By Pete Borello

Prep Softball Report

he Homestead High softball team warmed up for this week’s showdown with Lynbrook by getting in some batting practice last Thursday at Cupertino.

Behind 13 hits, the Mustangs pounded the Pioneers 19-1 in a game called after five innings on the mercy rule.

“It was our biggest score of the year, but the game was just atrocious,” Homestead coach John Van Pelt said. “We felt sorry for poor Cupertino; we had some of the girls step off the bases to put an end to it.”

The Mustangs weren’t expected to be as generous in Tuesday’s game against Lynbrook, played after the Town Crier went to press.

With only two league games remaining, host Homestead (9-1) needed to beat Lynbrook (10-0) to stay alive in the race for the SCVAL El Camino Division title.

If Homestead (12-6 overall) did prevail and then both teams win as expected on Thursday, the Mustangs and Vikings will share the division crown.

However, only one of these teams can secure the division’s lone automatic berth in the Central Coast Section playoffs.

The first tie-breaker in this situation - head-to-head play - would be a wash because Lynbrook beat Homestead in March. The second tie-breaker, according to Van Pelt, is run differential.

“They beat us 1-0, so we would need to beat them by more than that,” he said last week.

Scoring runs hasn’t been a problem for Homestead, which victimized visiting Gunn 12-1 two days before clobbering Cupertino.

Brandi Tomasovitch had two hits in each game. Paula Kane slugged a home run against Cupertino and Joanna Harris clubbed a three-run triple.

The Mustangs’ pitching hasn’t been too shabby, either. Karen Purdy (6-3) and Ashley Suth (7-3) both tossed two-hitters last week, with Suth striking out seven in Thursday’s win.

“The girls are playing rather well,” the first-year coach said. “They’re just starting to peak at the right time and getting more cohesive.”

The Mustangs conclude their league season with a 4 p.m. game at Saratoga on Thursday.

Eagles on a roll

Look out for Los Altos.

The Eagles extended their win streak to four games with a 5-2 victory at St. Francis on Saturday.

The win improved Los Altos’ SCVAL De Anza Division record to 6-6, keeping the team’s hopes alive for a berth in the CCS playoffs.

The Eagles (11-11 overall) produced 10 hits, including doubles by Alyce Jorgensen and sisters Jennifer and Kristin Herrera.

Freshman pitcher Jorgensen limited the Lancers (7-5, 13-12) to just two hits. She improved her record to 8-6.

Wildcats edge MV

Mountain View’s playoff chances took a hit on May 2 with a 3-2 De Anza Division loss at Los Gatos.

The Spartans (6-6, 11-12) were outhit 9-6, with their only extra-base hits coming from Elisa Barrios (triple) and Kristen Pritchard (double).

Sophomore pitcher Allysa Robbins took the loss, putting her record at 6-4.