Tough loss for 10's

By Dick Sparrer

It wasn't the game the Los Gatos Little League 10-year-old all-star team had hoped to be playing on Tuesday night.

Los Gatos had every intention of playing Almaden for the District 12 championship on July 20. But when the two clubs did take the field that night, it wasn't for the district title... they were still playing Monday's game.

In a bizarre turn of events--that involved controversial calls and breathtaking Gatos comebacks--Los Gatos and Almaden were locked in a 6-6 tie after the regulation six innings, and that's how it remained heading into the ninth.

Almaden rallied for seven runs in the top of the ninth and still had only two outs when the game was suspended because of darkness.

The clubs returned to the field a night later, and Wesley Howell retired the first hitter he faced to give the Gatos hitters a chance.

With one out, walks to Bricklin Foley, Will Kapp and Eric McDonald loaded the bases. Kyle Blair drilled a two-run single and Colby Moore followed with a three-run homer to cut the Almaden lead to 13-11.

Noah Henry and Sean Wasserman each walked to put the tying run on base, but that's where the rally, and the season, ended for Los Gatos.

Still, Los Gatos manager Mike Wasserman was impressed with his club's effort.

"This was the greatest never-give-up, comeback over and over again game I've ever seen," he said.

And he wasn't just talking about the rally in the ninth.

Gatos trailed 6-3 with two outs and nobody on base in the last of the sixth. But Blair singled to key a three-run rally and Gatos tied the game when Wasserman walked with the bases loaded.

Kapp's solo homer in the second had given LG the early lead, and the locals made it 2-1 in the third on a double by Moore and a run-scoring single by Henry. Hits by Foley, Blair and Moore upped the lead to 3-1 in the fourth, but Almaden went up 6-3 in the sixth.

Gatos had earned its shot at Almaden with wins over Union 17-0 and Saratoga 8-4.

Doubles by McDonald, Foley and Howell sparked a comeback win over Saratoga, and Blair and Henry teamed to toss LG to the win.

Howell and Wasserman combined to flip a shutout at Union, and Howell and Foley had two hits apiece.

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