Prep Roundup

Prep Roundup: Walk-off homer gives Greyhounds win, playoff spot

Cherry’s two-run walk-off in bottom of seventh helps Atascadero beat Righetti 13-11, finish fourth in PAC 7

One day after tragedy struck Atascadero High, the baseball team gave the school something to celebrate Thursday as Bryce Cherry hit a two-run walk-off homer in the bottom of the seventh inning to beat Righetti 13-11 and secure a playoff spot by earning a fourth-place finish in PAC 7 league play.

“I really appreciate the positive attitudes I saw in the face of adversity,” Greyhounds coach Rex West said, a day after a student drowned in a campus swimming pool.

“The boys were pretty shaken up, like everyone else, but they did the best they could today.”

Cherry had a huge game, going 4 for 4 with a double, a home run, three RBI and three runs scored. Bret Hiatt went 3 for 3 with two runs and three RBI, while starting pitcher Matt Poulin was 3 for 4 with two runs and two RBI.

Louis Coppo earned the win for Atascadero (13-12, 8-9) after entering the game in the seventh.

The Greyhounds fell behind early, trailing 6-1 after the second inning. Atascadero fought back, scoring three runs in the third, fourth and sixth innings to take a 10-6 lead. But the Warriors (11-14, 7-10) tacked on five in the top of the seventh to reclaim the lead.

Then Cherry, just a sophomore, extended his team’s season with one swing of the bat as he hammered his third homer of the year.

“You could tell right off the bat,” West said. “Immediately, everybody knew.” ————

BOYS TENNIS Arroyo Grande 10, Arcadia 8

The Eagles swept all nine singles sets in the opening round of the CIF-Southern Section Division II playoffs on the road.

Andre Dome won all three of his sets by a score of 6-0 for Arroyo Grande (16-3).

Lori Hollister expected Arcadia to stack the doubles but said she still felt confident she was going in with the strongest team.

Levi Daniel and Nick Hollister won the only doubles set for the Eagles to swing the total score in favor of Arroyo Grande.

The Eagles await the winner of the Claremont- La Quinta matchup. If Claremont wins, Arroyo Grande will play at home on Saturday. If La Quinta wins, a coin flip will determine the location.

Gahr 13, Templeton 5

The Eagles’ season came to a close with a loss in the first round of the CIF-Southern Section Division IV playoffs at Cerritos College.

Jeff Eisemann and Michael Hattar both won two out their three singles sets, but Templeton (8-11) failed to win a doubles set.

Gahr finished their regular season undefeated in the San Gabriel Valley League at 12-0 and is 14-3 overall.

SOFTBALL Arroyo Grande 5, San Luis Obispo 1

The Eagles guaranteed themselves a spot in the CIF-Southern Section playoffs with the home win over the Tigers.

Alyssa Giordanengo led the way, going 2 for 4 with a home run and a double while Renee Moreno went 2 for 3 with two doubles. Katie Brooks allowed just four hits to earn the complete-game win for Arroyo Grande (11-13-1, 7-5).

Sarah Coon had the only extra base hit for San Luis Obispo (15-11, 7-5) with a double.

Atascadero can also earn a spot in the playoffs with a win today over Righetti. A loss would leave the Greyhounds tied with Pioneer Valley, and the Panthers own the tiebreaker.