Photograph by R. W. Bradford
Los Gatos 11-year-old all-star Derrick Tam slides safely into third with a triple in a 5-0 win over Lincoln Glen.
By Dick Sparrer
Adam Nelson didn't throw a no-hitter. But the Los Gatos Little League hurler came darn close when the 11-year-old all-star team opened play in the District 12 tournament last Saturday at the Branham Hills Little League field.
Nelson fired a 1-hitter to lead Los Gatos to an impressive 5-0 win over Lincoln Glen to open the tourney.
Lincoln Glen threatened with a couple of baserunners in the first, and threatened again in the second when Dominic Vallejo ripped a double.
But Nelson settled down to retire the last 11 straight batters to secure the shutout. He finished the day with 10 strikeouts and walked just three.
Nelson was a last-minute replacement for scheduled starter Bryan Schiefelbein, who needed nine stitches following a swimming pool accident a day earlier. But Nelson rose to the occasion.
He received a little help from his friends, too, especially Alex Rollin and Travis Howell.
Rollin led a 10-hit Gatos attack with a double and two singles. He knocked in a run and scored two runs, including the game's first run in the second inning.
Howell came through with a run-scoring single and he added the defensive gem of the day. With runners on first and second, Howell short-hopped what appeared to be a single to right. But he rifled a throw to third to force the runner and kill a Lincoln Glen rally.
Derrick Tam singled and tripled off the center field fence to support Rollin's effort. Nelson and Andrew O'Gorman each singled and knocked in runs, and Adam Crane singled.
Los Gatos will be back in action on June 29 at Branham Hills (Ross Avenue near Branham Lane).
Nine-year-old all-stars
"It was a total team effort."
Sports writers hate those typical coach's clichés. But in the case of the Los Gatos 9-year-old all-stars, it wasn't a cliché--it was the truth!
All 12 members of the squad contributed when Los Gatos exploded for a 32-1 win over American Little League last Saturday. Every player on the team scored at least a run in the one-sided victory.
Scott Heller and Logan Schafer had four hits apiece to lead a 21-hit assault for the winners. Heller was 4-for-4 with a triple and homer, scoring five runs and knocking in five more, and Schafer was 4-for-4 with a double, scoring five runs and driving in four.
Jeremy Bays was 3-for-3 with a couple of runs scored and three runs-batted-in and Kyle Jensen and Ken Rodrigues had two hits each. Jensen scored twice and Rodrigues scored four runs and drove in one.
Spencer Doyle belted a triple and Scott Brown, Kevin McCarty and Eric Rollin each singled and scored two runs. Nate Swartley singled to drive in a run and scored three times, and Andrew Kettman singled in a run and scored once. Jack Wall scored a pair of runs.
But offense wasn't the whole story for Los Gatos. Three pitchers also combined to toss a four-inning no-hitter in the win.
Jensen struck out five in his two innings of work and Rollin fanned three of the four hitters he faced in the third. Schafer finished up with two strikeouts in the fourth for Gatos.
The 9-year-old 'stars will be back in action on June 29, 10 a.m., at the Union Little League field (Camden Avenue at Blossom Hill).
Major division all-stars
Randy Frey's major division all-star team will open tournament play on July 1 when Los Gatos battles Quito Little League at 5:30 p.m. at the American Little League field (behind Valley Fair at Cory Elementary School).
This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, June 26, 1996.
©1996 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved