By Dick Sparrer
They played well enough a year ago to win a national title.
And they're working their magic again this season.
The Los Gatos-Saratoga Magic, a 14-and-under girls' softball team, opened the year with an impressive showing in tournament play in Jackson, Calif.
Last year's 12-and-under national champs won four straight games to claim the tournament championship, winning 13-0 in the finals.
Brittany Hennig flipped a one-hit shutout and her teammates supported her by scoring in every inning. But it was a nine-run rally in the sixth that secured the win and the tourney title.
A triple by Christine Cutter and singles by Stacie Funstin, Sally Holtslander, Ashley Graham, Margaret Cutter, Kendall Self, Jessica Enright and Jill Burnett keyed the rally.
The Magic had opened the tournament with an easy win over the Livermore Smoke. Hits by Enright, Lauren Lueder, Self, C. Cutter, Hennig, M. Cutter and Burnett sparked a six-run rally in the second inning.
An 8-2 win over the Foothill Gold from Placerville drove the Magic in the tourney semifinals.
Funstin was the winning pitcher for LG-Saratoga, and Hennig, Julie Stamps, C. Cutter, Burnett, Self, Holtslander and Jill Wehner led the bat attack.
Back-to-back doubles by Tiffany O'Farrell and Enright keyed a six-run rally in the second that drove the Magic to an 11-1 win over the Modesto Cruisers. Burnett and Lueder added singles in the rally.
C. Cutter, M. Cutter, Burnett, Lueder, Stamps and Megan Gurney added doubles in the win, and Gurney tossed a two-hitter for the pitching win.
Falcons take title
In regular season softball action, the Falcons won the 12-and-under title in the Los Gatos-Saratoga Girls' Fast Pitch Softball League by finishing first in the annual Charlie Erickson Classic.
The Falcons edged the Hawks 4-3 in the title game behind the hitting and pitching of Kimi Enright.
This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, June 26, 1996.
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