July 8, 2018
San Luis Obispo, CA
The Orange County Riptide and the San Luis Obispo Blues split a doubleheader today at Sinsheimer Park, Orange County winning the first game 7-5 and San Luis the second 6-1.
The Riptide batted around and scored five runs in the sixth inning to break open a 1-1 score, getting four consecutive RBI-at bats from Austin Sojka (Ok Wesylan), Mason McWhorter (Georgia Southern), Luke Bandy (Dallas Baptist) and Chase Sebby (Ball State), and Sojka added a solo home run in the seventh inning to lead Orange County to the first game win. Scoreless through the first three innings, the game started to heat up after the score was tied when Sojka reached on a fielder’s choice with two outs in the fourth inning, McWhorter followed with a single and an error on the play allowed Sojka to score all the way from first with the Riptide’s first run, and three consecutive one-out singles in the fifth got San Luis on the board. Both teams got hot in the sixth inning, starting with a leadoff single by Jacob Dominguez (Cal St Fullerton), an error and a walk loaded the bases for the four-batter RBI-parade mentioned above. In the midst of the run production, Orange County scored another run on a wild pitch. That run would prove to be important because in the bottom half of the inning San Luis rallied for four runs when Justin Lutes (Pepperdine) and Conagher Sands (Cal Poly) hit consecutive one-out singles, Brandon Frazier (Georgia Gwinnett) hit an RBI-double and, after a hit batter loaded the bases, Dane Stankiewicz (Grand Canyon), who finished with a game-high three hits and scored the Blues’ first run in the fourth on a Noah Taylor (Cal Poly) RBI-single, drove in two with a single and Taylor hit a sacrifice fly to get the Blues within one 6-5. Jacob Parker (Georgia Southern), who entered to pitch to get the final out of the sixth inning, closed out the win with a scoreless seventh inning. Hayden Pearce (Pacific) started on the mound for Orange County, recording five strikeouts in his outing and pitching around three hits in his first four innings before allowing his first run in the fifth and was responsible for the first three runs of the sixth before being relieved by Doug Magee. Jordan Chriss (Columbia) was the starting pitcher for San Luis, collecting four strikeouts in four-plus innings of work while allowing three runs before being relieved by Frankie Scalzo (San Jose St) and Cameron Ziegler.
Slade Heggen (Gonzaga) hit a solo home run and an RBI-single, Taylor added an run-scoring double and Gabe Constantine pitched four innings of one-hit, shutout baseball to lead the Blues to the win in the second half of the doubleheader. Heggen’s home run came with one out in the fifth inning and made the score 4-0 after the Blues had scored single runs in the first, when Jay Charleston (Tennessee) reached base on a dropped third strike, stole second and eventually scored on Luc Lipcius (Tennessee) sacrifice fly; the second, when Matt Anderson (Georgia Southern) hit a leadoff double and eventually scored on a run-producing groundout; and the fourth inning, when Anderson led off this time with a single, stole second base, advanced to third on an error and scored on a Charleston sacrifice fly. As this was going on Constantine was putting up scoreless innings, allowing only one hit, a Masen Hibbeler (Texas) two-out double in the first inning, and retiring the last six batters he faced before turning the pitching duties over to four San Luis relievers, who allowed a combined one run on three hits over the last five innings to close out the win. Orange County finally got on the board in the seventh inning when Josh Nicoloff (Columbia) doubled home a run, but San Luis answered with two runs in their half of the inning when Heggen and Taylor came through with their run-scoring hits. Ryan Sublette (Texas Tech) started on the mound for the Riptide, striking out four over three-plus innings of work and suffered the loss, allowing three runs on four hits.
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Elsewhere in the CCL today:
Compton, CA
The Conejo Oaks extended their win streak to eight games with a sweep of a doubleheader today at the MLB Urban Youth Academy, beating the Academy Barons 6-5 in the first game and 5-2 in the second.
Tyler Ryan (Pacific) and Brandon Lewis (UC Irvine) hit solo home runs, Bart West (USC) drove in two with a two-out bases-loaded single in the first inning to lead the Oaks to their 6-5 win in the first game today. Ryan’s home run led off the fifth inning and broke a 3-3 tie after Lewis doubled, scored on a Jordan McFarland (Arkansas) RBI-single and West’s single plated three runs for the Oaks in the first inning, and an RBI-single by Cameron Dean (Rockhurst) in the second inning and a two-run home run by Alex Rodriguez in the third gave the Barons three. With the Oaks now leading 4-3, both teams traded runs for the next two innings. The Oaks scored once in the sixth inning when Lewis hit his home run, and the Barons answered in their half of the inning when Christian Lucio (Eastern Kentucky) walked with two outs, stole second base and scored on Dean’s second RBI-single of the game. Sam Shaikin (Valparaiso) tripled to lead off the seventh inning and scored on a Ryan sacrifice fly to put the Oaks back up by two but, again, the Barons answered in their half of the inning, Rodriguez this time starting things with two outs, singling and scoring on a Joseph Argumedo (Lynn) single to make the score 6-5. John Vergara, who came in to pitch with two outs in the seventh inning and surrendered Argumedo’s hit, struck out the next batter to end that inning’s threat and then retired the side in order in the eighth and the first two batters in the ninth, striking out three, before being relieved by Angus Denton (Arkansas), who closed out the win with a strikeout. Dylan Francis (Cal Poly Pomona) started on the mound for Conejo, striking out eight over five and two-thirds innings, allowing four runs on six hits and was credited with the win. Spencer Hereford (Dominguez Hills) was the starter for the Academy, pitching five innings with two strikeouts.
Lewis homered again in the second game of the doubleheader, this time hitting a two-run shot in the first inning, and then doubled and scored in the second, McFarland and Michael Tillman (Cal St LA) each hit an RBI-double and the Oaks offense racked up 14 hits en route to their 5-2 win. Lewis’ blast followed a leadoff single by Tanner Wright (Cal Lu) that gave Conejo a 2-0 lead before an out was recorded. Then, with two outs and nobody on in the second inning, Lewis and McFarland hit back-to-back doubles to make the score 3-0, and Elijah Alexander (Rio Grande Valley) led off the third inning with a single and scored on Tillman’s RBI-double to put the Oaks up 4-0. Aiden Dolan, who started on the mound for the Oaks and pitched around a first inning single and a second inning walk, surrendered a third inning home run to Roosevelt Barnes (Morehouse College) and, after retiring the side in order in the fourth and striking out the first two batters he faced in the fifth, gave up another run when Desmond Gates (West LA JC) drove in Barnes, who had reached on a bunt single and advanced to third on an error on the play, with a single. Dolan was then relieved by David Appleby (Michigan), who came into the game to get the final out of the fifth inning and keep the Oaks ahead 4-2. Appleby pitched a scoreless sixth, Gerry Ramirez (Glendale JC) pitched two scoreless and Denton pitched a scoreless ninth to collect his second save of the day and secure the Conejo win. Will Picketts (CSU Bakersfield) drove in the Oaks’ fifth run of the game with a two-out single in the ninth inning. Anthony Nettles (Clark) started on the mound for the Academy, notching six strikeouts while allowing four runs on eight hits over four innings to suffer the loss. Lewis, McFarland and Alexander each finished with a game-high three hits.
