By Dick Sparrer
Timing is everything. And for the Prospect girls' softball team, the timing was just a little off last week.
The Panthers rallied for six runs in the first inning and two more in the second against Yerba Buena, and while there was nothing wrong with that, the Panthers could have used some of that offense in the last four innings against Lincoln earlier in the week.
Prospect jumped out to an 8-5 lead against the Lions in the first game of the week, but the Panthers were blanked over the final four frames while the Lions fought back to tie it, then win it.
Prospect led 4-2 after an inning and 8-5 after four, but the Lions rallied for three runs in the seventh to tie it and send the game into extra innings. Lincoln broke the tie with a run in the eighth, and the Panthers couldn't answer back.
Kristen Smith singled and tripled, and Kaity Gorman singled and doubled to lead a 10-hit attack for the Panthers.
The Panthers took out some of their frustration on Yerba Buena later in the week, unloading for six runs in the first and cruising from there to a 14-2 victory.
Smith had three hits to drive in three runs in the win, and Gorman knocked in a pair of runs. Tiffany Matozzi added two hits for the Panthers.
Prospect is now 1-1 for the year.
Warriors fall
Westmont opened the year with a loss in the Mt. Hamilton Division of the BVAL, falling 7-2 to powerhouse Mitty.
Angelique Ladino blasted a triple and Rene Cobillas doubled to lead a five-hit attack for the Warriors.
Mitty took control of the game with two runs in the first, one in the second and two more in the third. The Monarchs added two insurance runs in the fifth. Westmont could counter with just single runs in the third and seventh.
Westmont closed out the week by dropping a lopsided 21-0 nod to Piedmont Hills in the Charlie Miguel Memorial Tournament.
Falcons lose
Saratoga lost its only game last week, falling 11-6 to Santa Clara in the El Camino Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League.
Sophomore Marisa Moore slapped a pair of hits to lead a nine-hit attack for the Falcons, but Santa Clara roped 11 hits on the road to the victory.
The clubs matched single runs in the first, but Saratoga outscored Santa Clara 3-2 in the second to lead 4-3. The clubs each scored in the third, and it remained 5-4 until the sixth.
The Bruins scored two to lead 6-5, but Saratoga tied it in the bottom of the frame. Santa Clara broke the tie, though, with a five-run ralley in the seventh inning.
This article appeared in the Saratoga News, April 2, 1997.
©1997 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.