To say Jason Brandow got off to a hot start for Cal State Fullerton would be an understatement. Through the early weeks of the 2021 campaign, Brandow led the storied baseball program in several offensive categories, including at-bats, hits, runs, home runs, total bases, and extra base hits. Brandow recorded three-hit games in two contests, including a 3-for-3 effort with two doubles against the University of Utah on February 21, and a 3-for-5 game against San Diego a week later. In the second inning of that contest against San Diego, he hit his first home run of 2021– the front end of back-to-back shots by Brandow and another future CCL player Austin Schell, en-route to a 5-1 Titan victory.
The Northern California native will be close to home this summer as he takes on the CCL North schedule as a part of the Lincoln Potters. Follow along with the future Potters’ catcher here.
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#CCLBaseball #PotterUp
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(LOS ANGELES, CA) – The California Collegiate League’s 2020 season will have a new look in the upcoming summer as the league will now consist of a three division format: South, Central, and North Divisions.
Four teams will make up the new Northern Division, with the Healdsburg Prune Packers, Lincoln Potters and the Solano Mudcats making the transition from being members of the former Affiliate Division, into becoming full-members of the California Collegiate League in 2020. They will be joined by the fourth team of the new conference, the Walnut Creek Crawdads.
The Healdsburg Prune Packers Baseball Club was formed in 2014 to carry on the tradition of the original Healdsburg Prune Packers team that was originally formed in 1921. Since their rebirth in 2014, they have played a season in both the Golden State Collegiate Baseball League and the Horizon Air Summer Series, then in 2016 they made the move to the CCL where they have competed ever since. Under the guidance of Joey Gomes, the Club’s manager on and off the field, Healdsburg will look to repeat their success in 2020 by building off their 2019 campaign in which they claimed the Affiliate Division crown and finished as runner-up in the California State Championship to the Santa Barbara Foresters.
The Lincoln Potters returned to Lincoln in 2017, but can follow their baseball roots in the city all they way back to 1923. In their first two seasons, the Potters competed as members of the Great West League, finishing as runner-ups in 2018. Then in 2019, they made the move to the CCL as members of the Affiliate Division, finishing just behind rival conference member, Healdsburg. Led by manager Ryan Stevens, the Potters will look to avenge last season’s shortcomings and hope to find themselves representing the Northern Conference as champions in 2020.
The Solano Mudcats were formed in Solano County in 1990 and were once an established semi-professional baseball club before making the switch and becoming a collegiate baseball organization in 2012. They were an independent organization for the first five years after the transition, but in 2018 they joined the Bay Area Collegiate League and earned themselves the league title in their first and only year as members. In 2019, they joined the CCL as members of the Affiliate Division. With their President, Head Coach and General Manager, Ben Crombie, at the helm, the Mudcats will look to improve upon their 2019 season and compete for a conference title in 2020.
The Walnut Creek Crawdads round out the conference, returning to the CCL after having previously been apart of the league for the 2014-17 seasons. Originally founded in 2010, the Crawdads have also competed as members of the Far West League. After a brief hiatus, Brant Cummings has taken the lead on revitalizing the organization, as he will both run and manage the team during the 2020 season. With Cummings in charge, Walnut Creek hopes to make an immediate impact in their return to the CCL and make a run at the Northern Division.
The top teams from each Division will face off in the CCL State Championship Tournament the first weekend of August. Stay tuned for more exciting news regarding that!