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Healdsburg, CA
Clay Koelzer (Texas Tech) hit a pinch-hit, two-out, walk-off, two-run home run to win the game as the Healdsburg Prune Packers beat the Arroyo Seco Saints 9-8 today at Recreation Park. The dramatic ending was appropriate for a game that featured five home runs, five lead changes and many big moments, none bigger than when Koelzer came to the plate with a runner on in the ninth and Healdsburg trailing 8-7, driving in Jake MacNichols (Santa Clara) who had been hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. The Saints had taken an 8-5 lead after when Dalton Ney (Lee), who had driven in Arroyo Seco’s first two runs of the game with a two-out double in the third inning, hit a two-run home run in the eighth, but Bryan Arias (San Antonio) hit a bases-loaded single to drive in two runs in the bottom of the eighth to setup Koelzer’s game-winner. Sam Wezniak (Cal) got Healdsburg on the board with a solo home run in the third inning to make the score 2-1, and the Packers took their first lead in the fourth when Arias led off with a solo home run and Cole Brodnansky and Kevin Sandri (Pacific) added RBI-singles to give the Packers a 4-2 lead. The Saints took back the lead in the sixth inning when Drew Cowley (Cal Poly Pomona) hit a two-run home run and two errors plated another, only to have Healdsburg tie the score 5-5 when Sandri, who had doubled earlier in the game, doubled again to drive in one. A one-out walk, a stolen base and an error gave Arroyo Seco a 6-5 lead in the seventh and set up the drama that would occur in the eighth and ninth innings. Colin King (Regis) started on the mound for the Saints, striking out seven but allowing four runs on five hits before being relieved by Reed Osborn (Howard JC) with one out in the fourth inning. Osborn struck out five batters and allowed one run on four hits in two and two-thirds innings before Charles Peacock (Galveston JC) and Joey Steele (USC) failed to secure the win. Griffin Hattingh (Houston) was the starter for Healdsburg, notching four strikeouts in four innings, and Sam Reinertsen (Davidson College) retired the side in order in the ninth inning to pick up the win.
July 7, 2018
La Mirada, CA
The Conejo Oaks won two games against the Southern California Catch today at Biola University, winning the continuation of a suspended game from June 16 6-4 and then beating the Catch in the regularly scheduled game 10-6.
The continuation game took only one inning to resolve as a two-out error in the top of the tenth inning put the go-ahead run aboard and Tyler Ryan (Pacific) took advantage and belted a two-run home run to put the Oaks in front. Angus Denton (Arkansas), who pitched a scoreless eighth and ninth inning back on June 16 when the game was originally suspended due to darkness, picked up where he left off and retired the side in order in the tenth inning today to close out the win for Conejo.
In the regularly scheduled game between the same two teams today, Elijah Alexander (Rio Grande Valley JC), Brandon Lewis (UC Irvine) and Chase Cockrell (Ole Miss) had consecutive bases-loaded run-scoring hits, with Cockrell clearing the bases with a double, as part of a five-run fourth inning that busted open a seesaw 3-3 game and gave Conejo a lead they would not relinquish. The Oaks scored first on a one-out double by Lewis and a two-out RBI-single by Jordan McFarland (Arkansas) in the first inning. The Catch answered with two runs in their next at bat when Daniel Jung (Notre Dame) led off with a double, advanced to third on a single by Omar Ortiz (Cochise College) and scored on a wild pitch, and Ortiz scored on a David Martinez (Austin Peay) single. The Oaks took the lead back in third inning, scoring once to tie the score on a wild pitch and taking the lead when McFarland hit another two-out RBI-single. Then, the Catch tied the score again in the fourth inning when Jacob Rogers (UNLV) led off with a double and scored on a Miguel Abascal (USD) two-out single and, after the five-run outburst by the Oaks, the Catch scored twice more in the fifth on a pair of sacrifice flies and once in the sixth when Anj Bourgeois (Biola), who had one of the sacrifice fly RBI in the previous inning, doubled home a run, but the Oaks lead was too big to overcome. Jonathan Lavallee (Pierce College), who entered the game in relief of Oaks starting pitcher Justin Friedman to start the sixth inning, and Nick Rincover (Pierce College), who pitched the last two-plus innings hitless, closed out the win for Conejo. Declan Kearney (Azusa Pacific), the third Catch pitcher of the game, struck out five over two scoreless innings to highlight the Catch pitching. Ryan, whose double started the fourth-inning rally for the Oaks, doubled again to lead off the fifth and scored on the second consecutive single by Will Picketts (CSU Bakersfield), who added an sacrifice fly RBI in the ninth to highlight other Oaks top performers.
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Elsewhere in the CCL today:
Santa Barbara, CA
Chase Illig (West Virginia) went four-for-five with a three-run home run, a two-run double and two singles, Michael Neustifter (Oklahoma State) drove in three runs with a solo home run and a two-run single, and Caleb Sloan (TCU) pitched five scoreless innings to lead the Santa Barbara Foresters to a 10-2 win over the Academy Barons tonight at Pershing Park. Illig, who leads the CCL in home runs with six, opened the scoring with his three-run shot in the first inning, scoring two runners who had reached via a walk and a hit-by-pitch. Two batters later, Neustifter hit his home run and Sloan took over from there. Retiring the last three batters of the first inning after a leadoff error and a Joshua Banuelos (Peru State) double put two runners in scoring position with no outs, Sloan retired the next ten batters in a row before allowing a pair of one-out singles in the fourth. He then retired the final five batters he faced in order and turned the pitching over to the bullpen. Utah Jones (North Greenville) hit a two-out RBI-single in the second inning to up the Santa Barbara lead to 5-0 and the score remained that way until Banuelos singled, stole second base and scored on an Andrew Wilson (Marymount-NAIA) single to put the Barons on the board in the sixth. Brett Standlee (Oklahoma State), who came in to pitch for the Foresters in relief of Sloan to start the sixth inning, retired the next three batters in order following Wilson’s single and then pitched around a ground rule double by Daniel Harris (Eastern Kentucky) in the seventh and retired the side in order in the eighth. The Foresters scored three times in their half of the seventh inning, two on Neustifter’s single and one on a passed ball, and plated two more when three walks loaded the bases and Illig hit his double with two outs to make the score 10-1. Joseph Argumedo (Lynn) singled and scored an unearned run in the ninth inning for the Academy to complete the scoring. Erik Gutierrez (Lipscomb) started on the mound for the Barons, striking out six over five innings of work, upping his league-leading strikeout total to 31, but suffered the loss.
