Los Gatos shows its potential, resiliency with walk-off win
LOS GATOS >> The Los Gatos baseball team showed its potential in a 5-4 walk-off win over Santa Teresa on March 15.
The Wildcats trailed 4-3 entering the bottom of the seventh, but it rallied with timely hitting and patience.
“They're resilient. They'll fight until the last at-bat,” Los Gatos first-year head coach Mike Minkel said. “In the game of baseball, the last out is always the toughest one to get, and I commend our guys for staying in it the entire game and fighting through it, going through the ups and downs of the game.”
Los Gatos scored three runs in the opening frame to take a 3-2 lead, but was shut out from there until the very end. Carter Johnstone led off the bottom of the seventh with a single to right-center field on a 3-2 pitch. Pinch runner Theo Greenland stole second and, after Donovan Freed was hit by a pitch, Anthony Decker sent an RBI single up the middle to tie the score.
“I was just looking for a pitch outside,” Decker said. “(Santa Teresa pitcher Joe Tapia) gave me a pitch right down the middle. I got jammed, but luckily I put it up the middle.”
The bases were loaded after a walk to Mason Webb. Santino Nanez then worked the count to 3-2 before walking to drive in the winning run.
Four of Los Gatos' first five batters of the game reached base in the big first inning
Drew Dillehay led off with a walk, and after one out, both Johnstone and Sebastian Buller walked to load the bases. Freed then lined a two-run single to center field. With two outs, Jake Boyd hit an RBI single to left field.
Johnstone was 1 for 1 at the plate with two walks and a run scored, as the shortstop also reached base on a hit-by-pitch in the game. Last year as a sophomore, Johnstone hit .438 with 42 hits, 26 RBIS and 14 doubles.
“He's a special talent,” said
Minkel about Johnstone, a firstteam all-santa Clara Valley Athletic League De Anza Division selection last year. “The moment's never too big for him. He takes exactly what they give him. … I've never seen him go out of the zone to chase anything.”
Dillehay, a senior, was also a first-team ALL-SCVAL De Anza Division selection last season. He batted .330 including 31 hits, 13
RBIS and 11 doubles, and also led the team in runs scored (31).
Boyd was a second-team pick last year as a junior. He batted .289 with 26 hits, 17 RBIS and seven doubles.
On Saturday, Los Gatos fell 8-3 to Westmont in another nonleague game. Westmont's five runs in the bottom of the second inning staked it to a lead that never gave up. Brayden Smith,
Johnstone and Greenland had hits in the loss, and Dillehay and Smith drove in runs.
The Wildcats entered this week with a 4-5 overall record. They were scheduled to host Gunn on Wednesday in their SCVAL De Anza Division opener after this article went to press. Los Gatos is scheduled to travel to Gunn today for a 4 p.m. game, then host Archbishop Mitty on
Saturday at 11 a.m.
Softball
Los Gatos won its SCVAL De Anza Division opener against Homestead on March 16, then went 2-1 at the Watsonville Tournament two days later.
The Wildcats' Anna Bean and Ria Sharma combined for a onehit shutout in the 8-0 victory over visiting Homestead. Bean struck out seven with one walk over six innings for the win. Sharma allowed no hits and struck out one in her inning of work.
Bean was also 2 for 4 at the plate with an RBI and a run scored. Addie Sorto slammed a double and drove in two runs while crossing home plate twice in the win. Sydney Bacheller also drove in a pair of runs and was 2 for 3.
In their Watsonville Tournament opener, Los Gatos beat Aptos, 7-1, in a five-inning game. Bean pitched a four-hitter, allowing one earned run and striking out 10 while walking none. She was also 2 for 4, including a triple with two RBIS. Grace Tucker was 2 for 3 with a run scored for the Wildcats, and Alexa Musser had a double and two RBIS. Annika Norquist also had a double and RBI for Los Gatos.
Ann Sobrato shut out Los Gatos, 10-0, in the second game. Both Musser and Clare Torres collected two hits.
Then, Los Gatos broke a tied score against Notre Dame-belmont with three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning on its way to a 7-1 six-inning victory. Bean threw a one-hitter with 10 strikeouts and no walks. She was also 2 for 4 with a triple and two RBIS. Tucker and Sharma were both 2 for 3, Musser had a double and two RBIS and Norquist had another double and an RBI.
Los Gatos entered this week with a 3-2 overall record and 1-0 SCVAL De Anza Division mark. Its scheduled league games Tuesday against Los Altos and Thursday against Milpitas occurred after this article's deadline.