By Dick Sparrer
Daniel Holtzman was flexing his muscles.
And so were the Los Gatos Little League major division all-stars in the first two rounds of the District 12 tournament.
Los Gatos pounded Quito Little League 8-0 and blanked rival Almaden 5-0 in the first two games of the tournament, and Holtzman hammered home runs in each of the Gatos victories.
The wins leave Los Gatos just a game away from the tournament's winner's bracket final. Gatos will meet Willow Glen Little League on July 11, 5:30 p.m., at the American Little League field (Monroe and Woodland in Santa Clara) with the winner moving on to face the Union-Branham Hills winner on July 13, 4 p.m.
Los Gatos opened the tourney in impressive fashion with the rousing 8-0 win over Quito, and it was Holtzman who set the tone for the game.
Adam Rude drew a one-out walk in the first, and Holtzman followed with a towering two-run homer over the right center field fence. The mammoth blast cleared a willow tree before the branch of a second tree kept it from carrying out into the street.
Gatos came right back with four in the second. Jayson Furia walked and Chris McMorrow was hit by a pitch to get things started. Matt Cooke and Rude each ripped run-scoring singles and Trent Edwards blasted a two-run triple in the rally.
Edwards doubled and scored a run in the fourth and Rude reached on an error and scored on an infield out by Stephen Sweeney to close out the scoring.
McMorrow, Anthony Frangadakis and Cooke teamed to toss the one-hit shutout for Los Gatos. McMorrow fanned seven in four innings of work.
Edwards came back to go the distance in a three-hit shutout against Almaden. The Gatos ace fanned 10 and walked just four.
The game was scoreless through three innings before Los Gatos broke it open with three in the fourth. Rude beat out a bunt single and Holtzman's pop fly fell for a hit. Sweeney's sacrifice bunt pushed the two to second and third and Charlie Clarke was safe on a fielder's choice after a fine bunt to load the bases.
A run scored when the right fielder dropped Furia's line drive, and pinch-runner Bobby Galmeister scored on a sacrifice fly to right by Holtzman. Frangadakis singled home a third run.
Los Gatos added some insurance in the fifth. Edwards reached on an error and trotted home when Holtzman lined a home run over the left center field fence.
McMorrow chipped in with a ground-rule double in the win.
11-year-old division
Los Gatos came within two outs of a trip to the District 12 11-year-old tournament championship game.
Gatos still may get there, but now the road is a bit more rocky.
The locals went right down to the wire before losing a 7-6 heartbreaker to Almaden in the winner's bracket finals.
The loss dropped Gatos to the loser's side, and the local boys will now have to defeat the Union-Lincoln Glen winner if they hope to reach the finals, and they would have to beat Almaden two straight if they're to win the tourney crown.
Los Gatos will face the Union-Lincoln winner on July 9, 5:30 p.m., at the Branham Hills Little League field (Ross Avenue near Branham Lane). The winner will face Almaden on July 10 with an "if necessary" game set for July 11.
Gatos took a 5-3 lead into the sixth inning against Almaden in the winner's bracket final, but gave up four runs to trail 7-5.
Los Gatos battled back, though. Eric Brown walked and Travis Howell doubled him to third. Brown scored and Howell took third on an infield out by Derek Tam. An out later, Bryan Schiefelbein cracked a hard gound ball to short, but was called out on a close play at first for the final out of the game.
Gatos had gone in front early in the game when Schiefelbein walked, Alex Rollin singled and Adam Crane blasted a three-run homer in the first.
Almaden tied it in the second, but Rollin came on to retire the visitors on five pitches in the third.
Gatos went up 5-3 in the bottom of the third. Andrew O'Gorman singled and scored when Schiefelbein's fly ball was mishandled in right. Crane knocked in a run with a sacrifice fly.
Rollin blanked Almaden in the fourth and fifth, but the visitors rallied for four in the sixth.
10-year-old division
Los Gatos advances to the final four of the District 12 10-year-old tournament after an impressive 6-3 win over Lincoln Glen last week.
Gatos snapped a 3-3 tie with a three-run rally in the fifth to pull out the exciting victory.
Danny Politti and Matt Martini each singled to open the fifth and Cory Graham dropped a sacrifice bunt to move the runners to second and third. Nic Perone walked to load the bases, and J.P. Grist unloaded them in a hurry with a three-run double.
Graham shut down Lincoln in the sixth to pick up the pitching win. He allowed just one run over three innings, and Weston Piper gave up just two runs in three solid innings of work to open the game.
Los Gatos had jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first. Matt Finelli reached on an error, David Holtzman singled and Politti walked to load the bases. Eric Rude beat out a bunt single to drive in a run, and two more runners raced home on an error.
Lincoln Glen picked up two runs in the third and one more in the fourth to tie it 3-3, but Gatos broke the tie with the three in the fifth.
Finelli and Michael Robards each singled to round out the seven-hit attack for Gatos.
Nine-year-old division
Kyle Jensen tossed all four innings for Los Gatos in an 18-2 win over Almaden in the District 12 nine-year-old tournament, and it came as a very pleasant surprise.
It wasn't surprising that Jensen could pitch four solid innings. It was a surprise that Jensen could play at all in the Monday evening game after what had happened to him the previous Saturday.
Jensen had tossed two shutout innings against Lincoln Glen that Saturday before reaching base in the bottom of the second. But he was hit squarely in the face by a thrown ball while attempting to steal third and had to leave the game.
A shaken Los Gatos team ended up losing 15-3 to Lincoln Glen, but Gatos--and Jensen--came battling back on Monday.
Jensen tossed a two-hitter, striking out seven and walking just three, to lead Los Gatos to the win over Almaden.
Scott Heller and Andrew Kettman ripped three hits apiece for Gatos and Jeremy Bays, Spencer Doyle, Kenny Rodrigues and Jensen slapped two hits each. Erik Rollin cracked a triple.
Los Gatos opened the game by scoring 13 runs before Almaden could register an out in the first inning.
Kettman had homered, Jack Wall belted a double and Heller had two hits in the loss to Lincoln Glen two days earlier.
Los Gatos remains as just one of four alive in the tournament. Gatos was to face Cambrian in a loser's bracket game on July 8 with the winner to meet the Lincoln Glen-Union loser on July 9.
The Lincoln Glen-Union winner will meet the loser's bracket champ in the title game on July 10, 5:30 p.m., at the Union Little League field (Camden Avenue near Blossom Hill Road).
This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, July 10, 1996.
©1996 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved