St. Matthew’s Roundup

Brad Zacuto’s softball team played two important games last week, defeating Archer 12-2 on Wednesday and coming from behind to defeat first-place Brentwood 6-2 the following day. The game against Archer was tighter than the score indicates and the Falcons’ defense had to work out of a bases-loaded jam in the first inning. Danielle Greenberg snared a hard ground ball to retire the side and preserve a 2-0 lead. Outfielders Bonnie Wirth and Sheridan Hathaway made big plays in the field to hold Archer hitters to singles. Codie Dicus and Claire Bastis pitched effectively, striking out 10 batters in five innings and limiting the opposition to just three hits and two runs. Wirth had two hits, Emily Newman doubled, Dicus had two hits, and Hathaway, Carlye Gordon and Anne Turner each had a hit. St. Matthew’s pulled away on a triple by Rylee Ebsen and a three-run home run by Bastis. Brentwood proved to be the Falcons’ toughest opponent thus far this season. Emily Newman made a running catch to end the top of the third inning, then St. Matthew’s teammate Audrey Turner got the offense started when she walked, stole second and third and sored on a grounder by Dicus. Still trailing 2-1 in the fourth inning, Anne Turner led off with a walk, Ebsen singled and Newman walked to load the bases. With one out and two strikes, Wirth tripled to give St. Matthew’s a 4-2 lead and the Falcons added two more to provide the final margin. St. Matthew’s improved to 3-0 in the Pacific Basin League (tied for first place) and 7-0-1 overall. Boys Volleyball The Falcons swept Harvard-Westlake’s seventh-graders, 25-13, 25-22, lost to the Wolverines’ eighth-grade squad, 25-19, 25-22, defeated St. Paul’s seventh-graders, 25-11, 25-8, and lost to St. Paul’s eighth-graders, 25-17, 25-19. Coach John Caravella’s squad is 4-2 in the Junior High Delphic League and consists of eighth-graders Matt Bagnard, Logan Shoop, Evan Palmer, Greg Aspell and Alex Helmintoller along with seventh graders Andrew Goldberg, Daniel Deloje, Connor Gill, Cary Kriegsman, Evan Biscow and sixth-graders Spencer Eichler and Lucas Helmintoller. Boys Tennis Tied 3-3 in matches, St. Matthew’s beat Brentwood on games, 39-34, for its first win of the season. The Falcons (1-4) had suffered tiebreak losses in three of their previous four defeats. Joey Friedrich led the way against the Eagles, winning 8-4 at No. 1 singles while Starr Hathaway and Christian Williams won at No. 2 doubles for St. Matthew’s, which is coached by Parker Rand. The Falcons’ third point came by default.