Athlete of the month came through in the clutch

Nick Costello has been lighting up the statistics columns for Claremont Wolfpack baseball all season, but during the last 2 weeks Costello was absolutely unstoppable. The 6’1”, 180-lb senior shortstop is hitting at a .457 clip with 15 runs batted in and almost no errors at the game’s toughest position.

Costello smacked a double and a home run against Chino Hills 2 weeks ago, and then cranked a 2-run homer to win the game against Ayala. In both games, Claremont came from behind in the final inning to win. Costello also hit a home run against Damien earlier and only has 2 errors in 2013. With his timely hitting and leadership as one of Claremont’s middle infielders, that helped vault the Wolfpack to a 2^nd place in the Sierra League.

Claremont High School

BOYS VOLLEYBALL

Wolfpack boys volleyball went to 5-0 in the Pacific League after 2 big wins last week. Claremont swept Crescenta Valley in 3 sets, then narrowly defeated Burroughs 3-2. Stephen Zetterberg, Stan Reeder, and Joey Davis were each in double-digits in kills, and Lane Giammalva notched 32 assists against Burroughs. Scores from this week’s games against Hoover and Burbank will feature in next Friday’s COURIER.

BOYS TENNIS

Another undefeated team, Claremont boys tennis, had a stellar last week of March. The Pack overpowered Chino Hills 14-4, and then beat Charter Oak 12-6. The wins mean Claremont improves to 4-0 in the Sierra League, with 6 matches remaining in the regular season. CHS will take on Ayala this Wednesday, April 10 at 3:15 pm, at home.

BOYS GOLF

Claremont boys golfers suffered their first hiccup of the season, losing by 10 strokes to Damien. However, the Pack bounced back with a win against South Hills 186-212, and had a victory by wide margin against Hacienda Heights Wilson, 198-234. Against the Huskies, Claremont shot its lowest score in 3 years, with 4 shooters in the 30’s, with Adelbert Wang finishing 1-below-par at 34. Ben Whitham shot an even 35 in the rout of Wilson. The Wolfpack now have a week off.

BASEBALL

Claremont won in walk-off fashion against Ayala last week, winning 6-4. Down by 2 with their backs against the wall, the Wolfpack’s Josh Chua hit a 2 RBI single to tie the game at 4. Nick Costello then smacked a dramatic 2-run home run to win the game. Andrew Bernstein picked up the victory, throwing 3 scoreless innings in relief. Claremont features in the Centennial Tournament beginning this Friday, April 6 at 11 a.m., at San Juan Hills.

Webb School roundup

Vivian Webb softball rebounded from a loss to Mayfield by registering 16 hits, and beating Rio Hondo 12-2. The Lady Gauls go into spring break 3^rd place in league competition.

Webb baseball won 3 games in a row last week, beating Rio Hondo, Calvary Murrieta, and Western Christian by the combined score of 35-0. The Gauls go 3-0 at the top of the Prep League.

After a tough loss to Ayala, the Gauls boys tennis team traveled to St. Francis and grabbed their 4^th victory of the season, 11-7. Webb still has work to do in the Prep League to maintain a playoff position.

The Gauls had a tough week in boys volleyball, being swept by both Rio Hondo and St. Anthony. Webb stays rooted to the bottom of the standings with a week’s rest ahead of them.

Webb boys golf moved to 6-1 last week with a home win over Arrowhead Christian, 195-217. The Gauls suffered their first loss to Pasadena Poly preceding the win.

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—Chris Oakley

sports@claremont-courier.com