The Sun
Sunnyvale's Newspaper

The Sunnyvale Southern Little League White Sox squad won the District 44 championship this summer. Members of the team include (front row, l-r) Eric Cherrstrom, Jon Ching, Larry Cummins, Ray Ramirez and Mario Formosa, and (back row, l-r) Brian Lee, Josh Brown, James Rodriguez, Gabe Garcia, Jon Frecceri and Sean Ross. Not pictured are David Hafeman, Salvy Santino, Mark Straubel and Steven Tada.

White Sox win District 44 crown

Eight players win all-star positions

By Dick Sparrer

The White Sox may be struggling a bit in the Central Division of the American League this summer.

But in the Santa Clara Valley, the Sox are doing just fine.

The White Sox of the Sunnyvale Southern Little League won the District 44 Big League division championship by pounding East Hills of San Jose's District 59 in the final game of the regular season.

In the process, the Sox placed eight players on the District 44 big league division all-star team.

It's quite an accomplishment for a squad that's only in its second year of competition in the rugged division. The Sox compete against 15 other teams from Little League districts 12, 39, 44 and 59 in the division for players in the 16-18 age division, but Sunnyvale is the only team in the circuit without an 18-year-old player.

Josh Brown drove in three runs with a bases-loaded double in the first, and Ray Ramirez was the winning pitcher in Sunnyvale's title-clinching win over East Hills.

The Sox broke the game open with nine runs in the second. Gabe Garcia and James Rodriguez had key hits in the rally.

Mario Formosa had two hits, scoring two runs and knocking in three, and Rodriguez scored three runs in the win for Sunnyvale.

Ramirez nailed his fifth mound win and Brown tossed the final three innings of the victory.

Following the win, it was announced that Sox had placed eight players on the district all-star team. All-stars included Ramirez, Garcia, Jon Frecerri, Larry Cummins, Brown, Eric Cherrstrom, Formosa and Sean Ross.

Frecerri and Brown return to the all-star squad for the second straight season. Frecerri was also the league batting champion for the second year in a row.

Formosa led the league in doubles, triples, stolen bases and runs scored.

Sunnyvale Sox manager Tim Frecerri is the all-star manager. The White Sox boss will make his 11th post-season appearance in 18 years as a Little League coach. He has led 10 teams to division championships.

The all-stars opened play in the Section 5 tournament in the last week of July at the Braham field in San Jose, and they started things with back-to-back wins.

Jarrod Bierman, one of five Cupertino players to join the club for all-star play, helped the district 'stars get off to a strong start by tossing a complete game in a 7-3 win over the District 59 all-stars from San Jose.

Bierman tossed a six-hitter, striking out eight along the way. He was helped out by Garcia, who made a diving catch in right field to halt a San Jose rally in the fifth.

Brown's two-run single in the first inning and Formosa's two-run double in the second helped the all-stars stake Bierman to a 5-1 lead early in the game. Frecceri added a run in the fifth with a daring steal of home.

The all-stars made it two straight with a rousing 13-4 win over the District 39 all-stars of Santa Cruz County.

Brown led the locals to the win with three hits and three runs scored, and he also tossed five innings to pick up the mound win.

Frecceri ripped a pair of hits to drive in three runs for the winners and Cupertino's Bobby Adams plated three big runs with a bases-loaded double.

Because Brown, normally the club's shortstop, took the mound against Santa Cruz, the district 'stars were able to rest ace hurlers Bierman and Zach Calvert.

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This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, August 12, 1998.
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