Photograph by George Sakkestad
Los Gatos infielder Craig Frey puts the tag on a sliding Fremont runner in last week's 9-1 victory.
By Dick Sparrer
Los Gatos was pretty confident about winning a spot in the Central Coast Section baseball playoffs.
After all, the Wildcats needed just one win in their last six league games to clinch a postseason berth.
It seemed like just a matter of time, so they waited... and waited... and waited...
And they ended up making it into the CCS Division II playoffs, but not nearly the way they expected. The Cats had to win their final regular game of the season to clinch a playoff berth.
The Wildcats suffered through their worst losing skid in recent memory, dropping seven straight before pulling out a 9-1 win over Fremont on the last day of the season.
"We needed that one," Los Gatos coach Wayne Senini said of the Fremont win that clinched a playoff spot. "It's good to get there."
It was that victory that pushed the Wildcats into the postseason. They'll open the playoffs on May 15, 7 p.m., against Sequoia (17-6) at PAL Stadium. The winner of that game plays the Monterey (21-9)-King's Academy (11-8) winner on May 18, 7 p.m., at Santa Clara's Washington Park.
Los Gatos enters the playoffs with a dismal 11-13 record. The Cats were 10-6 before their recent losing streak.
But the Cats ended the skid with the win over Fremont last week.
A first-inning homer gave the Indians an early lead, and it looked like more trouble for the Wildcats.
But Scott Grover singled, stole second and scored on an error to knot the game 1-1 in the bottom of the first.
The Cats took a 4-1 lead with three runs in the third. Grover walked with one out and stole second. Sean Senini walked and Nick Cuevas doubled home Grover. Court Showerman walked to load the bases before Craig Frey drove home two runs with a double to left-center.
Gatos broke the game open with a five-run, two-out rally in the fourth.
Noah Sweeters singled with two out and Sean Haley was hit by a pitch. Grover doubled to knock in both runners and Senini walked. Cuevas singled in a run and Showerman singled home two to give the Cats a 9-1 lead.
That was more than enough for starter Michael Houghton. The senior righthander scattered six hits and struck out five in posting the win. Houghton threw just 87 pitches, hitting one batter but walking none. He pushed his league record to 2-0 and his season mark to 2-1.
Grover and Cuevas each singled and doubled in the win and Frey doubled. Sweeters and Showerman added singles.
Los Gatos was coming off of a tough 5-4 loss to Milpitas. The Cats committed four errors and gave up four unearned runs, but they still had a shot at the victory in the seventh.
Senini opened the seventh with his third hit of the day and Cuevas chased him home with a triple to right-center. Showerman walked and stole second, and an out later Brian Geddie lifted a sacrifice fly to right.
Joel Gremore beat out an infield hit to put runners on the corners with two outs. Sweeters ripped a shot to third, but the third sacker made a fine play to throw him out to end the threat.
Milpitas had opened up a 4-0 lead with three runs in the first and one in the second, but Sweeters settled down to shut out the Trojans the rest of the way.
Grover got a run back with a solo homer in the third, and the Cats picked up another run in the fifth--though it could have been more.
Grover singled and stole second before racing home on Senini's double. Cuevas hit a line drive up the middle, but the second sacker was there to grab the liner and step on second for a double-play. Showerman followed with a double that would have chased home two had Cuevas's liner soared through to center for a hit.
"For some reason, the second baseman was holding Sean on the bag," Senini said. "He (the second baseman) shouldn't even have been there."
Senini finished with three hits and Grover, Cuevas and Gremore had two each. Showerman doubled and Sweeters and Haley each singled.
Sweeters struck out nine and walked just three, but he hit four batters in the game.
Los Gatos had opened the week with an ugly 8-3 loss to Santa Clara.
"We made eight errors," Senini said, "and that's really what cost us the game."
Grover pounded a 2-run homer in the fifth and Frey hit a solo shot in the fourth to account for all of the Los Gatos scoring.
Cuevas had two hits, Geddie doubled and Sweeters and Healy each singled.
Leigh earns berth
While Los Gatos opens play in the CCS Division II playoffs this week, Leigh has a spot in the CCS Division I playoffs.
The Longhorns finished fourth in the Mt. Hamilton Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League to clinch the playoff berth. Leigh finished the league season 6-6 and takes a 10-12 season record into the postseason.
Leigh runs head first into No. 2- seeded Monta Vista (20-6) on May 16, 3 p.m., at San Jose City College. The winner of that game will take on the Homestead (20-5)-Mitty (21-7) winner on May 18, 7 p.m., at PAL Stadium.
Leigh wrapped up the regular season with a rousing 13-2 nonleague win over former rival Westmont.
Scott Whiteford homered and tripled and Taylor Capilla singled and homered to knock in four runs to lead Leigh to the win. Will St. Clair singled and doubled for the Longhorns and Eric Gonzalez had two hits.
Gonzalez, a junior righthander, was the winning pitcher, running his record to 2-0.
Earlier in the week, Kyle Garcia had four hits and St. Clair blasted a home run, but Leigh lost in an 18-14 slugfest with Piedmont Hills.
Garcia tripled, singled and doubled twice and Capilla slapped a double for the Longhorns.
Girls' softball
Like their baseball counterparts, both the Leigh and Los Gatos girls' softball teams have qualified for CCS.
Los Gatos (9-9) will take on Carlmont (23-5) on May 15, 3 p.m., at Hawes Park, and Leigh (18-7-1) will battle Sequoia (11-9) on May 16, 7 p.m., at PAL Stadium.
The Gatos-Carlmont winner moves on to face Los Altos (27-5) on May 18, 4 p.m., at PAL, and the Leigh-Sequoia winner meets Live Oak (29-12), noon, at PAL.
Gatos evened its record at 9-9 for the year and finished 5-7 in the De Anza Division of the SCVAL with a pair of wins last week.
Junior outfielder Melanie Barker had a big week for the Wildcats, ripping eight hits, including a double and homer, to lead Gatos to a 15-4 win over Homestead and a 5-2 victory over Fremont.
Barker doubled and singled twice to pace the Cats to the win over the Indians. Senior sensation Gemma Michaelis singled and tripled to knock in a pair of runs and Jessica Moeller had two hits.
Megan Edwards flipped a 4-hitter for the win, evening her record at 6-6.
Barker drove in five runs with five hits, including a home run, to lead the Wildcats to a rousing 15-4 win over Homestead. Moeller doubled and singled twice to knock in three runs and Michaelis had three hits. Edwards and Deborah Clark added two hits apiece.
Freshman Nancy Mills was the winning pitcher for the Cats, nudging her record to 2-1.
Leigh also finished off the regular season schedule with a couple of wins, beating Presentation 3-1 and Westmont 4-1.
Cora-Lee Rogers homered and Kelli Mirassou doubled to lead a seven-hit Longhorn attack in the 4-1 win over Westmont. Freshman hurler Kim Rose picked up the win. She's 18-7 for the year.
Rose tossed a four-hitter to get the win in the 3-1 victory over the Panthers to open the week. Lauren Gellman had two hits for Leigh.
This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, May 15, 1996.
©1996 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved