The Sunnyvale Sun

Sports

Homestead opens CCS baseball playoffs

By MIKE BARNHART

Homestead, the only Fremont Union High School District team in the Central Coast Section baseball playoffs, hopes to exhibit the strong defense that carried it to a 13-2 record and the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League's El Camino Division championship.

Junior Evan Marshall likely will be on the mound for the No. 8-seeded Mustangs, looking for his 10th win of the season, when Homestead hosts No. 9 St. Francis on May 16 at 4 p.m. in the first round of the Division I tournament. Homestead (20-7 overall) and St. Francis met in the first game of the season in late February, and the Lancers prevailed 8-4.

Wednesday's winner will advance to the quarterfinals on May 19 at San Jose's PAL Stadium against either top seed Valley Christian (29-4) or No. 16 Woodside (19-8).

Wilcox (22-10) also is in CCS Division I field. The Chargers, seeded No. 4, host No. 13 Oak Grove (18-6) at the same time Homestead plays. The Wilcox-OG winner meets Mitty-Gilroy winner in quarterfinals on Saturday.

The King's Academy, after placing second behind Sacred Heart Prep in the Private Schools Athletic League, received the sixth seed in the eight-team Division III tournament. The Knights, who won two of four games last week to finish the regular season with a 17-6-1 record, must travel to Monterey Peninsula College to take on No. 3 Carmel (24-6), the defending champion, May 19 at 4 p.m.

Marshall improved to 9-3 during the final week of El Camino play when the Mustangs split with Santa Clara (10-5). The talented right-hander was the winning pitcher, as the Mustangs cracked the 20-win barrier in their final home game on May 8.

Marshall had plenty of support in the 10-2 victory--a nine-hit offense and an errorless defense. Senior center fielder Eric Taubman was Homestead's top hitter, smacking a triple and two singles and knocking in three runs.

Fremont and Saratoga split their final series, each team winning at home.

The Firebirds, who placed fourth in the El Camino circuit with an 8-7 record and ended 13-16 overall, jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first three innings en route to an 8-4 win. Kevin Knopf and Sam Kesten, two of Fremont's three seniors, paced the win. Knopf pitched the distance and Kesten had two of the team's 11 hits.

Kesten had half of the Firebirds' six hits two days later against Saratoga ace Myles Hornberger.

Junior Kenney Pope belted a solo homer for the Firebirds, and junior Rob Ramer pitched well in defeat.