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As this week comes to a close, so does the unique spring sports season for the local high school teams.
It also brings an end to Vivian Lee’s freshman baseball season at Foothill.
That’s right — baseball.
Lee grew up in San Francisco and started playing Little League when she was in kindergarten and became smitten with the sport.
“I started playing whiffle ball in preschool,” said Lee, who in 2017 got the chance to throw the first pitch at a San Francisco Giants game. “Since then, to be honest, I always liked baseball.”
The family moved to Pleasanton before Lee’s freshman year and when sports finally started back up again, Lee faced a decision.
“I thought about playing softball because I might have a better chance to make the team,” Lee said.
In the end, she went with her love of baseball.
“I was kind of nervous to see how much taller and better than me everyone else would be,” said Lee, who professes to be 5-foot-1 on a good day and 4-11 on a bad day.
Freshman coach Gary Wineger knew she could play from the start.
“She has fit right in from day one,” Wineger said. “Once the boys saw that she could play, they have fully embraced and supported her. She works hard, always willing to work after practice.”
Lee’s mother Vicki pointed out that the boys “treat her like a baseball player, not a female baseball player.”
Lee, who plays second base because “that’s where the shortest person plays,” has gotten notice from throughout the Foothill program and Wineger feels she will play throughout her four years.
“The upperclassmen are always asking me, ‘how did Vivian do in the game yesterday?'” Wineger said.
“I fully expect her to advance through JV and varsity. She has the talent, work ethic and determination to do what she needs to continue playing ball as a Falcon,” the coach added.
Amador girls soccer
The Amador varsity girls team celebrated Senior Night on May 19 with a 4-1 victory over Livermore.
Maille Smith opened the scoring for the Dons with Kennedy Mayo providing the assist. Mayo then scored herself, and Smith closed the first half scoring with her second goal to make it 3-0.
In the second half, Smith completed her second hat trick of the season, finding the back of the net with a decisive strike. Olivia Soble, Penny Murphy and Emily Gossett provided impressive assists. The stingy Dons defense was dominant once again.
Seniors Smith (Cal Poly), Mayo (Arizona State), Murphy (Nevada-Reno), Gossett (Boise State), Maggie Nostrand (Santa Clara), Kaamna Shankar (Delta), Kate Derham (University of San Diego), Noelle Marceno (UC Santa Barbara) and Kyrah Woodward were honored before the game for their accomplishments on and off the field.
Foothill boys lacrosse
The Falcons ended their home schedule by celebrating Senior Night with a 15-8 win over Granada on May 20. The seniors were Tyler Hayes (captain), Luke Barbera (captain), Shane Burke, and Ian Kapsalis.
Foothill jumped out to a 5-2 lead at the end of the first quarter, with Hayes and Burke each getting a pair of goals. JT Brugaletta got the other goal for the Falcons.
The lead grew to 9-3 at the half as Darragh Kennedy scored twice, with Hayes and Wyatt Lam adding one each.
Burke added two more and Hayes one as they pushed the lead to 12-5 at the end of three. Kennedy, Lam, and Burke scored in the final period to provide the final margin.
Kapsalis had three saves in the goal and Graham Zander led the team in loose balls controlled.
Earlier in the week Foothill dropped a 10-7 game to Dublin. Lam, Burke (2), Kennedy, Brugaletta and Hayes (2) scored for the Falcons. Good defense was played by Luke Barbera, Bennett Zander and Anthony Cardoza.
Editor’s note: Dennis Miller is a contributing sports writer for the Pleasanton Weekly. To contact him about his “Pleasanton Preps” column, email acesmag@aol.com.
