Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Edwards stars for Bucs in Pony tournament win

By Dick Sparrer

It's difficult to determine what Trent Edwards does best on the baseball diamond--hit or pitch.

The Yankees of the Los Gatos Pony League would make the case that he does both pretty well, or at least he did last week when he led the Pirates to a 5-3 win over the Yanks in the league tournament.

Edwards blasted a bases loaded triple in a five-run rally in the second, then he went on to toss a one-hitter to lead the Bucs to the crucial tourney victory.

Edwards gave up just a single to Adam Crane and three unearned runs in putting together a pitching masterpiece for the Pirates. The hurler struck out 17 in the win.

The Pirates gave Edwards all the support he needed with five runs in the second.

Darien Hiratsu led off the inning with a walk. John Carlson walked and Casey Furtado was hit by a pitch to load the bags, then Andrew Betzina walked to force in a run.

Edwards followed with a triple to drive in three runs, then he scored on a single by David Fencil to make it 5-0.

The Yankees scored two in the bottom of the second on three errors, and scored again in the third on another error. But that was all the Yanks could manage.

Travis Howell doubled and Casey Furtado singled for the Bucs.

The Marlins have opened the tournament with two straight wins. After upsetting the Giants in their first game, the Marlins came back last week to edge the Braves 3-2.

Chris Eagen ripped a solo homer in the second, and Patrick Murphy scored what would prove the game-winning run in the fifth when he walked, moved to third on a passed ball and wild pitch and scored on an error.

The Braves had jumped in front in the first when Trevor Brannon singled and later scored on a single by Daniel Holtzman, but the Marlins tied it on Eagen's homer in the second.

John Ouellet singled, stole second, took third on a passed ball and scored on an error to give the Braves a 2-1 lead in the fourth.

But once more the Marlins tied it up. Alex Anderson singled in the home half of the fourth, raced to third on a single by Evan McDonald and scored on a squeeze bunt by Anthony Burks. Burks also singled in the win.

That set the stage for Murphy's game-winner in the fifth.

Cal Sturgis had two hits for the Braves, and Brannon singled and doubled. Chris Pate added a single. Eagen tossed three scoreless inning of one-hit relief to get the win.

Alex Rollin struck out nine in four innings for the Braves.

The Cardinals dropped the Braves out of the tourney a game later with a lopsided 14-3 win in five innings.

The Cards came out swinging, rallying for eight runs in the first inning.

Stephen Sweeney started the rally with a single and closed out the inning with a three-run homer. Jayson Furia, Bryan Schiefelbein and Brian Cope also singled in the inning. Ryan Daily walked, and Michael Baker and James Gentry each reached on errors.

Cope doubled in the second, and Baker reached on an error. Both scored on an error.

The Cardinals put the game on ice with four more runs in the fifth. Sean Baker, Gentry and Sweeney each singled in the rally.

Sturgis ripped a double, and Rollin and Adam Nelson each singled to key a three-run rally in the fifth for the Braves, but it wasn't enough to keep the game alive.

Wayne Hopp singled and doubled in the game for the Braves, and Brannon doubled.

Schiefelbein struck out eight in five innings to get the mound win for the Marlins.

It was the second time in the week that the Cards had eliminated a team from the tournament. Earlier, the Cardinals had dropped the Dodgers for the tourney with a 6-4 win.

Sweeney, the hitting star against the Braves, was at it again. The game was 4-4 in the sixth when Scott Damron drew a two-out walk. Gentry singled, and both runners scored on a clutch single by Sweeney that snapped the tie. Sweeney fanned seven in two and a third innings of no-hit, no-hit relief to get the pitching win.

Daily doubled and scored on a single by Schiefelbein to give the Cards the early lead.

The Dodgers tied it in the third when Kris Zanotto singled, stole second and scored on a single by Bret Roberts, but doubles by Sweeney and Furia put the Cards back on top in the third.

The Dodgers went up 4-2 in the fifth. Roberts doubled and Kyle Laubach walked. Fletcher Anderson's sacrifice bunt moved the runners to second and third, and Nick Fraboni doubled them home. Fraboni then scored on two wild pitches.

Singles by Sweeney, Furia and Schiefelbein helped the Cards tie it in the home half of the fifth, and then they broke the tie in the sixth. Baker also doubled in the game for the Cards and Nick Russell doubled for the Dodgers.

The Giants came through with an 8-5 victory over the Yankees last week to knock the Yanks out of the tourney.

The Giants took the lead early with four runs in the first. Tyler Wilson ripped a two-run single, and Drew Bothman followed with a two-run double to spark the rally. Matt Cooke had singled, and Brian Miguel and Chris McMorrow had each walked earlier in the inning.

The Yanks answered right back with three runs in the bottom of the inning. Crane was hit by a pitch, then raced home on a double by Anthony Frangadakis. Charlie Clark singled home Frangadakis, then Clark scored on a single by Ben Sandigo.

Frangadakis walked, stole second and scored on a double by Charlie Clark to tie the game in the second.

But the Giants regained the lead in the third when Bothman tripled and scored when Jason Mack hit into a fielder's choice.

They added two more runs in the fifth. Will Biderman walked and moved to third on Brian Miguel's double. Both runners scored on a single by Cooke.

McMorrow tossed four strong innings for the Giants, fanning five and allowing just five hits, and Cooke finished up with three innings of no-hit, no-run relief, striking out four. Bothman singled, doubled and tripled for the Giants and Wilson had two hits. McMorrow had a triple.

Nick Tom also singled for the Yankees.

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