July 21, 2018
Fullerton, CA
Cassius Hamm (Northridge) and Corey Dawson (Westmont College) combined to pitch a shutout, striking out nine, Mason McWhorter (Georgia Southern) hit a three-run home run and an RBI-single, and Luke Bandy (Dallas Baptist) had three hits and drove in three to lead the Orange County Riptide to an 11-0 win over the Arroyo Seco Saints today at Fullerton College. Hamm started on the mound for Orange County and scattered five hits while striking out six over six innings and Dawson pitched the last three innings, allowing two hits while striking out three. Wyatt Kelley (New Mexico St) started on the mound for Arroyo Seco, allowing five runs on five hits while striking out five, and started off well, throwing three scoreless innings, allowing only one baserunner, a single by Bandy in the second inning, before McWhorter hit his home run with one out in the fourth to give the Riptide their first lead. Orange County added two runs in the fifth inning when Aaron Simpson (Ball State) doubled and scored on a Paul Gomez (Missouri) triple, and Gomez scored on a sacrifice fly; two in the sixth when Auston Sojka (OK Wesleyan) and Bandy hit back-to-back one-out doubles and another sacrifice fly drove a run in; and four in the seventh when McWhorter and Bandy hit RBI-singles and an error plated another to post the final 11-0 score. Colin Shepherd (Miami-Ohio) had three hits for the Saints, matching Bandy for game-high honors.
Click here for recaps of this game
Elsewhere around the CCL today:
Healdsburg, CA
Dane Tofteland (Indiana St) hit a pinch-hit, walk-off two-run home run with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning, and Chase Gardner (UConn), Nick Candelari (Texas Tech) and Kurt Wilson (Texas Tech) combined to strike out 14 to lead the Healdsburg Prune Packers to a 4-3 win over the Southern California Catch tonight at Recreation Park. Tofteland’s home run erased a lead the Catch had held since the third inning when Daniel Jung (Notre Dame) hit a two-run single to put the Catch up 2-1, Tofteland drove in Clay Koelzer (Texas Tech) who had singled after Anthony Mayorga, who came in to pitch the ninth inning for the Catch, struck out the first batter he faced. Gardner started on the mound for Healdsburg and cruised through the first two innings, striking out five of the first six batters he faced before running into trouble in the third when Miguel Abascal (USD) led off with a ground-rule double and two walks loaded the bases in front of Jung’s RBI-single. Candelari, who entered the game with two outs in the third inning in relief of Garnder, then struck out seven over the next four innings, allowing one run on three hits, one of which was a solo home run by Jacob Nemeth (Azusa Pacific) in the seventh inning that put the Catch up 3-1. Healdsburg had taken the first lead of the game when Jake MacNichols (Santa Clara) doubled to lead off the second inning and scored when Cole Brodnansky hit a two-out double, and got within one in the seventh inning when Brodnansky walked, advanced on an error and scored on a run-producing groundout. Wilson pitched the last two innings for the Packers, retiring the side in order in the eighth and the first two batters in the ninth before Nemeth hit a double to put the tying run in scoring position. Wilson struck out the next batter to end the threat, keep the Packers within one and setup the dramatic win.
Click here for recaps of this game
Santa Barbara, CA
Justin Friedman retired the first 14 batters he faced and struck out six over seven innings, and the Conejo Oaks offense opened up a 9-0 lead in route to beating the Santa Barbara Foresters 9-3 tonight at Pershing Park. Friedman was perfect until John Jensen (UC Irvine) hit a two-out single in the fifth inning and Michael Neustifter (Oklahoma St) followed with an RBI-double. Friedman escaped the fifth without further damage, returned to retiring the side in order for the sixth inning, and would’ve pitched a scoreless seventh except for an error that allowed the Foresters to score their second run. At that point, however, game was all but decided as the Oaks had rallied for six runs in the fifth inning to take a 9-0 lead. In the fifth, the Oaks collected five singles, including RBI-hits by Jordan McFarland (Arkansas), Elijah Alexander (Rio Grande Valley), who had a game-high three hits, and Tanner Wright (Cal Lu), and took advantage of two Foresters errors to generate the six runs. Conejo had scored once in the third inning when Sam Shaikin (Valparaiso) hit a two-out RBI-double, and twice in the fourth when Bailey Holbrook hit a bases-loaded single to drive in a pair. Angus Denton (Arkansas) pitched the final two innings for the Oaks in relief of Friedman, allowing one unearned run in the eighth inning when Cameron Warren (Texas Tech) singled in a runner who had reached on an error with two outs, and then Denton retired the side in order in the ninth to close out the win. Jordan Wolf (West Virginia) was the starting pitcher for Santa Barbara tonight, allowing five runs on six hits while striking out six in four innings to suffer the loss. Bailey Reid (Westmont College) struck out five in two innings of relief to highlight the Foresters pitching.
July 20, 2018
San Luis Obispo, CA
Clark Eder (San Diego St) struck out seven over the last five innings, Blayne Jones (Dallas Baptist) hit a two-out, bases-loaded three-run triple and Jack Kuzma (Cal Poly) drove in three runs on a pair of RBI-singles to lead the San Luis Obispo Blues to a 13-8 win over the Conejo Oaks tonight at Sinsheimer Park. Eder entered the game to begin the fifth inning in relief of Blues starting pitcher Peyton Sherlin (Dallas Baptist) with San Luis trailing 7-6 and completely dominated the rest of the game. He retired the side in order in each of his first four innings and then struck out three in the ninth inning to close out the win. He allowed only two batters to reach base out of the 17 he faced, Brandon Lewis (UC Irvine), who doubled off Eder with one out in the ninth inning, and Jordan McFarland (Arkansas), who drove Lewis in. Eder then struck out the last two batters of the game, finishing stronger than he started by striking out seven of the last nine outs he recorded. Brain Klein (Texas Tech) hit an RBI-single in the bottom of the fifth inning to tie the score and the Blues took their first lead of the game in the seventh when Jay Charleston (Tennessee) singled, advanced to third on a pair of wild pitches and scored on error, and the added five insurance runs in the eighth when Noah Taylor (Cal Poly) singled for the third time in the game and scored on a Kuzma single and, after a pair of walks loaded the bases, Jones hit his triple to drive in three and then he scored on a wild pitch. The Oaks had jumped out to an early 5-0 lead, scoring three times in the first inning on RBI-singles by Chase Cockrell (Ole Miss), Michael Spears (Ole Miss) and Drew Sims (Utah Valley), and twice in the second on an error and another Cockrell RBI-single. San Luis then rallied for five runs in the third inning to tie the score when the first three batters of the inning reached base on a single and two walks and Taylor hit an RBI-single, Kuzma drove in two with a single, Charleston singled in a run and an error let in another. Conejo took the lead again in their next at bat when Elijah Alexander (Rio Grande Valley) tripled in a run and scored on an error to make the score 7-5, but the Blues scored an unearned run in their half of the fourth inning to start their takeover of the game.
