Billies baseball advances to first state semi since ’19

PLEASANT HILL – After losing in the quarterfinals the past two years, the Pleasant Hill Billies were facing a familiar foe Friday – fifth-ranked Sisters – and ended up winning 4-1 and advancing to the state semifinals for the first time since 2019.

“That was a big hump to get off our backs,” Billies coach Johnny Bowden said. “We’ve been struggling in the quarterfinals; we’ve been on the road a lot in the quarterfinals. We…