The Sunnyvale Sun
Sports
Homestead wins Lions tourney crown
Fremont manages to grab 3rd place
By MIKE BARNHART
Unexpected sources keyed a late, two-run rally that lifted the Homestead baseball team to the championship of the Cupertino Lions Tournament.
Senior Sam Wood and junior Brian Labadie, in the line-up because of the absence of two usual starters, delivered RBI hits in the sixth inning and senior relief pitcher Derek Hargis provided stellar work in the seventh, lifting Homestead to a 6-5 victory over Gilroy in the title game, April 14 at PAL Stadium.
Hargis did not allow a base runner in the seventh, preserving starter Evan Marshall's unbeaten mound record (6-0) and Homestead's third win in three tourney games. Marshall recovered from a rough start, blanking Gilroy from the fourth through sixth innings. Gilroy had scored all of its runs in the first three innings and led 5-2 heading into the fourth.
Homestead pulled to within 5-4 in the fourth, then went ahead with its two-run sixth. Junior Andrew Pardo started the inning with a base hit, then scored on Wood's double. After one out, Wood moved to third on an infield error and hustled home on a two-out single by Labadie.
"We were missing (Mike) Lawler and (Alex) Jones on the left side of the infield, but everybody we put in did a good job," explained coach Chuck Camuso after his Mustangs improved their overall record to 10-4.
In addition to inserting Labadie at shortstop and his twin brother, Kevin, at third base, Camuso gave Wood a shot in the outfield. "For Sam to get that double was great," Camuso praised.
Senior catcher Nacho Bermudez kept Homestead close earlier in the game, driving in a pair of runs with two hits. Marshall struck out eight during his six-inning stint. He allowed seven hits and three walks.
The Mustangs had followed up their 6-1 tourney opener over Lynbrook with a 3-2 triumph over Archbishop Mitty on April 10. A bases-loaded walk to senior Tony Del Vecchio, with two out in the last of the seventh, plated the winning run.
Homestead pitchers Kyle Dukes (four innings) and Danny Esquivel (two) shut out Mitty over the first six innings, before the Monarchs finally broke through for two runs in the top of the seventh to tie the game.
The Mustangs, who had picked up single runs in the first and fourth, had just four hits in the game, including Lawler's RBI double.
Rain two days later washed out Homestead's scheduled tourney game with Prospect, setting up the finale with Gilroy.
"The kids are excited about beating Mitty and Gilroy, two good 'A' league teams," Camuso said. "Now we have to get back into league play."
After hosting Saratoga (April 17) and playing at Monta Vista on consecutive days during spring break, the Mustangs likely "will have to play four games in each of the next two weeks," Camuso said. "We have some rainouts that have not been rescheduled yet."
Fremont takes third
Senior Kevin Brahney pitched a complete-game 4-hitter as Fremont edged Saratoga, 3-2, in the third-place game of the North Monterey County Easter Classic on April 15.
After yielding two runs in the bottom of the first and falling behind 2-1, Brahney put goose eggs on the scoreboard the rest of the way. Meanwhile, the Firebirds used solo runs in the fifth and sixth to regain the lead. Sophomore Mike Appio had two of Fremont's seven hits and scored a run.
After losing to Carlmont 3-1 in the tourney opener on April 8, the Firebirds topped Robert Louis Stevenson of Pebble Beach, 2-0, and Monte Vista Christian, 9-3, before dropping a 15-4 loss to host North Monterey County of Castroville. Fremont finished the tourney with a 10-10 season record.
Nathan Cathcart and Brahney combined on a 1-hit shutout against Stevenson. Cathcart pitched the first six, before Brahney worked the seventh and earned his second save of the season. Cathcart's run-scoring double was one of Fremont's four hits in the game.
Appio, the winning pitcher in the win over Monte Vista Christian, had two hits in the loss to NMC.
Homestead loses duel
Lynbrook junior pitcher Kendra Wood outdueled Homestead senior Melanie Gularte in the Vikings' 1-0 win on April 10. Junior Shawna Mattison scored the lone run in the top of the fifth for the Vikings, who improved their De Anza Division record to 3-1. Homestead dropped to 3-2.
Wood struck out nine batters and allowed just four hits, including a pair to Mustang Genevieve Fernandez. Meanwhile, Gularte pitched a complete-game, 4-hitter for Homestead.
The Mustangs bounced back to win two of three games in the Mission City Invitational April 14-15.
Junior Lauren Gniadek paced an 8-3 win over Mt. Pleasant on Friday with three hits, two RBI and two runs scored. Jessica Allemandi, Becca Gularte and Genevieve Fernanadez had two hits apiece for Homestead, which now is 10-8 overall. Allemandi knocked in two runs and B. Gularte scored two.
Courtney Gosnell singled, tripled and drove in both Homestead runs in a 2-1 triumph over Mountain View on Saturday. Kelly Verstegen and Gniadek also had two hits for the Mustangs. M. Gularte pitched the distance to raise her season pitching record to 7-6.
Allemandi had two hits and Gosnell two RBI to pace the Mustangs' offense in a tough 4-2 defeat to San Benito.
