Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Photograph by George Sakkestad

Leigh's Jeremy Kreuzer lets one go in last week's clash with Prospect. Kreuzer was the winning pitcher in the 7-4 victory over the Panthers.

Cats back in league action

St. Clair homers in Leigh win

By Dick Sparrer

Wilcox was unbeaten and appeared to be impossible to catch.

But the Chargers lost to Fremont, and Los Gatos and the rest of the clubs in the De Anza Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League saw a flicker of light at the end of the tunnel.

Then the Chargers were knocked off by Palo Alto last weekend, and the light is getting brighter.

Wilcox still owns the division lead with a 9-2 record, but both Monta Vista and Los Gatos sit just two games back in the loss column, and both still have a shot at getting past the Chargers in the race for the division crown.

"We have a shot, but it's still a pretty long shot," Gatos coach Wayne Senini said. "We've pretty much got to win all eight of our last eight league games."

"Wilcox is not going to lose many more," he added. "And Monta Vista is there, too. But you never know... it's going to be interesting."

Los Gatos is 6-4 and a half game behind Monta Vista (7-4) as the Wildcats return to the diamond following spring break. The Cats were to host Milpitas on April 15 and will entertain Palo Alto on April 18 at 3:30 p.m.

Nick Cuevas and Court Showerman were swinging the hot bats before spring break, and Gatos is hoping that vacation did little to cool them off. Both are hitting just under .400 for the Wildcats.

Showerman and Noah Sweeters have delivered the one-two punch from the mound all year for the Cats.

"Sweeters is definitely number one," Senini said. "He's as good as anyone around when he's on."

Leigh, meanwhile, nailed a win in its only game last week. The Longhorns edged Prospect 7-4 in a nonleague game.

Will St. Clair ripped a two-run homer and Scott Whiteford singled and tripled to lead the Longhorns to the victory. Dave Cardenas also blasted a triple for Leigh.

Junior righthander Jeremy Kreuzer picked up the mound win, but it was a win that didn't come easy for Leigh.

The Panthers jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second before Leigh tied it with two runs in the fifth, then took the lead with two more in the sixth.

But Prospect nibbled away with a run in the home half of the sixth to trailed just 4-3 heading into the seventh.

Leigh rallied for three in the final inning, and the Longhorns needed those runs when Prospect started to chip away in the bottom of the seventh. The Panthers scored a run to cut the lead to 7-4, but could get no closer.

Leigh improved to 6-9 for the year with the victory. The Longhorns return to league play this week when they host Independence on April 16 and Oak Grove on April 18 in a pair of 3:30 p.m. games in the Mt. Hamilton Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League.