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Thomas, Sullivan toss Gatos to win
By Dick Sparrer
Derek Thomas tossed a solid game for the Los Gatos Little League 11-year-old all-stars.
But after flipping five solid innings for Gatos against Almaden in the second round of the District 12 All-Star tournament, Thomas found himself in something of a jam in the sixth.
Almaden trailed 4-3 heading into the sixth, but put together a bunt single, a double and a hit batsman to load the bags. And when a weary Thomas needed some help, teammate Danny Sullivan was there to provide it.
Sullivan came on to strike out three straight Almaden batters to give Los Gatos a 4-3 victory and keep the locals alive in the tournament's winner's bracket. "It was pretty gut-wrenching," said Los Gatos manager Dan Kropp. "Danny came in and did an awesome job."
That's not taking anything away from Thomas, added Kropp. The Gatos starter allowed just seven hits and struck out four to pick up the pitching win in the game.
Four of the seven hits Thomas allowed came in a three-run second-inning rally that gave Almaden a 3-1 lead. But Los Gatos fought back with a run in the third and two in the fourth to take the lead for good.
Rusty Wall, who had doubled home a run in the first, reached on an error and scored on a wild pitch in the third to cut the Almaden advantage to 3-2.
An inning later, Matt Perrone doubled, and Justin Schafer singled him to third. Perrone, who had two hits in the win, scored on a passed ball to tie the game. But Los Gatos wasn't finished yet. Schafer raced to third on a single by Marty Mullins, and scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch.
Thomas settled down after the second to retire nine of the next 11 hitters he faced from the third to the fifth before running into trouble in the sixth.
Gatos had taken the early lead in the game when Jake Schonig walked, Mullins reached on an error, and Wall doubled in the first. David Pavicich also singled in the game for Los Gatos.
The Gatos 11-year-olds will be back in action on their home field on July 7 when they battle Lincoln Glen at 5:30 p.m. The winner moves on to the tourney's winner's bracket final on July 10 against the Cambrian-Branham Hills winner.
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Los Gatos, California Since 1881
