Sports briefs: Sharks bring home gold at National Junior Olympics

The Sharks Water Polo Club U12 Coed A squad took home gold from the 2024 National Junior Olympics, held July 25-28. Over the past four years, the team has taken first place twice, and placed second and third.

Harper Buresh, the MVP of the championship game, was instrumental in the Sharks’ victory, scoring the majority of the team’s goals

Against SKIP from Merced, which had previously defeated the Sharks, 12-7, in the group stage, the Sharks found themselves trailing 6-1 early in the championship match. Despite being down by four goals with only 2 1/2 minutes remaining, the team showed resilience and teamwork in a stunning comeback.

The Sharks pulled to within one goal with just 38 seconds left. In a nail-biting finish, they tied the game, 11-11, with only eight seconds remaining, pushing the match into a penalty shootout. The Sharks executed flawlessly, scoring on their first four shots while SKIP missed its initial two attempts.

• The Sharks U10 Coed team placed sixth in the Championship Gold Division, behind goalie and MVP Finn Cullerton and honorable mention Oliver Rohan.
• The Sharks U16 Girls squad placed 11th in the Championship Gold Division in the team’s team first entry into the Junior Olympics. The MVP was Samantha Riley who carried the team in offense and defense. Honorable Mention was goalie Aurora DeVilbiss.
• The Sharks U12 Coed B team secured 11th place in the Championship Gold Division, behind MVP Sofia Boukhari and Honorable Mention goalie Bo Tarzon.

Baseball

The San Rafael Pacifics entered Tuesday’s late game against the Marysville Drakes with their season on the line after dropping Game 1 of the Pecos League Pacific Division playoffs at home on Monday.

The Pacifics fell 8-3 in the first game and needed to win the second game to force a decisive Game 3 at Albert Park at 6 p.m. on Wednesday night.

The Pacifics (31-24 Pecos League) are stuck in a 3-11 tailspin since a 14-8 loss against the Vallejo Seaweed on July 13. The Pacifics have won just one of five meetings against Marysville during that stretch.