Panthers open Miguel tourney with two wins

By Dick Sparrer

When Charlie Miguel was alive, he was a softball coach who would strive for excellence and encourage his high school players to play their best.

In that spirit, the late Charlie must have been pleased as he looked down on the performance of the players participating in the tournament that bears his name and began last weekend at Mission College in Santa Clara.

There were 21 different teams playing their best last weekend, but five clubs were a little more excellent than the rest.

Del Mar, Monta Vista, Prospect, Santa Teresa and Gilroy each opened the Miguel Tournament with back-to-back wins. Willow Glen won its only game last weekend and Cupertino, Santa Clara, Mt. Pleasant, Lynbrook and Pioneer each split.

Shannon Kagel tossed the Dons to back-to-back wins to open the tournament. The Del Mar hurler flipped a five-hitter in a 6-2 win over Milpitas, then she came back to whirl a no-hitter in an 8-1 victory over Fremont.

Kagel helped her own cause with a couple of singles against the Trojans. Darcy Houts and Ronya Honoré had two hits apiece to drive in two runs each, and Emily DeLong tripled.

DeLong came back with a couple of hits to knock in two runs in the win over Fremont. Houts added two hits and Jennifer Godfrey doubled home two runs.

JoJo Butler slapped six hits in two games to lead Monta Vista to wins over Cupertino and Menlo to open the tournament.

Butler doubled and singled twice to knock in four runs in a 9-3 win over Cupertino.

Butler came back with three hits to plate a pair of runs in a tight 4-3 win over Menlo a day later. Danielle Katz doubled and tripled to drive in two runs and Erin McNulty and Nikki Butler supported with two hits apiece in the win.

Marisa Scarpelli and Ann Nakamo belted two hits apiece and Allison Mine doubled for Cupertino in the game.

Christina Gilford nailed a pair of pitching wins as she led Prospect to wins over Pioneer and Los Gatos to open the tournament.

Gilford tossed a six-hitter and helped herself at the plate with a double and two singles in a 5-4 win over co-host Pioneer.

Anne Boin singled and tripled and Jill Foley doubled for the Mustangs.

Gilford came back to flip a five-hitter in a 5-3 win over Los Gatos. Annie Gillespie singled and doubled to drive in two runs for the Panthers in the win.

Stacey Funston had two hits in the game for the Wildcats, and Jessica Enright was tagged with the loss despite tossing a six-hitter.

Gilroy opened with back-to-back shutout wins. The Mustangs blanked Homestead 11-0 and Carmel 3-0.

Santa Teresa beat Gunderson 6-1 to open the tourney, then topped Lynbrook 5-1.

Willow Glen won its only game of the weekend, scoring a run in the bottom of the sixth to pull out a 3-2 victory over co-host Santa Clara. Janelle Calderon had two hits for the Rams, and she was also the winning pitcher, whirling a seven-hitter.

Cupertino, Lynbrook, Pioneer and Santa Clara each rebounded from opening round losses with victories.

Corrine Adkins doubled home a couple of runs and Susan Fryer had two hits to lead Cupertino to a 7-5 win over Menlo.

Stacey Benzing singled and tripled and Alisha Underwood drove in two runs to lead Lynbrook to a 6-1 win over Gunderson. Sarah Motzny tripled for the Vikings. Motzny was also the winning pitcher, flipping a three-hitter.

Motzny and Mia Lind each doubled earlier in the weekend in Lynbrook's 5-1 loss to the Saints.

Chelsea Bjorklund doubled twice and singled and Kristen Fleury had two hits to knock in two runs for Pioneer in a 5-2 win over Los Gatos. Foley doubled and also tossed a five-hitter for the win.

Laura Hertan had two hits for Los Gatos in the game.

Local teams win

Prospect, Lynbrook and Saratoga each came up winners in nonleague games played last week, prior to the Miguel tourney.

Gillespie rapped two hits to help the Panthers to a tight 3-2 win over Valley Christian. Prospect battled back from a 2-0 deficit with three runs in the bottom of the seventh to win it.

Benzing tossed a four-hitter and Stephanie Macoi and D.J. Sullivan cracked two hits apiece to lead Lynbrook to a 9-5 win over Santa Clara.

Saratoga pounded out 16 hits and sophomore pitcher Ilana Sabes allowed just four to drive the Falcons to a 12-0 win over Santa Cruz.

Not only did Sabes toss the four-hit shutout, but she also doubled and singled twice to drive in two runs in the win.

Amanda Wise was the offensive star for the Falcons, though. The junior infielder ripped two doubles and two singles to plate four runs for the winners.

Bonnie Craven singled and tripled for Saratoga and Karen Lewis, Katie Wokas and Joanne Sprague had two hits each. Jennifer King drove in two runs.

The Falcons had opened the year with a split, beating Prospect 5-2 before losing 4-1 to Mt. Pleasant.

The Falcons could manage just three hits in the loss to the Cardinals, but they had ripped eight in the win over the Panthers.

Wokas drove in two runs to lead Saratoga and Sabes tossed three innings to get the win.

Prospect lost 2-1 to Lynbrook a game later as Benzing tossed a three-hitter, striking out 15, to lead the Vikings to the victory.

Westmont posted just one win in three tries in the first week of the regular season. The Warriors tied Aptos 1-1 and lost 6-0 to Pioneer before beating Milpitas 4-2.

Junior hurler Lisa Chapman tossed a three-hitter to lead the Warriors past the Trojans.

Brittany Hennig singled and tripled for Westmont and Bonnie Huggett had two hits to drive in three runs in the win. Tiffani Thompson ripped a double.

Hennig had two hits in the tie against Aptos, and she tripled in the 6-0 loss to Pioneer.

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