The Sunnyvale Sun

Sports

Mustangs rolling through El Camino Division

By Mike Barnhart

Although Homestead's baseball team entered Tuesday's home game against Monta Vista with an 8-0 record and a 2 1/2-game lead in the El Camino Division, coach Chuck Camuso was not taking anything for granted.

"There's a long way to go yet," Camuso said. "Monta Vista has a lot of good young players, and then we have two each with Fremont, Saratoga and Santa Clara, three teams that can knock anybody off."

For example, Fremont scored an Easter tournament win over Gilroy, a team that has thumped Homestead twice this season, including a 15-0 knockout in the championship game of the Cupertino Lions Tournament. Santa Clara shut out Archbishop Mitty and lost a one-run game to a strong Valley Christian squad. And Saratoga?

"That's the team that really worries me," said Camuso, recalling the division opener, when Homestead needed nine innings to beat the Falcons, who entered this week in second place with a 6-3 mark.

Santa Clara and Fremont started the week tied for third place at 4-3, followed by Monta Vista (2-6) and Lynbrook (0-9). Fremont hoped to build on its division standing Tuesday night at Santa Clara, the first of a two-game set. The Firebirds host the Bruins April 19 at 3:30 p.m.

Fremont entered the week with an 8-11 overall record, after splitting four games at the North Monterey County Peninsula Easter Classic.

A seven-run first inning, triggered by a couple of Gilroy outfield errors, propelled Fremont to an 11-6 win in the tourney opener. Winning pitcher Rob Ramer (6-3) had an RBI hit and Mike Appio laced a two-run single during the uprising. A three-run triple by Kenney Pope highlighted Fremont's four-run seventh.

The Firebirds got off to another quick start against Monte Vista Christian of Watsonville. They scored four in the first and led 8-2 after three innings, en route to an 11-5 win.

Tyler Tulowitzki led a 12-hit attack with three hits and two runs-batted-in. Tom Lopez pitched five innings to earn the mound decision, and Jorge Aguilera worked two innings of scoreless relief.

Fremont and Homestead play a home-and-home series next week, April 24 and 26, with the Mustangs hosting the first game.

With junior Evan Marshall continuing to lead the way, Homestead improved its overall record to 15-5 with a pair of road wins last week.

First, Marshall bashed four hits, including two home runs, drove in four runs and pitched a complete-game 5-hitter in a 7-1 non-league victory at Mountain View.

The Mustangs went ahead 6-0 with four runs in the top of the fifth. Marshall's second four-bagger of the game, a three-run shot over the screen in right-center, and Andrew Pardo's RBI double were the biggest blows. Marshall struck out five Spartans and walked three, while improving his pitching record to 7-2.

Two days later, Marshall collected four more RBI with four more hits, including another homer, in a 12-4 romp at Monta Vista. Senior Alex Jones also belted round-trippers in each game.

Winning pitcher Kevin Labadie (5-2) and Eric Taubman both had three hits during Homestead's 20-hit barrage, and Brian Labadie delivered two.