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San Luis Obispo, CA
Blayne Jones (Dallas Baptist) hit a grand-slam, Noah Taylor (Cal Poly) and Brian Klein (Texas Tech) each hit a two-out two-run single, and Cole Tucker recorded six strikeouts in a six-inning start to lead the San Luis Obispo Blues to a 10-2 win over the Orange County Riptide today at Sinsheimer Park. Jones’ slam, which came in the eighth inning, was the capstone of the second win for the Blues over the Riptide in as many days, as San Luis led the game today wire-to-wire. The Blues got on the board in the first inning when Klein hit a sacrifice fly and Taylor drove in two with his single to post a 3-0 lead. Klein got the Blues going again in the third inning, doubling with one out and scoring later on a bases loaded hit batsmen, and came through with two outs in the fourth, driving in two with a single to up the Blues lead to 6-0. Meanwhile, Tucker was dominating on the mound. Retiring the first eight batters he faced in order before allowing a single to Jake Ortega (Bakersfield), Tucker was scored upon in the fourth inning when two errors led to the Riptide’s first run and, after allowing a leadoff walk and a Micah Pries (Point Loma) double in the sixth, the Riptide scored again on a run-producing groundball. Clark Eder (San Diego St) relieved Tucker to start the seventh inning and pitched around four walks to complete three scoreless innings that closed out the win. Jay Charleston (Tennessee) hit three singles and scored three runs to lead all batters in the game, while Pries added a single to finish as the only Riptide players to record a multiple-hit game.
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Healdsburg, CA
The Arroyo Seco Saints and the Healdsburg Prune Packers split a doubleheader today at Recreation Park, Healdsburg winning the first game 10-5 and the Saints winning the second 6-3.
Bryan Arias (San Antonio) had three hits, including a two-run home run, Jake MacNichols (Santa Clara) and Kurt Wilson (Texas Tech) each hit a two-run double, and Jeff Kersten (UConn), Shamus Lyons and Eric Parnow recorded a combined 13 strikeouts to lead Healdsburg to the first game win. Already leading 4-0 after Arias doubled, scored on a MacNichols double and Quentin Selma (Cal) and Wendell Champion II (Houston) added RBI-singles in the first inning, Arias’ homer was the big hit in a three run second that followed a leadoff double by Luke Fegen (Indiana State) and an RBI-single by Ben Sanderson (UCSB) to make the score 7-0. The Saints got on the board in the third inning, scoring once on a Jacob Jenkins (MidAm Nazarene) two-out RBI-single and two more when Cooper Williams (New Mexico St) followed Jenkins with a home run. Those were the only runs Kersten, who struck out five, allowed and Lyons, who relieved Kersten to start the fifth inning, was even more stingy, throwing three scoreless one-hit innings while striking out four before turning the pitching duties over to Parnow, who also struck out four, including three in a row in the eighth inning, but did allow the Saints to score twice in the ninth inning when Colin Shepherd (Miami-Ohio) hit a bases-loaded double. The Packers scored their three other runs in the fourth inning when Wilson hit his two-out two-run double and Selma drove Wilson in with a single for his second RBI of the game.
Blake Beers (Michigan) struck out seven over five innings, Michael Gomez (Cal Poly Pomona) struck out seven over three innings, and Joey Steele (USF) struck out two in a one-two-three ninth inning to lead the Saints to their second game win. Dueling with Healdsburg ace Chase Gardner (UConn), who recorded eight strikeouts over four and two-thirds innings, Beers, despite the seven punch outs, left the game trailing 2-1 after allowing a single run in the third when Fegen singled, advanced to third on a Kevin Sandri (Pacific) double and scored on a Sanderson single, and one in the fourth when MacNichols led off with a single, went first-to-third on a Wilson single and scored on a sacrifice fly. With both starters dealing, this game turned on the performance of the bullpens. Gardner, who allowed one run in the first when Christina Moya (USC) led off the game with a walk, stole second and third base and scored on an error in an inning when Gardner struck out three, turned the pitching duties over to Henrik Reinertsen (Pacific) with two outs, two on and the Packers leading 2-1 in the fifth inning. Reinertsen retired the first batter he faced to escape the fifth inning, but once the sixth inning started, the Saints were ready. After a leadoff walk, Brennan McKenzie (Cal Poly Pomona) singled the runner into scoring position and John Thomas (USC) doubled one home with the tying run. The next batter reached on a two-run error and, just like that, the Saints were leading 4-2. Jared Noonan (UC Riverside) came into pitch and recorded the three outs in the inning without allowing any further damage. Healdsburg got within one run when a walk and a error put a runner in scoring position in the sixth inning and Clay Koelzer (Texas Tech) hit an RBI-single, but Gomez, who entered the game to start the sixth and struck out the first batter he faced, struck out the next batter after Koelzer’s hit, retired the next batter on a pop-up to escape any further damage in the inning. He then struck out two in a scoreless seventh and three in a row in the eighth before Steele came in to pitch the ninth. The Saints got a couple of insurance runs in the eighth inning when two walks to lead off the inning scored on a two-run error to post the final 6-3 score.
July 6, 2018
San Luis Obispo, CA
Dane Stankiewicz (Grand Canyon) doubled to lead off the bottom of the ninth inning in a tie ballgame and, after a sacrifice advanced him to third, he scored the winning run on a passed ball as the San Luis Obispo Blues beat the Orange County Riptide 4-3 tonight at Sinsheimer Park. The walk-off win was even more dramatic because the Riptide had scored a run in the top of the ninth inning to tie the score and threatened to take the lead. In the top of the ninth and trailing 3-2, Orange County got consecutive leadoff singles from Luke Bandy (Georgia Southern), Chase Sebby (Ball State) and, after a Blues pitching change, another single from Mason McWhorter (Georgia Southern) that scored Bandy to tie the game and put the go-ahead run in scoring position with no outs. Jordan Chriss (Columbia), who came into pitch for the Blues after the first two singles in the ninth inning in relief of Cameron Ziegler, allowed the game-tying single but struck out the next three batters he faced to shutdown the threat. The Blues jumped out to the first lead of the game, scoring once in the third inning when Blayne Jones (Dallas Baptist) singled with one, went first-to-third on a single by Brian Klein (Texas Tech) and scored on an error, and once in the fourth when Slade Heggen (Gonzaga) hit a leadoff single, advanced station-to-station on a infield groundout, an error and scored on a Noah Taylor (Cal Poly) two-out single. The Riptide got on the board in the fifth inning when Aaron Simpson (Ball State) singled and Micah Pries (Point Loma) tripled with two outs to make the score 2-1. San Luis upped their lead back to two with an RBI-double by Jones in the seventh inning, and Orange County scored again in the eighth, Simpson and Pries again playing the major role, singling and doubling, respectively, before Simpson scored on a sacrifice fly to get the Riptide within one and setup the ninth inning drama. Mario Lopez started on the mound for San Luis, struck out five over five innings and allowed one walk and the first Riptide run before being relieved by Ziegler, who went three innings. Orange County utilized six pitchers tonight with Jacob Parker (Georgia Southern), who entered the game in relief of Daniel Zimmerman (Michigan) after Stankiewicz was sacrificed to third, suffered the loss.
