Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Photograph by George Sakkestad

Los Gatos senior Tessa Donnelly, sliding safely into second in a game earlier this year against Wilcox, ripped two hits in a CCS win over Mills last week.

Girls' softball teams fall

Cats, Leigh lose in CCS playoffs

By Dick Sparrer

The old weekly TV series, "Wide World of Sports," said it best with the show's opener, "The thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat."

That certainly sums up the world of sports, and no one knows that better this week than the girls' softball teams at Los Gatos and Leigh.

Both the Wildcats and Longhorns opened the Central Coast Section playoffs with the "thrill of victory," but they exited those same playoffs last weekend after suffering the "agony of defeat."

Gatos opened the CCS Division II playoffs with an impressive 5-2 win over Mills, but the Wildcats lost 4-0 to Carlmont last weekend to wrap up the 1997 season.

Leigh, meanwhile, opened the CCS Division I playoffs with a solid 4-0 win over Santa Teresa. But the Longhorns were eliminated Saturday when they lost 4-2 to Leland.

Senior Chiara Grabill helped get the Cats off to a great start in the post-season with her power as a pitcher and a hitter.

Grabill went the distance to toss a seven-hitter for the win against Mills. She blanked Mills over the first three innings before giving up a couple of runs in the fourth. But she finished up with three shutout innings to nail down the victory, pushing her season mound record to 8-4.

Los Gatos had scored two runs in the second to take a 2-0 lead before Mills tied it in the fourth. But the Cats broke the tie with two runs in the fifth, and it was Grabill delivering the key blast.

Grabill ripped a two-run homer in the fifth to snap the 2-2 tie and give Gatos a 4-2 lead. The Cats added an insurance run in the sixth, and that was enough for Grabill to nail down the win.

Sophomore Iming Lin led a 10-hit Los Gatos attack with three singles, and senior Tessa Donnelly smacked two hits. Grabill cracked the home run and junior catcher Chelsea Hayes tripled.

The win pushed Los Gatos in the CCS quarter-finals against No. 1 seed Carlmont. But the Cats were blanked 4-0 in the Saturday game.

Carlmont improved to 30-6 for the year with the win, and Los Gatos wrapped up their season at 17-12.

Seniors Melanie Barker, Donnelly and Grabill each played their final game for the Cats, but Gatos boasts a solid crew of returners led by juniors Hayes, Jaime Barclay, and Jessica Moeller, and sophomores Lin, Nancy Mills, Courtney Radonich and Gillian Wadis.

Leigh followed the same path as Los Gatos through the playoffs. The Longhorns opened with the 4-0 win over Santa Teresa before losing 4-2 to No. 1 seed Leland.

Sophomore right-hander Kim Rose whirled a two-hit shutout to lead the 'Horns to the 4-0 win over the Saints to open the Division I playoffs. Rose fanned five in the win.

Leigh gave their ace the only run she needed with a single marker in the first. The Longhorns added an insurance run in the third, then picked up two more in the sixth to give Rose more than enough of a cushion.

Freshman Tamara Dunn laced a triple for Leigh, and sophomore catcher Cora-Lee Rogers doubled.

Leigh lost 4-2 to Leland on Saturday to drop out of the tournament. Leland improved to 21-5 with the win, and Leigh finished the year at 12-15.

But the Longhorns gave the Chargers all they could handle before losing by two. Leland took a 1-0 lead with a run in the third, then appeared to break the game open with three in the sixth.

Leigh, though, fought back with two in the last of the seventh. Sophomore Samantha Alford roped a double to open the inning, and the Longhorns had the tying run at second when the final out was recorded.

Like Los Gatos, Leigh enjoys a promising future with underclassman filling its roster.

Seniors Nikki McDonald, Sarah Petersen and Jill St. Germain were each playing their final game for the Longhorns, but 12 players return for Leigh next spring.

Sophomores Rose, Alford, Dani Crowley, Dani Juarez and Rogers top the list of returners.

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