By Dick Sparrer
It seemed so simple.
Lynbrook and Gunn would meet in the battle for first place in the El Camino Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League, and the winner would all but wrap up the division championship.
Well, the two clubs met last week, and Lynbrook nailed an impressive 3-1 win over the Titans.
But that game sure didn't decide the league championship--not yet, anyway.
And there's nothing simple about the race for the title in the El Camino Division.
Lynbrook won the important game against the Titans, but the Vikings also lost twice, falling 11-9 to Saratoga and 28-7 to Mountain View.
The 1-2 week actually dropped the Vikings into a first-place tie with Saratoga, and just a single game in the loss column separates the top five clubs in the division.
Saratoga came back to beat Mountain View 15-6 and Los Altos 2-0 after beating Lynbrook last week. The Falcons and Vikings now own matching 9-6 league records. Gunn remains hot in the race at 8-6.
But Cupertino and Mountain View are still close. The Pioneers, after a slow start, have pulled back to 7-6 in the division, and the Spartans are 7-7.
It all adds to a pretty exciting last two weeks in the division season.
Saratoga is largely responsible for causing all the trouble in the division. The Falcons wouldn't quit this spring, and they have pulled themselves right into the heart of the title race.
It all started with the 11-9 win over Lynbrook to open play last week.
Ryan Bernard blasted a two-run homer, and Mike Black doubled and homered to drive in four runs to lead the Falcons to the important victory.
Kyle Cardin ripped three hits for the winners, and Troy Cardin and Trent Frisina each singled and doubled. David Goni belted a double, and Kota Takamoto drove home two runs.
Dave Schneider was the winning pitcher for the Falcons, evening his season record at 3-3.
Goni was the winning pitcher and also belted three hits to lead the Falcons to the 15-6 win over Mountain View. Goni punched his mound record to 6-1 with the win.
T. Cardin doubled and singled twice, and Andre Sorba tripled and singled twice. Frisina had three hits to drive in three runs, and Takamoto had three hits. K. Cardin doubled and Black knocked in three runs.
Saratoga capped a solid week with a tight 2-0 win over Los Altos. Sophomore Brett Miller was the winning pitcher in the three-hit shutout, and K. Cardin singled and doubled to lead the Saratoga offense.
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This article appeared in the Saratoga News, May 7, 1997.
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