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Baseball Falls in CIF-SS Second Round
San Clemente opened the CIF-SS playoffs with two road games, and the Tritons were sent home in the second round.
San Clemente advanced in the Division 3 first round with a rain-delayed win at Cerritos, 7-5, on Friday, May 5, but despite scoring first in the second round, the Tritons couldn’t hold off host Westlake in a 5-2 loss on Tuesday, May 9.
San Clemente finished 19-11 overall after a second-place run in the Sea View League.
In its playoff opener at Cerritos, San Clemente scored two runs in the first and never trailed. The Tritons added three insurance runs in the top of the seventh, and they were needed after Cerritos scored four runs in the bottom of the seventh.
Mike Erspamer scored two runs and added an RBI double to help his own cause on the mound. The sophomore picked up the win, allowing one run on two hits over six innings with six strikeouts.
Swimmer Noah Sech Wins CIF-SS Breaststroke Title
San Clemente senior swimmer Noah Sech captured CIF-SS Division 1 gold in the boys 100-yard breaststroke at the CIF-SS Championships on Friday, May 5, at Riverside City College.
Sech swam an All-American time of 54.66 seconds in the event to win his first CIF-SS title a year after finishing fifth in the event. Sech also finished third in the 200-yard individual medley with an All-American time of 1:47.15. Sech moves on to the state championships, where he swam last season as the first Triton in the competition since 2015.
On the girls side, senior Madelyn Phillips finished second in the 100-yard breaststroke with an All-American consideration time of 1:02.64. Phillips also won her consolation final in the 100-yard butterfly with another All-American consideration time. Phillips, who was the first Triton girl to ever swim at the state championships last season, is headed back to the state meet.
She will be joined by freshman Zoe De Fabrique, who finished sixth in the girls 500-yard freestyle with an All-American consideration time of 4:54.64.
Girls Lacrosse Downed by No. 1 Foothill in Division 1 Semifinals
Foothill’s closest contest against CIF-Southern Section opposition all season was its season-opener against San Clemente, an 11-7 win on Feb. 28.
Foothill’s second-closest contest against CIF-SS opposition was also against San Clemente, but it would be the end of the road for the Tritons.
Foothill, the two-time defending Division 1 champion, scored seven goals in the first half and held down San Clemente in the second half to defeat the host Tritons, 11-5, in the CIF-SS Division 1 semifinals on Friday, May 5, at San Clemente High School.
San Clemente (14-4) was the No. 4 seed in Division 1 and advanced to its first CIF-SS semifinal. The Tritons defeated St. Margaret’s in the first round, 19-7.
CIF-SS Playoff Roundup
San Clemente boys lacrosse played things tight in the first two rounds of the Division 2 playoffs, as the Tritons scored a one-goal win at Vista Murrieta, 5-4, in the first round and fell by one goal at home to No. 2 seed Aliso Niguel, 9-8, in the second round.
San Clemente boys tennis lost in the Division 1 first round at Marina, 14-4.
