June 8, 2019
Thousand Oaks, CA
Trent MacKinney (Glendale JC) doubled to lead off the tenth inning of a 6-6 game and scored on a walk-off sacrifice fly by Raul Sandoval (Oxnrd JC) to give the Conejo Oaks a 7-6 comeback win over the Arroyo Seco Saints today at Sparky Anderson Field. MacKinney’s double, his third hit of the game, set up a comeback that saw the Oaks chase down a six-run deficit before they even came to bat. The Saints had scored six runs in the top of the first inning on six hits, including a two-out, two-run double by Jacob Wyeth (Cisco JC), who matched MacKinney with a game-high three hits. All of the Saints runs came against Oaks starting pitcher Matthew Strother (UC Santa Barbara), who managed to get through the inning but turned the pitching duties from there over to the Conejo relievers. And what a job the relievers did. Four relievers, Noah Mattera (UNLV), Charlie Beilenson (Brown), Jacob Flores (San Diego St) and Carson Carter (Texas Tech) held the Saints in check, throwing a combined nine shutout innings on five hits and six strikeouts. Conejo got their first run of their comeback right away in the first inning when Tyler Odekirk (Cal St LA) led off with a single and scored from first on Ryne Yamashiro (Cal Lutheran) two-out double. The Oaks managed to get runners on base in every inning off of Saints starting pitcher Hayden Harris (Georgia Southern) and their first reliever, Michael Hendricks (Lee), but didn’t score again until the sixth inning when MacKinney drove in a run with a groundball and Gabe Baldovino (Ventura JC) hit a two-out RBI-single to make the score 6-3. The Oaks tied the game in the seventh inning after Steele Ledford (UC Santa Barbara) hit an RBI-double and, with the bases loaded and two outs, MacKinney picked up his second and third RBI of the game with a single. Both teams went quietly in the eighth inning and stranded runners in the ninth to send the game into extra innings. Arroyo Seco got their leadoff batter on base via a walk, but Carter retired the next three batters he faced, two via strikeout to set up the walk-off dramatics in the bottom of the tenth.
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Elsewhere around the CCL tonight:
Fairfield, CA
The Solano Mudcats scored 21 runs on 15 hits to beat the Lincoln Potters, who scored 19 runs on 22 hits, in a wild game at Vanden High today. Justin Banks (Coppin State) drove in a game-high five runs with a two-run home run, a two-run double and an RBI-groundout, Christian Harkey (Savannah St) hit two home runs in consecutive at bats and finished the game with four RBI, and Eric Waldichuk (Willamette) hit a solo home run and an RBI-double to lead the Mudcats. Zach Bushling, who entered the game late for Lincoln, was a perfect three-for-three, hit a solo home run in his first at bat and added a pair of RBI-singles to finish with four RBI, while Zachary Patterson (Ohlone), Kana’kai Gaughan (MS Valley St), Matt Lopez and Anders Green each collected two-run doubles, among other hits, to lead the Potters.
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Compton, CA
Basiel Williams Jr. (Jones JC) drove in what proved to be the winning run with a two-out triple in the seventh inning and JP Massey (Minnesota) locked down the win by pitching a scoreless eighth and ninth innings to lead the Academy Barons to a 5-4 win over the Orange County Riptide today at the MLB Youth Academy. Williams’ triple, which drove in Trent Anderson, who had reached on an error, retook the lead from the Riptide who had scored twice in top of the inning on an RBI-double by Dylan Rock (UTSA) and a run scoring single by Andre Antone (UC Irvine) which tied the game briefly. Orange County claimed the first lead in the game when Connor Aoki (Binghamton) led off the third inning with a home run, but the Academy scored four times in the bottom of the fourth inning on a two-run single by Jair Donovan (Concordia), a bases-loaded error and a two-out single by Cristian Poche (New Orleans) to make the score 4-1. The Riptide added one more in the fifth inning on two walks and two hit batsmen issued by Brandon Mitchell, who entered the game to begin the inning in relief of Barons starting pitcher Julian Jackson (Eastern Kentucky) who struck out four in four innings of work. Nikelle Galatas (Jackson St) came into the game for the Academy and recorded the final out in the fifth inning to limit the damage, then retired the side in order before turning the pitching duties over to Travis Lavendier in the seventh, and Massey’s lockdown innings later on. Ricky Reynoso (Pacific) was the starting pitcher for Orange County, compiling seven strikeouts in three-plus innings before turning the pitching over to Wesley Scott (Vanderbilt), who pitched two and two-thirds innings of hitless ball while striking out five. Cole Samuels (St Louis) was on the mound for Orange County when Williams hit his triple in the seventh inning and suffered the loss.
