Falcons suffer tough loss to Santa Clara

By Dick Sparrer

Eric Owens knew that his Saratoga girls softball team was facing a big week.

The Falcons had three games to play in the El Camino Division of the SCVAL--two that they were expected to win, and one that they hoped to win.

Well, the Falcons did the expected. They defeated Gunn 12-4 to open, and they knocked off Palo Alto 9-1 to finish the week. But in between, Saratoga dropped a heartbreaker.

The game the Falcons wanted to win the most was their Wednesday clash with unbeaten Santa Clara. But Saratoga lost a thriller 5-4 in eight innings.

Saratoga needed a win to even things up in the El Camino Division standings. The Bruins were 6-0 in division play heading into the bout with the Falcons a game back in the loss column at 4-1.

Santa Clara pulled out the win in the see-saw game to remain unbeaten, then pounded Gunn 13-5 later in the week to improve to 8-0 for the year.

Saratoga, now 5-2 in the division, had the early lead against the Bruins, then battled from behind in the seventh to tie it, only to lose in the eighth.

The Falcons scored two runs in the third to break a scoreless tie and go in front 2-0. Santa Clara tied it, though, with two in the fourth, then took the lead with two in the sixth.

Saratoga hung tough. The Falcons rallied for two in the home half of the seventh to tie the game 4-4 and send it into extra innings.

But Santa Clara scored in the top of the seventh, and Saratoga couldn't answer back in the home half of the inning.

Senior catcher Marisa Moore singled and homered to knock in two runs for Saratoga in the game.

Senior shortstop Betsy Masiello singled and doubled for the Falcons, and Karen Lewis added two hits.

Freshman hurler Bonnie Craven had tossed a 5-hitter at Gunn to lead Saratoga to a 12-4 win over the Titans to open the week. Ilana Sabes doubled for the Falcons, and Lewis knocked in two runs in the win.

Saratoga rebounded from the loss to Santa Clara with a lopsided 9-1 win over Palo Alto on Thursday. The Falcons pounded out 14 hits in the game.

Amanda Wise led the offensive assault with a double and two singles to knock in three runs for the Falcons. Lewis singled and doubled to knock in a pair of runs, and Moore drove home two runs with a pair of hits.

Craven fired a 2-hitter for the pitching win, pushing her record to 3-1. She also helped her own cause with a single and a double.

Joanne Sprague chipped in with a pair of singles in the Saratoga victory.

The Falcons hope to continue their winning ways this week when they visit Monta Vista on April 27 and Homestead on April 29 in a pair of 3:30 p.m. games.

Saratoga, 9-7 for the year, gets one more shot at Santa Clara on the final day of the league season, but the Falcons have to hope for someone else to knock off the Bruins along the way for them to have a shot at a share of the title.

Warriors drop two

The Westmont girls softball team dropped a pair of tough decisions last week to slip to 1-5 in the Mt. Hamilton Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League.

The Warriors lost a 1-0 heartbreaker to Oak Grove to open the week, then lost a 4-3 thriller to Presentation two days later.

Brittany Hennig and Laura Phillippe ripped two hits apiece, but the Warriors were blanked by Oak Grove last Monday.

Jessica Davis had two hits to drive in two runs, and Jenny Brown added two hits, but the Warriors lost to Presentation 4-3 when the Panthers scored a run in the seventh to break a 3-3 tie.

Westmont, 6-12 for the year, will host Santa Teresa on April 30, 3:30 p.m., in its only game of the week.

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