Falcons Go Five for Five

The St. Matthew’s softball team won its fifth consecutive Pacific Basin League championship last Wednesday with a 6-4 victory over Windward. The Falcons trailed 4-0 in the third inning before rallying for four runs of their own on a walk, two bunts, a run-scoring single and a bases-clearing double by Jessica Goodkin. Jackie Carr had eight strikeouts and worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the fifth inning to keep Windward scoreless over the last six innings. St. Matthew’s took a 6-4 lead on hits by Lauren Beaver and Molly Kornfeind, a bunt by Courtney Carswell and a sacrifice fly by Kristen Goldberg. When Windward was retired in order in the top of the seventh inning the Falcons had avenged their only loss. The difference in the game, however, was St. Matthew’s defense. Centerfielder Molly Kornfeind made a running catch in the third inning and later Cami Chapus fielder a grounder to third and threw to across the diamond to Lauren Beaver that squelched a Wildcats rally. Shortstop Kelsey Reynolds handled four chances without an error and Goodkin made a run-saving catch in left field with two outs in the fourth inning. Goldberg handled two ground balls, a pop fly and a line-drive. In the semifinals on May 2, St. Matthew’s defeated Archer, 15-7. Tennis St. Matthew’s beat Crossroads 4-2 at Penmar Park to win the Pacific Basin League team championship last Wednesday, with Jamie West and Cody Schiffer winning in singles and the tandems of Brandon Newman-Danny Jensen and Clara Lysy-Brooke Gowey notching doubles points. In the Individuals tournament the week before Schiffer took first place in singles and the team of Newman-Jensen won the doubles crown. Volleyball The Falcons’ seventh-grade boys’ volleyball team rallied to beat Campbell Hall, 14-25, 25-17, 15-10, to win the Delphic League’s ‘B’ division championship and reverse two regular-season losses to the Vikings. Chris Sebastian’s seven-point serving run gave the Falcons the lead for good in the second game and his eight straight points closed out the third game. Solid setting by John O’Day and Chase Klein, passing by Beau McGinley and Hugo Bertram and serving by Chad Kanoff also contributed for St. Matthew’s. To reach the championship match against Campbell Hall, St. Matthew’s defeated Harvard-Westlake, 25-23, 25-22, in the semifinals’avenging two earlier losses to the Wolverines. Golf St. Matthew’s took second place at the Pacific Basin League Golf Championships last Friday at The Lakes Golf Course in El Segundo with a score of 224. Andrew Tinger and Taylor Stokes were seventh and eighth overall with scores of 35 (six over par)) to lead the Falcons. Ryan Kahn carded a 37, followed by Nick Lenard (38), Lawrence Kondra (39), Thomas Tortorici (40), Matt Chen (44), Peter St. John (40) and Preston Clifford (49). The Falcons finished with a 4-2 record after winning only one match in the past three years.