By Dick Sparrer
The baseball team at Los Gatos was involved in a couple of comebacks last week. But you can bet that the Wildcats enjoyed one much more than the other.
The Cats rallied for eight runs in the bottom of the sixth to pull out a thrilling 9-6 win over first-place Wilcox to open the week. But they lost a 7-6 decision to Monta Vista a couple of days later when the Matadors picked up three in the bottom of the seventh.
"We played well against both teams," Los Gatos coach Wayne Senini said. "We just let (the Monta Vista game) get away from us."
"We could have won it, which would have been nice," he added. "But as long as we split, we should be able to make the playoffs."
Los Gatos needs to finish among the top three teams in the De Anza Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League to get an automatic berth in the Central Coast Section playoffs. The Cats are currently tied with Monta Vista for second, each club at 9-5.
"We need to win two of our last four league games and we're in," Senini said.
Los Gatos took a giant step towards the playoffs with the 9-6 win over Wilcox last week. "That was one of the most exciting games I've seen in a long time," Senini said. "The kids really got into it."
The Cats and Chargers were locked in a 1-1 tie through four innings before Wilcox rallied for four in the top of the fifth. But Gatos unloaded in the home half of the sixth.
Scott Grover capped a perfect 4-for-4 day with a leadoff homer in the sixth. An out later, Nick Cuevas walked and was safe at second when Wilcox misplayed Court Showerman's doubleplay ball.
Los Gatos had a new life, and Craig Frey took advantage of the opportunity by blasting a three-run homer to tie the game 6-6.
Noah Sweeters broke the tie with a solo homer, but Gatos wasn't finished yet. Brian Geddie singled, Joel Gremore walked and Stephan Ballentine singled to load the bases. Grover singled home a run and Sean Senini doubled home two more to give the Cats a 9-6 lead.
Sweeters gave up a run in the seventh, but shut down the Chargers to clinch the win. He gave up just five hits and three walks while fanning six. Sweeters ran his record to 5-1 with the win.
Grover had helped the Cats tie the game in the first. He singled, stole second and scored on a double by Cuevas.
Grover led the Gatos offensive attack with his four hits.
"He's stroking the ball nicely," Senini said of Grover.
Los Gatos seemed to be in control against Monta Vista later in the week, but the Matadors scored a run in the sixth and three in the seventh to win 7-6.
Senini, Cuevas and Sean Haley had two hits each in the game for the Cats. Geddie ripped a double and Frey singled.
Gatos scored a run in the fourth to break up a scoreless tie. Showerman walked and scored on a single by Frey.
Monta Vista came back with three in the home half of the fourth, but Los Gatos picked up three in the fifth.
Haley singled, Grover walked and Senini singled home a run. Cuevas singled home another run and Senini scored on an errant throw.
The Cats went up 6-3 with a pair of runs in the sixth. Sweeters walked and scored on a double by Geddie. Haley singled home Geddie.
But Monta Vista battled from behind to pull out the win.
The loss left Gatos 9-5 in the division and 10-7 for the year. The Cats face a four-game week, but only one of them is a division game.
The Wildcats were to host Live Oak in a nonleague game Monday and will entertain Palo Alto in a De Anza Division game on May 1, 3:30 p.m.
Gatos heads to Willow Glen on May 2 and hosts Oak Grove on May 3 in a couple of 3:30 p.m. nonleague games.
The following week, Los Gatos closes out the league season against Santa Clara, Milpitas and Fremont.
This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, May 1, 1996.
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