Photograph by David Heller

Can't Touch Her: Presentation's Sara Wiedlin gets a high five from catcher Kari Burke (10) in last week's 4-0 win over Soquel. Wiedlin tossed a one-hit shutout and also had three hits in the win. She came back to throw a no-hitter against Notre Dame-Belmont.

Wiedlin tosses no-hitter for Panthers

Willow Glen drops a tough one to Wilcox

By Dick Sparrer

The girls softball teams at Presentation and Westmont forged a rather intense rivalry in the Mt. Hamilton Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League this spring.

The clubs met twice in the rugged regular league season, and both games were close.

Now they would like nothing better than to face each other one more time.

If they could, it would be in the finals of the Central Coast Section Division II softball tournament that winds up May 27, 3 p.m., at PAL Stadium.

Both the Warriors and Panthers have advanced to the CCS semifinals May 24 at PAL. Westmont, 22-10 for the year, will battle No. 1 seed Mitty (24-5) at 3 p.m., and Presentation, 25-13 this season, will take on No. 2 seed St. Francis (21-5) at 5 p.m. The winners return to PAL to play for the championship on Saturday.

Both the Warriors and Panthers have opened the playoffs in impressive fashion. Westmont beat local rival Prospect 3-1, then blanked North Monterey County 3-0. The Panthers shut out Soquel 4-0, then edged Notre Dame-Belmont 1-0.

Sara Wiedlin tossed back-to-back shutouts to lead the Panthers to the two wins to open the playoffs, firing a no-hitter in the second round win over Notre Dame.

Wiedlin struck out 16 and walked just two in her impressive outing against Belmont. A single run in the sixth was all the Presentation hurler needed as she mowed down Notre Dame without allowing a hit.

Shannon Linerud ripped two of Presentation's four hits in the win over Belmont.

Wiedlin, who ran her pitching record to 12-3 with the two victories, fired a one-hit shutout at Soquel to open the tournament. She struck out 10 in this one.

But Wiedlin also helped herself at the plate against Soquel with a single, double and triple.

Linerud belted three hits in the first-round win and Andrea Gremer ripped two hits to knock in two runs. Jana Arde also had two hits for the Panthers.

Presentation staked Wiedlin to the only run she needed with a single marker in the first. But they added single runs in the second, fourth and sixth to clinch the 4-0 win.

The Panthers had finished the regular season tied for fourth place in the Mt. Hamilton Division with a 7-7 record.

Mitty and Westmont tied for first place in the division with matching 10-4 marks.

WG season ends

An outstanding season came to an abrupt halt for the Willow Glen baseball team in the first round of the CCS Division II tournament, but only after the Rams gave No. 1 seed Wilcox a run for its money.

Wilcox entered the game with a lofty 22-5 record after winning the championship in the rugged De Anza Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League. The Chargers earned the No. 1 seed in the CCS Division II tourney.

Conversely, the Rams were seeded No. 16 in the tournament, despite boasting a solid 19-7 mark and winning a championship in the West Valley Division of the BVAL.

Willow Glen wasn't supposed to beat Wilcox. In fact, the Chargers were no doubt looking for a blowout in the first round of the playoffs.

But after two innings, blowout was the farthest thing from the minds of the Chargers. They were thinking survival.

The Rams jumped on Wilcox for three runs in the first and matched that with three more runs in the second to take a 6-0 lead. Now instead of the Chargers thinking blowout, the Rams were thinking upset.

But it wasn't to be. Wilcox got a run back in the second, then tied it with five in the third. The Chargers took the lead with a run in the fourth, then started to pull away with two in the fifth.

Willow Glen kept it close with a run in the sixth to cut the Wilcox lead to 9-7. But the Chargers answered with six in the bottom of the sixth to claim the win.

Alvin Rideau doubled and knocked in four runs for Willow Glen in the clash with Wilcox.

The loss left Willow Glen with a 19-8 season record. Playing their final game for the Rams were seniors Ryan Frazier, Hank Hager, Greg Mansfield and Will Rideau.

The good news is that head coach Gary Rose is blessed with a squad loaded with juniors. Among those Rams who should return next spring are juniors A. Rideau, Gabe Candelaria, Matt Durkin, Bob Hobbs, Jared Jeffrey, Nate Leal, Nate McDonald, Luis Pacheco, Daniel Rice, Adam Saucedo, Scott Wallberg, Pete Watts and Josh Weaver.

Doubles team falls

The Willow Glen doubles team of Chris Lyons and Minh Phan advanced out of league play to the Central Coast Section tournament, but the pair lost in the first round of the section event.

The two juniors lost by default to a team from Overfelt in the first round of the CCS tourney to face elimination from postseason play.

Staton misses cut

Matt Staton fired a solid six-over par 77, but the Willow Glen senior failed to qualify for advanced play in the CCS tournament played last week on the Rancho Cañada West Golf Course.

Staton covered 6,349-yard, par 71 course with a 77 to tied for 12th overall in the CCS field. But the cutoff to advance to the next level of CCS competition was 75.

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