June 6, 2019
Fairfield, CA
Jakob Frederick (San Joaquin JC) struck out six batters over four innings, Tyler Cochran struck out four over three innings, and Nolan Murphy (William Jessup) and Tyler Mead each pitched a scoreless, hitless inning to lead the Lincoln Potters to a 4-3 win over the Solano Mudcats tonight at Vanden High. Frederick started on the mound tonight for Lincoln and cruised through the first three innings, allowing only a one out single in the second and a one-double by Wellington Balsley (Solano JC) in the third, before running into trouble in the fourth. At that point, the Potters had already posted all the runs they would generate in the game, scoring two unearned runs on one hit in the second inning and two more unearned runs on two hits in the third to give Frederick a 4-0 lead. Solano rallied against Frederick in the fourth when Justin Banks (Coppin State) led off with a single, Jack Pridy (Sonoma St) doubled, and a hit batsman all reached base before and out was recorded, and all would score with Balsley collecting a two-out RBI with a single to make the score 4-3. Frederick struck out the last batter of the inning to limit the damage, however, and then turned the pitching duties over to the three relief pitchers who faced the minimum 15 batters the rest of the way. Cochran was dominant, not allowing a ball out of the infield over three innings while striking out four of the nine batters he faced. Both Murphy and Mead faced a little more adversity having each walked the leadoff hitter in the innings they pitched, but both benefitted from a double-play turned in by the defense behind them and closed out the Lincoln win. The pitching for Solano was as effective as Lincoln as starting pitcher Caleb Hill (Savannah St) and reliever Diego Ramirez (Occidental) did not allow an earned run but were skewered by four defensive errors. Hill did allow seven hits while striking out three in five and two-thirds innings, but Ramirez dealt, retiring nine of the ten batters he faced. The one player Ramirez allowed to reach via a walk in the eighth with the potential tying run, he picked off first base to eliminate the threat. Zachary Patterson (Ohlone), who collected two singles for Lincoln, joined Balsley as the only two hitters to post a multi-hit game.
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Elsewhere around the CCL tonight:
Pasadena, CA
Andy Garriola (Old Dominion) hit a two-out RBI-single in the seventh inning to break a 5-5 tie, and Jamie Robertson (Emory) and Zachary Griggs (UTSA) pitched through three innings with runners in scoring position to preserve the Arroyo Seco Saints 6-5 win over the San Luis Obispo Blues tonight at Jackie Robinson Stadium. Garriola’s big hit came the inning after the Blues scored four times to take the lead 5-4 on doubles by Nick Hansen and Julian Bury (Columbia) and RBI-singles by Reuben Mercado, Ryan Cole (Notre Dame) and Taison Corio (Delta JC). Garriola drove in Morgan Allen (St. Edward’s) with the go-ahead run in the seventh after Allen singled with a man aboard and a two-base error allowed the tying run to score and Allen to advance to third base. Garriola also drove in the first run of the game, hitting his first two-out single to drive in Justin Watari (New Mexico) who led off the bottom of the first inning with a single. The Blues tied the score in their next at bat when Brendan Kemps (Cuesta JC) hit a run-scoring single, only to have the Saints take the lead right back in their half of the inning, scoring twice on RBI-singles by Thomas McCarthy (USF) and David Reyna to make the score 3-2 Saints. That score remained until Allen tripled with one out in the bottom of the fifth inning and scored on a groundout to give the Arroyo Seco a 4-2 lead that would last until the Blues rally in the sixth which Robertson came into the game to stop. Entering with two outs and the bases loaded Robertson induced a ground ball out to end the threat. He then struck out the first two batters he faced and got a groundout with a runner on board in the seventh inning, and then pitched around a leadoff walk and a single in the eighth inning to preserve the one-run lead. Likewise, Griggs pitched around a leadoff single and a one-out walk to strand the tying and go-ahead runners on base in the ninth inning, striking out two to close out the win for the Saints. Noah Bullard, the third pitcher of the game for San Luis, pitched the last two innings, striking out four, but was saddled with the loss. Cole reached base all face plate appearances he had in the game, walking once and leading all hitters with four singles.