Click here for recaps of this game
Elsewhere in the CCL today:
Pasadena, CA
The Arroyo Seco Saints took advantage of four walks, a hit batsmen and single to score three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to beat the Orange County Riptide 15-14 tonight at Jackie Robinson Stadium. In the most literal example of a walk-off win, Bennett McCaskill (Dartmouth) drove in the winning run with one out in the ninth inning by drawing a five-pitch walk with the bases loaded. It was also totally uncharacteristic of the game as a whole as both teams pounded the ball, Orange County collecting 17 hits and Arroyo Seco collecting 16. The Saints had jumped out to an 8-0 lead in the first inning on seven hits, including RBI-doubles by Gabe Chavez (San Bernardino), who had a game-high four hits, Brennan McKenzie (Cal Poly Pomona), and Drew Cowley (Cal Poly Pomona), whose RBI-single was the only hit the Saints would get in the ninth inning. Colin King (Regis), who started on the mound for Arroyo Seco and struck out the side in the first inning, surrendered a single and a double to lead off the second inning, both of whom scored on RBI-groundballs to make the score 8-2, and, later, pitched a scoreless third and fourth inning before things started getting complicated in the fifth. In the meantime, the Saints added to their lead in the third inning when Chavez led off with his second double, Cameron Briggs (UC Davis) drove Chavez in with a single, and, after Cowley singled for the second of his three hits in the game, Tristan Peterson hit a three-run home run to put Arroyo Seco up 12-2. From then until the bottom of the ninth inning, however, all the scoring belonged to Orange County. The Riptide scored three runs in the fifth inning when Jake Ortega (Bakersfield) led off with a double and Bradley Jekich (Pacific) and Mason McWhorter (Georgia Southern) hit RBI-singles; once in the seventh on McWhorter’s third hit of the game; three times in the eighth on a two-run double by Paul Gomez (Missouri) and a sacrifice fly; and five times in the ninth when Ortega doubled again to drive in two, Jekich hit an RBI-single, Micah Pries (Pt. Loma) singled in a run and an error let in another to give Orange County their first lead of the game 14-12. That lead was short-lived, however, as the walk-off ninth inning station-to-station parade unfolded shortly thereafter.
Click here for recaps of this game
Healdsburg, CA
The Healdsburg Prune Packers pummeled the Southern California Catch today at Recreation Park, sweeping a doubleheader with scores of 11-0 and 21-3.
Ian Villers (Cal) and Arman Sabouri (Cal) combined to pitch a four-hit shutout in the first game today, striking out two and six batters, respectively, and getting all the run support they would need in the second inning when Sam Wezniak (Cal) hit an RBI-triple to put the Packers up 1-0. Villers, the starting pitcher, retired the first seven batters he faced before the Catch collected three singles in the third inning but failed to score. Sabouri relieved Villers to start the fourth inning and was even more stingy, allowing only one hit and retiring the last seven batters of the game, including three strikeouts in the ninth, to close out the win. The Packers didn’t pad their lead until their last two at bats, scoring two runs in the seventh inning and eight in the eighth in which Clay Koelzer (Texas Tech) batted twice and drove in three runs in the inning on an RBI-double and a two-run single, Jake McNichols (Santa Clara) hit a two-run double, and Kevin Sandri (Pacific) hit an RBI-single.
Sam Reinertsen (Davidson College) struck out eight in four scoreless innings, Quentin Selma (Cal) hit a grand slam and a double, MacNichols hit a three-run home run and a two-run single, Luke Fegen (Indiana State) hit a three-run triple and Ben Sanderson (UCSB) hit two doubles and a single to highlight Healdsburg’s rout in the second game. Reinertsen’s four innings closed out the Packers’ win and featured strikeouts in every inning, including two in the seventh and eighth innings and all three outs in the ninth.
July 19, 2018
San Luis Obispo, CA
Cameron Warren (Texas Tech) tripled with one out in the tenth inning and scored the go-ahead run when Ryan Cash (Oklahoma St) hit a two-out double to lead the Santa Barbara Foresters to a 6-5 extra innings win over the San Luis Obispo Blues tonight at Sinsheimer Park. Warren and Cash were the hitting stars of the game for Santa Barbara. Their three hits apiece accounted for two-thirds of the total hits the team collected, so it was only fitting that it was them who generated what would prove to be the winning run. The game had been tied 5-5 since the eighth inning after the Foresters took a brief lead in the top of the eighth when Cash hit a one-out single, advanced to third on a passed ball and a wild pitch, and scored on a Logan Allen (AR-Ft. Smith) sacrifice fly, and the Blues tied it in their half of the inning when Brian Klein (Texas Tech) led off with a walk and eventually scored on a wild pitch. Frankie Scalzo (San Jose St) retired the Foresters in order in the ninth inning, striking out two, and struck out the first batter he faced in the tenth before Warren hit his triple, and struck out the next hitter before surrendering the lead when Cash got the big hit. Bryce Elder (Texas) started on the mound for Santa Barbara, striking out ten in six innings of work, but trailed throughout his outing as the Blues scored three times in their first at bat as the first four Blues reached base on three singles and a walk, with runs scoring on singles by Klein and Luc Lipcius (Tennessee) and a passed ball. After Lipcius’ hit Elder settled in and retired twelve of the next 13 batters he faced before surrendering a one-out triple to Jay Charleston (Tennessee) in the fifth inning. A sacrifice fly brought Charleston in to give San Luis a 4-0 lead and then the Santa Barbara offenses started clicking. Frustrated by Blues starting pitcher Gabe Constantine through the first five innings, collecting only two hits and striking out five times, the Foresters scored three times in the sixth inning on a Warren two-run double and a Cash RBI-single and tied the score in the seventh on an RBI-single by Conor Davis (Auburn). Bailey Reid (Westmont College) pitched a scoreless ninth inning for the Foresters, striking out two and stranding the winning run on third base in relief of Nico O’Donnell (Texas), who pitched two-hitless innings in the seventh and eighth with two strikeouts in relief of Elder. Chase Wallace (Tennessee) then pitched around a two-out error in the tenth, stranding the tying run at second base to close out the win.
