Late rally leads Cats to win
Frosh-sophers win three more games
By Dick Sparrer
All Los Gatos needed was one clutch hit. Maybe a key single by Steve Chase. Or a big hit from Alex Burda, Matt Torres, or Joey Warren.
All the Wildcats needed was for one of the four to come through in the seventh inning to keep them from losing a 3-2 heartbreaker to Cupertino. And Gatos got the hit it needed... and then some.
All four Cats came through with clutch hits in the seventh to spark a six-run rally to lead Los Gatos an exciting 8-3 come-from-behind win over the Pioneers.
Chase singled home a run to tie the game 3-3, then Burda broke the tie with a run-scoring single. Torres unloaded a bases-loaded double to knock in three, and Warren cleaned up with a single to drive Torres home.
It was a thrilling victory to start a three-game week for the Wildcats. But it would turn out to be the highlight of the week for the Cats.
Los Gatos lost a tough 10-5 nod to Cupertino two days later, and finished the week with a tight 4-2 loss to first-place Wilcox. "We played very, very well [against Wilcox]," said Gatos coach Don Ardissone. "We played them even. They had four hits, and we had four hits."
But the Chargers' four hits led to single runs in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth, and Gatos could score just a pair, one of them coming on a solo homer by Ben Shanker.
Shanker had two hits in the game for the Cats, and Warren ripped a double.
Earlier in the week, Markus Willard had homered and singled to knock in two runs in the 10-5 loss to Cupertino. Chase, who had three hits for the Cats, was tagged with the mound loss, despite giving up just two earned runs. The Cats committed six errors in the loss.
Los Gatos is now 4-6 in the De Anza Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League. The Cats sit just a half game out of third place, but are just a half game out of last place in the tight race.
Wilcox tops the pack with a 9-1 record, and Saratoga is second at 6-3-1. Milpitas holds third at 4-5, with Gatos fourth at 4-6. Monta Vista is close behind at 4-6-1, with Fremont and Cupertino both at 3-6-1.
"We're right there," said the coach.
Ardissone is anxious for his club to get a shot at Saratoga this week. The Falcons figure as the only club the Cats have yet to face in league play. Their early season game was rained out, rescheduled for this week (April 10). The clubs will meet again on April 12, 3:30 p.m., at Los Gatos.
"We're playing a lot better," said Ardissone, whose Cats got off to a dismal 1-5 start in the preseason. "The kids are learning how to win. I think they're getting to the point where they're not fearing anybody."
Following the two games against the Falcons, the Cats will host Del Mar in a nonleague game on April 14, 3:30 p.m.
Young Cats win three
Ryan Daily raced home on a sacrifice fly by Alex Rollin to break a 3-3 tie and help the Los Gatos frosh-soph baseball team to a thrilling 4-3 win over Cupertino last week. It was the third win of the week for the young Wildcats, who beat Fremont 5-1 and Cupertino 12-2 before taking the Pioneers 4-3 on Wednesday. Gatos is now 9-0 for the year.
The Wildcats and Pioneers were tied 3-3 when Dan Holtzman led off the singles with a single. Daily came on as a pinch runner, moving to second when Travis Howell was hit by a pitch, taking third on a fly ball by Alex Anderson and scoring on the sacrifice fly by Rollin.
Rollin took the mound for the seventh and, though Cupertino loaded the bags, struck out three to claim the save.
Jay Furia singled doubled in the Gatos win and Chris Willard singled twice, including a two-run single in the fifth. Rollin also had two hits, one knocking in a run in the fourth.
Dave Fencil tossed a five-hitter in the Wildcats' 12-2 win over Cupertino two days earlier.
A double by Furia and singles by James Gentry, Willard, Holtzman, Howell, Rollin and Matt Cooke sparked a seven-run rally in the first for the Wildcats.
Furia finished the day with two doubles, Holtzman singled and doubled, and Rollin and Willard each had two hits. Nick Scolari also had a hit for the Cats.
Rollin tossed four innings for the win and Cooke flipped three innings to pick up the save in the 5-1 win over Fremont.
Gentry had three hits, and Holtzman added two to lead the offensive attack for the Cats. Rollin and Furia each doubled, and Tyler Wilson had a hit.
Los Gatos, California Since 1881
