Photograph by Robert Scheer
Leigh's Dani Crowley ripped a pair of hits in Leigh's 10-1 win over Wilcox in the Mission City tournament.
By Dick Sparrer
Oak Grove was the common thread for the Los Gatos and Leigh girls' softball teams at the Mission City Invitational in Santa Clara last week.
Both the Wildcats and Longhorns played the Eagles, and both the Cats and 'Horns lost to the Eagles.
Los Gatos and Leigh each won their share of games in the tournament played at the Mission College complex, but neither team could find its way into the tourney finals.
Actually, Oak Grove couldn't get there, either, though the Eagles came close. Oak Grove won enough games to get to the tournament semifinals, but the Eagles lost to eventual champion Mitty 2-1. The Monarchs went on to beat Valley Christian 2-0 in the title game.
Los Gatos and Leigh certainly won their share of games, though, before bowing out of the tournament.
The Cats edged Mountain View 5-3, whipped Santa Catalina 14-2 and knocked off Santa Teresa 7-5, and the Longhorns beat Santa Catalina 12-0 and Wilcox 10-7.
Chelsea Hayes singled and doubled to knock in three runs to lead the Wildcats to the 5-3 win over Mountain View. Courtney Radonich supported with a double in the five-hit Gatos attack.
Sophomore Nancy Mills was the winning pitcher for the Cats.
Gillian Wadis, another sophomore, fired a four-hitter to lead Los Gatos to the 14-2 win over Santa Catalina. She tossed a shutout for three innings before giving up single runs in the fourth and fifth. Los Gatos scored in every inning to win the game in five frames.
Senior Melanie Barker pounded out four hits, including a double, to power home three runs to lead the Wildcats to the victory.
Hayes doubled and singled twice to drive in three runs, and Radonich had three hits to knock in two.
Jaime Barclay finished with three hits and plated two runs, and Wadis slapped three singles. Iming Lin singled and doubled, and Jennifer Price had two hits for the Cats.
Los Gatos lost a 4-1 nod to Oak Grove, but battled back to beat Santa Teresa 7-5.
Hayes singled and tripled, and Barker had two hits to lead the Wildcats to the win over the Saints. Radonich also tripled.
Mills was the winning pitcher, pushing her record to 3-4. The Wildcats improved to 12-4 for the year with the victory.
The Longhorns fought back from a 2-0 loss to Oak Grove to beat Santa Catalina 12-0 on a two-hit shutout by Kim Rose.
Cora-Lee Rogers belted two hits to drive in three runs for the Longhorns, and Samantha Alford slapped a pair of hits to knock home two runs. Nikki McDonald tripled home a couple of runs in the win for Leigh.
Leigh beat Wilcox 10-7 on an eight-hitter by Rose.
Rogers singled and homered to drive in two runs, and Carly Brotherton homered and knocked in three.
McDonald singled and doubled to plate a pair of runs, and Jolene Twohy and Dani Crowley had two hits apiece.
Leigh fell out of the tourney and slipped to 8-9 for the year after a 3-2 loss to Cupertino. Rogers smacked a two-run homer in the sixth for the big blast of the game for Leigh.
Leigh had opened play last week with an 8-2 win over Gunderson in the Mt. Hamilton Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League.
Rose tossed a three-hitter for the win and helped her cause at the plate with a couple of hits to drive in two runs.
Dani Juarez had three hits for Leigh. Rogers singled and doubled, and Crowley added two hits.
Leigh is now 2-1 in division play. The Longhorns will visit Westmont on April 16 and host Mitty on April 18 in a couple of 3:30 p.m. league games.
Los Gatos, meanwhile, jumped to 3-1 in the De Anza Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League with a 12-2 win over Los Altos before spring break.
Chiara Grabill fired a seven-hitter for the win, punching her pitching record to 6-1. Grabill and Wadis each singled and tripled to drive in two runs apiece in the win.
Barker had two hits to drive in three runs for the Wildcats. Radonich chipped in with a pair of singles, and Lin and Barclay drove home two runs each.
Grabill and the Cats fell behind 2-0 in the first when Los Altos picked up a pair of runs early. But Gatos got four back in the home half of the frame, then scored one in the second, two in the third and three in the fourth to coast to the victory.
Los Gatos returns to league play this week. The Wildcats will entertain St. Francis on April 16, 4 p.m.
This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, April 16, 1997.
©1997 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.