Click here for recaps of this game
Elsewhere in the CCL today:
Compton, CA
Micah Pries (Pt. Loma) hit a two-run triple and a double, Luke Bandy (Dallas Baptist) hit an RBI-double and Chase Sebby (Ball State) tripled to lead the Orange County Riptide to a 7-4 win over the Academy Barons tonight at the MLB Youth Academy. Pries’ triple opened the scoring in the third inning, driving in Bandy, who had reached base on a walk, and Steve Curry (Georgia Southern), who had singled. Pries then scored on a groundout to give the Riptide a 3-0 lead. Orange County starting pitcher Hayden Pearce (Pacific) threw three scoreless innings to start the game despite surrendering four singles, but the hits caught up to him in the fourth inning as the Barons collected four more singles, scoring twice on RBI by Cameron Dean (Rockhurst) and Bruce Martin (Stetson) to make the score 3-2. Barons starting pitcher Ryan Hare (UNLV) retired ten of the next eleven batters he faced after surrendering the three runs in the third inning but, in the seventh inning, Sebby hit his triple and scored on a wild pitch, and Bandy hit his RBI-double to put the Riptide up 5-2 and, after Hare was relieved by Jake Binder (Ithaca College) to start the eighth, Orange County scored twice more when Pries doubled to lead off the inning, Austin Sojka (OK Wesleyan) hit an RBI-single and a sacrifice fly drove in Sojka. Tyler Frazier (Oregon), who entered the game to pitch in the fifth inning in relief of Pearce, pitched three scoreless innings with five strikeouts before allowing two runs in the eighth when Garrett Ouellette (San Bernardino) led off with a double and Hunter Lewis (Indiana State), who had a game-high three hits, and Christian Lucio (Eastern Kentucky) hit RBI-singles. Frazier retired the next two batters, one via his sixth strikeout, to end the threat, and Brandon Ivey (Texas) pitched a scoreless ninth inning to secure the win.
Click here for recaps of this game
Thousand Oaks, CA
Gerry Ramirez (Glendale JC) struck out seven, allowing one run on five hits over seven innings, and John Vergara pitched the last two innings scoreless to lead the Conejo Oaks to a 7-1 win over the Arroyo Seco Saints today at Sparky Anderson Field. Ramirez retired the side in order in three of his seven innings, didn’t give up a single walk and allowed only one runner to reach beyond first base, Mitch Kerner, who singled with two outs in the fourth inning, advanced to second base on a wild pitch and scored the Saints only run of the game when Tristan Peterson followed with an RBI-single. Vergara was similarly effective in his two innings of relief of Ramirez, retiring six of the seven batters he faced, striking out two, to close out the win. Charles Peacock (Galveston JC), who was the starting pitcher for the Saints today, struck out ten in four innings but also walked four, allowing three runs in the first inning when Jordan McFarland (Arkansas) and Michael Spears (Ole Miss) hit RBI-singles. Conejo added a run in the fifth inning when Chase Cockrell (Ole Miss) led off with a single, advanced to third on a Sam Shaikin (Valparaiso) double and scored on a sacrifice fly, and three more in the seventh when Cockrell again led off the inning with a single and then three walks, an error and a hit batsmen pushed runs across to post the final 7-1 score.
July 17, 2018
La Mirada, CA
Jacob Rogers (UNLV) had three hits, including a two-run home run, Omar Ortiz (Cochise College) had two hits, including a solo home run and the Southern California Catch snapped their ten-game losing streak by beating the Academy Barons 9-4 today at Biola University. Rogers hit his home run with two outs in the seventh inning, driving in Kristian Franklin (Grambling St), who had singled to lead off the inning to give the Catch a 5-2 lead. Ortiz’ home run put the Catch on the scoreboard in the second inning, tying the score at 1-1 after Joseph Argumedo (Lynn) hit a solo shot of his own in the Barons’ half of the inning. The score remained unchanged until the sixth inning when the Academy took the lead on a Hunter Lewis (Indiana State) RBI-single, but the Catch took the lead for good in their half of the inning when Grant Robbins (UNLV) and Jake Boone (Princeton) led off the inning with a single and a double, respectively, and an Ortiz groundball out scored one and a sacrifice fly scored another to make the score 3-2. Tayt Smith (Azusa Pacific) started on the mound for the Catch, allowing only the one Barons run in the second while striking out five over five innings before turning the pitching duties over to Taed Heydinger, who surrendered the sixth inning run, Matt Reitz (Covenant College), who pitched a scoreless seventh and was pulled after one batter in the eighth after allowing a leadoff single to Desmond Gates (West LA JC), who would score later on an wild pitch, and Caleb Bly (Oklahoma Baptist). Anthony Mayorga, the third pitcher utilized in the seventh inning by the Catch, came into the game after Gates scored, struck out two of the next three batters in the inning to limit the damage, and then pitched the ninth inning to close out the win despite allowing a run on two singles. The Catch added four insurance runs in the eighth inning when Boone and Ortiz led off the inning with consecutive singles and, after two outs were recorded, Daniel Jung (Notre Dame) and Wacy Crenshaw each hit two-run singles to up the Catch total to nine. Gavin Stroud (Tulane) started on the mound for the Academy, allowing one run on four hits while striking out two over four innings.
Click here for recaps of this game
Elsewhere in the CCL today:
Pasadena, CA
Brandon Lewis (UC Irvine) hit a home run, a triple and a double and drove in three runs, Bart West (USC) hit a home run, a single and scored twice, and a trio of relief pitchers bent but did not break, stranding seven runners, five in scoring position over the final four innings to lead the Conejo Oaks to a 7-5 win over the Arroyo Seco Saints tonight at Jackie Robinson Stadium. Lewis, the league’s top hitter with a .420 average, was a single shy of hitting for the cycle. His home run, a solo shot in the third inning, got the Oaks their first run to make the score 2-1 after the Saints took the first lead on a second inning two-run home run by Angelo Armenta (San Diego St). The Saints answered Lewis’ home run with two more runs in their half of the third inning, scoring on a Nic Lacayo (Michigan St) RBI-double and Armenta driving in his third run of the game with a two-out single. Conejo took the lead for good in their next at bat when West hit his home run and, after two walks and a fielder’s choice, Lewis drove in two with his triple and then scored on a Jordan McFarland (Arkansas) single to make the score 5-4. Aiden Dolan, who was the starting pitcher for the Oaks, striking out three in five innings, retired the last seven batters he faced, including one on the bases after reaching on an error to earn the win, before turning the pitching duties over to the bullpen. Eric Ma (Whitman College) was the first Oaks reliever, pitching around two singles and a walk to strand two in a scoreless sixth inning and, after surrendering a leadoff home run in the seventh to Tristan Peterson, struck out one batter and walked another before being relieved by Jackson Simonsgaard (Roger St), who pitched around a catcher’s interference and a walk to strand three runners without further damage. Simonsgaard recorded one out and allowed a single in the eighth inning before Angus Denton (Arkansas) took over pitching, and Denton retired the first two batters he faced to strand a runner in scoring position and then pitched a scoreless ninth, stranding another runner in scoring position, to close out the win. Conejo had scored their winning margin runs in the fifth inning when Zach Kaminkow (UNLV) singled to drive in West, who had singled, and then Kaminkow scored on an error.
