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Correia sparks Pony all-stars to 6-5 victory
By Dick Sparrer
Jad Correia must have really wanted the pitching victory when the Los Gatos Pony League all-stars opened the sectional tournament against Saratoga.
Correia had come on in relief for Los Gatos and blanked Saratoga for four innings. But his club needed a run in extra innings if he was to pick up the mound win against 'Toga.
So he did just what he had to do to make that happen. Correia knocked in a run in the bottom of the eighth to give Los Gatos a thrilling 6-5 extra-inning victory over Saratoga.
Los Gatos had tied the game with a clutch three-run rally in the bottom of the seventh, then won it with the run in the eighth.
Correira shut down Saratoga in the top of the inning, then belted a two-out single on a two-strike pitch to knock home Brian Dressman with the game-winning run in the bottom of the frame. Dressman had walked before moving into scoring position.
Correira's offensive heroics would not have been possible, however, had Los Gatos not rallied for three runs in the last of the seventh to tie the game.
After Correira struck out the side in the top of the seventh, Nat Henry opened the bottom of the inning with a single. After Mike Brienzo walked, Kenny Rodrigues singled home Henry. Brienzo scored on a passed ball to cut the Saratoga lead to 5-4.
With Rodrigues at third, Erik Rollin ripped a ground ball to the infield that scored the tying run.
Correia had three hits in the Gatos win. Rodrigues and Henry had two hits apiece, and Brienzo, Dressman and Jeremy Bays each singled.
Saratoga took the early lead in the game with a run in the second, but Dressman singled home a run in the bottom of the frame to tie the game 1-1.
Gatos went up 2-1 in the third. Starting pitcher Kyle Jensen blanked Saratoga in the top of the inning, and Gatos picked up a run in the bottom of the frame. Henry and Correia each singled, and Rodrigues knocked in a run with a single.
The lead evaporated quickly in the fourth, though, when Saratoga rallied for four runs.
The visitors could have scored more had it not been for catcher Mark Johnson, who gunned down Adam Sato attempting to steal to end the inning.
Johnson shot down another Saratoga runner in the sixth, and Correia struck out nine over four-plus innings to help Los Gatos grab the victory.
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Los Gatos, California Since 1881
