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Photograph by Scott Lechner
Fire on the Mound: Pioneer's Grant Murdock hurls a pitch against Westmont in the final game of the season for each club last week.
Rams, Mustangs finish last
By Dick Sparrer
Willow Glen and Pioneer may meet again. Then again, maybe not. Based on the results of the 1999 baseball season, there will be some shuffling in the divisions of the Blossom Valley Athletic League. And the Rams and Mustangs will probably be among the teams involved in the shake-up.
Generally, last-place teams in a higher division switch places with a first-place team in a lower division. And both the Mustangs and Rams figure among those movers and shakers.
Pioneer lost twice last week to finish in last place in the Mt. Hamilton Division of the BVAL, so, if history repeats itself, the Mustangs should trade places with Leigh, the first-place team in the Santa Teresa Division.
That would mean that Pioneer would join longtime rival Willow Glen in the Santa Teresa circuit... that is, if it didn't appear that the Rams were on the move, too.
Willow Glen split a pair of decisions last week, but that wasn't enough to keep the Rams from finishing last in the division. Willow Glen could wind up switching spots with Overfelt, the champion of the West Valley Division.
Rams split
Willow Glen made a bid to get out of the Santa Teresa cellar with a 5-1 win over Silver Creek last week, but it was a case of too little, too late.
The Raiders already had five wins, and that victory, was just Willow Glen's third. The Rams had already clinched a last-place finish. Still, it was an impressive effort for the Rams.
Matt Segerstrom tossed Willow Glen to the victory and Mark Arreola and Chris Ferraro each slapped two hits in the win. Ferraro, Segerstrom and Ryan Frazier each belted doubles for the Rams.
The Raiders took the early lead with a run in the top half of the first, but the Rams battled back with three in the home half of the frame to grab a lead they would never lose. Willow Glen added insurance runs in the third and fourth on the road to the victory.
The Rams, 3-15 in the division and 5-20 for the year, lost 12-2 to Piedmont Hills later in the week.
Mustangs lose two
Pioneer went into the final week of the league season needing a couple of wins to avoid the Mt. Hamilton Division cellar, but the Mustangs lost twice.
Pioneer dropped a 5-4 heartbreaker to Santa Teresa in nine innings to open the week, then fell 10-6 to Westmont. The Mustangs, like the Rams, finished with a 3-15 league record and were alone in the division cellar.
The Mustangs gave the Saints a real scare before losing in nine innings on Wednesday. A loss for Santa Teresa would have kept the Saints out of the Central Coast Section playoffs
Santa Teresa jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning, but a two-run single by Landers Niven keyed a three-run fourth for the Mustangs, tying the game 3-3.
The Saints scored in the home half of the fourth, but Pioneer tied it again with a run in the sixth.
The Saints scored in the ninth to win the game and keep their playoff hopes alive.
Shishir Ghia was four-for-four in the game for the Mustangs, and Sean Farrell tossed all nine innings for Pioneer, only to get stung with a tough loss.
The Mustangs lost 10-6 to Westmont in the final game of the year, despite getting hits from all seven of their seniors.
Greg Haskell had three hits for Pioneer, and Pete Romano and Kevin Gray had two hits apiece. Bryce Hall doubled, and Jason Murdock, Grant Murdock and David Andel added singles.
Panthers make CCS
The Presentation girls softball team, meanwhile, split in the final week of the regular season to finish 5-7 in the Mt. Hamilton Division. But the Panthers still managed to claim a berth in the Central Coast Section Division II playoffs with an 18-10 season record.
The Panthers will open the playoffs against James Lick (14-7) on May 20, 7 p.m., at PAL Stadium. The winner will move on to the quarterfinals May 22, 10 a.m., against North Salinas (22-5) at Sherwood Park in Salinas.
Sara Wiedlin tossed a one-hit shutout to lead the Panthers to a 4-0 win over Leigh on the final day of the league season. Wiedlin struck out eight as she pushed her season pitching record to 5-4.
Stacey Medica blasted a two-run homer to spark a four-run rally in the first inning, and that proved all the support Wiedlin needed.
Kari White-Burke had two hits for the Panthers in the game.
Presentation was held to just one hit by Westmont earlier in the week. Stacy Bolaris was tagged with the tough pitching loss, despite giving up just single runs in the first and third.
Rams win two
Nicki Garcia tossed a pair of three-hitters to lead the Willow Glen girls softball team to a pair of victories in the final week of the regular season in the Santa Teresa Division of the BVAL.
Garcia flipped a three-hitter in the Rams' 4-2 win over Del Mar to open the week. Erin Booth slapped a pair of singles to lead an eight-hit attack for the Rams.
Del Mar touched Garcia for two runs in the second, but Willow Glen tied it with two in the home half of the inning. Garcia blanked the Dons the rest of the way, and her mates chipped in with two runs in the fourth to help make her a winner.
Garcia fired another three-hitter in Willow Glen's rousing 11-1 win over Valley Christian later in the week. Angel Ocampo doubled and tripled, and Desirae Dagnino singled and doubled for the Rams in the win. Kelly McCloskey also doubled, and Jennifer Silver had two hits.
The Rams jumped all over the Warriors for five runs in the first two innings, and Valley could touch Garcia for just a single run in the third. Willow Glen put the game on ice with a five-run fifth.
The only blemish on an otherwise perfect week for the Rams was a tight 2-1 loss to Independence sandwiched between the two wins. Both clubs scored in the third, but the 76ers snapped the 1-1 tie with a run in the top of the seventh.
Garcia was the losing pitcher, despite tossing a one-hitter. Megan Gilliam had two hits to lead a four-hit attack for the Rams.
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Willow Glen, California Since 1992
