The Menlo baseball team took another leap toward defending its CCS Div. III championship with an 8-1 victory over San Lorenzo Valley in the quarterfinals Saturday at Washington Park.

The second-seeded Knights (21-7) will face third seed Monte Vista Christian of Watsonville in the semifinal nightcap at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 22, at San Jose Municipal Stadium. No. 5 Carmel and No. 9 Pacific Grove meet in the other semifinal Tuesday at 4 p.m.

With ace Freddy Avis unable to take the mound due to an illness, junior Austin Marcus came up huge for Menlo as the fill-in starter who threw a complete-game one-hitter with 13 strikeouts.

Marcus, an all-West Bay Athletic League catcher, was making just his second start of the year after finding out just 45 minutes before game time that he would be the starting pitcher. Through the first two games of the playoffs Menlo pitchers have allowed only one hit and one unearned run.

Offensively, the Knights were potent with the bats as they banged out 10 hits, seven of which were doubles. Seniors Jake Batchelder and Chris Zeisler led the way as Batchelder had three doubles off the centerfield fence while driving in two. Zeisler added two doubles and knocked in one run. Marcus also had the key hit in the game with a no-out double in the fourth that scored Avis, who entered the game as a pinch hitter and walked, to break the 1-1 tie. Marcus later came around to score on a fielder’s choice.

CCS quarterfinals

S: Nance, Peabody (5) and Primean. M: Marcus and Zeisler. WP: Marcus (3-0). LP: Nance. 2B – M: Batchelder 3, Zeisler 2, Marcus, Diekroeger, 3 hits – M: Batchelder. 2 hits - M: Zeisler, Crowder; 2 RBI – M: Batchelder, Badger.