Los Gatos tops Carlmont to snap three-game losing streak
The Los Gatos High School baseball team broke a threegame losing streak with a 6-3 nonleague victory over Carlmont on March 26.
Los Gatos had a huge fourth inning with four runs to break a 1-1 tie. Kaito Haake and Nick Temple were both 2 for 3 at the plate with a run scored and an RBI for the Wildcats. Temple had a double, as did Carter Johnstone, Jaden Mena and Jake Boyd. Mena and Anthony Andrews also drove in runs in the victory.
A key to the win was that defensively, the host Wildcats were able to keep Carlmont from producing a big inning late in the game. In two losses to Mountain View last week, the Spartans scored six runs in the sixth inning in the opener, then four runs in the sixth in the second game to secure victories. Mountain View won the opener 8-4 on March 23 and the second game 7-3 on March 25.
Boyd, a junior centerfielder, had a big game against Mountain View on March 25. He was 3 for 4 at the plate, including a double and two RBI, and he also threw out a runner at second base after a hit into the left-center field gap in the fourth inning.
Mountain View jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning. After the Wildcats cut the deficit in half in the bottom of that inning on Boyd's double that drove in Drew Dillehay, the Spartans took a 3-1 lead in the fifth inning. Los Gatos tied the score with two runs in the bottom of that frame, including an RBI single by Boyd. But the Spartans broke through with four runs the next inning, aided greatly by a Los Gatos error.
Los Gatos received encouraging efforts from its bullpen March 25. Dylan Martinez pitched 3 1/3 innings of shutout ball, allowing only four hits and two walks, and striking out two. Gavin Olesek added a perfect seventh inning with two strikeouts in his first pitching outing of the season.
He also allowed only one hit in one shutout inning pitched on March 26.
On March 23, Dillehay had a double and an RBI for the Wildcats. Johnstone, Haake and Alejandro Quijada also drove in runs for Los Gatos, which led 3-2 before that fateful sixth inning.
Los Gatos entered this week with a 6-7 overall mark and 1-3 Santa Clara Valley Athletic League De Anza Division record. The Wildcats host Los Altos today at 4, then travel to face the Eagles today at 4 before a nonleague encounter with host Archbishop Mitty on Saturday at noon.
Softball
Los Gatos High School bounced back from a loss to St. Francismountain View with a scoring onslaught against Mountain View and Fremont-sunnyvale, resulting in a pair of victories.
The Wildcats fell 12-0 to highlyregarded St. Francis on March 22. St. Francis, the top team in the Bay Area News Group Top 20 softball rankings last week, allowed no hits in the four-and-a-half inning game against Los Gatos, ranked 13th.
But Los Gatos immediately rectified its offense the next day, scoring four runs in the top of the first inning on the way to a 17-3 five-inning
victory over Mountain View. Anna Bean slammed a home run for the Wildcats and finished 2 for 3 with one run scored and four RBI. Teammate Annika Norquist was 3 for 4 with three runs scored and an RBI, and Sara Martin was 2 for 3, including a triple, with two RBI for Los Gatos. Lynsey Chiala added a triple and two RBI and Addie Payne had a double and three RBI for Los Gatos.
On March 25, the host Wildcats grabbed an even bigger first-inning lead; they scored nine runs in the opening frame on the way to a 17-1 four-and-a-half inning win over Fremont-sunnyvale. Chiala slammed a home run and a triple, scored two runs and drove
in two runs. Norquist was 3 for 3 with two runs scored and two RBI. Payne was 2 for 2, including a double, and drove in three runs. Bean had a double and drove in two runs, and Sree Sareday also drove in two runs for the Wildcats, who improved to 9-1 overall and 3-0 in the SCVAL De Anza Division with the victory.
Los Gatos hosted Valley Christian-san Jose on Tuesday after the Los Gatos Weekly Times went to press. The Wildcats travel to face Los Altos Wednesday at 4, host Homestead today at 4 p.m., and play Leland and Carlmont in the first two rounds of the Los Gatos/ Saratoga Tournament on Saturday.