Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Scorpions go for gold

By Dick Sparrer

The United States women's softball team struck gold at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.

And another softball team will be going for the gold this weekend just about 150 miles north in Chattanooga, Tenn.

The San Jose Scorpions, a 16-and-under girls' softball team, will chase gold at the Amateur Softball Association national tournament Aug. 7-11 in Chattanooga. More than 70 teams will take part in the prestigious event.

The team is virtually a Santa Clara Valley prep all-star team, featuring talented 15- and 16-year-old stars from high schools including Leigh, Los Gatos, Monta Vista, Saratoga, Willow Glen and Mitty.

Many of the Scorpions starred for their high school teams as just freshmen, with Leigh's Cora-Lee Rogers leading the way.

Rogers was the only freshman selected to the all-Central Coast Section team, and she was the CCS freshman of the year. She was also named the co-most valuable player in the Mt. Hamilton Division of the Blossom Valley Athletic League.

Kim Rose, Rogers' teammate at Leigh, won all-league honors in the Mt. Hamilton Division and is a pitcher for the Scorpions.

Scorpion second sacker Kim Stocklmeier earned an all-league spot for Monta Vista in the El Camino Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League, and pitcher Tori Nyberg of Carlmont was the co-pitcher of the year in the Peninsula Athletic League.

Kristy Robles plays shortstop for the Scorpions, and she starred at short and third for the CCS champion Live Oak Acorns.

Nancy Mills (Los Gatos), Ezmeralda Perez (Willow Glen), Marissa Moore (Saratoga), Jaime Forman-Lau and Amanda Spencer (Mitty), Demetra Kalogrides (Santa Teresa), Tina Aslanpour (Leland) and Danielle Juarez, Danielle Crowley and Samanthan Alford (Leigh) were all varsity players as high school freshmen.

The team is managed by Marty Rose and his coaches are Dan Crowley, Debbie Smith and Leann Emery.

The Scorpions nailed 13 shutouts and recorded a .756 winning percentage in 42 games during the regular season. Now they hope to maintain those winning ways at the nationals.