July 28, 2019
Thousand Oaks, CA
Ross Cadena (Wichita State) doubled, hit an RBI-single and scored two runs, Christian Franklin (Arkansas) hit a two-run home run, Jacob Katzfey (Wichita State) had three hits, and Jake Jackson (Nevada) and four relievers combined to allow one run over nine innings to lead the Santa Barbara Foresters to a 6-1 win over the Healdsburg Prune Packers in the deciding game of the California State Championship series today at Sparky Anderson Field. Batting second and third in the Foresters’ lineup, Cadena and Franklin combined in the third inning to first tie the game and then give Santa Barbara a lead they would not give up. Heading into that inning with Healdsburg leading 1-0 after John Lagatutta (Cal) hit a solo home run in the second, Cadena drove in Ryan Cash (Oral Roberts), who had walked, with the tying run and Franklin hit his home run to give the Foresters a 3-1 lead. Santa Barbara increased its lead in the next inning when Katzfey, who tripled in his previous at bat and would double in his next, singled with one in the fourth and scored on an RBI-single by Cash, and added one more when Cash scored on a Eric Kennedy (Texas) double to make the score 5-1. The early runs were plenty for Jackson and the Santa Barbara relievers. Jackson went the first five innings, allowing the one run but otherwise stranding six baserunners over his five-inning start. Striking out none but also walking none, Jackson pitched around a pair of two-out singles in the first inning to hold the Packers scoreless, pitched around a two-out single in the second after Lagatutta hit his home run to leadoff the inning, stranded a baserunner who had reached on a one-out error in the third, stranded another runner who had reached base on a single in both the fourth and fifth innings to conclude his strong start and earn the win. Kevin Larson (Fresno State) started the sixth inning in relief of Jackson and pitched the next two innings scoreless, striking out one before Jacob Burton (Arkansas) pitched around a leadoff walk to hold Healdsburg scoreless in the eighth and Brad Demco (Oklahoma) struck out the side in the ninth to both close out the Foresters championship win and put an exclamation point on his pitching performance this summer, finishing the season as the league’s top strikeout pitcher and not allowing a run in 18 appearances. Trey Garlett (Texas Tech) started on the mound today for Healdsburg and suffered the loss, allowing five runs on six hits while striking out two over three and two-thirds innings. Spencer Hynes (Houston) and Andrew Hansen (St. Mary’s) both pitched in the fourth inning in relief of Garlett, Hynes surrendering the fifth run charged to Garlett when Kennedy hit his double, and Hansen getting the final out of the fourth and continuing on to retire the side in order in the fifth. Randy Polonia (UConn) pitched around Katzfey’s double to hold the Foresters scoreless in the sixth inning and started the seventh, allowing Cadena’s double before Noah Rennard took over and struck out the first batter he faced before Nick Bellafronto (Stanford) drove in the sixth Santa Barbara run with a single. Morgan White (Portland) retired the side in order in the eighth inning, striking out two, to finish on the mound for the Packers. Having won the CCL Championship on Friday and the California State Championsip today, the Foresters next set their sights on the national tournament in Wichita, Kansas already in progress with the Foresters set to play their first game later this week.
July 26, 2019
Thousand Oaks, CA
Blake Hall (Oral Roberts) doubled and hit a two-run home run, Ryan Cash (Oral Roberts) went three-for-three with three runs scored and two RBI, and Nick Bellafronto (Stanford) and Christian Franklin (Arkansas) each doubled and had multiple-RBI games to lead the Santa Barbara Foresters to a 10-9 win over the Arroyo Seco Saints today at Sparky Anderson Field to claim the 2019 CCL Championship. Hall’s double with one out in the third inning sparked a three-run rally that put Santa Barbara up 7-0, and his home run in the fourth, which came on the heels of a two-run home run by Jayson Gonzales (Vanderbilt) that got Arroyo Seco on the board, seemed to indicate the Foresters would have an answer for anything the Saints threw at them. But Arroyo Seco came back regardless, scoring five times in the fifth inning on five hits, including a two-run double by Drew Cowley (Cal Poly Pomona), RBI-doubles by Thomas Luevano (San Diego) and Evan Russell (Tennessee) and a run-scoring single by Gonzales to get within two, 9-7. Matt Garza (Incarnate Word), who entered the game in relief of Saints’ starting pitcher Trevor Beer (UC Santa Barbara) in the middle of the third inning after the Foresters scored their three runs, held the Foresters scoreless in the