dublin in the quarterfinal round on May 23. Just five of the Pilots’ 13 runs came off of RBIs. 

But the Pilots’ season ended in the next round on May 28 in a 4-0 defeat to Redwood Christian of San Lorenzo. The Pilots had twice as many errors (four) as they had hits (two) in the contest. Sophomore pitcher Anekalia Crevani pitched six innings and gave up just two earned runs. 

Alameda High School Lady Hornets Softball
The Lady Hornets went 9-14 on they year including 5-7 in the WACC. The Hornets season highlight came in a 9-8 victory over the Jets on April 29.

Contact Ekene Ikeme at eikeme@alamedasun.com.