Veteran Los Gatos softball squad off to a strong start
The Los Gatos High School softball team is loaded with returners, and its start this season underscores that fact.
Los Gatos won its first seven games, scoring at least four runs in all of them, and entered this week undefeated.
“We have two very good pitchers,” said Los Gatos coach Randy Frey, referring to senior Lynsey Chiala and junior Anna Bean. “We've got a pretty explosive offense. … This team has the ability to explode and put together a big inning at any time.”
The Wildcats, who have seven players who started many games last season, outscored their four opponents last week by a total of 45-3. Entering this week, Bean was batting an outstanding .524 and also had a 1.142 slugging percentage, three home runs, eight RBI and 11 hits.
“She's definitely a very talented player who can both pitch and hit, and she's fast. She runs the bases well,” Frey said.
But Bean isn't the only batting star for the Wildcats, who were hitting .374 as a team and averaging over eight runs a game entering this week.
Chiala was batting .500 with seven RBI. Addie Payne, a senior center fielder, was hitting .421 with two home runs and led the team in both RBI and runs scored with nine apiece. She bats fourth in the powerful Los Gatos lineup, with Bean batting third. Alexa Musser, a sophomore, had a .417 average. Sara Sharma, the squad's senior leadoff hitter, was batting .400 with six runs scored and five RBI. There are many other heroes for the Wildcats, who have 11 seniors on their 16-player roster.
Four players had hit home runs for the Wildcats entering this week: Bean, Payne, Chiala and Sharma. Frey pointed out an example of his squad's power. In a 14-1 victory over Woodside on March 15, the team's first three batters of the game singled to load the bases. “Payne comes up and smashes one over the center field
fence for a grand slam. That's how explosive this team is,” Frey said.
Pitching-wise, Bean was 5-0 with a 1.91 earned run average and a 29-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 18 1/3 innings entering this week. Chiala was 2-0 with a 2.03 ERA and a 26-8 strikeout-towalk ratio in 20 2/3 innings.
Chiala threw a masterpiece Friday against Fremont-sunnyvale in the Wildcats' Santa Clara Valley Athletic League De Anza Division opener. Her complete-game one-hitter included 11 strikeouts and only one walk in an 11-0 fiveinning victory at Fremont. Los Gatos is aiming for the De Anza Division title this season after finishing
second last year with a 10-2 record, one game behind Los Altos. The Wildcats were 13-9 overall last season.
In the victory over Woodside last week, Bean was 3 for 3 with a double, a run scored and two RBI. Musser was 2 for 2 with an RBI. Sree Sareday, a senior third baseman, had two RBI and a double. Senior Danielle Desantis and freshman Annika Norquist also had doubles in the victory, in which 11 Los Gatos players had a hit. Bean and senior Sarah Nedwich combined for a five-hitter on the mound with seven strikeouts and no walks in the win.
Then on Friday, Los Gatos
scored all the runs it needed in the top of the first, as it took a 2-0 lead. It blew the game open with six runs in the fourth inning. Bean slammed a home run and drove in three in the victory. Chiala had two hits, including a double, and three RBI. Avery Di Gangi, a senior who bats second in the lineup, also had two hits and three runs scored. Payne was 2 for 3 with two runs scored and an RBI. Norquist had a double in her second straight game, and also drove in two runs.
The Wildcats opened their play at the Watsonville Tournament on March 19 with a 10-2 victory over Scotts Valley. Chiala had a home run and a triple, driving in three runs. Payne was 2 for 2 with a home run and four RBI. Bean and Muser also had two hits, with one of Bean's hits being a triple. She also pitched a complete-game three hitter with eight strikeouts and no walks in the four-inning game.
Then Chiala fired her second straight one-hitter in a 10-0 win over Burlingame. Chiala struck out four and walked one over six innings. Sareday was 2 for 4, including a triple, with two runs scored and two RBI. Chiala and senior Sara Martin also had two hits, and Martin had a double, as did Bean. Payne added a triple and two runs scored.
Los Gatos advanced to the championship game of the tournament against Watsonville onmarch 19, but it was rained out and will be played on a date to be determined, wrote Frey in a text to the Los Gatos Weekly Times.
The Wildcats faced St. Francismountain View on Tuesday after this publication went to press. Los Gatos traveled to face Mountain View earlier this week, then hosts Fremont on today, also at 4 p.m.
Baseball
Los Gatos High School split its two-game series with Santa Clara last week in SCVAL De Anza Division action.
In the opener on March 16, Los Gatos scored three runs in the top of the sixth inning and one in the seventh to beat the Bruins 8-6. Kaito Haake was 3 for 4 with an RBI for the Wildcats, and teammate Carter Johnstone was 2 for 4 with a run scored and two RBI. Sebastian Buller slammed a solo home run, and Massimo Richiuso added a double for Los Gatos.
But the Bruins edged host Los Gatos 4-3 on March 18. Haake was 2 for 4 with a solo home run, and Nick Temple also drove in a run for Los Gatos. Alejandro Quijada had a double for the Wildcats.
Los Gatos (5-5, 1-1 SCVAL De Anza) traveled to face Mountain View earlier this week, then hosts the Spartans today.