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Healdsburg, CA
Ryan Shreve (Pacific) outdueled a pair of opposing relief pitchers, throwing five and a third innings scoreless with four strikeouts to lead the Healdsburg Prune Packers to an 8-6 win over the Arroyo Seco Saints tonight at Recreation Park. Both starting pitchers in tonight’s game were ineffective, allowing six runs a piece and turning the game into a test of bullpens. Sherve entered the game with two outs in the fourth inning in relief of Arman Sabouri (Cal), who struck out seven in four-plus innings but allowed five first inning runs and a solo home run by Christian Moya (USC) in the fourth. Jesse Reed (Temple JC) entered the game for the Saints with one out in the third inning in relief of Wyatt Kelley (New Mexico St), who allowed three first inning two-out runs on a two-run single by Kurt Wilson (Texas Tech) and an RBI-double by Cade Peters (UC Riverside), and three third inning runs when Wilson hit an RBI-triple and when Reed, who inherited a bases-loaded situation, gave up a two-run single to Luke Fegen (Indiana State). Cole Brodnansky hit an RBI-double off Reed in the fifth inning to give Healdsburg the lead, and Sam Wezniak (Cal) hit a solo home run off Bobby Fulkerson (So New Hamp) in the eighth inning to post the final score. The Saints scored five first-inning runs by way of four singles, a hit batsmen and a walk, the big hit being a two-out two-run single by Bryce Gray (Notre Dame), but their offense stalled after Shreve entered the game. Shreve retired the first six batters he faced before Gabe Chavez (San Bernardino) hit a double with two outs in the sixth inning, and 14 of 17 total batters, including retiring the side in order in three of the four complete innings he pitched.
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Thousand Oaks, CA
Brandon Lewis (UC Irvine) hit a solo home run, an RBI-double, two singles and a sacrifice fly, Tanner Wright (Cal Lu) hit a two-run single and an RBI-triple, Chase Cockrell (Ole Miss) doubled in two runs and Bart West (USC) hit a two-run single to lead the Conejo Oaks to a 13-4 win over the Southern California Catch today at Sparky Anderson Field. The Oaks pounded out 13 hits in the game and jumped out to an 11-0 lead before the Catch got on the scoreboard against Oaks starting pitcher Kevin Holcomb (Glendale JC), who struck out five and scattered four hits over five-and-a-third innings. The only run Holcomb allowed came in the sixth inning when Kristian Franklin (Grambling St), who had three hits in the game, led off with a single and scored after Holcomb turned the pitching duties over to Eric Ma (Whitman College) and Ma surrendered a three-run home run to Daniel Jung (Notre Dame). Barrett Vondereau (Pierce College) and Daniel Tobias (Pierce College) pitched the final two-plus innings in relief of Ma to close out the Oaks win.
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Santa Barbara, CA
Jackson Wolf (West Virgina), Dane Acker (Rice) and Brad Demco (Sam Houston State) combined to strikeout 14 batters, and the Santa Barbara Foresters offense strung together five consecutive run-scoring at bats in the first inning as part of a 9-2 win over the Academy Barons tonight at Pershing Park. Wolf, who has been at or near the top of the league leaders in pitching all season, allowed the first runs of his summer tonight, allowing four hits in his fifth and final inning, including a two-out RBI by a Desmond Gates (West LA JC) single and an Andrew Wilson (Marymount-NAIA) double. Wolf was dominant early, pitching around two one-out walks in the first and retiring the next eight batters in order, escaped the fourth inning unscathed when Wilson led off with a single, was thrown out trying score on a Hunter Lewis (Indiana State) double, and Wolf retired the next two. Acker was first in to relieve Wolf and pitched two perfect innings with four strikeouts before Demco came in to stat the eighth inning and pitched around one single and retired all six other batters he faced to close out the Foresters win. Conor Davis (Auburn), John Jensen (UC Irvine), Tyler Hardman (Oklahoma) and Brandon Zaragoza (Oklahoma) all had RBI-hits and Kamron Fields (Texas) added a run-scoring groundout in the Foresters five-run first inning and, in the eighth, Chase Illig (West Virgina) hit an RBI-double to highlight a three-run rally that made the final score. Hardman and Wilson each had a game-high three hits, and Fields was the only player with multiple-RBI, finishing with two.
July 5, 2018
La Mirada, CA
Ryan Hare (UNLV) threw five innings of one-hit, one-run baseball, Trevor Mattson (Arcadia) doubled twice and scored twice and Hunter Lewis (Indiana State) hit a two-run home run and added a third RBI to lead the Academy Barons to an 11-5 win over the Southern California Catch today at Biola Univeristy. Hare retired the side in the first three innings today before a leadoff walk in the fourth inning and a single by Jake Boone (Princeton) put a runner in scoring position. That runner would score an unearned run as, after another out was recorded, the following batter reached on a run-scoring error. Hare picked up where he had left off, however, retiring the next four batters, finishing his day with five strikeouts, before turning the pitching duties over the Barons bullpen. The Academy led the game from start to finish, scoring one in the first when leadoff hitter Desmond Gates (West LA JC) singled, advanced to third on a pair of walks and scored on a Lewis sacrifice fly. Daniel Harris (Eastern Kentucky) led off the second inning with a bunt single, moved to third on Mattson’s first double, and the Barons upped their lead to 3-0 as both runners scored on run-producing groundouts. After the Catch scored their first run in the fourth inning, the Barons scored twice in the sixth on a RBI-single by Adam Cendejas and a run-producing fielder’s choice and, in the bottom half of the inning, the Catch got back within striking distance, scoring three runs on a sacrifice fly and an RBI-single by Omar Ortiz (Cochise College) to make the score 5-4. But the Barons put the game out of reach, scoring in each of their last three at bats, including four runs in the ninth inning when Andrew Wilson (Marymount-NAIA) hit a two-run single and Lewis hit his home run, while the Catch could only muster one more run when Deylen Miley (Tiffin) hit an RBI-double in the seventh. Taed Heydinger started on the mound for the Catch, recording five strikeouts in five innings of work, before being relieved by Tayt Smith (Azusa Pacific), who suffered the loss in his two innings of work. Kris Keach (Cal State LA) and Spencer Hereford (Dominguez Hills) pitched a scoreless eighth and ninth inning, respectively, to secure the Barons win.