July 15, 2018
San Luis Obispo, CA
Peyton Sherlin (Dallas Baptist) threw seven shutout innings, striking out seven without allowing a walk, Blayne Jones (Dallas Baptist) tripled and scored in the first inning and Jay Charleston (Tennessee) tripled and scored in the eighth to lead the San Luis Obispo Blues to a 2-0 win over the Southern California Catch today at Sinsheimer Park, sweeping the four-game series between the two teams and winning their seventh game in a row. Sherlin scattered six hits in his seven-inning start, really scattered them. He allowed a hit in all but one of his innings yet never allowed a second in any of the innings. He retired the leadoff hitter to start every inning, allowed almost all of the hits with one out and, in every one of those instances, he retired the next two batters he faced after giving up a hit, three times striking out the last two batters of an inning. Only once did Sherlin retire the side in order and only once did he face more than four batters in an inning, the seventh, when he retired the first two batters, hit a batter and surrendered a two-out single to Deylen Miley (Tiffin). Sherlin retired the next batter to hand a 1-0 lead over to Cameron Ziegler, who allowed two hits but maintained the shutout for one and two-thirds innings, and Mario Lopez, who retired the only batter he faced to close out the win. The Blues jumped out to an early lead when Jones tripled with one out and scored on an RBI-groundout by Brian Klein (Texas Tech) off of Catch starting pitcher Riley Watkins (Shelton State), who would go on to strikeout eight in his four innings of work. San Luis, who was outhit by the Catch eight to four, scored an insurance run in their last at bat when Charleston hit his triple and scored on an error on the play.
Click here for recaps of this game
Elsewhere in the CCL today:
Thousand Oaks, CA
Josh Nicoloff (Columbia) singled to lead off the twelfth inning, advanced to second when the next batter walked and scored the go-ahead run when Matthew Cooper (Clemson) hit a one-out single, and Brandon Ivey (Texas) pitched two scoreless innings to lead the Orange County Riptide to a 10-8 win over the Conejo Oaks in a game suspended June 28 after ten innings with the score tied due to darkness and resumed today at Sparky Anderson Field before the regularly scheduled meeting between the two teams.
In the regularly scheduled game, Brandon Lewis (UC Irvine) drove in four runs with a three-run home run and an RBI-double and Elijah Alexander (Rio Grande Valley) hit a solo home, two singles and scored three times to lead the Oaks to a 11-7 win. Lewis’ and Aexander’s home runs, coming in the eighth and seventh innings, respectively, gave the Oaks an 11-1 lead, seemingly a plenty-big lead with only three outs to get. But those four runs proved to be the difference in the game as the Riptide scored six times in the ninth inning on seven hits, including a two-run double by Bradley Jekich (Pacific), an RBI-double by Austin Sojka (OK Wesleyan) and run-scoring singles by Masen Hibbeler (Texas) and Bradley Alamo (Stony Brook). Joe Torres (UC Davis) entered the game for the Oaks with two outs in the ninth inning in relief of Daniel Tobias (LA Pierce College), who had started the inning, and Torres retired the only batter he faced to close out the win. The Oaks had jumped out to a 7-0 lead after scoring twice in the fourth inning when a bases-loaded walk and a fielder’s choice plated two, and five times in the fifth when Lewis hit his double, Chase Cockrell (Ole Miss), Sam Shaikin (Valparaiso) and Michael Tilman (Cal St LA) singled in runs and Drew Sims (Utah Valley) hit a sacrifice fly. Justin Friedman started on the mound for Conejo, allowing one run on six hits while striking out four in six innings. The only run Friedman allowed came in the sixth inning when Hibbeler hit a leadoff single and eventually scored on an Alamo two-out single. Nick Rincover (Pierce College) and Eric Ma (Whitman College) then threw one scoreless inning apiece in relief of Friedman before the ninth inning mayhem. Ryan Sublette (Texas Tech) was the Orange County starter, pitching three scoreless innings with two strikeouts before turning the pitching duties over to the bullpen. Alamo, who also had a single in the fourth inning, and Alexander finished with a game-high three hits each.
Click here for recaps of this game
Pasadena, CA
Desmond Gates (West LA JC) and Andrew Wilson (Marymount-NAIA) each singled three times and the Academy Barons rallied for nine runs in one inning in route to beating the Arroyo Seco Saints 14-8 today at Jackie Robinson Stadium. Gates scored the opening run of the game after leading off with the first of four consecutive singles by the Barons, the last of which was a two-run version by Garrett Ouellette (San Bernardino). Wilson led off the nine-run sixth inning with a single and then singled in two runs when his spot in the order came around again nine batters later with the bases-loaded and still only one out. Gates added an RBI-single in the sixth, Trent Anderson (Bakersfield) drove in a pair with a single, Bruce Martin (Stetson) drove in with a double, two scored on an error and another scored on a bases-loaded hit batsmen to account for the nine runs. The rally opened up a 14-3 lead for Barons starting pitcher Spencer Hereford (Dominguez Hills) who went six and two-thirds innings, allowing six hits while striking out five. Hereford was scored upon in only one of his innings, the third, when Tristan Peterson, Cameron Briggs (UC Davis) and Colin Shepherd (Miami-Ohio) each hit RBI-singles to give the Saints the lead 3-2. The Academy tied the score in the fourth inning when Hunter Lewis (Indiana State) singled and eventually scored on an error, and took a two-run lead when another error plated one and Lewis got his second RBI of the game with a groundout. The Saints batted around in an inning themselves today, in the eighth inning, scoring five runs when Drew Cowley (Cal Poly Pomona) led off the inning with a home run, Brennan McKenzie (Cal Poly Pomona) hit a two-run single and Jack Smith (ASU) and Briggs each hit RBI-singles, but it was too little too late, as Alonzo Billups (Santa Clara) came in to pitch for the Barons with two outs left in the inning and retired the first two batters he faced to end the rally, and three of four batters in the ninth to close out the win. Wyatt Kelley (New Mexico St) started on the mound for Arroyo Seco, allowing five runs (three earned) on seven hits while striking out two in four and a third innings.
July 14, 2018
Compton, CA
Christian Lucio (Eastern Kentucky) hit a two-out, two-run, walk-off home run in the ninth inning as the Academy Barons scored eight runs in their last three at bats to overcome an 11-4 deficit and beat the Arroyo Seco Saints 12-11 today at the MLB Youth Academy. Lucio’s dramatic moment was possible because Joshua Banuelos (Peru State) got on base with a one-out single to represent the tying run, but also because the Barons had scored once in the eighth inning when Desmond Gates (West LA JC) led off with a double and scored on a Andrew Wilson (Marymount-NAIA) RBI-single, and because the Academy scored five times in the seventh when Hunter Lewis (Indiana State) hit a bases-loaded, bases-clearing double, Trevor Mattson (Arcadia) hit an RBI-triple and scored on a passed ball. Furthermore, Andy Rosales (El Camino) and Nik Galatas (Jackson St) had held the Saints scoreless for the final five innings to allow the comeback to unfold. The Saints scored all of their eleven runs in two rallies in the third and fourth innings, with all but one of the runs coming with two outs. Dalton Ney (Lee), Bryce Gray (Norte Dame) and Cooper Williams (New Mexico St) hit consecutive two-out RBI-doubles to drive in five runs in the third inning and, after Drew Cowley (Cal Poly Pomona) hit an RBI-single with one out in the fourth, Gray and Williams delivered again with two outs, Gray hitting a bases-clearing three-run double to post a game-high five RBI, and Williams hitting an RBI-single to give Arroyo Seco a comfortable 11-4 lead. The Academy had scored four two-out runs of their own in their half of the third inning to get on the board and to portend of things to come when Lucio led off with a triple, a Joseph Argumedo (Lynn University) singled plated two, an error and a wild pitched plated two more. Colin King (Regis) started on the mound for Arroyo Seco and allowed the four early Barons’ runs on seven hits while striking out two. Erik Gutierrez (Lipscomb) started for the Barons, giving up five runs on five hits while striking out four. Jacob Jenkins (MidAm Nazarene) and Gates each hit a double and two singles to finish with a game-high three hits.
