By Derek Fletcher

The West Bay Titans, an Amateur Athletic Union baseball team comprising of top-notch 15-and-under players, held their own in last month’s National USA Jr. Olympic Tournament in Tucson, Ariz.

The Titans lost their first two games of the tourney, which featured several 16-and-under squads, then won three straight to make the medal round.

Although the Titans didn’t win another game - finishing with a 3-4 record - manager Dave Salter was pleased with their performance in the June 21-30 event.

“We could have collapsed after the first two losses,” he said, “but our guys fought back and I am proud of them for that.”

Pitching standouts included Mountain View High junior Eric Davis and Los Altos High freshman Mike Peterson.

Davis tossed a three-hit shutout against the rival Bay Area Blaze, while Peterson threw three strong innings against eventual tournament champions Subia of Arizona.

The Titans’ batting stars included Matt Long and Daniel Descalso of St. Francis. Descalso also started two games as a pitcher for the Titans.

On July 25 the Titans will travel to Tennessee to compete in the AAU National Championship Tournament.

“Arizona was a good learning experience, and I expect us to do even better in Tennessee.” Salter said. “We faced some tough pitchers this past tournament and we’ll do some damage against guys our own level.”

The AAU National Championship is strictly for15-and-under players, and the Titans are eager to see how they stack up against kids their own age this time around.