So facing a couple of division front-runners didn't exactly look like a healthy situation for the Wildcats last week.

But as far as head coach Don Ardissone is concerned, it was just what the doctor ordered. Because the Cats tagged Palo Alto and Wilcox with losses last week to get right back into the De Anza Division title race.

Gatos battled from behind on the road to edge Palo Alto 6-4 on Wednesday and scored a run in the bottom of the eighth at home on Friday to pull out a thrilling 4-3 win over first-place Wilcox.

The Chargers entered Friday's game riding high in the De Anza Division standings with a 5-0 record. The clubs jockeyed for position in the early innings. The Cats scored a run in the first, but Wilcox tied it in the second. The Chargers went up by two in the top of the third, but Gatos tied it in the home half of the frame.

And that's how it remained over the next 4¹/2 scoreless innings until Los Gatos came up again in the bottom of the eighth.

Travis Howell, who had crushed a two-run homer earlier in the game, came through with his second hit of the day, a one-out single. Alex Rollin walked and Dan Politi reached on an error to load the bases.

Wilcox pulled in an outfielder, hoping to turn a double play with the extra infielder. Russell Laubach worked the count to 3-1, and the Wilcox coach went to his ace to try to avoid the walk.

But Ardissone put on the take sign, and the pitch was "a foot wide for ball four," and Wilcox walked the winning run home.

"It was really a well-played game on both sides," said Ardissone, whose club improved to 4-3 in the division and to 7-6 for the year with the win.

Rollin went the distance to toss a five-hitter, pushing his record to 5-2 with the win.

"Alex threw really, really well," said the coach. "It wasn't quite his A game, but it was definitely B-plus."

The big blast of the game came in the third, when Howell hit a two-run homer over the scoreboard in right center field and onto the top of the Los Gatos Lodge.

"He just crushed it," said Ardissone.

The win was the second of the week for the Cats over an unbeaten club, and it was the third time in four games that Gatos had won a game in its final at-bat.

Los Gatos battled from behind with four runs in the sixth and three more in the seventh, then scored a run in the ninth to beat Milpitas 13-12 a couple of weeks ago. Then, after a loss to Cupertino, the Cats scored five in the seventh to beat Paly 6-4.

The Wildcats trailed the Vikings 4-1 heading into the final frame on Wednesday. Pinch hitter Ryan Daily opened the seventh with a walk, and Derek Tam beat out an infield hit, his third hit of the game. Jeremy Bays walked to load the bases, and Howell lifted a sacrifice fly to center field.

Rollin was warming up in the bullpen in hopes of getting a chance to pitch in the bottom of the seventh, and he had to hustle in to take his turn at the plate. He promptly doubled down the right field line to knock in a run, then gave way to pinch runner Logan Schafer so that he could return to the pen.

Politi came through with a "great at-bat," said Ardissone, fouling off pitches until drawing a walk to load the bases.

After the second out, and with the club still down 4-3, Nick Perrone strung the count to 3-1, then took a strike to run the count full. With the runners on the move, Perrone roped a single to left to knock in two runs. Kyle Schafer followed with a single to left to drive home Perrone.

Rollin came on in relief of Laubach in the seventh and retired the side on just 10 pitches. He struck out two and got one hitter on a come-backer, and the Cats had nailed down a 6-4 victory. Laubach picked up the mound win, and Rollin claimed his second save.

Tam doubled and singled twice for the Cats, and Howell and Rollin each doubled. Perrone and K. Schafer had two hits apiece.

The loss was the first of the league season for the Vikings.

"We're in pretty good shape now," said Ardissone. "We just can't let the other games slip away from us."

The Cats face a couple of must-wins this week when they take on Gunn on April 9 at 3:30 p.m. at Baylands Park in Palo Alto and when they host Fremont on April 11 at 3:30 p.m.

Los Gatos will open play in the Serra Tournament on April 12 when the Cats face El Camino High at 11 a.m. at Serra. Gatos will face Half Moon Bay on April 14, 3:30 p.m., at Skyline College in Redwood City and will visit host Serra on April 15, 3:30 p.m.