But Gatos coach Marlo Ann Cortese and her Wildcats had to be even more disappointed with their efforts in the De Anza Division of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League last week.

Los Gatos dropped two of three in the tournament, sandwiching a 6-0 win over Cupertino with losses to Live Oak and Mt. Pleasant.

But over the same period, the Cats played three league games and lost all three--two of them in heartbreaking 1-0 decisions.

The Wildcats opened the league week losing 1-0 in 10 innings to Lynbrook. Then, after a 10-1 loss to first-place Monta Vista, the Cats lost another 1-0 nod to Mountain View.

Sophomore Lindsay Zullo tossed a 5-hitter and was touched for just a single run in the second, but the Cats were held scoreless and could manage just two hits in the loss to the Spartans. Junior Kyrie Timbrook had two singles to account for all of the Gatos offense.

It was a similar story earlier in the week against Lynbrook. Junior Brianna Smith locked up in a pitchers' duel with Lynbrook sophomore Kendra Wood, and the two threw zeroes for nine innings before the game was decided in the bottom of the 10th.

Wood finished with a 5-hit shutout, and Smith had a 5-hit shutout until Kelsey Wood singled home the game's only run in the last of the 10th.

Sophomore Krisaundra Haggard had two hits in the game for the Wildcats.

Nothing went right for the Wildcats in the game against Monta Vista. The Matadors scored in every inning but the fifth, including a three-run rally in the sixth and two-run outbursts in the first and second, on the road to a 10-1 win. Smith had three of her club's five hits in the loss.

Los Gatos slipped to 2-4 in the division, 8-11 for the year. Monta Vista leads the pack at 5-0 with Milpitas and Monta Vista sharing second with 3-1 records. Lynbrook, at 3-3, is in fourth place, a game up on Gatos. Homestead (0-3) and Los Altos (0-4) bring up the rear.

The Wildcats, who visit Live Oak for a non-league game in Morgan Hill on April 19, 6 p.m., won't return to league play until April 26 when they host Lynbrook.

Los Gatos advanced to the consolation semifinals of the Wilcox Mission City Invitational but lost a tough 7-5 decision in eight innings to Mt. Pleasant.

Gatos opened up a 2-0 lead with single runs in the first and third. Mt. Pleasant got one back in the fourth, but the Cats answered with a run in the top of the fifth to lead 3-1. The Cardinals tied it with two in the sixth, then the clubs matched single runs in the seventh.

The Wildcats took the lead with a run in the top of the eighth, but Mt. Pleasant scored three in the bottom of the frame to clinch the win.

Timbrook had three hits for Los Gatos.

Zullo fired a 3-hit shutout in the consolation quarterfinals to lift the Cats to a 6-0 win over Cupertino. Haggard tripled and singled twice to drive in three runs in the win.

A 3-0 loss to Live Oak sent the Wildcats into the consolation round. Gatos could manage just two hits in the game.