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Elsewhere in the CCL today:
Santa Barbara, CA
Christian Moya (USC) and Nic Lacayo (Michigan St) hit consecutive one-out pinch-hit singles in the top of the tenth inning, Moya scoring the go-ahead run on an error, and Joey Steele (USF) pitched two perfect innings in the ninth and tenth innings, recording four strikeouts, to lead the Arroyo Seco Saints to an 8-7 win over the Santa Barbara Foresters tonight at Pershing Park. The hits in the tenth inning were the last two of the fourteen collected by the Saints hitters tonight. In contrast, the Foresters only recorded three hits in the game, taking advantage of three errors, six walks and a hit batsmen, almost all of which directly resulted in Santa Barbara runs. Two of the three Foresters hits were collected by Conor Davis (Auburn), the more dramatic of which was his solo home run with one-out in the eighth inning which tied the score 7-7. Still tied after Chase Wallace (Tennessee) retired the Saints in order in the top of the ninth inning, Steele entered the game and struck out the first and third batters he faced to send the game into extra innings and, then, with the lead in the tenth inning, Steele struck out the first two batters he faced before getting a pop out to earn the win for Arroyo Seco. The Saints had two big innings before the game went into extras, scoring three times in the third on a Bennett McCaskill (Dartmouth) RBI-ground rule double, a run-scoring groundout and an error, and four times in the sixth when Brennan McKenzie (Cal Poly Pomona) and John Thomas (USC) had back-to-back RBI doubles and Cameron Briggs (UC Davis) hit a run-scoring single. Logan Allen (Arkansas-Ft. Smith) hit a pair of run-producing outs, Davis added an RBI-single and Michael Neustifter (Oklahoma State), the only other Forester with a hit in the game, plated two with a two-out double in the fifth inning to account for the Santa Barbara scoring. Drew Cowley (Cal Poly Pomona) led all hitters with three hits, including a double, while McKenzie, Thomas and McCaskill each had two. Charles Peacock (Galveston JC) started on the mound for Arroyo Seco, pitching three hitless innings and allowing one run while walking two and striking out two. Michael Hobbs (St. Mary’s) started for Santa Barbara, striking out seven over five innings, but surrender seven hits and three runs before turning the pitching duties over to the bullpen.
July 3, 2018
San Luis Obispo, CA
Mark Tindall (Trinity), Wyatt Kelley (New Mexico St) and Joey Steele (USF) pitched a combined six innings of scoreless relief and John Thomas (USC) had a pair of two-out run-scoring hits to lead the Arroyo Seco Saints to a 5-2 win over the San Luis Obispo Blues tonight at Sinsheimer Park. Tindall was the pitching star tonight for the Saints, coming into the game to start the fourth inning in relief of starter Colin King (Regis), who allowed both of the Blues’ runs in the first inning before settling in and retiring seven of the next eight batters he faced. Tindall picked up where King let off and, with the help of a groundball double-play, retired the side in his first three innings and would have done the same in the last except for an error. Allowing only the one hit, a single by Auston Chastain (Fresno St), the runner who was erased in the double-play, Tindall struck out the last batter he faced before turning the pitching duties over to Kelley, who despite surrendering a leadoff single to Dane Stankiewicz (Grand Canyon) in the eighth inning, retired the next three batters in order. Steele then came into the game to pitch the ninth inning and, like Kelley before him, allowed the leadoff hitter to reach base, this time a double by Slade Heggen (Gonzaga), and like Kelley, retired the next three batters in order, the last two via strikeouts, to close out the Saints win. All the scoring in tonight’s game came in the early innings. Both teams scored twice in very similar fashion in the first inning, with Cameron Briggs (UC Davis) and Drew Cowley (Cal Poly Pomona) leading off the game with consecutive singles for Arroyo Seco, Briggs scoring on a sacrifice fly and Cowley scoring on Thomas’s first two-out RBI-hit, a single, and the Blues leadoff hitters, Jay Charleston (Tennessee) and Chastain both hitting singles too and scoring in the same way, Charleston scoring on a sacrifice fly and Chastain scoring on a Heggen RBI-single. The Saints took the lead for good in the third inning scoring three runs on an RBI-single by Cooper Williams (New Mexico St), a run scoring groundout and a two-out RBI-double by Thomas. San Luis relief pitchers Gabe Constantine, who came into the game to get the last out of the fourth inning in relief of starter Cole Tucker, and Clark Eder (San Diego St), were as stingy a relief staff as the Saints, allowing no runs over the final five-plus innings, with Tucker striking out five and retiring the last ten batters he faced, and Elder pitching around two no-out walks and an error in the ninth inning, retiring three batters in a row with the bases loaded.
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Compton, CA
Cade Smith (Hawaii) struck out six over six innings of one-run pitching and Omar Ortiz (Cochise College) hit an RBI-triple and an RBI-double to lead the Southern California Catch to an 8-1 win over the Academy Barons tonight at the MLB Urban Youth Academy. Smith, the beneficiary of three first inning runs plated by his offense when Anj Bourgeois (Biola) and David Martinez (Austin Peay) doubled to leadoff the game, Ortiz hit his run-scoring triple and Skyler De Los Reyes (UC Riverside) hit an RBI-single, was in command throughout his six-inning stint. Allowing only four baserunners in his first five innings, two via singles, one on a walk and one on a reached-by-error, he retired 16 of the first 20 batters he faced. The only blemish on Smith’s outing came with two outs in the sixth inning when Hunter Lewis (Indiana State) doubled and scored on a Christian Lucio (Eastern Kentucky) single. That would be the only run of the game for the Barons as Brendan Argomaniz (Orange Coast JC), Tyler McKee and Connor Mushinski (Weatherford) each pitched a scoreless, hitless inning to close out the win. Ortiz doubled in Grant Robbins (UNLV), who hit a leadoff single, in the fourth, and Jake Boone (Princeton), Bourgeois and Robbins hit RBI-singles in the sixth to account for the rest of the Catch runs. Kris Keach (Cal State LA) pitched two innings with four strikeouts in relief of Ryan Zapata (MS JC), who notched two strikeouts in his one inning of relief of starter Anthony Nettles (Clark), to highlight the Academy pitching.
July 2, 2018
La Mirada, CA
Matthew Cooper (Clemson) hit a three-run home run, and Mason McWhorter (Georgia Southern), Masen Hibbeler (Texas) and Brandon Alamo (Stony Brook) each hit a two-run home run as the Orange County Riptide pounded the Southern California Catch 19-3 today at Biola University. As a team, the Riptide collected 17 hits, six of them for extra bases, and put nothing but crooked numbers up on the scoreboard. They opened the scoring in the second inning, scoring three times on a Cooper double, an RBI-single by Thomas Delgadilo and an RBI-triple by Micah Pries (Point Loma). They plated four in the third inning on an Alamo RBI-single and Cooper’s three-run home run, six in the fifth inning when Pries drove in a pair with a single, Paul Gomez (Missouri) drove in one with a single and Hibbler hit his home run, and two more in the sixth on an error and run-scoring fielder’s choice 1o lead 15-0. The Catch got on the board in their half of the sixth when Miguel Abascal (USD) hit a solo home run, but Orange County went back to scoring in their next at bat as McWhorter and Alamo hit their two-run home runs. Pries, Cooper and Alamo each finished with a game-high three RBI, while seven Riptide players recorded multiple-hit games. Both teams had a “staff day”, with Orange County utilizing seven pitchers in the game and the Catch five. Ryan Sublette (Texas Tech) started on the mound for the Riptide and struck out three in the first inning and two in the second to highlight the Orange County pitchers. Blake Wichert, who pitched the eighth and ninth innings, was the only Catch pitcher not to be scored upon, recording three strikeouts.