fifth and sixth innings, retiring six of the seven batters he faced before starting the seventh down only one run after Luevano and Pete Derkay (Tennessee) hit back-to-back doubles in the top of the inning to make the score 9-8. Cash singled and Eric Kennedy (Texas) bunted for a base hit off Garza to start the Foresters half of the inning and, after Hayden Harris (Georgia Southern) entered the game in relief of Garza, Franklin hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Cash with what would prove to be the game winning run. Elijah Trest (Arkansas), the third reliever to appear in the game for Santa Barbara, struck out three to hold the Saints scoreless in the eighth inning and Hunter Breault (Oregon) came on to pitch the ninth, allowing one run when Derkay hit his second consecutive double and third hit of the game, advanced to third on Gonzales’ third hit of the game and scored on a run-producing groundout that put the potential tying run in scoring position with two outs. Breault struck out the next batter to end the game, however, and secured the championship for Santa Barbara. Beer suffered the loss in today’s game, striking out five over two and two-thirds innings but surrendered nine hits and seven runs, including three in the first inning when Kennedy led of with a single, Bellafronto and Franklin followed with RBI-doubles and, one out later, Ross Cadena (Wichita State) hit an RBI-single. Beer also allowed one run in the second when Cash got the first of his three hits and scored on a Bellafronto two-out single before being charged with all the runs in the Foresters’ three-run third. Ryan Bergert (West Virginia) started on the mound for Santa Barbara and held the Saints hitless until two outs in the fourth inning when Derkay got the first of his three hits in front of Gonzales’ home run. Connor Woods (UNLV) came on to pitch in relief of Bergert after Arroyo Seco scored the first four runs of their rally in the fifth inning and, after allowing Russell’s double that drove in the fifth Saints run of the inning, Woods struck out the last batter to end the rally and turned the pitching duties over to Jake Jackson (Nevada), who pitched around an error to hold the Saints scoreless in the sixth before allowing the Luevano and Derkay doubles in the seventh.
Click here for the boxscore of this game
The CCL State Championship Series begins tomorrow at Sparky Anderson Field with the Foresters taking on the champion of the CCL Affiliates Division Healdsburg Prune Packers in a best-of-three series beginning at noon with a second game to follow at 4pm. A third, if necessary, game is scheduled for Sunday at noon.
July 24, 2019
Healdsburg, CA
Ian Villers (Cal) was nearly perfect through five innings, allowing only one walk, and Jason Dicochea (Santa Clara), John Lagattuta (Cal) and Cam Blake (Texas A&M) each hit solo home runs to lead the Healdsburg Prune Packers to a 7-0 shutout win over the Lincoln Potters in the first game of the three-game CCL Affiliates Division championship series tonight at Recreation Park. Villers struck out eight in his outing and retired every batter he faced in order until he walked Tanner O’Tremba (Texas Tech) on four pitches with two outs in his last inning, presumably the last batter he would have faced. Villers then retired the next batter he faced to complete his hitless start. By the time Villers’ outing was complete the Packers had amassed a 4-0 lead, having scored three times in the second inning when Connor Mack (Cal) hit an RBI-double and Joe Lampe (UC Davis) hit a two-run single, and once in the third when Dicochea hit his home run. Lagattuta hit his home run in the bottom of the fifth which gave Andrew Hansen (St. Mary’s), who relieved Villers to start the sixth inning, a five-run cushion to work with. He needed none of it. Hansen picked up where Villers left off and shutout the Potters over the last four innings, allowing two singles and one walk while striking out three. Brain Martinez (Cal St East Way) started on the mound for Lincoln and suffered the loss, allowing four runs on five hits while striking out two over four innings. Travis Parker (Utah Valley) pitched the fifth and sixth innings, allowing a run in each when Lagattuta hit his home run in the fifth and Blake hit his in the sixth. Michael Potter (Cal St Monterey Bay) finished the game for the Potters, allowing four hits over two innings and surrendering the last Packers run in the eighth when Bryan Sturges (UT San Antonio) and Blake hit consecutive singles to leadoff the inning and Sturges scored on a first-and-third rundown situation when Blake was picked off first base but stayed in the rundown long enough for Sturges to score. The two teams will meet tomorrow at 4pm and, if necessary, again at 7pm, to determine the CCL Affiliates champion.