Click here for recaps of this game
Elsewhere in the CCL today:
Pasadena, CA
Cassius Hamm (Northridge) pitched five scoreless innings, striking out four and, at one point, retiring eleven batters in a row, Robby Evans (St. Edwards) pitched three scoreless innings with four strikeouts, and Luke Bandy (Dallas Baptist) hit a two-run home run to lead the Orange County Riptide to a 6-1 win over the Conejo Oaks today at Fullerton College. The only run that Hamm and Evans allowed came in the sixth inning with the Riptide already leading 3-0. Elijah Alexander (Rio Grande Valley) and Jordan McFarland (Arkansas) singled of Hamm to leadoff the inning and Bart West (USC) drove in Alexander with a one-out single. It was the only real trouble Hamm found himself in all day as he had, in his first five innings, allowed only one runner to advance into scoring position, pitching around singles in the first and second innings without trouble. The single by Sam Shaikin (Valparaiso) to lead off the second inning was the last baserunner the Oaks would see for a while as Hamm retired the next three batters in the inning in order, retired the side in order in the third and fourth innings, and the first two in the fifth. Evans was just as effective as Hamm in throwing scoreless innings, but he faced much more trying circumstances as the Oaks put runners in scoring position in each of the three innings he pitched. Evans pitched around two singles in the seventh by striking out three, stranded runners at second and third base in the eighth, and escaped any damage in the ninth despite walking the bases loaded to close out the win. Oaks starting pitcher Dylan Francis (Cal Poly Pomona) was equal to Hamm through the first three innings, surrendering only a Thomas Delgadilo double with two outs in the second, but the Riptide plated three runs in the fourth when Steve Curry (Georgia Southern) tripled to lead off the inning, Austin Sojka (Ok Wesylan) singled in Curry and Bandy hit his home run. Curry would again get things started for Orange County in the sixth by hitting a leadoff double, eventually scoring on a sacrifice fly, and a Masen Hibbeler (Texas) RBI-double and a run-producing groundout in the eighth completed the scoring.
Click here for recaps of this game
San Luis Obispo, CA
Thomas Triantos (Cal Poly), Clark Eder (San Diego St) and Chase Walter (Western Carolina) combined for eleven strikeouts, Brian Klein (Texas Tech) tripled, doubled and drove in two runs and Blayne Jones (Dallas Baptist) had three hits and drove in two to lead the San Luis Obispo Blues to an 8-2 win over the Southern California Catch today at Sinsheimer Park in the first game of a doubleheader between the two teams. Traintos started on the mound for San Luis and didn’t allow a hit, retiring ten batters in a row at one point, until the fourth inning when Grant Robbins (UNLV) hit an RBI-single with two outs to drive in a runner from second who had walked and advanced on a walk. Triantos, who struck out five in his five innings of work, then retired four of the next five batters, pitching around a bunt single in the fifth, before turning the pitching duties over to Eder. Eder also struck out five in his three innings and the only blemish on his outing was a leadoff double by David Martinez (Austin Peay) in the seventh, who advanced to third on a third-strike play to first and scored on a wild pitch. Walter pitched a perfect ninth inning, striking out one, to close out the win. The Blues led from the start after scoring two unearned runs in the first, Slade Heggen (Gonzaga) driving in one with an RBI-single, and adding another unearned run in the second. They added a run in the seventh inning when Klein led off with his triple and scored on a Luc Lipcius (Tennessee) double, and scored four times in the eighth when Jones hit a two-run single and Klein followed him with a two-run double. Matt Reitz (Covenant College) started on the mound for the Catch, allowing three runs (one earned) on eight hits while striking out three. Jay Charleston (Tennessee) was on base four times out of five plate appearances for the Blues, scoring a game-high three runs.
Matt Anderson (Georgia Southern) hit a two-run home run in the seventh inning to break a 4-4 tie, Lipcius had two hits and three RBI, and Marco Murillo (Campbellsville) hit two RBI-singles as the Blues swept the doubleheader against the Catch tonight, winning the nightcap 8-4. Anderson’s home run drove in Klein, who had reached base after getting hit by a pitch, and was followed, after two Catch errors put a runner in scoring position, by a Justin Lutes (Pepperdine) RBI-single that put the Blues up 7-4. Murillo’s second RBI-single of the night came with two outs in the ninth inning after San Luis loaded the bases via a pair of hit batsmen and a walk. The Catch had taken an early 2-0 lead in this game, scoring one run in each of the first two innings on RBI-singles by Martinez and RJ Lan (TCU) and, after the Blues got within one in the third inning when Jones, who had three singles in both games today, singled to lead off the inning, advanced first-to-third on a single by Klein and scored on a Lipcius RBI-groundout, the Catch scored twice more in the fifth inning on RBI-singles by Jake Boone (Princeton), who finished with a game-high four hits, and Andrew Bourgeois (Biola) to take a 4-1 lead. That lead was short-lived, however, as San Luis loaded the bases with one out on Jones’ third single of the game and a pair of walks and Lipcius drove in two with a single and Murillo got his first RBI with a single to tie the score. Tj Mullins (Grayson), Cameron Ziegler and Chase Walter (Western Carolina) combined to strike out six and held the Catch scoreless over the last four innings in relief of starter Frankie Scalzo (San Jose St), who collected six strikeouts over five innings and allowed four runs on eight hits. Zac Filos started on the mound for the Catch and struck out five in four and a third innings, allowing four runs on nine hits.