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San Luis Obispo, CA
Ryan Cash (Oklahoma St) tripled and scored in the eighth inning and drove in the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly in the ninth as the Santa Barbara Foresters overcame a 3-1 deficit in their final two at bats to beat the San Luis Obispo Blues 4-3 tonight at Sinsheimer Park. Trailing since the fourth inning when Marco Murillo (Campbellsville) hit a leadoff double, advanced to third on a Noah Taylor (Cal Poly) single and scored on a sacrifice fly to put the Blues up 2-1, and a two-RBI single by Luc Lipcius (Tennessee) in the fifth made it 3-1, the Foresters, stymied since Conor Davis (Auburn) doubled and scored in the second inning, inched closer in the eighth when Cash hit a one-out triple and scored on a sacrifice fly. Then, in the top of the ninth inning, Santa Barbara got two runners into scoring position with one out when Utah Jones (North Greenville) hit a leadoff single, John Jensen (UC Irvine) reached on an error and a sacrifice bunt advanced the runners. After an intentional walk loaded the bases, a hit batsmen forced in the tying run and Cash put the Foresters ahead with his sacrifice fly. Brad Demco (Sam Houston State), who entered the game in the eighth inning in relief of Gavin Velasquez (Cal St Fullerton), who pitched two scoreless, hitless innings with three strikeouts, got the first two outs of the ninth inning but also allowed a single and a walk to give San Luis a tying-runner in scoring position. But James Notary (TCU) came into the game and struck out the only batter he faced to close out the win. Tanner Bibee (Cal St Fullerton) started on the mound for Santa Barbara, recording five strikeouts in five innings of work and allowed all three of the Blues runs before turning the pitching duties over to Velasquez. Frankie Scalzo (San Jose St), who entered the game in the second inning in relief of Blues starter Ben Kirke (Grand Canyon), struck out seven over seven innings, allowing one run while scattering six hits to highlight the San Luis pitching.
July 1, 2018
La Mirada, CA
Ryan Smoot (VMI) drove in four two-out runs with a two-run single and a two-run double in consecutive at bats to lead the Southern California Catch to a 10-9 win over the Arroyo Seco Saints today at Biola University. With the Catch trialing 6-1 heading into the bottom of the fourth inning, Smoot came to bat with runners on second and third and two outs, hit his two-run single and then scored when Grant Robbins (UNLV) hit an RBI-double to make the score 6-4. Then, in the fifth inning, after Omar Ortiz (Cochise College) singled to lead off the inning and eventually scored on a passed ball and the Catch plated another on a run-scoring error to tie the score, Smoot came to bat with two runners again in scoring position and two outs, this time driving in both with his double to put the Catch up 8-6. The Saints got within one in the top of the seventh inning when John Thomas (USC) reach on an error, advanced to third on a Mitch Kerner single and scored on a balk, but the Catch answered with a pair of runs in their half of the inning via a reached-by-error, two hit batsmen and a pair of fielder’s choices to take the lead for good. Arroyo Seco added a single run in the eighth on a Christian Moya (USC) RBI-single, and one in the ninth on a Nic Lacayo (Michigan St) solo home run to come up one short. The Saints scored first in the game when Gabe Chavez (San Bernardino) led the game off with a single, stole second and scored on a two-out RBI-single by Cooper Williams (New Mexico St), added three runs in the second inning when the first three batters reached on a hit batsman and two bunt singles, all of whom scored, and added a pair of runs in the fourth on RBI-singles by Tristan Peterson and Kerner. The Catch first scored in the third inning when Ortiz hit a two-out RBI-single. Both teams utilized six pitchers in the game. Connor Mushinski (Weatherford) who pitched an inning and a third hitless was credited with the win while Luke LaFlam (Arizona St), who was on the mound when the Catch first took the lead, was saddled with the loss.
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Santa Barbara, CA
Utah Jones (North Greenville) and Luke Ritter (Wichita St) each hit two-run home runs, and Conor Davis (Auburn) and Logan Allen (Arkansas-Ft. Smith) each added two-run singles to lead the Santa Barbara Foresters to a 12-6 victory over the Academy Barons today at Pershing Park. Davis’ two-run single in the fourth inning, which opened the scoring in the game, immediately preceded Jones’ home run to give Santa Barbara an early 4-0 lead. The Barons answered in their next at bat with three runs of their own, two scoring on a Trent Anderson (CSU Bakersfield) bases-loaded single and a third scoring on a balk. Ritters’ home run in the fifth inning then put the Foresters back on top by three, and, after both teams squandered prime scoring opportunities in the sixth, the Barons again got to within one when Anderson, who had tripled in the first inning as part of a three-hit game, hit a ground rule double to put runners on second and third with no outs, both of whom would score on a infield groundout and a wild pitch. Santa Barbara took the lead for good in their half of the seventh inning, getting three consecutive RBI-singles by Jones, Michael Neustifter (Oklahoma State) and Turner Gauntt (Texas), and a sacrifice fly. Desmond Gates (West LA JC) hit an RBI-single for the Barons in the top of the eighth inning, and Allen hit his two-run single in the bottom half for the Foresters to post the final 12-6 score. Davis, Jones and Anderson each finished with a game-high three hits, while Allen and Jones led all run producers with three RBI each. Erik Gutierrez (Lipscomb), the league-leader in strikeouts recorded so far this season, started on the mound for the Academy, struck out only one batter in four-plus innings and was saddled with the loss. Brett Standlee (Oklahoma State) started for Santa Barbara, struck out four in four-plus innings of work and was credited with the win.
June 30, 2018
Santa Barbara, CA
Steven Curry (Georgia Southern) hit a fly ball double with two outs in the top of the eleventh inning that was lost in the lights and scored the go-ahead run when the next batter, Chase Sebby (Ball State), hit an infield single up the middle that, initially, kept Curry from trying to score. But when an attempt was made to third base to catch Curry off the base as he rounded it, the throw got away and he scored the run that gave the Orange County Riptide a 2-1 win over the Santa Barbara Foresters tonight at Pershing Park. It was an unusual finish to a well-pitched game, as Cassius Hamm (Northridge), Brandon Ivey (Texas) and Hayden Pearce (Pacific) outdueled Caleb Sloan (TCU), Hunter Breault (Oregon) and Elliott Anderson (Auburn) in a matchup of the two leading teams in the CCL so far this season. Hamm started the game on the mound for the Riptide giving up only two hits in five innings, but did walk four batters, two of which came back to bite him in the second inning when, with one out, Cody Masters (Texas Tech) advanced the two runners into scoring position with a single and then a groundball out brought home the only Santa Barbara run of the game. Ivey relieved Hamm to start the sixth inning and pitched around two walks and one hit to record three scoreless innings before turning the pitching duties over to Pearce in the ninth. Pearce retired the first five batters he faced before giving up a single to Chase Illig (West Virgina), who had doubled earlier in the game, and then retired the final four batters in order to secure the Orange County win. Sloan started on the mound for Santa Barbara and was just as effective as Hamm, but allowed five hits, one of which was a Sebby solo home run in the second, while notching four strikeouts in five innings without allowing a walk. Breault relieved Sloan to start the sixth inning and stranded baserunners in each of the three innings he worked, none of which was as dramatic as his escape in the seventh inning. After surrendering a leadoff double to Micah Pries (Point Loma), a wild pitch that allowed Pries to advance to third and a walk to Masen Hibbeler (Texas) put runners on the corners, Breault struck out the next three batters in a row to maintain the 1-1 tie. Anderson entered the game and retired the side in order in the ninth, tenth and appeared to be on his way to doing so again in the eleventh, striking out five, when Curry’s fly ball flew above the reach of the Pershing Park lights and fell uncaught to setup the go-ahead play.