Click here for the boxscore of this game
The CCL Playoffs get underway tomorrow at Sparky Anderson Field on the campus of Cal Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks with a three-team single elimination tournament. Tomorrow the No. 3 seeded Arroyo Seco Saints will meet the No. 2 seeded Orange County Riptide in an elimination game, the winner of which will meet the No. 1 seeded Santa Barbara Foresters on Friday in a winner-take-all championship game. Game times are 4:30pm. The winner of the Affiliate Division Playoffs will meet the CCL Champion in a best-of-three California State Championship set to begin Saturday at Sparky Anderson Field at 12pm.
July 21, 2019
San Luis Obispo, CA
The Orange County Riptide hit safely in only two innings, were retired in order in seven and struck out eleven times but still managed to beat the San Luis Obispo Blues today 4-3 at Sinsheimer Park, thanks to a four-run second inning and the stingy pitching of Tanner King. The Riptide got four hits and two hit batters in their four-run second inning today, generating all their runs with two outs on a two-run error and RBI-singles by Carson Matthews (BYU) and Max Ferguson (Tennessee). Other than a Chad Crosbie (Miami) two-out single in the eighth inning, the Orange County batters were retired in order throughout the rest of the game. The four runs of support were enough for King, who started on the mound for the Riptide, and four relievers. King retired the first seven hitters he faced in order, assisted by a runner being caught stealing, before a Brady Lindsly (Oklahoma) single and a Julian Bury (Columbia) double in the third inning put two runners in scoring position with one out for the Blues. King struck out one and got a groundball out to finish the inning scoreless and retired the side in order in the fourth before surrendering the only run of his outing in the fifth when two singles and an RBI-groundout got San Luis on the board. Noah Walker (Texas State) was the first reliever into the game for Orange County, starting the sixth inning in relief of King and allowing one run after a walk and an error put a runner in scoring position and Tanner Lindsley (Oral Roberts) hit a single to plate the Blues second run. Walker then picked off a runner for the second out in the inning and struck out the last batter to avoid further damage. Cole Samuels (St. Louis) pitched the seventh inning and surrendered the third San Luis run unearned when a two-base error and a Bury RBI-single made it a one-run game, but Andrew Davis and Ryan Sublette (Texas Tech) combined to pitch the eighth inning scoreless, stranding two base runners who had reached base via walks and were sacrificed into scoring position when Davis struck out one batter and, after a pitching change, Sublette struck out another. Sublette then retired the side in order in the ninth to close out the win. Mitchell Scott (Cal) started on the mound for San Luis and was perfect except for the second inning, finishing with eight strikeouts in his six-inning start. Braeden Gowdy was near perfect over his three innings in relief of Scott, allowing only one baserunner when Crosbie got his hit in the eighth, and finished with three strikeouts.
Click here for recaps of this game
Elsewhere around the CCL today:
Healdsburg, CA
Josh Medina (Sonoma State) hit three singles and drove in four runs, Jason Pridy (Solano JC) hit a two-run home run, a single and scored three times, and Wellington Balsley (Solano JC) had two hits, two RBI and two runs scored to lead the Solano Mudcats to a 13-9 win over the Healdsburg Prune Packers today at Recreation Park. Medina’s three run-scoring hits and Pridy’s home run highlighted big innings for the Mudcats, who scored runs in bunches in this game. They scored three times in the second inning when Angelo Zorn (Occidental) hit an RBI-single in front of Pridy’s homer, three times in the third when Medina and Balsley drove in runs and a passed ball plated another, four times in the seventh on another Medina single, a Balsley sacrifice fly, a wild pitch and a bases loaded walk, and three times in the ninth when Medina drove in two with his third single and Adam Chadwick drove in one with a single. The Solano 15-hit attack overshadowed the 14-hit performance of the Packers which included three-hit performances by Jason Dicochea (Santa Clara) and Travis Turney (Portland), and the two-hit games by Cal Conley (Texas Tech) and Joe Lampe (UC Davis). Caleb Hill (Savannah State) started on the mound for the Mudcats and earned the win, allowing eight runs on 13 hits over six innings before turning the pitching duties over to Eric Walduchik (Willamette), who picked up the save with his three innings of work, allowing one run on one hit. Shamus Lyons (UC Riverside) was the starting pitcher for Healdsburg and went three and third innings, allowing six runs on eight hits and did not figure in the decision. Griffin Hattingh was the second reliever into the game for the Packers and suffered the loss, allowing three runs on three walks and one hit in relief of Jack Hinrichsen (Cal) who pitched two and two-thirds in relief of Lyons, allowing one run on one hit while striking out three.
