Willow Glen falls in Legion tournament

Winning a division championship wasn't enough to get the Willow Glen Post 318 American Legion baseball team an easy first-round draw at the recent "B" division regional tournament in Redwood City.

Willow Glen, made up mainly of players from Pioneer High School, won the area "B" division crown with a 9-1 record, but was matched with a pretty tough club in the first round of the regionals--De La Salle of Concord.

Still, the local squad had a good showing in the game. The Mustangs rallied for five runs in the second inning and led 7-4 heading into the bottom of the fourth before losing 13-8 to the Spartans and falling into the tournament's loser's bracket.

Willow Glen battled back to rip Monta Vista 16-7 a day later to eliminate the Matadors from the tourney, but the locals lost 7-1 the following day to host Redwood City to fall out of the event.

The Mustangs gave De La Salle, the only private Catholic school in Contra Costa County, all the Spartans could handle for a few innings in the opener.

Kevin Sparrer had three hits to lead a 10-hit attack for Willow Glen. Brian Gilbert belted a clutch double to drive in a run in the five-run second, and he later singled in a run.

Samir Ghia doubled home a couple of runs and also singled, and Shishir Ghia added two hits in the game. Kevin Mack ripped a double, and Brian Roy plated a run with a sacrifice fly.

Sean Farrell started on the hill for the Mustangs and struck out three, but was the victim of five unearned runs. Mike Nakamura came on in relief with two outs in the fourth to get out of a jam with a comebacker.

Roy came back with a big day in the 16-7 win over Monta Vista. Roy ripped a long two-run homer over the right field fence and also tripled to dead center to star at the plate for the winners.

Landers Niven singled and doubled for the Mustangs, and Mack and Brian Davis each had two hits. Gilbert singled and Matt Palacios scored three runs in the win.

But singles by Mack and Davis were the only hits Willow Glen could manage a day later in the 11-1 loss to Redwood City that knocked the locals out of the tournament.

De La Salle won three straight games to win the tourney title.

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