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Photograph by Scott lechner
Fremont's Brandon Klein is out at home as the Los Gatos catcher puts on the tag in league action. Klein doubled, but the Firebirds lost 7-5 to the Wildcats.
Matadors roar to Lions title
Mustangs win one of three
By DICK SPARRER
Monta Vista's win over Lynbrook last week determined two things: the Matadors could still play for the championship in the annual Cupertino Lions Tournament ... and the Vikings couldn't.
The Mats knocked the Vikes out of title contention early in the local tournament with a 7-1 victory to open the event.
But both teams battled back with victories a couple of days later, so both were alive on the final day of the tourney--Monta Vista playing for the championship, and Lynbrook playing for third place.
The Matadors edged Mission San Jose 6-5 to move into the tourney title game against Palo Alto. Monta Vista clinched the championship with a 6-1 win over Paly in the finals.
The Vikings advanced to the tournament's third-place game with a close 7-6 win over Gilroy, but lost a 4-3 heartbreaker to Live Oak to finish up fourth overall.
Homestead, like Lynbrook, won just one of three games in the tournament. The Mustangs beat Terra Nova 3-2, but lost 13-9 to Live Oak and 5-2 to Gilroy.
Brandon Douglas swung a hot bat and Justin Grant was the pitching star for Monta Vista in the tournament.
Grant went four strong innings to get the win in the championship game against Palo Alto. He struck out seven in his stint and combined with Matt Cannon to whirl a four-hitter. Cannon came on to pick up the save.
Douglas slapped a pair of hits to drive in two runs in the 6-1 victory. Eric Stocklmeir led the attack with three hits.
The Mats staked Grant to an early lead with a run in the first, then added single runs in the fourth and fifth before unloading for three in the sixth. Paly scored its only run of the game in the seventh.
Monta Vista, 9-5 for the year, had edged Mission San Jose 6-5 a game earlier. Marty Zankich homered and singled twice to drive in two runs in the win, and Douglas singled and tripled to plate a pair of runs. Casey Wilms added two singles.
Ryan Watkins was the winning pitcher for the Matadors, who battled back from a 5-3 deficit with three runs in the bottom of the seventh to win it.
Grant, 4-1 for the year, picked up the mound win in Monta Vista's opener against Lynbrook.
Brian Laatsch singled and doubled to drive in three runs for the winners. Ryan Mitchell singled and doubled for the Mats and Dustin Realini tripled.
Kenny Ewbank doubled to lead a six-hit attack for the Vikings.
The clubs were locked in a 1-1 tie through three innings before Monta Vista broke open the game with two in the fourth and three more in the fifth.
Lynbrook, 5-7-1 for the year, battled back with a 7-6 win over Gilroy. Richard Shen doubled and singled twice to drive in two runs and Chris Geren doubled twice to knock in four runs, Ewbank singled and doubled for the Vikes.
Chris Courtney was the winning pitcher for the Vikings, who battled from behind twice to get the win.
Gilroy scored two in the second to take the lead, but the Vikes picked up three in the third. The Mustangs rallied for three in the fourth to go up 5-3, but Lynbrook answered back with four in the home half of the fourth to take the lead for good.
The Vikings went on to play for third place in the tournament, but lost 4-3 to Live Oak. Lynbrook led 2-0 after the first and 3-1 after three, but the Acorns scored a run in the fourth, then two more in the sixth to win it.
Aaron Hall and Gary Mullins ripped three hits apiece and Chris Dreyer singled and doubled to lead Homestead to a 3-2 win over Terra Nova. Danny Attard was the winning pitcher for the Mustangs.
The clubs were tied 1-1 heading into the home half of the fifth, but Homestead picked up a pair of runs. Terra Nova could get just one back in the sixth, and the Mustangs went on to record the victory.
But Homestead lost 5-2 to Gilroy a game later despite a double by Hall, a triple by Adam Milliken and a solo home run by Nick Nelson.
Gilroy broke a 1-1 tie with a run in the fifth. Homestead tied it again with a run in the sixth, but Gilroy rallied for three in the bottom of the sixth to win it.
The Mustangs, 5-10 for the year, had lost 13-9 to Live Oak in their tournament opener. Milliken tripled and singled twice for Homestead and Hall homered and drove in three runs. Dreyer singled and doubled, and Jon Wilson and Mullins had two hits apiece.
Homestead jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first and led 8-1 after three innings. But Live Oak rallied for nine in the fifth and coasted from there to the victory.
Fremont drops two
In other local baseball action last week, Fremont dropped a pair of games in the De Anza Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League.
Pete Hernandez cracked a pair of hits and Johnny Tona doubled, but the Firebirds lost a 7-1 nod to powerful Wilcox.
Fremont, 3-5 in division play, lost 7-5 to Los Gatos later in the week. Gabe Duran singled and doubled and Jose Carrillo and Tona each had a pair of hits to drive in two runs apiece.
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Sunnyvale, California Since 1994