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Healdsburg, CA
Jacob Shanks (UC Riverside) hit a three-run home run to cap a five-run eighth inning as the Academy Barons overcame a 5-1 deficit to beat the Healdsburg Prune Packers 6-5 today at Recreation Park and take two of the three game series between the teams. Dominated for all the other innings of the game by the Healdsburg pitching trio of Chase Gardner (UConn), Henrik Reinertsen (Pacific) and Nick Roth (College of Marin), the Barons, after loading the bases with no outs to start the eighth inning, took advantage of a two-base error to score twice and, with two outs, capitalized on the extra at bat when Shanks cleared the bases with his three-run home run to put the Academy ahead. The Packers threatened to score in their half of the eighth inning, loading the bases with one out on a walk and two singles, but Andy Rosales (El Camino JC) entered the game in relief of Jake Binder (Ithaca College) and retired the next two batters to maintain the Academy’s lead. Anthony Nettles (Clark) then pitched a scoreless ninth for the Barons, striking out the last two batters he faced, to close out the win. Gardner started on the mound for Healdsburg and was dominant, retiring 15 of the 16 batters he faced in his five innings of work, surrendering only one hit, a second inning solo home run to Hunter Lewis (Indiana State). Likewise, Reinertsen was almost as dominant in his three innings of relief of Gardner, striking out eight of the nine outs he recorded, including each of the three outs in the eighth inning when all five runs the Barons scored were unearned, but suffered the loss. Roth struck out the side in the ninth inning to give the Healdsburg trio of pitchers a combined 17 strikeouts. The Packers scored once in the first inning on a sacrifice fly, three times in the fifth when Ryan Ruley (Loyola Marymount) led off with a double, Ben Sanderson (UC Santa Barbara) hit an RBI-double and Quentin Selma (Cal) added a two-out RBI-single, and once in the sixth when Sanderson drove in another run with a single. Sanderson and Ruley finished with a game-high three hits.
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Pasadena, CA
Cooper Williams (New Mexico St) drove in the tying run with a one-out RBI-single in the seventh inning and then scored what would prove to be the winning run on a two-out error to lead the Arroyo Seco Saints to a 4-3 win over the Southern California Catch tonight at Jackie Robinson Stadium. Trailing 2-1 heading into the seventh inning, the Saints got the tying run to second base when Christian Moya (USC) singled and advanced to second when John Thomas (USC) reached on an error. Williams then drove Moya home to tie the score and, after a wild pitch put runners on second and third with one out and an intentional walk loaded the bases to setup a possible inning-ending double-play, both Thomas and Williams scored on the second error of the inning to make the score 4-2. The Catch scored once and had the tying run in scoring position in the eighth inning after Daniel Jung (Notre Dame) led off with a walk, went first-to-third on a Hill Alexander (Dallas Baptist) single, and scored on a sacrifice fly, but Charles Peacock (Galveston JC), who entered to pitch after Alexander’s single in relief of Blake Beers (Michigan), recorded two strikeouts on either side of the sacrifice fly to hold on to the Saints lead. Joey Steele (USF) then retired the side in order in the ninth inning to close out the win. Arroyo Seco jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Drew Cowley (Cal Poly Pomona) and Bennett McCaskill (Dartmouth) hit back-to-back two-out doubles, and the Catch took the lead in the fourth inning when Alexander and Jacob Rogers (UNLV) hit consecutive singles to lead off the inning and both scored on a two-base error to make the score 2-1. Caleb Bly (Oklahoma Baptist) started on the mound for the Catch, recording six strikeouts in six innings, and JD Russomano (Corban) started for the Saints, notching three strikeouts over two innings before turning the pitching duties over to Beers who pitched the next five, allowing three runs, one earned, on three hits while striking out and walking two.
June 29, 2018
Healdsburg, CA
Ryan Shreve (Pacific) struck out five and faced the minimum 15 batters in his five innings of work, Jared Noonan (UC Riverside) struck out nine batters in four innings, and Dane Tofteland (Indiana St) and Sam Wezniak (Cal) both homered in the eighth inning to lead the Healdsburg Prune Packers to a 4-1 win over the Academy Barons in the first game of a doubleheader today at Recreation Park. Shreve’s start was as economical as it was dominant. He used only 55 pitches to complete five innings, 43 of which were strikes, and he retired nearly half of the batters he faced on three or less pitches. The only blemish of his outing was a one-out single by Christian Lucio (Eastern Kentucky) in the first inning, but Lucio was caught stealing and Shreve went on to retire the next 13 batters out in order. Noonan relieved Shreve in the sixth and turned in an impressive outing of his own, even moreso considering the first batter he faced, Bruce Martin (Stetson), welcomed him to the game with a solo home run to lead off inning and tie the score 1-1. Obviously, that didn’t sit well with Noonan. After the home run he struck out the next two batters and, when the sixth inning ended with a Barons runner, who had walked to get on base, was caught stealing, Noonan struck out three straight in the seventh, one in the eighth and three more in the ninth to close out the win. While Noonan was dominant against the Barons’ hitters, Joshua Stephens (Beaufort) was equally as effective, for a while. Entering the game in the fifth inning in relief of Academy starting pitcher Nikelle Galatas (Jackson St), who struck out six in four innings of work, Stephens retired nine straight to start his outing, one out coming when a runner was picked off third base. Things turned quickly the second time through the Healdsburg lineup, however, as Tofteland led off the eighth inning with a solo home run and, with two outs, Wezniak hit a two-run home run to post the final 4-1 score. Healdsburg scored its first run of the game in the fourth inning when the leadoff hitter reached on an error and eventually scored on Aidan Negal two-out RBI-single. Ben Sanderson (UCSB) hit a double and two singles to finish with a game-high three hits.
