Photograph by George Sakkestad
Homestead's Matt Hall (23) congratulates Mike Hart (14) during a seven-run first-inning rally in a 16-5 win over Saratoga last week.
By DICK SPARRER
Chuck Camuso didn't hold anything back when he was asked to predict where his Homestead baseball team would finish this season--first in the El Camino Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League.
And right now, that's just where his Mustangs are.
The Mustangs won a pair of games last week to put a little distance between them and the rest of the teams in the division.
Homestead beat contenders Saratoga and Cupertino to improve to 7-0 in the division and stretch their lead to two games.
The Mustangs ripped Saratoga 16-5 to give the Falcons two losses, and they came back to outslug Cupertino 14-7 to stick the Pioneers with three losses.
And Homestead backed up those two league wins with an 8-1 victory over Terra Nova in the first round of the Cupertino Host Lions Tournament to jump to 9-2 for the year.
The Mustangs are winning, just as Camuso predicted, and they're doing it with solid pitching, good defense and powerful bats.
Homestead pounded out 16 hits on the road to the 16-5 win over Saratoga to open the week.
Junior righthander Ben Amiwero picked up the mound win, improving his season record to 4-0. He blanked the Falcons over the first four innings and left after five with his club up 15-1. He struck out four in his stint.
Mitch Ignaitis doubled and singled twice to lead the 16-hit assault, and Sal Kirmes doubled and drove in four runs. Bret Erickson and Mike Jones each tripled and Steve Watts doubled.
Kirmes was four-for-four with a double and homer to lead the Mustangs to the 14-7 win over Cupertino. Kirmes drove in three runs for the winners.
Watts tripled and singled twice and Interiano singled and doubled for the Mustangs. Matt Hall had two hits in the win and Kayzell Milton doubled and knocked in three runs. Amiwero drove in two runs.
Tony Plant went five strong innings to pick up his first pitching win of the season.
Homestead came back to open the Lions Tournament with the 8-1 win over Terra Nova. Junior righthander Mike Elias went the distance to fire a seven-hitter and lead the Mustangs to the victory. He's now 3-0 for the year.
Kirmes singled and tripled to drive in three runs in the win and Watts singled twice to plate a pair.
The Mustangs were to face Monta Vista in a second-round tournament game on Monday and they'll face Live Oak on April 4, 3:30 p.m., at PAL Stadium. The tourney finals are set for April 5 at PAL.
Fremont wins
Fremont pulled out an 8-2 win over Santa Clara last week to push its season record to 6-5 and move to 3-4 in the El Camino Division.
Brent McCann ran his season pitching record to 3-2 by tossing five shutout innings for the Indians. The Bruins broke up the shutout with two runs in the sixth.
But Fremont had scored two in the second, one each in the third and fourth and three in the fifth to take a 7-0 lead.
Bryan McCann singled and doubled to drive in three runs for the Indians and Andrew Hoff singled twice to plate two runs.
Nick Duran singled and tripled for the winners and Tim Jimenez had two hits. Lamar Harvey also tripled for the Indians.
Carter tosses gem
Danny Carter fired a no-hitter to lead The King's Academy baseball team to a 2-0 win over San Francisco Christian. Carter struck out 14 in the win. Micah Bariteau slapped two hits to lead a three-hit attack for the Knights.
Big day for Naivalu
Fremont track star Joe Naivalu was named the athlete of the meet at the Avis Kelly Invitational in Gilroy last week after winning the 110 high hurdles, the 300 intermediate hurdles and the 100-meter dash. He helped Fremont to a team third in the meet.
Naivalu had won the 110 highs in 14.37 to lead the Indians to an 80-32 win over Monta Vista in an El Camino Division dual meet earlier in the week.
James Hodgkiss-O'Neill was a double winner in the weights, taking the shot put at 39-1 1/2 and the discus at 120-11 1/2.
The Indians improved to 4-0 in the division with the win.
Indians swamped
Todd Kokka breezed to a win in the 500-yard freestyle in 5:50.38, but the Fremont boys' swimming team was swamped 121-36 by powerful Santa Clara in El Camino Division action last week. The Indians slipped to 0-2 in the division with the loss.
Mustangs win two
The Homestead boys' volleyball team improved to 3-4 in league play with a pair of wins last week. The Mustangs whipped Sacred Heart Cathedral 15-10, 15-3, 15-10 and handled St. Ignatius 15-13, 15-13, 15-11.
Stahmer stars
Mike Stahmer fired back-to-back 44s, but the Fremont golf team lost a pair of Santa Clara Valley Athletic League decisions to Lynbrook and Gunn.
The Indians dropped a 221-251 decision to the Vikings. Stahmer led Fremont with a 44 and Chris Brierton fired a 49. Mike Benkoski finished with a 50 and Sean Blaschke shot a 52.
Stahmer came back with a 44 and Brierton carded a 46, but Fremont lost 221-269 to Gunn. Benkoski finished at 48 for the Indians.
This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, April 3, 1996.
©1996 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.