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

Skyline College and College of San Mateo entered this week tied for second place in the Coast North Conference baseball race following last week’s three-game local series. Skyline took the first contest, 4-1, in San Bruno, but then dropped the next two games with the Bulldogs, 7-4, and 14-0.

Cañada College won the first of its series with then co-fourth place West Valley College, 7-1, as Owen Crevelt smacked a home run and a double and scored three runs. The Colts, however, suffered one-run setbacks in the two succeeding games, 5-4, and 3-2, leaving them in fifth place.

Cañada got off to a good start in this week’s series, taking care of visiting City College of San Francisco, 7-4, on Tuesday. The Colts (18-14-1, 6-7 Coast North) are now just a game out of second place and visit the Rams (9-21, 2-11) on Thursday at Fairmont Field in Pacifica and on Saturday at San Francisco State University’s diamond.

This is the final round of three-game engagements in the Coast Conference, which then wraps up with two weeks of single games among each division foe to complete a four-game season series with each opponent.

Chabot College (23-9-1, 10-3) has a three-game lead over the pack after defeating visiting Skyline, 9-1, on Tuesday. San Mateo was edged by West Valley, 8-7. So there is now a three-way jam for second with 7-6 marks among Skyline (22-10 overall), CSM (23-9), and West Valley (15-17). They will work to resolve that on Thursday. Skyline hosts Chabot and San Mateo plays West Valley (at the Gavilan College field in Gilroy). They complete the week’s series on Saturday with Skyline at Chabot and CSM visiting West Valley’s alternate (Gavilan) facility.

Next week, CSM is at conference-leading Chabot, while Skyline will be at Cañada.

Garcia has top Nor Cal hurdle time

CSM’s Donovan Garcia posted Northern California’s top 110 meter high hurdles time, 14.82 seconds at the Brutus Hamilton Invitational at Cal last Saturday.

With improving weather, the Bulldogs had several season improvements. Evan Forsman ran 1:55.71 in the 800 meters, the No. 3 NorCal time of the year. Brandon Beane had another personal best in the men’s javelin throw, 171 feet, 4 inches, good for No.. 4 in NorCal and No 6 in the state.

Justin Gauthier had his longest discus throw, 123-7, while Aria Park ran the 3,000 meter steeplechase in a person best 11:00.83.

For the CSM women, Heart Noble Dean clocked 1:00.17 in the 400 meters, (No. 5 in NorCal), Zoe Thompson ran 2:27.27 in the 800 meters (No. 8 Nor Cal), and Shannon Dorn clocked 5:01.27 in the 1,500 meters (No. 6 NorCal). The Lady Bulldogs improved their 4 x 100 meter relay time to 50.82 with a quartet of Halle Ichuji, Noble Dean, Rochelle Perez, and Thompson.

CSM softball set for crucial conference games

CSM continues to take care of most of its Coast Conference softball foes while looking to an April 20 showdown with pacesetter West Valley College.

The Lady Bulldogs had a 12-4 mercy triumph over Chabot College in six innings last week. They blanked host fourth place Cabrillo College, 4-0, on Tuesday, led by Gabrielle Perez with three hits.

The reigning state champion Bulldogs faltered in last Thursday’s non-league battle, dropping a 10-5 decision to San Joaqun Delta College in Stockton.

The Bulldogs are now 26-6 overall. Only one Northern California team, Sierra College (32-1) has more wins.

CSM (8-1 Coast Conference) remains on the road for upcoming league contests with fifth-place San Jose (16-13, 5-6) on Thursday and third place Monterey Peninsula (26-7, 7-3) on Saturday. San Mateo then plays at sixth place Hartnell (15-14-1, 3-7) next Tuesday.

That all could lead up to the likely April 20 league decider at home with West Valley (26-5, 11-0), which currently has an 18-game overall win streak.