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La Mirada, CA
The Southern California Catch chased down the Arroyo Seco Saints, scoring unearned runs in each of their last two at bats to win 3-2 today at Biola Univeristy. Trailing for most of the game after Drew Cowley (Cal Poly Pomona) doubled and scored and John Thomas (USC) reached on an error and scored in the second inning for Arroyo Seco, the Catch took advantage of two two-out walks and a Jacob Rogers (UNLV) single to load the bases in the seventh inning and scored the tying run on an error. Then, in the bottom of the eighth inning, Jake Boone (Princeton) reached base on a fielder’s choice and, after advancing to third on a walk and a Grant Robbins (UNLV) single, scored on another error with the go-ahead run. Anthony Mayorga, who came in to pitch the ninth inning for the Catch in relief of Deylen Miley (Tiffin), who struck out four in his two innings of scoreless relief, struck out two in a scoreless ninth to secure the win. Cowley, added two singles to finish with a game-high three hits for Arroyo Seco, and Boone, Rogers and Daniel Jung (Notre Dame), two singles apiece, were the only other players with multiple-hit games. Tayt Smith (Azusa Pacific) pitched three hitless, scoreless innings for the Catch in relief of starter Hayden Jorgenson (Azusa Pacific), who went the first three, before turning the pitching duties over to Miley and Mayorga.
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Fullerton, CA
Drew Sims (Utah Valley) hit a three-run home run in the eighth inning to break a 1-1 tie, and Justin Friedman and John Vergara combined for ten strikeouts to lead the Conejo Oaks to a 5-1 win over the Orange County Riptide today a Fullerton College. With the score tied after Landon Gray (Tennessee) hit a solo home run for the Riptide in the third inning, and Tanner Wright (Cal Lu) singled and scored on a Brandon Lewis (UC Irvine) double in the fifth, Sims’ go-ahead homer followed a lead off walk to Lewis, a wild pitch that advanced Lewis to second and one-out intentional walk of Chase Cockrell (Ole Miss) that setup a potential inning-ending double play. Late in a tie-game, the intentional walk is the sensible baseball strategy. But, on the second pitch he saw, Sims thwarted that strategy and put the Oaks ahead 4-1, and, in the ninth, Elijah Alexander (Rio Grande Valley) singled and eventually scored on an error to post the final 5-1. Friedman started on the mound for Conejo and retired the first eight batters he faced in order, half via strikeouts, before Gray’s home run put the Oaks behind. For the next five-plus innings he pitched around five hits and two walks waiting on his offense to, first, tie the score and then take the lead before handing the ball to Vergara with one out in the eighth. Vergara struck out the last out of the eighth inning and struck out three more in the ninth to close out the win. Bryce Verplank (Texas) started on the mound for Orange County and pitched three-and-a-third scoreless innings with three strikeouts, and Tyler Frazier (Oregon) notched four strikeouts in two innings of scoreless relief to highlight the Riptide pitching. Lewis added two singles to go with his double to finish with a game-high three hits.
June 28, 2018
San Luis Obispo, CA
Noah Cracknell (Portland) hit a two-out, bases-loaded single in the bottom of the seventh inning to drive in two runs, break a tie ballgame and lead the San Luis Obispo Blues to a 3-2 win over the Arroyo Seco Saints tonight at Sinsheimer Park. With the score tied 1-1 after Jay Charleston (Tennessee) led off the bottom of the first inning with a single, stole second base and scored on a Justin Lutes (Pepperdine) single for San Luis, and John Thomas (USC) hit an RBI-single in the third for the Saints, the Blues mounted a rally with two outs and nobody on base in the seventh. Matt Anderson (Georgia Southern) started things with a single, advanced to third on a pair of walks and scored on Cracknell’s two-RBI single to give the Blues the lead 3-1. The Saints answered with a run in their next at bat when Jacob Jenkins (MidAm Nazarene) led off the eighth inning with a single, advanced to third on a pair of wild pitches and scored when the next batter, Cameron Briggs (UC Davis), singled him in. And although Briggs was thrown out trying to steal second base and the next batter struck out, Arroyo Seco still had a good chance to tie the game after Nic Lacayo (Michigan St) and Mitch Kerner hit consecutive two-out singles but Cole Tucker, the fourth Blues pitcher of the game, came in to strike out the final out of the inning and the final two outs of the ninth to close out the win despite surrendering two one-out singles.
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Healdsburg, CA
Quentin Selma (Cal) hit a two-run home run, Sam Wezniak (Cal) hit a bases-clearing three-run triple and Bryan Arias (San Antonio) hit a two-run single to lead the Healdsburg Prune Packers to a 9-4 win over the Academy Barons tonight at Recreation Park. Although the score would indicate a game full off offense, almost all of the scoring took place in the last three and a half innings as the Packers broke open a 1-1 game in the bottom of the sixth inning with eight runs in their last three at bats. Selma’s home run, which followed a Cade Peters (UC Riverside) double, made the score 3-1 in the sixth and the Packers took advantage of three walks to score four times in the seventh when Selma drove one in with a single and Wezniak drove in three with his double. Four singles in the eighth inning, including Arias’ two-run hit, plated two more. Both teams struggled to get anything going offensively early as Jeff Kersten (UConn), who started on the mound for the Packers andpitched five hitless, scoreless innings with three strikeouts and allowed only two baserunners via walk and a hit batter, the first of which was erased on the bases in a double-play. Barons starting pitcher Ryan Hare (UNLV) was not as dominant as Kersten through five, but was nearly as effective, allowing only one run in the third inning when Luke Fegen (Indiana State) singled and scored on a Wendell Champion II (Houston) RBI-double. Hare was on the mound when Selma hit his home run, however, and so suffered the loss. With Kersten out of the game in the sixth inning, the Barons scored immediately when a lead off walk and a Logan Pollack (Michigan) double put two runners in scoring position and a ground ball out got their first run across. A bases-loaded walk in the eighth inning, a Trent Anderson (CSU Bakersfield) RBI-double and a run-scoring groundout in the ninth accounted for the three other Academy runs.
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Santa Barbara, CA
Michael Hobbs (St. Mary’s) struck out the first six batters he faced, seven of the first eight and nine overall in five innings, Matt Hartman struck out the first five of the six batters he faced in relief of Hobbs, and Logan Allen (Arkansas-Ft. Smith) hit a three-run home run to cap a seven-run outburst that propelled the Santa Barbara Foresters to a 9-1 win over the Southern California Catch tonight at Pershing Park. Despite the dominance of Hobbs and Hartman, the Catch were still in the game late, having scratched out a run in the third inning when David Martinez (Senior) hit a two-out RBI-single to drive in Ryan Smoot (VMI) who had doubled to lead off the inning, and briefly held a 1-0 lead until Allen doubled in Santa Barbara’s half of the third and scored on a run-scoring ground ball. The score remained 1-1 until the sixth inning when a pair of walks, an error and a wild pitched allowed the Foresters to take the lead but, in the seventh, the Foresters took over the game. Taking advantage of three walks and a hit batsmen, Santa Barbara got run-scoring singles from Luke Ritter (Wichita St), Michael Neustifter (Oklahoma State) and Ryan Cash (Oklahoma State), and then Allen hit his three-run homer to make the score 9-1. Jacob Rogers (UNLV) hit a two-out, two-run single in the eighth inning to post the final 9-3 score.