The Sun
      Sunnyvale's Newspaper

      Photograph by Darren Phillips

      Fremont's Art Alegria (34) makes the play at first in this early season game against Homestead. Alegria had a big week last week, blasting three homers in two games.

      Firebirds lose tough one

      Splits for both 'Birds, Mustangs

      By Dick Sparrer

      There's no doubt about it--Wilcox will win the baseball title in the De Anza Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League this spring.

      But there was considerable doubt about whether those Chargers would win a game last Friday. Because the Firebirds at Fremont gave the league leaders all they could handle for seven innings.

      Fremont ended up losing 8-7 to the Chargers, but the Firebirds were right with the leaders until Wilcox scored a run in the bottom of the seventh to pull out the victory.

      Still, thanks to an 11-1 win over Homestead to open the week, Fremont remains hot in the race for a Central Coast Section playoff berth as one of the top clubs in the division.

      A split last week left the Firebirds 7-7 in division play, but that's good for a third-place tie with Milpitas. Palo Alto clings to second place with a 7-6 record and Homestead is close behind Fremont and Milpitas at 6-7.

      Art Alegria homered and singled to knock in two runs, and Warren Rick homered and drove home three runs to lead the Fremont offensive attack against Wilcox.

      Nick DiQuisto doubled and singled twice, and Lamar Harvey singled and doubled for the Firebirds. Gabe Duran also had two hits.

      Fremont went up 3-0 in the first, but Wilcox answered back with two in the home half of the frame.

      The Firebirds scored two in the second to lead 5-2 before Wilcox scored again.

      The Chargers picked up a run in the fourth to cut the lead to 5-4, but Fremont added two runs in the fifth to take a 7-4 advantage.

      Wilcox scored two in the fifth, though, then added single runs in the sixth and seventh to tie it, then win it.

      Fremont had won big earlier in the week, pounding rival Homestead 11-1. Nick Duran went the distance to flip a six-hitter for the win. His mound record it now 6-2.

      Alegria had a big day for the Firebirds with two homers, a double and a single to drive in four runs in the win.

      Rick doubled and singled twice to knock in three runs, and Harvey had three hits. N. Duran singled twice to drive in two runs, and DiQuisto singled and doubled. Chris Hoff also doubled.

      Steve Goldberg singled and doubled, and John Hanneman doubled in the loss for the Mustangs.

      Fremont staked Duran to all the cushion he needed with two runs in the first, but the Firebirds added insurance with a run in the third and three more in the fifth. They broke the game open with five runs in the sixth.

      Mustangs split

      Ben Amiwero went the distance to toss a one-hit shutout to lead the Homestead baseball team to a 9-0 win over Palo Alto earlier in the week.

      Amiwero struck out seven in his gem, running his season mound record to 5-1 with the win. He also knocked in three of his club's nine runs.

      Andy Myers doubled and singled twice to lead the 10-hit attack for the Mustangs, and Goldberg had two hits to knock in two runs. Kayzell Milton and Robby Griffith each doubled in the win, and Hanneman drove in two runs.

      The Mustangs scored single runs in the first and third, but it was a five-run fourth-inning rally that helped Homestead clinch the easy win.

      Girls' softball

      Homestead battled back from a tough 3-2 loss to Wilcox to rip Fremont 10-7 in the De Anza Division of the SCVAL.

      The Mustangs, 4-5 in the division and 7-14 for the year, bombed Fremont for four runs in the first and four more in the second on the road to the victory.

      Amy Wellersdick pounded four hits, including a triple, to lead a 10-hit attack for the Mustangs. Julie Speckels tripled and singled twice.

      Nicole Byroads scattered nine hits to toss the Mustangs to the win, and she helped her own effort with a triple. It marked the fourth win of the year for Byroads.

      Angela Diffenderfer singled and doubled for Homestead. Erin Skitt had two hits, and Shawnti Bortoli doubled. Caryn Liniak knocked in a pair of runs in the win.

      Homestead opened the game with four hits and a sacrifice fly to jump out to a quick 4-0 lead, but Fremont came fighting back.

      Leadoff hitter Christine Andrade blasted a solo homer to cut the lead to 4-1. Two outs later, Cortney Canter appeared to have a triple, but she was called out for missing second base, and the threat ended for the Lady Birds.

      Homestead answered back with four more runs to virtually put the game away.

      Sheila Hess doubled and tripled for Fremont. Lonnie Castro singled and tripled, and Felicia Diaz singled and doubled.

      Homestead was coming off of a disappointing 3-2 loss to Wilcox.

      The Mustangs scored two runs in the first to lead 2-0 early, but the Chargers tied it with two in the fourth.

      It remained 2-2 heading into the last of the seventh when Wilcox loaded the bags with no outs. The winning run scored when a Wilcox batter was hit by a pitch.

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      This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, May 7, 1997.
      ©1997 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.