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Fremont opens CCS at home
Mustangs, Knights in CCS softball playoffs
By Dick Sparrer
There's no place like home.
And no one knows that better than the baseball players at Fremont High School.
Because they're mighty happy to be opening the Central Coast Section Division I playoffs at home this week.
The Firebirds, 20-9 for the year, won the championship in the El Camino Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League this spring, and enter the playoffs at the No. 6 seed in Division I. They'll open the playoffs at home on May 16, 4 p.m., when they host Live Oak (13-14) in a first-round game.
The winner will move on to the CCS quarterfinals on May 19, 4 p.m., at Buck Shaw Stadium in Santa Clara against the Milpitas (12-14)-Serra (20-12) first-round winner.
Fremont wrapped up a 17-1 league season with two wins last week. The Firebirds finished league play with wins over Lynbrook (7-3) and Santa Clara (4-2).
Fremont ace Troy Tulowitzski tossed the Firebirds to the win over the Bruins to open the week. Tulowitzski and Vince Klumper combined to flip a two-hitter at Santa Clara. Tulowitzski picked up the win, pushing his record to 10-0, and Klumper came on in relief to pick up his second save of the year.
A two-run single by Kyle Severns sparked a four-run rally in the first inning, and that was all the Firebirds needed. Santa Clara could pick up just two runs in the fourth.
Tulowitzski doubled twice for Fremont.
Tulowitzski came back with three hits later in the week to lead the Firebirds to the 7-3 win over Lynbrook.
Daniel Guevara and Pat Burgess each singled and doubled for the 'Birds. Tyler Duran had two hits and Ron Cerda drove in two runs.
Scott Brown was the winning pitcher for Fremont, pushing his record to 4-3.
Lynbrook jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the game with two runs in the first and one more in the second. But Fremont scored two in the third and one in the fourth to tie it 3-3. The Firebirds then touched the Vikes for two in the fifth and two more in the sixth to clinch the win.
Mustangs split
The Homestead boys volleyball team opened the Central Coast Section playoffs with a solid win over Westmont, but the Mustangs lost a few days later to face elimination.
Junior Josh Cavin buried an incredible 28 kills and junior Armen Ekmekji turned in a solid performance to lead the Mustangs to a 15-8, 15-8, 13-15, 15-12 win over Westmont in the first round.
Homestead dropped a 15-9, 15-11, 15-4 decision to powerful San Lorenzo Valley at Santa Clara High School last Saturday. The loss spelled the end of the road for the Mustangs, who finished the year 16-7.
Meanwhile, the King's Academy lost in the first round of the CCS playoffs, falling 15-5, 15-6, 15-4 to Soquel. The Knights finished the year 16-7.
Vikes, Mustangs at CCS
The season came to an end for the girls softball teams of the SCVAL last week--at least, for some of them.
Both Lynbrook and Homestead will play on after claiming berths in the upcoming CCS Division I playoffs that begin this week.
The Vikings and Mustangs earned postseason spots by finishing one-two in the El Camino Division of the SCVAL. Lynbrook posted a 12-0 record to win the division title and Homestead finished second at 10-2, its only two losses coming against the Vikes.
Lynbrook, 18-3 for the year, draws a first-round bye in the tournament. The Vikings will open the playoffs in the quarter-final round on May 18, 7 p.m., at PAL Stadium against the Independence (15-7)-Gilroy (24-9) first-round winner.
Homestead, 12-7-1 overall, opens the playoffs May 17, 7 p.m., at PAL Stadium against Wilcox (16-11). The winner will face Milpitas (17-10) on Friday, 3 p.m., at PAL in the quarterfinals.
Lynbrook wrapped up a perfect league season last week with back-to-back shutout wins over Fremont and Homestead.
Stacey Benzing blanked Fremont on two hits to lead the Vikings to a 9-0 win last week.
Benzing had fanned nine and allowed just two hits in a 6-0 win over Homestead earlier in the week.
Sophomore Karen Purdy doubled to account for one of the two Homestead hits.
Danielle Bailey and Brandi Tomasovitch belted two hits apiece and Purdy drove in two runs to lead the Mustangs to a 5-2 win over Saratoga on the final day of the regular season. The win left the Mustangs alone in second place with the 10-2 record.
Ashley Suth was the winning pitcher for Homestead, scattering seven hits as she ran her record to 8-3.
Suth tossed a two-hitter a week earlier in a 19-1 win over Cupertino.
Paula Kane smashed a home run and singled to lead a 13-hit assault for the Mustangs.
Kelly Spencer singled and doubled and Tomasovitch had two hits in the win. Stacey Harris clubbed a three-run double and Suth and Julie Colvin each doubled.
Tomasovitch and Bailey had two hits apiece to drive in two runs each and Colvin added two hits in a 12-1 win over Gunn. Purdy tossed a two-hitter for the win.
Knights advance
Junior hurler Kathryn Neufeld will lead the King's Academy girls softball team into the CCS Division III playoffs this week.
The Knights, 20-5 for the year after a 14-2 showing the Private Schools League, will open the tournament against Hillsdale (12-13) on May 17, 7 p.m., at Hawes Field in Redwood City. The winner will advance to the quarterfinals against Notre Dame-Salinas (30-3) on Saturday, 2 p.m., at Sherwood Field in Salinas.
King's wrapped up the league season with a 9-1 win over Redwood Christian last week after losing a 1-0 heartbreaker to Mercy-Burlingame in what proved the league championship game.
Neufeld tossed a three-hitter, but a single run in the first inning was all Mercy needed to secure the 1-0 win. Mercy finished the league season 16-0.
Katie Henderson had two hits in the game for the Knights.
King's unloaded for 12 hits and nine runs later in the week against Redwood. Neufeld flipped a four-hitter to pick up the win, running her pitching record to 18-5.
Neufeld doubled twice and singled to lead the offensive attack for the Knights. Angela Guidi had two hits in the win and Gina Favero singled and doubled.
King's had pounded Fremont Christian 11-1 a game earlier on the strength of a Neufeld one-hitter.
Guidi singled and tripled in the win and Cecily Gordon singled and doubled to drive in two runs. Carissa Threewitt knocked in three runs for the Knights.
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Sunnyvale, California Since 1994