June 4, 2019
Irvine, CA
Caleb Denny (Arkansas) hit the inaugural home run of the 2019 CCL season, Connor Aoki (Binghamton) singled, doubled and drove in two runs and Dylan Rock (UTSA) singled, doubled and scored twice to lead the Orange County Riptide to a 6-3 win over the San Luis Obispo Blues toight at Great Park Stadium. Denny’s home run, a solo shot in the first inning, put the Riptide up 2-1 after San Luis Obispo scored once in the top of the inning when Ryan Cole (Notre Dame) singled to lead off the game and, after advancing to third on an error, scored on a passed ball, and Orange County tied the scored when Antonio Cruz (Rice) singled, stole second and eventually scored on a passed ball. After Denny’s home run, which came with two outs, Rock singled and Aoki doubled him home to make the score 3-1. Riptide starting pitcher Tyler Booth held the Blues in check for the next three and a third innings, despite allowing leadoff singles in both the third and fourth innings. Booth helped his own cause by picking off both runners in those innings and left the game after recording the first out in the fifth inning with the Riptide leading 4-1 as Rock and Aoki again combined to drive in a two-out run, this time Rock doubling and Aoki driving him home with a single in the third. The scored remained the same until the top of the seventh inning when Joshua Ramirez (Dominguez Hills) led off for the Blues with a single and eventually scored on a groundout to make the score 4-2, but Orange County immediately responded in their half of the inning when Chris Aubort (Hawaii Hilo) led off with a single, scored on a Carson Matthews (BYU) double, and Matthews scored on an error. TJ Rumfield (Texas Tech) tripled in the top of the eighth inning and scored on a sacrifice fly for San Luis, but that was as close as the Blues would get as Marrick Crouse came in to record the final out of the eighth and pitched around a walk and a single in the ninth to close the win out for the Riptide. Jack Hodgins (Hendrix College) struck out three in the eighth inning to highlight the Blues’ pitching. Tonight’s game was the first contest Orange County hosted at the Great Park Stadium, their new home after playing last season at Concordia University.
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Lincoln, CA
The Lincoln Potters erupted for seven runs in the fifth inning to overcome a 5-2 deficit and went on the beat the Healdsburg Prune Packers 9-6 tonight at McBean Stadium in Lincoln’s first game as an affiliate of the CCL. The Potters rallied with five hits in the fifth inning, including a two-run single by Anders Green and an RBI-double by Daniel Susac, and took advantage of two walks and three Healdsburg errors to take the lead 9-5. The Packers had jumped out to an early 2-0 lead when Kevin Sandri led off the game with a walk and scored from first on an RBI-double by Bryson Hill (Houston), and Travis Turney (Portland) led off the second inning with a walk and eventually scored on a fielder’s choice. Lincoln answered with two runs in their half of the second inning when Andrew Buglino doubled in Zachary Patterson (Ohlone) and Jordan Berry (Chochise JC), both of whom singled with two outs. Bryan Sturges (UTSA) hit a solo home run in the third inning to put Healdsburg back in front, and the Packers added two more in the top of the fifth on three walks and two errors to make the score 5-2. Then the Lincoln rally happened. Morgan White (Portland) singled and eventually scored on a wild pitch to get one more run for Healdsburg in the sixth inning, but Tyler Mead, the fourth pitcher of the game for Lincoln, came in to record the final out in the sixth in a bases-loaded situation, and retired seven of the eight batters he faced to hold the Packers in check before turning the pitching duties over to Grant Woodside who pitched a scoreless ninth to close out the Lincoln win. Healdsburg starting pitcher Tyler Thornton had a game-high five strikeouts in his three innings of work and did not figure in the decision, while Lincoln’s Nolan Young (Illinois St) was the only hitter to record a multiple-hit game (two singles).
*Stats for this game are not available as of post time, as both teams are still configuring their stats programs.
February 5, 2019
Santa Barbara, CA
A pair of independent Northern California summer baseball clubs have agreed to affiliate with the CCL beginning this summer to standardize competitive rules and equipment and to pave a road to the first California summer baseball state championship. The two teams, the Lincoln Potters and Solano Mudcats are established programs who have played in both independent and league arrangements in the past. This new affiliation structure is more of a hybrid of those two arrangements.
