Fremont, atop the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League's El Camino Division all season, was hosting second-place Homestead.

The Firebirds, owners of a 9-2 record and an earlier victory at the Mustangs' field, were looking to clinch the league championship with a win. Homestead, at 8-2 and a half game behind with two games to play, had a different idea.

As if the teams needed more motivation, the bleachers were full and TV cameras, a newspaper photographer and a reporter were present.

And the game was worth all of the attention. Unfortunately, there couldn't be two winners.

After rallying from behind in the fifth inning to take a 2-1 lead, Fremont watched Homestead turn the tables with a comeback of its own in the seventh. Tegra Lillie scored the decisive run on Jessica Allemandi's hard base hit to left field. Moments earlier, Lillie's looping single to center chased home Kristel Colvin from second base with the tying run.

Fremont still had plenty of comeback hope, as the top of their line-up was due to bat. However, sophomore pitcher Stephanie Gularte retired Fremont in order. She struck out two of the batters, including shortstop Jessica Moore, getting the third strike each time on a high, outside off-speed pitch.

Final score: Homestead 3, Fremont 2.

"I couldn't be more happy with the way the girls came back," said Homestead coach Mike McKinley. "Our pitcher did a great job. We have been in every game because of her.

"Doing what she did in the last inning was great. Jessica Moore is one of the great players of our league, capable of hitting a homer or triple at any time."

After Fremont pitcher Kim Glass and Gularte blanked their opponents for three innings, Homestead scored the game's first run in the top of the fourth.

After Glass retired two Mustangs on groundouts, she briefly lost her control. She hit Alison MacKay and Gularte with pitches and walked Rachel Nishimoto to load the bases. Senior Kristel Colvin then bounced one back up the middle.

With a quick reaction, Glass put her glove on it. However, she redirected it away from her shortstop, Jessica Moore. It went for an infield hit, and MacKay scored to make it 1-0.

The Firebirds went ahead 2-1 in the sixth. Shalainie Manuel ripped a ball between short and third to start the rally. MacKay, the Homestead shortstop, made a good backhand stop, but the speedy Manuel had herself a base hit.

Manuel moved to second when Veronica Daiz chopped one in front of the plate and was tagged out by Allemandi, the Mustang catcher. Moore singled home Manuel with a base hit to center. Moore then scored a go-ahead run on a hit by Sam Ellis that ricocheted off of second base into left-center field.

The Firebirds were in good position to score more, after Fremont first baseman Milana Jordan's one-out single down the line in right put runners at first and third with one out.

Homestead's defense tightened, however. First, freshman third baseman Lauren Gniadek gloved a sharply hit ball off of Kelsey Severns' bat, held the runner at third and threw on to first for the second out. Then, Lillie cleanly fielded Glass's grounder at second and tossed to first to end the threat.

Colvin, a left-handed hitter, drove an outside pitch down the left field line to open the seventh. Colvin took second on a sacrifice bunt, from where the senior scored on Lillie's hit.

Lillie took second base on an attempted throw home by a Fremont outfielder. She moved to third on Courtney Gosnell's comebacker to the pitcher, then scored on Allemandi's hit.

Fremont finished with eight hits, two by Moore. Homestead had seven hits, a combined five by Colvin and Lillie.

Fremont had a scoring chance in the fourth. Severns led off with a single, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Glass and went to third on a ground out. She was stranded there when Lovelace grounded sharply to Gniadek at third.