Hillmen stranded as Del Campo hurls combined no-hitter

Placer High School repeatedly put itself in position to survive and advance Friday night in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV baseball quarterfinals, but the Hillmen just could not come up with the hit they needed. No. 11 seed Del Campo stunned No. 3 Placer 4-2 at James Field, using a combined no-hitter and a late two-RBI double by Logan Smith to end the Hillmen's season earlier than they anticipated. Despite not recording a hit, Placer (23-6) pressured Del Campo throughout the night. The Hillmen drew 11 walks, were hit by five pitches and stranded 11 runners on base. The game featured drama in nearly every inning. It started when Del Campo threatened in the top of the first, loading the bases with nobody out before Placer starter Garrett Brink escaped the jam. The Hillmen scored in the second inning when Sam Mowry lifted a deep sacrifice fly to center field to give Placer a 1-0 lead. The Cougars answered in the third on an AJ Paulsen RBI single before Kaden Keifer launched a solo home run to left field in the fourth to put Del Campo ahead 2-1. Placer threatened repeatedly against Del Campo pitchers Lorenzo Vega and Brody Bieneman, but the Cougars escaped trouble. Del Campo turned a double play to escape a bases-loaded jam in the fourth inning and cut down the potential go-ahead run at home plate to end the sixth. The Hillmen tied the score 2-2 earlier in the sixth on Kyler Foulke's bases-loaded walk. Del Campo finally delivered the game-changing hit. With two outs and two runners aboard, Smith ripped a two-run double to give the Cougars a 4-2 advantage. Del Campo completed the combined no-hitter moments later to send the No. 11 seed into the Division IV semifinals. "You've got to tip your hat," Placer coach Dave Thompson said. "We didn't get a hit. They hit and they pitched." Brink kept Placer alive, allowing two runs (one earned) over four innings while striking out four. Colin Morris finished on the mound for the Hillmen. The defeat ended a turnaround season for the Hillmen, who started the year 2-2 before winning 16 of their final 17 to capture a share of the Foothill Valley League title and earn the No. 3 seed in Division IV. "This was a high-character group," Thompson said. "They battled, they battled, they battled, and they started believing in themselves. When you win 16 out of 17, that's not easy to do." Thompson said the Hillmen still have plenty to be proud of. "We're still league champs," Thompson said. "You've got to play 18 games and come out on top. I think that says a lot about a team." Even after the abrupt ending, Thompson reflected proudly on the resilience his team showed throughout the spring. "We had a lot of come-from-behind victories," Thompson said. "We just couldn't get one tonight." Del Campo (11-19) was set to face No. 2 Modesto-Central Catholic (22-6) in a best-of-three semifinal series beginning Tuesday in Modesto.