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Santa Barbara, CA
Zach Presno (Fresno State) hit an RBI-triple and a two-run home run, Nick Bellafronto (Stanford) hit a double and a solo home run, Christian Franklin (Arkansas) had three hits and drove in two, and Blake Hall (Oral Roberts) had three hits, including a three-run double to lead the Santa Barbara Foresters to a 15-2 rout of the Academy Barons today at Pershing Park. The 18-hit Foresters attack was balanced in this game as the team scored runs in six of their eight at bats, starting in the first inning when Presno’s triple and an RBI-single by Spencer Jones (Vanderbilt) gave Santa Barbara a 2-0 lead. The Foresters scored four two-out runs in the second when an error plate one run, Franklin’s first hit plated another and Presno hit his home run, and then blew the game open with four more two-out runs in the third when Hall cleared the bases with his three-run double and Franklin got his second consecutive two-out RBI-single. All of this run support benefitted Foresters starting pitcher Brooks Fuller (Auburn) who did his part by shutting out the Barons over his five-inning start, allowing two singles while striking out six. By the time Cole Quintanilla (Texas) took over pitching for Fuller to start the sixth, Santa Barbara had extended their lead to 13-0, scoring once in the fourth inning when Bellafronto hit his home run and twice in the fifth when Jacob Katzfey (Wichita State) hit a two-run single, again with two outs. Quintanilla retired six of the seven batters he faced in his two-inning appearance, striking out three and surrendering one single to Marcus Johnson (Santa Ana JC), who had two of the Barons five hits in the game. Drake Greenwood (Rice) pitched the eighth inning, allowing the Academy’s two runs on a sacrifice fly and a Kendall Ewell (Eastern Kentucky) RBI-single, and Brock Helverson (West Virginia) retired the side in order in the ninth to finish the win for the Foresters. David Appleby (Michigan) was the starting pitcher for the Academy and suffered the loss, allowing ten runs on ten hits over three innings before Noel Soto (Long Beach CC) took over in the fourth and allowed three runs on five hits while striking out three over three innings. Cristian Poche (New Orleans) pitched the last two innings for the Barons and surrendered the last two Santa Barbara runs unearned when the Foresters scored two runs after an error extended the inning, get one run on a fielder’s choice and one on a Tommy Holguin (Santa Barbara CC) two-out single.
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Thousand Oaks, CA
Gabe Baldovino (Ventura CC) hit a two-run home run, Jacob Castro (UC Irvine) hit a solo home run and an RBI-double and Ryne Yamashiro (Cal Lutheran) hit a two-run home run to lead the Conejo Oaks to 7-3 win over the Arroyo Seco Saints today at Sparky Anderson Field. Baldovino and Castro hit their home runs back-to-back in the fifth inning, driving in three runs to break what had been a 1-1 tie score. Castro’s double, which was immediately followed by Yamashiro’s home run, came in the seventh and gave the Oaks some breathing room after the Saints scored single runs in both the sixth and seventh innings, scoring on a Thomas Leuvano (San Diego) RBI-double and Evan Russell (Tennessee) scoring after a leadoff double on a sacrifice fly, to get within one. Travis Weston (Boise State) was the starting pitcher for Conejo and picked up the win, allowing four hits while striking out five over four innings, and allowing one Saints run in the first inning when the leadoff batter walked and scored from first base on an RBI-double by Morgan Allen (St. Edward’s). Weston retired the next ten batters he faced in order after Allen’s double and eleven of the next thirteen before Aidan Dolan took over to start the fifth inning and retired the side in order in that inning before surrendering a run in the sixth on Luevano’s double. Reece Matheisen (Glendale JC) pitched the last three innings for Conejo and, after allowing Arroyo Seco’s third run on a sacrifice fly for the first out he recorded, retired nine of the final ten batters of the game, two by strikeout, and the only hitter to reach base safely did so by way of an error. Eli Riechmann (Blinn) started on the mound for the Saints and suffered the loss, allowing six hits while striking out two over four innings, and surrendered the Oaks first run in the second inning when Raul Sandoval (Oxnard CC) hit a leadoff double and, after a sacrifice, scored on a run-producing groundout. Trevor Davis (Cornell) and Jamie Robertson (Emory) each pitched two innings in relief of Riechmann and each allowed three runs on three hits and two hits, respectively.
