July 31, 2002      Sunnyvale, California  Since 1994



Sports

National girls win district, section titles By Dick Sparrer It's hot up around Red Bluff this time of year, and it's no place to be out in the sunshine playing softball. But the girls of the Sunnyvale National Little League 9—10 age division all-star team don't necessarily agree. The Sunnyvale girls fit right in up in the warm Northern California climateÑbecause they're pretty hot, too. Sunnyvale National won the District 44 and Section 5 championships to win a trip to Red Bluff for the Division 2 tournament. The girls opened play in the tourney last weekend. National two-timed District 39 champion Gilroy to win the sectional crown. Sunnyvale outslugged Gilroy 21-13, then backed that up with a 12-2 win in the tourney title game. Jessica Lopez tossed a one-hitter in the championship game that ended in four innings on the 10-run rule. She struck out four. Sunnyvale led 3-2 heading into the bottom of the third, then broke the game open with a nine-run rally. Taylor DeSilva doubled twice and Lopez and Celine Kealiimohomoku also doubled in the win. DeSilva gave up just three hits and struck out eight in five innings to get the win in the 21-13 victory over Gilroy. DeSilva, Celine Kealiimohomoku, Christina Lopez, Christine Lozano and Jillian Gerrity each doubled for Sunnyvale. National had blanked Sunnyvale Southern 10-0 and blasted Sunnyvale Metro 45-2 and 23-10 to win the District 44 championship. Lopez fired a four-hitter for the win, striking out five in the four-inning game. Kealiimohomoku homered and tripled to lead the National bat attack. Maria Lopez clubbed a triple in the win. Rebecca Bliss homered and doubled for Metro and Alexis Raisch doubled. A game earlier, Kealiimohomoku struck out nine and gave up just one hit in four innings to pitch National to a 45-2 win over Metro. Kealiimohomoku, Gerrity, J. Lopez, C. Lopez and Nicole Arevalo all doubled in the win. National had opened the tourney with a 10-0 win over Southern on a four-inning no-hit shutout by J. Lopez. She struck out 11. C. Lopez clubbed a three-run homer in the second inning to provide National with all the offense it would need. In other district tournament games, Sunnyvale Metro beat Cupertino American 16-13 behind the pitching of Kelsey Easop and the hitting of Raisch; Sunnyvale Southern edged American 18-17 behind the pitching of Monica Markart and the hitting of Jessica Aronson, Abby Dugan and Katie Caldwell; and Metro beat Southern 11-1 behind the pitching at Easop and the hitting of Bliss (home run) and Lauren Townsley (double). Megan Burns doubled for Southern. West Regional Sunnyvale will host the Little League West Regional major division girls softball tournament Aug. 2—5 at Washington Park. The tourney features four top teams from the 13 western states. The winner of the tournament advances to the Little League Softball World Series Aug. 7—10 in Portland, Ore. Games will be played Friday and Saturday, 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m., 8 p.m. on Sunday and 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. (if necessary) on Monday. Robert Rodriguez, president of the Sunnyvale National Little League, will head up a team of more than 30 volunteers. Sunnyvale's Felix Balga is a District 44 administrator, and Sunnyvale's Bob Kinder is the district director for softball.

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