The week in sports: Carmel Valley, Del Mar, Encinitas, Rancho Santa Fe, Solana Beach
Baseball:
• The only question these days is not whether, but when La Costa Canyon’s high-powered offense will get into gear.
In their most recent win, 4-1 over El Camino in an Avocado League West game on May 6, it wasn’t until just in the nick of time that the Mavericks bats got going.
But go they did.
Trailing 1-0 into the bottom of the sixth inning, they rallied for four runs in a decisive rally that sent the first-place Mavericks to their fifth straight win.
Ryan Casper’s three-run triple highlighted the rally.
Mavericks starter Ethan Abrams, who was credited with the victory, pitched seven innings of two-hit ball in which he allowed one unearned run. He struck out three batters and allowed one walk.
The Mavericks improved to 6-1 in league and 20-4 overall for the season.
• Torrey Pines moved into a three-way tie atop the Palomar League standings after the Falcons took two of three games from Westview.
The Falcons concluded the series with a 2-1 victory over the Wolverines on May 9.
Falcons starter Joshua Sidney, who was credited with the victory, allowed one run on seven hits and one walk over seven innings to lead the Falcons.
C.J. Stubbs’ solo homer was among just three Falcons hits in the game.
The Falcons opened the series with a 2-0 victory on May 5 in which Stubbs pitched a four-hit shutout in which he struck out nine batters and allowed no walks.
Stubbs also led the Falcons offensively with two hits, including a double and one RBI.
Bennett McCaskill and Jake Singer each had two hits in defeat for Falcons in a 4-3 loss to Westview on May 7.
The Falcons improved to 8-3 in league and 17-8-1 overall for the season.
• Cathedral Catholic opened Eastern League play with a loss to Scripps Ranch in mid- April for what was the Dons’ fourth loss in five games at what was low point of their season.
They haven’t lost since.
The first-place Dons extended their winning streak to seven games with an 8-5 league victory over St. Augustine on May 7.
Toru Sugiura had three hits including a home run and four RBI to lead the Dons, and John Cresto added three hits — all triples.
The victory followed a 5-1 league victory over Scripps Ranch two days earlier in which Cresto, Clayton Dale and Michael Guerena each had three hits to lead the Dons.
The Dons improved to 7-1 in league and 16-8 overall for the season.
• Santa Fe Christian will need some help in its quest for at least a share of the Coastal League.
The Eagles dropped a game behind first-place La Jolla Country Day after experiencing a quirky 4-1 loss to the Torreys on May 8 in the last of three league matchups between the two teams.
The loss came followed a 2-1 Eagles victory over the LJCD on May 6 that avenged an April 30 loss to the Torreys and temporarily moved the two teams into a tie for first place.
The Eagles’ most recent loss to LJCD came despite Kyle Ferraro tossing a complete-game one-hitter in a losing cause. Ferraro struck out five batters and allowed five walks.
Ari Gerber’s hustle was the difference for the Eagles in the win against LCJD. Gerber scored the game-winner with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning when he stole second base, alertly broke for third when he noticed nobody covering the base and then came around to score on an errant relay throw to third bounced into the dugout.
Eagles starter Cole Acosta, who was credited with the victory, struck out seven batters and allowed one run on seven hits and three walks.
Cole Weaver had two of the Eagles three hits in the game.
The Eagles improved to 8-2 in league and 21-5 overall for the season.
• San Dieguito Academy defeated San Pasqual 2-0 in an Avocado League East game on May 9.
Ben Huber pitched a complete-game seven-hit shutout to lead the Mustangs.
The victory followed a 7-0 loss to San Pasqual two days earlier.
The Mustangs improved to 3-8 in league and 6-18 overall for the season.
Softball:
• Red-hot Cathedral Catholic extended its winning streak to seven games with another decisive win.
The Dons trounced La Jolla 15-2 in an Eastern League game on May 7 in a game that was mercy-ruled after five innings. They’ve outscored their opponents by a combined 80-7 on a streak that started after the Dons experienced a 1-0 loss to Clairemont on April 16.
Megan Faraimo and Sarai Niu each had two hits, including a home run and four RBI, and Lauren Myerson had three hits, including a double and three RBI to lead the Dons.
Raven LeClair contributed two hits, including a home run, and drove in two runs, and Jacey Bourgeois added two hits.
Dons starter Faraimo, who was credited with the victory, pitched a complete-game three-hitter. She struck out nine batters and allowed no walks.
The Dons improved to 9-1 in league and 20-6 overall for the season.