The affiliate structure will allow the teams to play schedules largely independent of the CCL, which is mostly centered in Coastal and Southern California, while still abiding by the same rules of the CCL and playing a competitive and balanced schedule amongst themselves and the CCL NorCal powerhouse Healdsburg Prune Packers. The affiliate teams and Healdsburg have been formed into the Northern Division of the CCL and will play a 24-game schedule to determine a Division Champion who will represent the division in the inaugural California Summer Baseball State Championship Series slated for July 27-28 at Sparky Anderson Field in Thousand Oaks, CA.
The affiliates will have their game and player performances recorded and featured on the CCL website and social media, but as non-official members of the league who are not competing directly against the bulk of the CCL teams, affiliate teams and Healdsburg are not eligible to play for the CCL Championship (the CCL Playoffs will be held July 25-26) and affiliate players are not eligible for all-star or post-season individual honors.
A third affiliated team, the Ventura Buccaneers, will play a limited schedule against the Central and Southern California CCL teams and, likewise to the NorCal affiliates, will not be eligible for post-season competition or awards.
July 29, 2018
Thousand Oaks, CA
Jordan McFarland (Arkansas) had four hits, including a pair of RBI-singles in his first two at bats, Brandon Lewis (UC Irvine) hit a two-run home run and Gerry Ramirez (Glendale JC) pitched six innings of one-run ball to lead the Coenjo Oaks to a 6-2 win over the Orange County Riptide today at Sparky Anderson Field, claiming the 2018 CCL Championship, the club’s first league title in their 13-year existence. McFarland, who was named the Most Valuable Player of the playoffs, drove in the first Oaks run of the game, hitting an RBI-single that scored Lewis, who had reached on a two-base error, from second base. McFarland’s second RBI-single drove in Michael Spears (Ole Miss), who had tripled with one out in the third inning, to put the Oaks up 3-1 after Orange County scored once in the bottom of the first on a two-out RBI-single by Austin Sojka (OK Wesleyan) and after Conejo scored once in the second when Sam Shaikin (Valparaiso) walked with one out, stole second base, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on an Andrew Lucas (Northridge) single. Ramirez, who started on the mound for the Oaks, threw five scoreless innings with two strikeouts after surrendering the first inning run, not facing more than four batters in any of the five innings and allowing only one runner, Sojka, who doubled with two outs in the sixth inning, to get into scoring position. By the time Ramirez turned the pitching duties over to the Oaks bullpen the score was 4-1 as Shaikin again walked and scored in the sixth inning, advancing to third this time on a Zach Kaminkow (UNLV) double and scoring on a squeeze bunt by Will Picketts (Bakersfield). John Vergara was the first Oaks reliever of the game, allowing two walks and a two-out single by Steve Curry (Georgia Southern) but escaped surrendering a run when Lucas fielded Curry’s hit in left field and threw out Thomas Delgadilo who tried to score from second base. Nick Rincover (Pierce College) then pitched around a one-out single by Mason McWhorter (Georgia Southern) to throw a scoreless eighth inning and retired the first two batters he faced in the ninth before Josh Nicoloff (Columbia) doubled and scored on an RBI-single by Aaron Simpson (Ball St) to make the score 6-2. Angus Denton (Arkansas) relieved Rincover and retired the only batter he faced to close out the win. Ryan Sublette (Texas Tech) started on the mound for Orange County, allowing three runs on four hits while striking out three in three innings. Corey Dawson (Westmont College) relieved Sublette to start the fourth inning and allowed three runs, including surrendering a two-run home run by Lewis in the ninth inning, on six hits while striking out three in five and a third innings before turning the pitching duties over to Tyler Frazier (Oregon) who pitched around a single and an error to record the final two outs without allowing any further damage.
The Oaks, the No. 4 seeded team in the playoffs, won three must-win games to win the championship. They beat the Healdsburg Prune Packers 9-6 Friday in a win that edged the San Luis Obispo Blues for the fourth and final berth to the playoffs, and then they beat the Santa Barbara Foresters, the No. 1 seeded team, 3-2 to advance to today’s game. Orange County was the No. 2 seed in the playoffs and today’s loss snapped a three-game streak in which they won each game in their last at bat, beating Healdsburg on Thursday when McWhorter hit a walk-off home run to leadoff the bottom of the ninth inning, beating the Academy Barons Friday when Sojka hit a walk-off home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, and beating Healdsburg yesterday by scoring nine runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to win 11-9.
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.
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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.
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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 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.