In fact, Serra may have fashioned the strongest pitching during the five-team, double-elimination tournament held July 16­21 at Steve Carli Field in Santa Clara. The local all-stars just didn't get enough offense when they needed it most.

Paul Kamradt and Andrew Schwartz pitched one-hitters in Serra's first two games of the sectional. However, instead of sitting pretty as the only unbeaten team with a 2-0 record, Serra found itself locked up with Scotts Valley at the brink of elimination.

Serra's post-season adventure started with a tough draw, as it matched up with District 12 champ Lincoln Glen of San Jose.

Kamradt was superb, allowing just one hit and striking out nine. Unfortunately for Serra, the lone hit followed its only two defensive errors of the game, giving Lincoln Glen a 1-0 lead.

Although the Serra all-stars collected four hits against Zack Malik, they couldn't chase a run across the plate and dropped into the elimination bracket.

Schwartz was masterful against Oak Grove of San Jose, the District 59 champ, accounting for 11 of the 18 putouts with strikeouts. A sixth-inning single broke up Schwartz's bid for a no-hitter, but Serra still had a 9-0 shutout.

Schwartz's two-run homer in the first inning was all the offense his team needed, but Kamradt and A.J. Puziol also smacked home runs. Kamradt cranked a three-run homer in the third inning, and Puziol chipped in with a solo blast in the fourth.

Schwartz, Kamradt and Patrick Crowley each had two hits to pace Serra's eight-hit attack.

In its final game, Serra battled District 39 kingpin Scotts Valley for nine innings before bowing 4-1.

Scotts Valley dented the scoreboard first with a solo home run in the second inning, but Serra tied the game in the fourth.

Puziol singled to start the inning. Crowley followed by laying down a sacrifice bunt. Devan Ramsour, pinch-running for Puziol, hustled around to third without drawing a throw. He then scored on catcher James Osorio's single.

The game remained deadlocked 1-1 until the top of the ninth. Two Serra errors helped Scotts Valley score three runs against Crowley, who had pitched scoreless relief in the seventh and eighth innings.

National teams fall

Two Cupertino National all-star teams saw fine post-season runs come to an end during recent Section 5 play.

After claiming District 44 championship flags for Cupertino National, the 11-year-old and junior squads both added a win at the next level.

After dropping their first game in Hollister to District 12 winner Lincoln Glen 8-1, the 11-year-olds stayed alive with a 5-2 triumph over District 59's Berryessa of San Jose.

Conner Criddle baffled Berryessa, going the distance for the win. He needed just 57 pitches to get the job done, according to National manager Ben Maisel.

"He had never pitched more than three innings before, so this ranked as a major accomplishment for him," Maisel explained. "He threw mostly strikes with an assortment of off-speed pitches."

Criddle helped himself at the plate with a triple and a single.

CN was eliminated in its next game, 13-5 against Scotts Valley, but Maisel was pleased with the team's efforts.

"This was the farthest that a majors age level (10­12) team from Cupertino National has gone since 1981," Maisel said. "The boys worked very hard to get where they were with no real dominant players."

A strong infield defense, anchored by third basemen John Geary and Nick Sinzig, and hustling outfield play were big keys to the squad's success, Maisel said.

Meanwhile, the juniors opened sectional play with a win at San Jose's Del Mar High School.

Jim Farmer's squad edged District 59 winner Milpitas South 8-7 in the opener, then lost by the same score to District 12 champ Lincoln Glen. Milpitas South gained revenge by eliminating CN 13-3 in a rematch.