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Sunnyvale's Newspaper

Photograph by Robert Scheer

Sunnyvale Metro's Kyle Jost tries to turn a double play in District 44 major division all-star action against Tri-Cities Little League.

Wilson leads National to win

National Braves win senior TOC

By Dick Sparrer

Gordon Hawley ripped a two-run double and Danny Bigelow and Nick Epidendio handled the pitching chores for the Cupertino American Little League all-stars in a junior division win over Tri-Cities in the District 44 tournament opener for each club last week.

Cupertino American held a slim 5-4 lead before breaking the game open with a four-run rally in the bottom of the fifth.

Epidendio was the winning pitcher for Cupertino. Hawley, Jeff Seip and Chris Oliver each ripped doubles for the winners.

Brian Kettner knocked in two runs in the loss for Tri-Cities.

In other first round action, Aaron Wilson was the winning pitcher for Sunnyvale National in a 7-1 victory over Santa Clara Homestead.

A week earlier, the Cupertino American Rangers and the Cupertino National Rockies had battled to a 4-4 tie in the finals of the District 44 junior division Tournament of Champions.

The Rangers had opened the tourney with an 8-6 win over the Los Altos Braves. The Rockies opened with a 6-3 win over the Sunnyvale National Twins.

In senior division play, the Sunnyvale National Braves won the District 44 Tournament of Champions by beating the Sunnyvale National Phillies 3-0 and the Tri-Cities Cubs 6-3 in the title game.

Tri-Cities had edged the Santa Clara Sluggers 4-3 in the first round.

9-10 age division

Fifteen teams opened the District 44 tournament for 9- and 10-year-olds, but only eight remained after the first week as the tourney heads to a July 16 championship game.

Four clubs were unbeaten in the winner's bracket, including the Tri-Cities Little League all-stars, who opened the event with wins over Cupertino National (8-5) and Santa Clara Briarwood-El Camino (5-1).

Tri-Cities was to face the Campbell Little League, and Mountain View met Los Altos Hills in the other winner's bracket game.

Sunnyvale Metro was still alive in the loser's side of the tournament. Metro lost 4-1 to Los Altos Hills in the first round of the tourney, but fought back to beat Sunnyvale Serra 18-16 in a slugfest and Sunnyvale National 14-4.

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This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, July 16, 1997.
©1997 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.