Saratoga beats Los Gatos in baseball for first time in 15 years

 

 

 

The Falcons participated in the Valley Christian Crown Classic on the week of April 4 with one goal in mind: to make a name for the program by winning the tournament. 

And make a name for the program the Falcons did. Despite losing the first game 6-2 on April 9 to Oakland Tech, the Falcons went on to win the consolation championship in the loser’s bracket. In a three-day span, the Falcons beat Oakdale 2-1, California 4-1 and College Park 2-1. 

The Falcons pitching rotation dazzled as each pitcher, senior Will Dennis, junior Kyle Dozier, sophomore Thomas Alexander and junior Stevie Berman threw complete games.

“It was really clutch how our pitchers threw. Four complete games in four days, that is really impressive,” senior Brady Horn said.

A week prior to the Crown Classic, junior pitcher Kyle Dozier threw the last pitch against Los Gatos on April 6, an 8-5 victory. The game meant more than just beating Saratoga's cross town rival as it marked the first time Saratoga had beat Los Gatos in baseball in more than 15 years. 

“It was a good team effort and it felt good to beat Los Gatos. I had no idea the history behind the game,” Dozier said.

The Falcons excelled in offense as they recorded nine hits against the Wildcats. The baserunning was also key in the victory as the Falcons stole bases and manufactured runs by executing on offense.

“We have been working on base running since day one and it is nice to know that it has paid off,” senior captain Horn said. 

Despite making noticeable improvements in offense, the Falcons yielded five errors against the Wildcats, a season high. Typically a strong defensive team, the Falcons were surprised at their unusually poor performance in defense.  The Falcons played the Palo Alto Vikings on April 18 and April 20 and lost 14-2 and 7-2. 

The Falcons will be the three seed in the league playoffs and will play Los Altos first on May 1 and May 3.