Photograph by Robert Scheer
Los Gatos Little Leaguers celebrate after winning the District 12 championship.
By Dick Sparrer
It didn't take long.
The Los Gatos Little League major division all-stars made short work of the Branham Hills all-stars in the District 12 championship game.
It took Gatos just four innings to claim a 13-0 victory and clinch the district crown.
But, then, winning District 12 titles in nothing new for this crew of 12-year-old Little Leaguers--they've been doing it for four years.
It all started back in 1993 when many of the players on this club won the first-ever District 12 9-year-old tournament. A year later they took the 10-year-old tourney title, and last year they won the district 11-year-old crown.
This year they made it four straight when they won four straight games to cop the District 12 championship. And they won it with an exclamation point with a rousing 13-0 victory over Branham Hills on July 17.
Chris McMorrow and Anthony Frangadakis combined to toss a one-hit shutout to lead Gatos to the lopsided win. McMorrow gave up just one hit and two walks over three innings to get the win, striking out five in his stint, and Frangadakis flipped a no-hit inning to get the save.
But it was a nine-run rally in the fourth that was the difference in the game.
Daniel Holtzman led off the fourth with a solo home run to left, his third homer of the district tournament. Holtzman ended up scoring two runs in the inning and Charlie Clark had two hits in the rally.
A run-scoring single by Adam Rude in the second helped Los Gatos jump out to the early lead. Matt Cooke raced home with the game's first run on Rude's single and Trent Edwards romped to third. After Rude stole second, Holtzman drilled a two-run single to left to give Los Gatos a 3-0 lead.
A bases-loaded single by Cooke drove home Jayson Furia with a run in the third. Los Gatos followed with the nine-run fourth to clinch the win.
Solid defense helped Gatos pitchers throughout the game. Clark started a double play in motion in the first inning, and Alex Anderson made a running catch in left on a deep liner in the second to get McMorrow out of a bit of a jam.
Key plays by Edwards in right, Frangadakis coming off the mound and Holtzman at third helped Los Gatos secure the shutout in the fourth.
Trevor Branon, Stephen Sweeney, Nick Russell, Kris Zanotto and Bobby Galmeister are other members of the championship Los Gatos all-star team managed by Randy Frey. His coaches are Kelly Mitchell, Andy Edwards and Bill Frey.
By winning the district championship, Los Gatos advances to the Section 5 Tournament, a four-team double-elimination tourney at the North Valley Little League field. Gatos enters the tournament with the champions from Districts 44, 59 and 9.
This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, July 24, 1996.
©1996 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved