The Sunnyvale Sun

Sports

Fremont nails softball title, playoff berth

By Mike Barnhart

The Fremont softball team recently turned a negative into a positive, and a victory that clinched the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League El Camino Division championship.

In the process of dropping a 6-1 setback on May 4 to visiting Wilcox, facing a pitcher that the Firebirds had not faced previously, Fremont coach Ray Loya decided to employ a similar pitching strategy in the final division game against Santa Clara.

"Against Wilcox, the girls' timing was off and we only hit two balls out of the infield," Loya observed. "I figured Santa Clara had been up against Tieni (Householder) twice, so maybe a change would throw them off."

Indeed, Loya's move--pitching junior left-hander Candi Latini instead of freshman right-hander Householder--baffled the Bruins. Latini pitched a 2-hit shutout as the Firebirds captured the first softball title in school history, 11-0, on May 7 at Santa Clara.

A Santa Clara win would have created a tie for first place at 10-2 and Fremont would have had to settle for a co-championship. Instead, the Firebirds finished as 11-1 league champs and earned the No. 2 seed in the Central Coast Section Division II tournament that begins this week.

Four runs in the top of the first inning relaxed the Firebirds and put Santa Clara batters on their heels. A seven-run sixth, highlighted by senior Nicole Gil's three-run double, put the game out of reach. Freshman Jessica Lopez went 3-for-3 for the Firebirds and senior captain Samantha Ellis had two hits.

"Candi did a nice job of moving the ball around and keeping them off stride," Loya noted, "and the defense gave her a lot of support--no errors--in a game we really had to win."

Fremont's defense usually includes Ellis at first, Lopez at second, junior Samantha Jennings at shortstop and sophomore Celine Kealiinohomoku at third base, with freshman J.T. Wozniak behind the plate and an outfield of freshman Rachael Mahoney in left, sophomore Bianca Lopez in center and Gil in right.

"This team is one of the best teams I ever had," praised Loya, a 1968 Fremont graduate who has coached the softball team for 15 seasons, in addition to coaching the frosh-soph football team.

Loya expected a team with eight seniors. But, for a variety of reasons, Ellis and Gil are the only seniors, joined by three juniors, two sophomores and six freshmen.

"Many of the players have been pleasant surprises," Loya said. "The way the kids played and practiced together this year, they really gelled well."

Ellis, who walloped six home runs this season, including five in El Camino play, has been a motivational leader for a team, the coach explained.

"She has been involved in a strong water polo program and from day one, she has brought that to the softball field," Loya said. "She leads exercises, helps me get across information to the team and sometimes even runs her own team meetings."

Fremont (17-6-1) received a first-round bye in the 13-team Division II bracket. The Firebirds' first game is set for noon Saturday at the Salinas Sports Complex.

Interestingly, Santa Clara could be the opponent. The No. 10 Bruins (16-10), though, must survive a first-round contest against No. 7 North Monterey County (19-5-1), in order to get another shot at Fremont. Although Santa Clara lost twice to Fremont during El Camino play, it did score a 5-2 win over the Firebirds in the Mission City Classic tournament.

In Division III, Private Schools Athletic League champion The King's Academy (8-0, 17-7-1) picked up the No. 8 berth. The Knights and No. 9 Pacific Grove will collide at the Salinas Sports Complex, May 16, 6:45 p.m. The winner moves into a quarterfinal tilt opposite No. 1 Notre Dame of Belmont (21-5-1), May 19, noon, at Hawes Park in Belmont.

Meanwhile, in the Division I tourney, No. 10 Wilcox (16-10-1) and No. 7 Monta Vista (18-8-1) meet in a first-round contest, May 16, 4:15 p.m., at Salinas. The first-round survivor will tangle with No. 2 San Benito, Saturday, 10:15 a.m.

Semifinal and championship rounds in all three divisions will be held at PAL Stadium, with the finals slated for May 26.

Mustangs fall

Homestead's tough season came to a close with an 8-1 loss to De Anza Division champion Lynbrook. Junior first baseman Olivia Hartoon paced Homestead with two hits, including an RBI double. The Mustangs finished 5-7 in De Anza play and 9-16 overall.

Hartoon finished her first varsity season as the team's top hitter with a .338 batting average. Senior Lauren Gniadek (14 RBIs) and sophomore Maddy McKenna (14 runs) also were offensive leaders for the Mustangs. The pitching of junior Becca Gularte (1.28 earned run average) often kept the Mustangs close.