Falcons split with 'Tino, clubs share second place
Westmont wipes out Prospect, Los Altos
By Dick Sparrer
Saratoga waited a long time to complete its suspended game against Cupertino.
It turns out, though, that it wasn't worth the wait.
The Falcons and Pioneers completed a suspended game last week, and it was Cupertino scoring four runs in the 11th to pull out a 9-5 win over Saratoga.
But the Falcons didn't waste any time getting their revenge. They rebounded quickly with a rousing 14-4 win in the regularly scheduled game the same day to pull even in the De Anza Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League.
The split left both the Falcons and Pioneers with matching 7-7 records in league play. The clubs share second place behind Wilcox, but Monta Vista (6-6), Los Gatos (6-7) and Milpitas (6-8) are all very close behind. Fremont (3-10) is the only club in the circuit out of the running for second place.
Saratoga has four key games remaining in league play, including bouts this week against Monta Vista and Los Gatos. The Falcons will visit the Matadors on May 3, 3:30 p.m., before taking on Gatos on May 6, noon, at West Valley Community College.
Saratoga closes out the league season the following week against Milpitas and Fremont.
Senior Adam Varteressian starred for the Falcons in last week's 14-4 win over Cupertino. Not only did the right hander toss an eight-hitter for the pitching win, but he also singled and homered to drive in three of his club's runs. Varteressian ran his mound record to 5-1 with the win.
Matt Joyce, Erick Raich and Jim Huether each singled and doubled for the Falcons, and Mike Cook and Mike Cable added two hits apiece. Cook knocked in three runs for Saratoga, and Raich plated a pair.
The Falcons jumped out to a quick lead with three runs in the first, but Cupertino answered with single runs in the second and third.
Saratoga broke the game open with a five-run rally in the home half of the third, then, after 'Tino scored runs in the fifth and sixth, the Falcons ended the game with six in the bottom of the fifth.
Things hadn't gone as well for Saratoga a game earlier. The Falcons and Pioneers were tied 5-5 after seven innings, and that's how it remained until the Pioneers unloaded for four runs in the 11th.
Joyce had a big day for the Falcons. The senior outfielder had four hits, including a double, to drive in three runs. Varteressian singled and doubled for the Falcons, and Raich and John Vartanian added two hits apiece.
Westmont wins
Westmont rolled to a couple of nonleague wins last week, beating rival Prospect 3-0 early in the week and coming back with a 13-2 win over Los Altos.
Tony LaVista went the distance to flip a one-hit shutout in the win over the Panthers. The senior right-hander evened his record at 5-5 with the win. The only hit he allowed was a double by Prospect's Nick Vidal.
Bill Stouffer, Travis Cheney and Ben Peterson ripped two hits each to lead a seven-hit attack for the Warriors.
Westmont scored single runs in the first, third and sixth, and LaVista made them stand up for the win.
LaVista came back with two hits to drive in two runs to lead Westmont to a 13-2 win over Los Altos later in the week. Adam Antolin added two hits, and John McAvoy drove in two runs.
Sophomore Reed Dickert picked up the mound win for the Warriors, who improved to 8-14-1 for the year with the two victories this week.
A week earlier, Westmont lost twice in the Mt. Hamilton Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League. The Warriors lost 6-3 to Oak Grove and dropped a 5-2 heartbreaker in eight innings to Santa Teresa.
Antolin belted three hits, and Peterson ripped a double, but the Warriors lost a 6-3 decision to Oak Grove.
The Eagles scored a run in the first and four in the second to lead 5-0. Westmont battled back with three in the third, but that was all the Warriors could muster.
Westmont slipped to 1-8 in league play after a tough 5-2 loss to Santa Teresa. The clubs were tied 1-1 after seven innings, but the Saints scored four runs in the eighth, and Westmont could answer with just a run in the home half of the innings.
Panthers top pack
Prior to losing to Westmont, Prospect had beaten Pioneer 4-3 and edged Mt. Pleasant 2-1. The Panthers sit in first place in the Santa Teresa Division of the BVAL with a 12-2 record, and they are 13-6 overall.
Derrick Yamada was the winning pitcher, and Curtis Wills came on to get the save in the 2-1 win over the Cardinals. Yamada struck out six as he ran his mound record to 4-1, and Wills nailed down his second save of the year. The two hurlers combined to toss a six-hitter.
Chris Hesenflow doubled to account for one of the two hits Prospect had in the game.
Hesenflow had nailed a win in relief earlier in the week when the Panthers scored a run in the bottom of the seventh to beat Pioneer 4-3.
Brad Bonvecchio and Todd Struebel each singled and doubled, and Wills had two hits for the Panthers in the win. Kevin McPeck also doubled.
Nick Vidal gave up just three hits in six innings, one a solo homer by Brian Davis, and left with a 3-1 lead. But the Mustangs scored two in the seventh to tie it. Brian Gilbert doubled, Matt Palacios beat out an infield hit, Landers Niven delivered a run-scoring single, Samir Ghia was hit by a pitch, and Sean Sarsfield reached on an error.
But Prospect broke the tie in the bottom of the seventh. Struebel singled with two out, and McPeck and Bonvecchio walked to load the bases. Wills then delivered a clutch single up the middle to win it for the Panthers.
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