Local Digest: MJC doubles team reaches state semifinals

Parker Pilati and Vanessa Teves stretched their Modesto Junior College tennis careers nearly to the maximum.

The MJC sophomores reached the doubles semifinals of the CCCAA State Championships with four consecutive wins, including three in straight sets, before falling. The Pirate pair, seeded No. 1 in the North, lost to South No. 2 seeds Linda Guerzize and Yu Yamada of College of the Desert 2-6, 7-5, 10-7. Pilati and Teves led 5-3 in the second set.

“It was bittersweet. They really had a chance,” MJC coach Milan Motroni said. “But they went further than anticipated.”

Pilati and Teves (13-2) advanced in the quarterfinals Saturday with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Betsy Samonte and Miriam Lane of Santa Rosa.

The duo anchored MJC’s march to the 2015 NorCal team title.

Baseball

Warriors rebound with shutout in Turlock – Cal State Stanislaus (20-20, 11-17 California Collegiate Athletic Association) bounced back from being swept in a doubleheader Saturday by shutting out visiting San Francisco State 5-0 on Sunday.

Micah Hall (2-2), Chris Senn and Travis Johnston combined on a five-hit shutout with Hall allowing just two hits in an 82-pitch, seven-inning outing.

Patrick Mulry hit his first homer of the season to give the Warriors a 1-0 lead in the fourth, and Kyle Nixon had a sacrifice fly in the same inning and a run-scoring double in the sixth. Garrett Serino singled in a run in the sixth, and Erik Colombini had an RBI single in the eighth.

The Warriors had nine hits a day after managing a combined eight while being swept by the Gators 3-2 and 1-0 in a doubleheader in San Francisco.

Stanislaus’ chances to reach the CCAA Tournament worsened after the Gators scored twice in the eighth – via a throwing error and wild pitch – to win the opener, then held on in the seven-inning nightcap. Aldo Koutsoyanopulos’ single drove in Mulry and Scott Stetson to give Stanislaus an early lead in the opener.

Robbie DeVries suffered a tough loss in his duel in the nightcap against Dillon Houser. Chad Thurston drove in the only run with a pinch-hit single in the fourth.

Softball

Season-ending split for Warriors in Seaside – The pitching of Kylie Ragsdale and a home run by Ruby Quiralte delivered a 1-0 win for Stanislaus State (25-28, 17-23 CCAA) over Cal State Monterey in the first game of a season-ending doubleheader. The Otters (26-26-1, 16-22-1) captured the nightcap 5-4 on a walkoff infield single by Marielle Valdez.

Ragsdale, a freshman, allowed only three hits to improve her record to 16-17. Though she lost her shutout in the seventh, she protected the lead provided by Quiralte’s two-run homer in the first. Nicolette Vizcaino drove in three runs for Stanislaus in the nightcap.

First-year coach Jessica Ventoza led Stanislaus to its most wins since 2009.

Golf

Bonner second at Commuters – Ripon’s Andrew Bonner shot a 69 and sat in second place, 10 strokes behind Clovis West High star Peter Kuest, going into Sunday’s fourth and final round of the 89th Alameda Commuters.

Bonner (70-67-69 – 206) was 7 under par after 54 holes at the Chuck Corica Golf Complex, but he was far behind Kuest (65-64-67 – 196). Patrick Burda of Modesto was tied for 10th (64-74-71 – 209).

Jamie Looper of Oakdale posted a 70 and led Frank Pieper and Terry Foreman by a stroke with 18 holes left in the senior division.

Sharp is tournament medalist – MJC freshman Nick Sharp shot a 3-under 69 at Kings River Country Club in Kingsburg for the medalist honor at a Big 8 tournament. The Pirates placed third in the event and sit in second place behind Reedley in the overall standings.

This story was originally published April 23, 2016 at 9:12 PM with the headline "Local Digest: MJC doubles team reaches state semifinals."