NCS baseball playoffs: Foothill’s big inning turns back Benicia in D-I game

PLEASANTON Foothill broke the tournament open with a six-run fourth inning and went on to a - win Friday over Benicia in a North Coast Section Division I quarterfinal Benicia scored a run in the top of the first without the benefit of a hit Foothill responded with two in the bottom half taking advantage of two walks and three Benicia errors The number remained - until the fourth when Foothill sent batters to the plate Tanner Tarpley brought home the first run in the inning drawing a bases-loaded walk Landon Comerford singled home a run Hudson Flora hit a sacrifice fly and freshman shortstop Aiden Tavares doubled home two runs to cap the outburst They got up early we ignored the noise and then we pounded them Foothill coach Zeke Palma reported We do what we do We hit we pitch and we play good defense It all came together this day Comerford s two-run double in the fifth made it - Left-handed starter Jack Fowler had breezed to that point striking out seven and allowing just that one unearned run in the first Benicia loaded the bases with one out in the sixth and Palma went to the bullpen bringing Jackson Hoban in to pitch Benicia catcher Carlos Lagraespada greeted him with a hard-hit grounder that took a high hop over the shortstop s head and into left-center for a two-run double The Panthers added a run in the seventh on an RBI ground out by Matteo Bivian before Hoban recorded the final out No seed Foothill - will play at No De La Salle on Tuesday The Falcons lost twice to DLS in East Bay Athletic League play Related Articles NCS roundup Defending champ Granada falls to Casa Grande in D-I baseball NCS baseball softball scoreboard Friday s quarterfinals results NCS baseball softball roundup Las Lomas pitcher fires no-hitter NCS playoffs Wednesday s baseball softball first-round scores NCS baseball softball roundup De La Salle crushes Pittsburg in first-round matchup We re going to come hungry we re going to come hard and fast and I cannot wait announced Comerford who went -for- Friday with three RBIs batting out of the cleanup spot in the lineup Both times we played we were really competitive We ve just got to come with more confidence play all seven innings Faced with adversity it s just a matter of how we respond Fowler who is headed to Pepperdine to play college baseball went innings allowing four hits two earned runs and struck out seven He also is looking forward to the matchup with De La Salle Third time is the charm Fowler revealed Right time to get them again We ve seen them twice seen both their arms just got to attack them now Nothing to lose for us Benicia the second-place finisher in the Diablo Athletic League Foothill Division and No seed in the D-I playoffs saw its season come to an end at - Leadoff batter Peyton Rowles had two hits including a double Ayden Thompson pinch-hitting in the top of the seventh also hit a double