Spartans lose another close game Spartans lose another close game (April 16, 2004)

Los Gatos prevails in shut-out

By Colleen Corcoran

The recurring chant to pitcher Ciara Miranda from the Mountain View dugout on April 9 was "Finish! Finish!" It meant finish the inning, finish the pitching motion, and so on. But the Spartan softball players couldn't follow through.

After Los Gatos' second run in the bottom of the fourth, Mountain View was, in another sense of the word, finished. The Wildcats won 2-0.

Although they lost, the Spartans showed grit and determination. Shortstop Samantha Osbourne was hobbling around on crutches with a bruised hip, and Kristina Nakashima was escorted to Kaiser after a wild pitch during the second inning left her with a bruised head.

The last time the two teams met, a tie game turned into a loss for Mountain View, which racked up eight errors. In short, the Spartans hit well, but defended poorly. This time, they played better defensively, but struggled at the plate.

The Spartans' Miranda pitched a game similar to when the teams last met, with similar results. "They've gotten at least the same hits that they got before," she said. "Everything was pretty much the same. I think this one they got a few more hits."

Offensively, Mountain View rarely hit the ball past the infield, while Los Gatos was able to extend its range, albeit only rarely. The Wildcats led off with a run in the first inning and didn't come home again until the fourth when Liz Rose drove a triple deep into center field. She was granted the final base on an out-of-bounds throw to third.

"I'm kind of frustrated," said first baseman Alicia Olmos on her hitting. "But I'm happy about the plays I've made ... the scoops."

Shortstop Lauren Esteban expressed similar sentiments: "Before, our defense was kind of shaky, but now we're getting a solid defense. I think I'm doing OK. I just need to work more on batting I guess."

The Spartans finally felt the urgency of the situation in the sixth inning. The defense made impressive plays on attempted steals. And Mountain View runners advanced past first base, leading to a lot of bench pounding and screaming in the dugout. But it was to no avail.

"We're just always a day late, a dollar short," said Coach Robert Herrera. "I'm not really sure what the reason is. There's talent and there's ability. We just don't have the leadership necessary on the field and on the bench. We really miss a leader, someone who's going to take it upon themself to get on the girls, to lift them, to motivate them, do whatever it takes. It should be internal for all of them, but a lot of these girls are followers. They need somebody to do that."

A 2-5 record doesn't do justice to the Spartan team. Mountain View's losses have been close including a 4-3 heart-breaker to Los Altos last week, a 10-inning nail-biter against Milpitas on April 3, and an 11-inning game against Monta Vista last month. This time, two breakthrough runs by Los Gatos made the difference.

"We've been in it each time. We're just not there yet," said Herrera.

E-mail Colleen Corcoran at sports@mv-voice.com

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