The Los Gatos-Saratoga Magic girls' 14-and-under softball team will defend its title in the 24-team U.S. Nationals in Portland, Aug. 8-10.
By Dick Sparrer
Do you believe in Magic?
Softball fans in Los Gatos and Saratoga certainly do.
Because for the second straight year, the Los Gatos-Saratoga Magic girls' 14-and-under softball team has dazzled the diamond fans with enough prestidigitation to earn a place in the U.S. Nationals.
The Magic will head to Portland, Aug. 8-10, to defend its national title in the 24-team tournament there. The Los Gatos-Saratoga club will take a 30-1 season record to the nationals.
Members of the team inclued Jill Burnett, Christine Cutter, Margaret Cutter, Jessica Enright, Stacie Funsten, Brittany Hennig, Ashley Graham, Megan Gurney, Sally Holtslander, Lauren Lueder, Tiffany O'Farrell, Anne Pearl, Kendall Self, Julie Self and Jill Wehner.
The team tuned up for the national appearance by winning a tournament title in San Luis Obispo.
The Magic clinched the title with a 5-2 win over the Santa Maria All-Stars in the finals.
Singles by Hennig and M. Cutter and a double by Enright keyed a quick two-run rally in the first, and Gurney tripled and scored on a passed ball to make it 3-0 in the second.
A double by Hennig and a single by M. Cutter pushed the Magic to a 5-1 lead in the fifth, then the defense took over.
Enright, the club's catcher, picked a runner off first and nailed another runner attempting to steal second. Gurney made a running catch in center and C. Cutter handled a tough liner at first to kill any Santa Maria rally.
Funsten had tossed the Magic to a win over the Smoke in the semifinals.
The Magic had opened the tourney with a 15-2 win over the Stompers. Gurney flipped a four-hitter for the win.
The locals rolled up 19 runs in the first two innings in an easy win over the Templeton All-Stars.
Things got a little tight a game later, but the Magic pulled out a 5-2 win over the Lompoc All-Stars. Hennig whirled a two-hitter for the victory.
M. Cutter followed Hennig's first-inning single with a two-run homer, and Wehner's three-run double in the sixth broke the game open.
The Magic had clinched a spot in the nationals by finishing first in an area qualifying tournament.
O'Farrell, Burnett, Lueder, Wehner and C. Cutter slapped two hits each to lead the Magic to a 10-9 win over the Morgan Hill Pride in the championship game of the qualifying event.
The Magic had opened the tourney with a 9-3 win over the West Valley Slammers. The game was tied 3-3 after five innings, but the Los Gatos-Saratoga crew broke it open with six runs in the sixth.
A triple by M. Cutter, a double by C. Cutter and singles by Enright, Burnett, Gurney and Stamps keyed the rally.
Funsten tossed the Magic to a 16-0 shutout win over the Almaden Lightning a game later.
A week earlier, the Magic had finished first in the Galt Invitational Tournament. The locals edged the Elk Grove Heat 2-0 in the finals. Hennig tossed the shutout, and O'Farrell singled home C. Cutter for the game-winning run.
Magic #2 wins, too
The Los Gatos-Saratoga Magic #2 14-and-under team cruised to a tourney title in the ninth annual Shotwell Invitational in Benicia.
The Magic clinched the title with a thrilling victory over the San Rafael Blue Angels, thanks to a pair of outstanding plays in the final inning.
Center fielder Lindsey Adams made a diving catch, and catcher Vicky Altman cut down a runner attempting to steal home.
Adams, Leslie Overhulse, Brooke Tufnell, Shelby Lawson and Altman led the offensive attack for the champs, who won five of six games to claim the tournament championship.
Pitchers Lawson and Stacey Benzing combined for 32 strikeouts and allowed just 16 hits in six games.
This article appeared in the Saratoga News, August 7, 1996.
©1996 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved