The Los Altos High baseball team last week bounced back from one of the most lopsided losses in its history by winning back-to-back games.
With its SCVAL De Anza Division opener set for 4 p.m. today at Cupertino, head coach Gabe Stewart has to be feeling better about his team than he did after the Eagles’ 26-0 loss to St. Francis early last week. The host Eagles committed seven errors, mustered just three hits and surrendered a grand slam in the March 8 home game.
“As far as the league slate goes, if we don’t eliminate the mistakes and the inconsistency in performance, it will be difficult to win a game in the De Anza,” Stewart said after the loss, which dropped Los Altos to 1-4. “… The league is simply too competitive top to bottom. If the team responds, and we play well Wednesday and Saturday this week, that will be a good sign.”
The Eagles did just that, edging Branham 6-5 March 9 and topping Santa Cruz 5-2 Saturday in another road game.
Los Altos rallied from an early 4-0 deficit to beat Branham on Cole Rafferty’s homer to center in the sixth.
Reliever Aaron Baum earned the win after setting down the Bruins in order in the sixth and inducing a groundball with a man on second for the final out of the seventh.
“A great show of courage and resilience by the team after a really bad Tuesday,” Stewart said.
The Eagles scored four in the fourth to tie the game, with Baum’s double and Adam Kamin’s single each driving in a pair of runs.
Branham put up a run in the fifth to recapture the lead, but Los Altos matched that in the bottom of the frame when Aidan Brenner singled to bring home Stuart Cash.
The Eagles also fell behind early against Santa Cruz, which scored a run in the first.
Los Altos answered with four runs in the fourth, highlighted by Cash’s two-run single.
John O’Sullivan, who scored the Eagles’ initial run, added another in the fifth. After reaching base on an error, two groundouts got him home.
Adam Stothard earned the win, striking out six over five innings to improve to 2-0, and Gareth Cartier got the save with two scoreless innings of work.
Spartans keep rolling
Mountain View improved to 6-1 with Saturday’s 2-1 home win over Sequoia.
Billy Peir and Liam Barrett both went 2-for-3 for the Spartans, who scored a run in the first and second innings.
Chase Yocum earned the win, striking out nine over five frames, and Shota Fletcher picked up the save.
Mountain View begins its De Anza Division slate 4 p.m. today at Wilcox.
Lancers go 2-1
St. Francis, which followed its rout of Los Altos with a 5-1 home win over Bishop O’Dowd Friday, capped the week with a 5-0 loss to visiting De La Salle Saturday.
Tristan Kim, Wyatt King and Max Ross all hit RBI singles against O’Dowd.
Blake Rogers posted the win, striking out seven and allowing just one hit and one walk over six innings.
The Lancers (5-2) were scheduled to open West Catholic Athletic League play versus Serra Tuesday (after the Town Crier’s deadline) and then visit Sacred Heart Cathedral 4 p.m. Friday.
Panthers fall on road
Pinewood sank to 0-2 with a 7-3 loss at Cupertino March 9.
The Panthers host Design Tech 4 p.m. Friday in a Private Schools Athletic League game.
