The Cupertino Courier

Douglas, Realini lead Matadors to wins

By Dick Sparrer

It may still be quite early in the season, but one thing is already certain in the baseball race in the El Camino Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League this spring--no team will go unbeaten.

The teams in the circuit have been beating up on each other in the first two weeks of league play, tagging each other with losses through the first four games of the year. Monta Vista has been right in the middle of that action, and because of it, the Matadors are right on top in the league standings.

The Mats sit in first place in the division with a 3-1 record. Monta Vista stuck Saratoga with its first loss early last week, and the Mats dropped Lynbrook into second place two games later. But in between, the Matadors were knocked from the ranks of the unbeaten when they lost to Mountain View.

Monta Vista opened play last week with a 6-3 win over Saratoga. The Mats improved to 2-0 in the division with the victory, and the Falcons slipped to 1-1.

Brandon Douglas singled and doubled to lead a five-hit assault for the Matadors, and Marty Zankich doubled home a pair of runs.

Senior southpaw Ben Lewis picked up the mound win for the Matadors, who held the Falcons to just three hits.

But Monta Vista dropped a tough 6-3 nod to Mountain View a day later. The decision left each club with a 2-1 record in league play. Ryan Realini doubled in the loss for the Mats.

Monta Vista came back later in the week, though, to edge Lynbrook 6-5. The loss dropped the Vikings to 3-2 in the league race, and the Matadors improved to 3-1.

Realini doubled and singled twice in the Monta Vista win. Ryan Mitchell and Ryan Oliver each singled and doubled. Douglas picked up his first mound win of the year.

Meanwhile, the Monta Vista junior varsity baseball team split the first two games of the league season.

The young Matadors dropped a tough 3-2 nod to Saratoga, but came back to whip Mountain View 13-2 last week.

Steven Chuang had three hits to lead a 13-hit attack for the Mats in the win over the Spartans. John Lazano and Eric Stocklmeir each singled and tripled for Monta Vista, and Casy Wilms and Justin Douglas had two hits apiece. Derek Radtke, Daniel Lawver, Justin Muskivitch and Nathan Rutter added singles in the MV attack.

Jessen Grant went four innings to pick up the pitching win. Lawver tossed the final three.

Monta Vista rapped just three singles in the loss to the Falcons earlier in the week. Stocklmeir, Wilms and Chuang each had hits in the loss.

Chris Chalfant was tagged with the mound loss, despite giving up just five hits in five innings of work. Ziv Tepman came on to flip two innings of hitless relief.

Lazano cracked two hits and Ryan Latshaw doubled home a pair of runs to lead Monta Vista to a 7-6 nonleague win over Santa Clara earlier in the year. Watkins blasted a triple in the win and Stocklmeir, Chuang and Douglas each singled.

Ryan Watkins and Grant teamed to toss a six-hitter for the win.

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