July 13, 2018
Pasadena, CA
Brennan McKenzie (Cal Poly Pomona) hit a three-run home and a pair of RBI-singles, Drew Cowley (Cal Poly Pomona) doubled twice and drove in two runs and Cooper Williams (New Mexico St) hit a two-run double to lead the Arroyo Seco Saints to a 13-3 win over the Academy Barons tonight at Jackie Robinson Stadium. McKenzie’s home run was the capstone to the Saints seven-run sixth inning that broke open a 5-2 game. All seven of the Saints runs in the inning were unearned, all coming after a runner reached on an error and another reached on a walk and two outs were recorded. Then Jack Smith (ASU) hit an RBI-single, a bases-loaded hit batsmen forced in a run, Cowley hit a two-run double and McKenzie hit his three-run blast to put the Saints up 12-2. Jacob Jenkins (MidAm Nazarene), who came in to pitch for the Saints to start the fifth inning in relief of starter Charles Peacock (Galveston JC), who allowed two runs on three hits over four innings while striking out two, was the beneficiary of the run support. Jenkins pitched three scoreless innings, stranding runners in scoring position in each frame before being relieved by JD Russomano (Corban), who pitched the last two innings, allowing one run but no hits, to close out the win. The Saints opened the scoring in the second inning when Dalton Ney (Lee) doubled and scored on a Bennett McCaskill (Dartmouth) RBI-single and, after the Barons scored two unearned runs in the top of the fourth inning, Arroyo Seco took the lead for good in their half of the fourth, scoring four times when Cowley led off with a double and scored on McKenzie’s first RBI-single, Bryce Gray (Notre Dame) and McCaskill singled and scored on Williams’ double, and Williams scored on a error to make the score 5-2. Jake Binder (Ithaca College) started on the mound for the Academy, notching five strikeouts in four innings, but allowed five runs on seven hits and suffered the loss.
Click here for recaps of this game
Elsewhere in the CCL today:
Santa Barbara, CA
Jackson Wolf (West Virginia) struck out six and Bryce Elder (Texas) struck out five in four-inning pitching stints and Luke Ritter (Wichita St) homered for the second day in a row to lead the Santa Barbara Foresters to a 4-2 win over the Orange County Riptide today at Pershing Park. The win, the 22nd against three losses this CCL season, assures Santa Barbara will finish the regular season with the best record in the league and clinches them the number one seed in the four-team single-elimination CCL Playoffs set for July 29-30 in Thousand Oaks. Wolf, one of the league’s top pitching prospects this year, started true to form today by striking out four in two scoreless innings but ran into trouble in the third inning when Matthew Cooper (Clemson) hit a lead-off single and scored on a Aaron Simpson (Ball State) double with one out. Wolf righted things for a bit, retiring the last two batters of the third inning without incident and the first two batters of the fourth before walking three batters in a row to load the bases with two outs. Wolf escaped that situation unscathed by inducing a groundout to end the inning and turned the pitching duties over to Elder to start the fifth inning. Elder dominated early in his four-inning stint as well, retiring ten of the first eleven batters he faced before three consecutive one-out singles, including one for an RBI by Luke Bandy (Dallas Baptist). And, like Wolf before him, Elder limited the damage by retiring the next two batters in order and stranding a runner in scoring position. Ritter’s home run, a solo shot in the first inning, opened the scoring for the Foresters and put an exclamation on what he did last night in Fullerton against this same team when he hit for the cycle. But unlike last night when Santa Barbara tallied 18 runs against the Riptide, they would have to grind out runs one at a time to win tonight. Hayden Pearce (Pacific), the starting pitcher for Orange County, except for Ritter’s home run, held his own against the Foresters offense for the most part and was scuttled a bit by the defense behind him, allowing a single run in the third inning when Ryan Cash (Oklahoma St) singled and advanced to third on a two-base error and scored on an infield grounder, and another in the sixth when Ritter worked a leadoff walk, stole second base, advanced to third on an error and scored on Cam Warren’s (Texas Tech) third single of the game. Chase Illig (West Virginia) scored the fourth and last run of the game for Santa Barbara after leading off the inning with a single, advancing to third on another Riptide two-base error before scoring on a Conor Davis (Auburn) RBI-single. Dane Acker (Rice) pitched a scoreless ninth inning to close out the win.
San Luis Obispo, CA
Jordan Chriss (Columbia) pitched five scoreless innings, Mario Lopez pitched four scoreless innings, Marco Murillo (Campbellsville) hit a two-run home run and Luc Lipcius (Tennessee) singled and scored the game-winning run in the twelfth inning to lead the San Luis Obispo Blues to a 3-2 win over the Southern California Catch tonight at Sinsheimer Park in a game that had to be delayed by an hour because the bus transporting the Catch lost two tires in route to the game and the team had to wait on the side of Highway 101 for a replacement bus to arrive and deliver them to the game. Chriss started on the mound for the Blues, struck out five and scattered four hits before turning the pitching duties over to the bullpen. San Luis got on the scoreboard first when Murillo hit his home run in the second inning, driving in Conagher Sands (Cal Poly) who had reached base on a fielder’s choice. Murillo’s homer was the second and last hit the Blues would get until the eleventh inning when Dane Stankiewicz (Grand Canyon), who had also singled in the first, and Slade Heggen (Gonzaga) singled but could not score the winning run. Caleb Bly (Oklahoma Baptist) was the starting pitcher for the Catch, throwing six innings with seven strikeouts and two walks, retiring 14 of the last 16 batters he faced and being replaced on the mound trailing 2-1 after the Catch scored once in the sixth inning when Jacob Rogers (UNLV) singled with one out and David Martinez (Austin Peay) doubled him home with two outs. Gabe Constantine, who came into pitch to start the sixth inning in relief of Chriss, struck out four in three innings of work and was on the mound when the Catch tied the score in the seventh when two errors put runners on the corners and a sacrifice fly made the score 2-2. Lopez pitched the last four innings for the Blues, retiring twelve of the 14 batters he faced and striking out six to earn the win. Declan Kearney (Azusa Pacific) was equally as good as Lopez over the same number of innings, striking out six over four scoreless, but in his fifth inning of work, the twelfth inning, Lipcius led off with a single, stole second base, advanced to third on an error and, after Kearney struck out his seventh batter and an intentional walk setup a potential inning-ending double-play, Matt Anderson (Georgia Southern) pinch-hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Lipcius and give the Blues a walk-off win.
July 12, 2018
Fullerton, CA
Luke Ritter (Wichita St) hit for the cycle and the Santa Barbara Foresters scored ten times in their last two at bats to break open an 8-7 game and beat the Orange County Riptide 18-7 today at Fullerton College. Not only did Ritter hit a single, double, triple and home run in the same game, each type of hit was also an RBI-hit. Call it a Production Cycle. He hit a one-run single in the sixth inning, a one-run double in the fourth inning, a two-run triple in the ninth and a two-run home run in the second. Not only that, he hit an ordinary single in the eighth inning and he walked in the first to log a perfect five-for-five game with six RBI. Oh, and he stole a base too. In a game when the Foresters scored 18 runs it would be reasonable to think Ritter’s performance was just part of a total offensive team onslaught, but up until the seventh inning when it was still a one-run game, Ritter had produced half of Santa Barbara’s run production, driving in four runs with his home run, double and single. The other half of the Foresters runs were generated in the first inning as Santa Barbara jumped out to a 4-0 lead when Chase Illig (West Virginia) hit a two-run single and Tyler Hardman (Oklahoma) hit a two-run double. In the eight and ninth innings, however, the entire Foresters offense got involved, scoring three runs on RBI-doubles by Hank LoForte (Cal St Fullerton) and Conor Davis (Auburn), and seven runs in the ninth when Ritter hit his triple, Hardman added another two-run double, Davis hit a run-scoring single and Ryan Cash (Oklahoma St) drove in one with a single. Brad Demco (Sam Houston State), the fourth pitcher utilized by the Foresters who entered the game with one out in the seventh inning when the outcome of the game was still very much in question, retired the first two batters he faced in the seventh, stranding the tying run at third base, and then struck out five of the final six outs to earn the win. The 4-0 lead the Foresters posted in the first inning did not last long as Orange County answered with four runs of their own in their half of the inning via RBI-singles by Mason McWhorter (Georgia Southern) and Thomas Delgadillo, a sacrifice fly and an error. Delgadillo, who had four hits in the game, added an RBI-single in the third inning and, after the Riptide scored once in the fourth on an error, he hit an RBI-triple and was the tying run on third whom Demco stranded. Colin Townsend (St. Louis) started on the mound for Orange County, pitching four innings, allowing seven runs on seven hits to suffer the loss. Michael Hobbs (St. Mary’s) started for Santa Barbara and allowed five runs on five hits in two-plus innings of work and did not figure in the decision.
