Pali High Baseball Wins Season Opener

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

Spring sports are underway and several Palisades Charter High School teams made their season debuts last week. Here are the results and a look at the upcoming schedule.

Baseball

The Dolphins opened their season in dramatic fashion, rallying for a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to beat North Hollywood 2-1 last Friday night, February 23, under the lights at George Robert Field.

Conor Greene had two hits, including the game-winning double with one out in the last frame to bring home Andres Trujillo and Alex Loos, and Palisades also got hits from Logan Bailey and Jordan Harris. Pitchers Roman Hawk, Reece Frankel and Ian Sullivan combine for 16 strikeouts.

The Huskies took a 1-0 lead in the third on an RBI double by Nick Park.

On Saturday, February 24, the Dolphins improved to 2-0 with a 12-5 victory over Kennedy in Granada Hills in the Poly Classic. Sullivan had two singles, three RBIs and two runs scored, Hawk had a single, a double and two runs scored, Bailey hit a single and a triple, Greene hit an RBI double, and Yonah Cohen had a single and two RBIs. Starting pitcher John Iacono allowed three runs on three hits with 10 strikeouts in 5.1 innings.

Palisades is back in action Friday afternoon, March 1, when it travels to East LA College to play Roosevelt in a tournament game. 

Softball

The Dolphins traveled to Clover Park in Santa Monica to take on St. Monica Catholic and gave up four runs in the sixth inning to lose 5-4. The squads traded runs in the first inning before Palisades edged ahead 2-1 in the second and added two runs in the top of the sixth to make it 4-1.

Stella Honda had a single, a double, one RBI and one run scored, Olivia Stanley had two hits and one RBI, Celia Elisha had an RBI single and scored one run, and Rikka Richardson added one RBI. Pitcher Briana Vasquez allowed seven hits and four earned runs with five strikeouts and one walk in six innings.

The Dolphins have another nonleague game at Culver City on Friday, March 1, at 3:30 p.m. 

Boys Volleyball

Palisades coach Carlos Gray scheduled two challenging opponents to start the season, beginning with Harvard-Westlake last Wednesday, February 21, and the visiting Wolverines won in four sets, 25-23, 22-25, 25-22, 25-22.

On Friday, February 23, the Dolphins hosted Royal of Simi Valley, and despite holding leads in each set, Palisades only managed to win the first as the Highlanders prevailed 24-26, 25-18, 25-13, 25-22.

The Dolphins will open Western League play at archival Venice next Wednesday, March 6. 

Boys Tennis

The reigning City Section champions rebounded from road defeats to a pair of Mission League teams (falling to Harvard-Westlake, 15-3, and Loyola, 12-6) with 14-4 victories over Marmonte League squads Newbury Park last Tuesday, February 20, and Westlake last Thursday, February 22. Palisades travels to Calabasas on Thursday, February 29, for another intersectional matchup before opening Western League action Friday, March 1, at Westchester.    

Boys Lacrosse

The Dolphins opened the season last Wednesday, February 21, with an 11-7 win at West Ranch before returning home to battle Harvard-Westlake to an 11-11 tie last Friday, February 23. Palisades hosts Agoura on Friday night, March 1.

Girls Lacrosse

Last Friday, February 23, the Dolphins dropped their first game 13-11 to host Long Beach Millikan. On Monday, February 26, the defending City champions rebounded to rout University, 13-3.

Palisades is back in action next Thursday, March 7, at 6 p.m. versus Saugus at Stadium by the Sea.

Girls Beach Volleyball

The Dolphins won two out of three matches Saturday, February 24, on their first weekend of competition, sweeping Discovery 3-0, falling to Taft 2-1 (winning the No. 1 spot) and topping Maywood CES 2-1 with wins by their No. 1 and No. 2 duos.