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Pony 13 all-stars second in sectional tournament
By Dick Sparrer
There were just no heroics left for the Los Gatos Pony Baseball 13-year-old all-stars.
After two thrilling victories to get into the finals of the sectional tournament, the Pony 'stars lost 12-10 to San Jose PAL to wind up second in the tournament Los Gatos hosted July 2-7 at Fisher Middle School.
Gatos scored a run in the last of the seventh to knock off Los Altos 10-9 in the tournament semifinals, then the locals fought back from an early 6-0 deficit to upset San Jose PAL 15-9 to force the tourney's if necessary game.
But in their fourth game in three days, the Gatos all-stars came up short in a 12-10 loss to San Jose in the tournament championship game.
Still, it was quite a showing for the never-say-die Los Gatos squad. And the local all-stars showed no signs of quitting as they took San Jose right down to the bottom of the seventh before losing in the finals.
San Jose had jumped out to a quick 8-0 lead in the title game, but a five-run rally in the sixth helped Gatos get close, and the 'stars trailed just 12-10 and had the tying run at second in the seventh inning before falling.
Rusty Wall kept the Los Gatos hopes alive with a two-out double in the seventh inning and Navneet Hakhu reached on an error to put runners at the corners. Wall scored and Hakhu raced to third when Carlos Alonso got on on an error. Alonso stole second to get the tying run in scoring position.
But that's where the tournament ended for Los Gatos when a hard ground ball to second resulted in the game's final out.
What a tournament it was, though.
Los Gatos opened with a lopsided 25-5 win over Pleasanton, but then fell 11-5 to San Jose PAL. The locals fought back with the wins over Los Altos and San Jose before losing to PAL in the finals.
Gatos pounded out 17 hits in the 15-9 win over San Jose. Michael Gault homered and singled twice in the win and Wall doubled and singled twice to drive in three runs. Justin Schafer also had three hits and scored three runs in the win.
Danny Sullivan singled twice to knock in three runs and Marty Mullins singled and doubled. Jason Stein and Damon Ronsvalle also doubled for Los Gatos.
San Jose opened the game with six runs in the first before Sullivan came on as a relief pitcher. He retired the side in the first, then shut out San Jose over the next three innings to get the win.
The win set up the championship game between the two clubs. San Jose opened up another early lead, but a five-run rally in the sixth got Gatos back in the game.
Gault tripled to lead off the inning and Wall was hit by a pitch. Hakhu and Alonso each singled home runs and Sullivan drove in a run with a ground out. Forest Gallien walked and stole second before Stein drilled a two-run single.
That set the stage for the dramatic seventh, but Gatos came up two runs short.
Los Gatos opened the tournament with a rousing 25-5 win over Pleasanton, rallying for 14 runs in the top of the first.
Gault led the bat attack with four hits, including a two-run double in the first, a run-scoring double in the third and a solo homer in the fourth.
Wall ripped a double and three singles and scored five runs in the win, and Nathan Dreesman was 3-for-3 with a two-run double and scored three runs. Dreesman had two hits in the first-inning rally.
Schafer and Gallien belted three hits apiece in the win and Sullivan had two hits.
Mullins was the winning pitcher for Los Gatos.
Gault singled and doubled and Dreesman had two hits and scored twice, but Los Gatos lost 11-5 to San Jose PAL. Steven Genetti allowed just a run on three hits while striking out four over
four innings.
But Genetti missed the rest of the tournament when he suffered a broken hand in a fall from his bicycle, and Dreesman played just the first two games before leaving town with his family.
Despite being short-handed, Los Gatos fought back with the 10-9 win over Los Altos a game later.
The clubs were locked in a 9-9 tie in the seventh after Los Altos had rallied from behind. A grand slam led to a six-run sixth for the visitors, and they added two runs in the top of the seventh to knot the score.
Sullivan opened the Gatos half of the seventh with a solid at-bat. He worked the count full and fouled off a couple of pitches before ripping a double to right-center.
Gault singled to put runners on the corners, then stole second. Ronsvalle followed with a run-scoring single to give Los Gatos the 10-9 win.
Ronsvalle doubled and singled twice in the win and Sullivan was 2-for-2 with the double and a two-run single in the fifth.
Wall singled and doubled and Schafer had two hits. Gallien double home a run in the second and Mullins singled one home in the fifth.
Mullins threw four strong innings in the game, but it was Sullivan coming on in relief to get the win.
Brian Market managed the Los Gatos club and his coach was Dan Mullins.
The Los Gatos Pony 14-year-old all-stars will open play in the regional tournament July 21 at Campbell's Morgan Park.
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Los Gatos, California Since 1881