Click here for recaps of this game
Elsewhere in the CCL today:
Compton, CA
Joseph Argumedo (Lynn) doubled three times and singled once, driving in two runs, Ryan Hare (UNLV) threw six innings of one-run ball and Alonzo Billips (Santa Clara) struck out five in three innings of scoreless relief to lead the Academy Barons to a 10-1 win over the Southern California Catch tonight at the MLB Youth Academy. Argumedo doubled and scored the first run of the game in the second inning on a Christian Lucio (Eastern Kentucky) single, hit a two-out double to drive in a run in the fourth, singled in a run in the sixth, and doubled in the eighth, scoring the last run of the game on a wild pitch. His game-high four hits were one better than Lucio, who finished with three. Hare cruised through the first four innings of his start tonight, not allowing a runner to get into scoring position until the fifth when the Catch scored their lone run when a two-out walk and a hit batsmen set the table for Kristian Franklin (Grambling St) who delivered an RBI-single. Billips was even more stingy, striking out two batters in the seventh and eighth inning after surrendering leadoff singles in both innings, and then pitching around two hit batsmen in the ninth inning to close out the win. Trent Anderson (CSU Bakersfield) tripled and singled to finish with a multiple-hit game for the Academy while Daniel Jung (Notre Dame) was the only Catch player to do so with a pair of singles. Andrew Wilson (Marymount-NAIA) had an interesting offensive night, getting on base four times without collecting hit as he was hit by a pitch three times and drew a walk. Cade Smith (Hawaii) started on the mound for the Catch, striking out four in three innings of work but surrender seven runs (four earned) on five hits and suffered the loss.
Click here for recaps of this game
Pasadena, CA
Brandon Frazier (Georgia Gwinnett) hit a two-run home run to drive in the tying and go-ahead runs in the seventh inning and Cameron Ziegler pitched four scoreless innings to close out the San Luis Obispo’s 7-3 win over the Arroyo Seco Saints tonight at Jackie Robinson Stadium. With the Saints leading 3-2 after scoring twice in the first inning on a two-out, two-run double by Drew Cowley (Cal Poly Pomona), and a Brennan McKenzie (Cal Poly Pomona) two-out RBI-single drove in one in the third, Frazier pinch-hit with one out in the seventh and hit his home run that drove in Dane Stankiewicz (Grand Canyon), who had walked, to put San Luis up for good. The Blues, who had scored two runs in the third inning on RBI-singles by Jack Kuzma (Cal Poly) and Brian Klein (Texas Tech) in the second inning, then added two more in the eighth, one coming on a Justin Lutes (Pepperdine) RBI-single, and one run in the ninth when Jay Charleston (Tennessee) singled, stole two bases and scored on a passed ball to post the 7-3 final score. Ziegler, who entered the game to start the sixth inning in relief of Cole Tucker, who struck out four but allowed all three of the Saints runs, was never threatened. He retired the side in order in the sixth inning, pitched around an error in the seventh and a hit batsmen in the eighth and, despite allowing a pair of two-out singles in the ninth, retired the last batter on a pop-out to close out the win. Blake Beers (Michigan) started on the mound for the Saints and struck out seven in five innings of work before turning the pitching duties over to the bullpen with his team leading 3-2. Cameron Briggs (UC Davis) hit three singles for the Saints to finish with game-high honors.
July 11, 2018
Thousand Oaks, CA
Jordan McFarland (Arkansas) and Chase Cockrell (Ole Miss) hit back-to-back RBI-doubles in the second inning and then hit back-to-back home runs in the fifth and Will Pickets (CSU Bakersfield) hit three singles and drove in three runs to lead a 17-hit attack as the Conejo Oaks pummeled the Arroyo Seco Saints 17-1 today at Sparky Anderson Field. Batting in front of Cockrell and third in the batting order, McFarland generated six runs with his double and home run. His second inning double plated two runners, both of whom had reached via two-out walks, from second and first base, and Cockrell then drove him home, and his home run in the fifth was a grand slam, driving in runners who had reached on a single, walk and hit-by-pitch. McFarland’s run production was indicative of how the Oaks capitalized all game. Of the nine walks issued by Arroyo Seco pitchers, seven of them would be driven in. Conejo scored its first run of the game when the leadoff hitter walked and Bart West (USC) doubled him home in the first inning. In the second inning, when Pickets drove in two with an RBI-single and McFarland and Cockrell hit their doubles, three of the five Oaks runners who scored reached on an walk. One more runner who walked scored in the fourth inning, two more in the six-run fifth and only in the eighth inning, when Conejo strung together five singles to score three times, did a free pass not figure. Gerry Ramirez (Glendale JC) started on the mound for the Oaks, scattering seven hits over five innings to allow only one run, generated in the fourth inning when Jacob Jenkins (MidAm Nazarene) hit a two-out single and scored on a Tristan Peterson double. Eric Ma (Whitman College), David Appleby (Michigan), Nick Rincover (Pierce College) and Angus Denton (Arkansas) each pitched a hitless inning in relief of Ramirez to close out the win. Ryan McConnell, the fourth of five Saints pitchers utilized in the game and the only one of the group to not allow multiple hits and multiple runs, pitched two and two-thirds innings scoreless while allowing one hit.
