The article below originally appeared in the San Mateo Daily Journal and is being reprinted with permission.

It was a true walkoff as Connor Hennings was able to get four balls called with the bases loaded to give College of San Mateo a 7-6 victory over visiting County rival Cañada College Saturday.

CSM swept the week’s two-game series with the Colts and stayed undefeated in Coast North Conference play with a 5-0 record. The Bulldogs are 14-7 overall, bringing a seven-game winning streak into the week. Cañada fell to 0-6, 4-18.

Hennings took the RBI walk, scoring pinch runner Joe Sassi from third base to end it.

Designated hitter Michael Carnazzo led off the bottom of the ninth with a walk. That brought in Sassi to pinch run. Second baseman Kai Holm had his second hit of the game to put Sassi in scoring position at second base. That brought up left fielder Kodal Yaoita, who already had a three-hit day. He produced a sacrifice grounder to third base, advancing both runners. Catcher Nolan Ackerman was then intentionally walked to load the bases — bringing up right fielder Hennings to gain the deciding RBI walk.

Catcher Mario Duran was the hitting star for Cañada, with a 4-for-4, three RBI day. The Capuchino High grad singled home Tyler Nelson (Menlo-Atherton) in the sixth inning to tie the score at 4-4. After CSM took a 6-4 lead with single runs in the sixth and seventh, Duran doubled to right in the eighth to score pinch runner Josue Iniquez (El Camino) and shortstop Lucas Herrera (Sacred Heart Cathedral) and create a 6-6 tie.

Cañada looks to continue to challenge in the tough Coast North campaign, hosting West Valley on Thursday at 2:30 p.m. and then playing City College of San Francisco in a Sunday contest at the USF stadium at 1 p.m.

CSM softball beats closest competitors

The College of San Mateo women’s softball team established itself as, arguably, the top contingent in Northern California with its wins over West Valley College, 5-4, and San Jose City College, 2-0, this month. The Bulldogs sit alone atop the Coast Conference standings at 6-0, having given their closest adversaries their sole league setbacks.

CSM is riding an 12-game winning streak, with a 22-2 overall record.

The Bulldogs are scheduled to host Coast runner-up West Valley (19-8 overall) at 3 p.m. Thursday and Solano (6-14) of the Bay Valley Conference at noon on Saturday.

Kealani Cardona leads Coast Conference batters with a .531 average, just ahead of teammate Sara Giles (.508), who is slugging .915 and has 26 RBIs. They rank 2-3, respectively, in Northern California batting and 5-6 in the state. San Mateo’s top slugger is Tori Cortez (1.036), who is batting .464, with four home runs.

Cardona has a 9-2 pitching record and 0.84 earned run average, with 42 strikeouts. Chloe Moffit is 9-0 with a 2.04 E.R.A. and 34 K’s.

CSM track and field has strong showing at De Anza Invitational

Sarelis Villalobos-Marti swept the wet women’s sprint events for College of San Mateo at Saturday’s De Anza College Invitational in Cupertino. She won the 100 meters in 13.06 seconds and the 200 in 26.39. The previous week, at Modesto, she had run a Coast Conference best in the 400 meters, 60.65.

Terra Nova grad Elizabeth Demafeliz won the 400 hurdles in 1:13.59 to move up to No. 3 in the Coast Conference rankings.

CSM’s Liam Laughlin (Aragon) improved his Coast Conference leading men’s shot put mark to 49 feet, 1 inch, and won the javelin throw (171-4). Milo Greenwood (Terra Nova) placed second in the javelin. Throwing in the wet conditions, both were short of their best javelin marks — where they rank first and third in the Coast Conference.

Brevan Rohde, the 2021 PAL champion out of Westmoor) and Justin Gauthier (Terra Nova) gave the Bulldogs a 1-2 sweep in the 110 meter high hurdles, with Rohde winning in 16.73.

The Bulldogs now have the top 3 marks in the conference in both hurdle races. Donavan Garcia (Hillsdale) was already the Coast Conference leader in the high hurdles (15.62) and in the 400 hurdles (55.25).

Garcia won the 400 hurdles at De Anza in 55.81, leading a 1-2-3 CSM sweep. Gauthier ran 58.76 for second place (and the third best Coast Conference mark of 2022), followed by Rohde (whose best time of 58.55 already ranked second).

Johnny Goode (Hillsdale) placed second in the 100 meters in 11.01, a season best.

Evan Forsman (Riordan) was second in the 800 meters in 1:58.83 to move up to fourth in the conference rankings.