Sports briefs: Mill Valley’s Smith sisters competing for national title

Former Tam High standouts Samantha Smith and Madison Smith of Mill Valley will compete for a national title on Sunday after helping Northwestern University to a 15-11 win against Florida in Friday’s NCAA semifinals.

Samantha Smith, a junior, scored an unassisted goal to tie the score at 2-2 in the first quarter and won a game-high eight draw controls. Madison Smith, a freshman, also contributed with a draw control.

Northwestern (18-2) faces Boston College (19-3) for the championship on Sunday. The game will air on ESPN at 9 a.m. Pacific.

Northwestern defeated Boston College in the title game 18-6 last year and is looking for its ninth national title — second only to Maryland’s total of 14.

Samantha Smith has 13 goals, five assists and a team-high 107 draw controls this season. Madison Smith has one assist and has won 45 draw controls.

Samantha Smith was an all-MCAL first-team selection for the Red-tailed Hawks in 2019. Madison Smith earned the league’s player of the year honors in 2023.

Prep track

San Rafael resident Ellie McCuskey-Hay competed in four events at the State Meet at Buchanan High in Clovis, qualifying for the long jump finals and narrowly missing out in the 100 meters.

St Ignatius High’s McCuskey-Hay placed fifth in the long jump prelims with a mark of 18 feet, 8.5 inches on Friday then bested that mark with a jump of 19 feet to finish fifth in Saturday’s finals.

McCuskey-Hay placed 10th in the 100 prelims on Friday, essentially finishing with the same time as ninth-place finisher Marley Scoggins of Calabasas (11.71 seconds). The top nine finishers advanced to the final, leaving McCuskey-Hay just on the outside looking in.

McCuskey-Hay also competed in the 200 and the 4×100 relay. McCuskey-Hay set a personal record in the 200 with a time of 24.54 seconds to place 16th. She also anchored the relay to help St. Ignatius finish 14th.

Marin’s other state qualifiers wrapped up competition on Friday with Redwood’s William Ghalam placing 12th in the 400 with a PR of 48.19. Redwood’s Annalise Horn finished 16th in the long jump with a distance of 17 feet, 4.75 inches. Redwood’s Antonio Bayon competed in the pole vault but was unable to clear 15 feet.

Baseball

The San Rafael Pacifics improved to 3-0 to start the Pecos League season with Friday’s 10-5 victory over Dublin at Albert Park.

The Pacifics scored in each of the first four innings take an 8-2 lead and added two more runs in the seventh. San Rafael got 14 hits, along with a six-inning stint by starting pitcher Eric Parnow in which he gave up two runs, three hits, three walks and struck out five batters.

Relief pitcher Xavier Stewart pitched the final three innings with two strikeouts and three walks. Coming to the plate, Stewart jumped on the first pitch he saw this season for his first home run, a solo shot in the bottom of the seventh.

Center fielder Xavier Selway added a triple as he went 2 for 5 for the Pacifics. Catcher Beau Dorman was 3 for 5 for San Rafael and Chris Blyskal had three RBIs.

San Rafael is scheduled to play at Dublin on Tuesday and Thursday.