Click here for recaps of this game
Elsewhere in the CCL today:
La Mirada, CA
Masen Hibbeler (Texas) went four-for-six with two doubles and two RBI, Aaron Simpson (Ball State) hit a two-run triple and Paul Gomez (Missouri) hit a two-run double to lead the Orange County Riptide to 13-5 win over the Southern California Catch today at Biola University. Although Hibbeler, batting in the leadoff position, singled and scored in the first inning, the Riptide trailed early in this game as the Catch scored two runs in their half of the first when their two leadoff hitters got aboard via a walk and a single and scored on an error and a sacrifice fly. Thomas Delgadilo, who would finish the game with three hits, singled in a run for Orange County in the second inning to tie the score 2-2, but that did not last either, as the Catch scored twice in their half on a sacrifice fly and an RBI-triple by Jacob Rogers (UNLV), and a solo home run by Grant Robbins (UNLV) in the third inning gave the Catch a 5-2 lead. It wasn’t until the fourth inning that the Riptide captured the lead, scoring six no-out runs on five hits, including a leadoff triple by Luke Bandy (Dallas Baptist) and a pair of two-run doubles by Gomez and Hibbeler. Hibbeler then doubled again in the sixth inning, scoring one of the two Riptide runs in the at bat on a Steve Curry (Georgia Southern) RBI-single, and Simpson’s two-run pinch-hit triple highlighted a three-run ninth that closed out the scoring for Orange County. Robby Evans (St. Edwards) struck out four in three innings of work in relief of Riptide starter Jack Noble (Oregon), who pitched two innings, allowing four runs on four hits while striking out three. Tyler Frazier (Oregon) pitched the final four innings scoreless, allowing one hit, to close out the Riptide win. Riley Watkins (Shelton State) was the first of six pitchers utilized by the Catch, throwing two innings while striking out three and allowing two runs on two hits.
July 10, 2018
Thousand Oaks, CA
Luke Ritter (Wichita St) hit a three-run home run and an RBI-single, Conor Davis (Auburn) hit a solo home run and an RBI-single, and Tanner Bibee (Cal St Fullerton) struck out eight over five scoreless innings to lead the Santa Barbara Foresters to a 7-2 win over the Conejo Oaks today at Sparky Anderson Field, snapping the Oaks’ eight-game winning streak. Ritter’s home run opened the scoring for Santa Barbara, coming before an out was recorded as leadoff hitters Logan Allen (Arkansas-Ft. Smith) and Hank LoForte (Cal St Fullerton) both singled to start off the game. The score remained 3-0 until LoForte drove in one run in the fifth inning with a single and Davis hit his solo home run in the sixth to make it 5-0. Then, in the seventh inning, both Ritter and Davis had RBI-singles to make the score 7-0. Bibee was the starting pitcher today for the Foresters and allowed only four baserunners during his outing. Two of the baserunners were a result of hits by the first two batters he faced, Michael Spears (Ole Miss) and Brandon Lewis (UC Irvine), both of whom singled. Bibee struck out the next two batters of the inning and Spears was caught trying to steal base to end the threat, however, and Bibee went on to retire the side in order in the second inning, struck out three in the third, stranded a two-out single in the fourth and retired the side in order in the fifth. Gavin Velasquez (Cal St Fullerton) relieved Bibee to start the sixth inning, pitching around a Lewis double in the inning, and threw a scoreless seventh to extend the shutout pitching. The Oaks finally got on the board against Elliot Anderson (Auburn) in the eighth inning when Will Pickets (CSU Bakersfield) reached on a one-out single and Lewis hit a two-out two-run home run for his game-high third hit. Chase Wallace (Tennessee) pitched the ninth inning for Santa Barbara, striking out three in the inning to close out the 7-2 win. Elijah Alexander (Rio Grande Valley) hit two singles and a double for the Oaks to also finish with three hits.
Click here for recaps of this game
Elsewhere in the CCL today:
Pasadena, CA
Thomas Delgadillo homered, Masen Hibbeler (Texas) doubled in a run and Micah Pries (Pt. Loma) drove in two with an RBI-single to lead the Orange County Riptide to 6-2 win over the Arroyo Seco Saints tonight at Jackie Robinson Stadium. Delgadillo’s home run, a solo shot to lead off the third inning, was the first baserunner Saints starter pitcher Wyatt Kelley (New Mexico St) allowed and the only run he would give up in his five innings of work, striking out six before turning the pitching duties over to the bullpen with the game tied 1-1. Arroyo Seco had grabbed the lead early when their two leadoff batters were hit by pitches in the first inning and Nic Lacayo (Michigan St) singled the first of them in. Riptide starting pitcher Brandon Ivey (Texas) frustrated the Saints offense for the most part, however, stranding runners in scoring position in each of the three innings he worked, including leaving the bases loaded in both the first and third innings without allowing more than the one run to score. After Delgadillo’s home run and Kelley was relieved by Zach Bromstead (Mt. SAC), the Saints retook the lead when Drew Cowley (Cal Poly Pomona), who would collect a game-high three hits, tripled in a run to make the score 2-1. From that point on, however, the scoring was strictly an Orange County thing. The Riptide took the lead for good in the sixth inning when Steve Curry (Georgia Southern), who also had three hits in the game, singled, moved to second on a wild pitch, scored on an error and Mason McWhorter (Georgia Southern) hit a two-out RBI-single to make the score 3-2. Then Hibbler and Pries got their RBI in the seventh inning to post the final 6-2 score. Jason Farese (Irvine Valley JC) and Daniel Zimmerman (Michigan) each pitched two scoreless innings to close out the win, Farese striking out three with runners in scoring position and Zimmerman facing the minimum six batters for his two innings. Delgadillo, who added two singles after his home run, matched Curry and Cowley with a game-high three hits. Bobby Fulkerson (So New Hamp) pitched the last two-plus innings scoreless to highlight another Saints pitcher.
Click here for recaps of this game
Compton, CA
The San Luis Obispo Blues stormed back from a 3-1 deficit by scoring three runs in the top of the ninth inning to beat the Academy Barons 4-3 tonight at the MLB Urban Youth Academy. Putting the tying runs aboard in the ninth when Justin Lutes (Pepperdine) led off with a single and Dane Stankiewicz (Grand Canyon) hit a one-out single, the Blues took advantage of a pair of walks to push one run across and took the lead when Brain Klein (Texas Tech) got the big hit, a bases-loaded two-run single that gave San Luis the lead. The dramatic win spoiled a strong pitching performance by Barons starter Nikelle Galatas (Jackson St). Galatas threw five shutout innings, striking out two and allowing only two singles before handing the pitching duties over to the bullpen with the Academy ahead 2-0. The Barons had scored twice in the fourth inning to take the lead when Andrew Wilson (Marymount-NAIA) singled to lead off the inning, advanced to third when the next batter reached on an error and both runners scored on RBI-singles by Hunter Lewis (Indiana State) and Daniel Harris (Eastern Kentucky). The Barons added an insurance run in the sixth inning when Alex Rodriguez led off with a single and scored on a RBI-triple by Harris, who finished with a game=high three hits, but the insurance was not enough as the Blues scored once in the seventh on a Stankiewicz sacrifice fly that got the Blues closer into striking distance which they needed when the ninth inning rally happened. Peyton Sherlin (Dallas Baptist) started on the mound and surrendered all three Barons runs on nine hits in six innings of work before being relieved by TJ Mullins (Grayson), who threw two and one-third scoreless innings, earning the win, and Josh Andrews (Grand Canyon), who recorded the final two outs to pick up the save.