July 19, 2019
Thousand Oaks, CA
Eric Kennedy (Texas) had three hits, including a home run, Quentin Selma (Cal) hit a pair of doubles and drove in two, Spencer Jones (Vanderbilt) doubled and singled twice, and Blake Hall (Oral Roberts) hit an RBI-triple and a double to lead the Santa Barbara Foresters to a 9-3 win over the Conejo Oaks today at Sparky Anderson Field. Kennedy’s home run, a solo shot to leadoff the eighth inning, capped the scoring today for Santa Barbara in a game that saw the Foresters collect a combined 15 hits, eight of which went for extra bases, and featured seven different players with hits in the game, six of them posting multiple-hit games. The Oaks led early in the game, scoring once in their first at bat when Raul Sandoval (Oxnard CC) singled and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly, but Santa Barbara went on the score eight unanswered runs to take command. Ryan Cash (Oral Roberts) scored the first Foresters run in the third inning when he doubled, advanced to third on a Kennedy sacrifice bunt and scored on a passed ball to tie the score. Santa Barbara took the lead for good in their next at bat when Hall hit his triple to drive in Jones, who had singled to leadoff the fourth, and Hall scored on a sacrifice fly to put the Foresters up by two. They added one run in the fifth inning when Jones hit an RBI-single, three in the sixth when Cash hit an RBI-single and Selma hit a two-out, two-run double and one in the seventh when Jones doubled and scored on an error. Ryan Bergert (West Virginia), who surrendered the Oaks’ run in the first, shutout Conejo over the next four innings and finished with six strikeouts to earn the win. Nico O’Donnell (Texas) was the first reliever into the game for Santa Barbara, retiring the first two batters he faced in the sixth inning in relief of Bergert, but walked the next three batters before Connor Woods (UNLV) came in to get the final out and strand three. Woods surrendered the second Conejo run in the seventh inning unearned when a one-out two-base error, a groundball out that advanced the runner and a wild pitch plated a run for the Oaks. Brock Helverson (West Virginia) also allowed a run in his one inning of relief in the eighth when Will Picketts (Tennessee) hit an RBI-single to post the final score. Brad Demco closed out the Foresters win by retiring the three batters he faced in the ninth in order, two by strikeout. Eric Ma (Cal Lutheran) started on the mound for Conejo and suffered the loss, allowing four runs on seven hits while striking out two over four and two-thirds innings.
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Elsewhere around the CCL today:
Pasadena, CA
Jayson Gonzales (Vanderbilt) went four-for-four, reached base safely in all six plate appearances and hit a home run for the second consecutive night, and Anthony Forte (Richmond), Thomas Luevano (San Diego) and Evan Russell (Tennessee) each had three-hit games to lead the Arroyo Seco Saints to a 16-5 blowout win over the Academy Barons tonight at Jackie Robinson Stadium. The four-hit performance by Gonzales, who also walked twice and scored four times, highlighted the Saints 21-hit offensive outburst that saw eight different Saints hitters collect hits, all of whom posted multiple-hit games. The Saints scored in bunches early, scoring five times in their first at bat on five hits, including a pair of two-run doubles by Luevano and Russell, twice in the third inning when Gonzales hit his home run and Forte added an RBI-single, three times in the fourth and four times in the fifth when Christian Scott (Tennesse) hit his second consecutive single and his second and third RBI. They added a single run in the sixth when Gonzales got his third hit of the game and scored their sixteenth run in the seventh when Morgan Allen (St, Edward’s) hit an RBI-single. Michael Garza (Incarnate Word) was the first beneficiary of all this run support, starting on the mound for the Saints and striking out five over five innings of work and allowing only one unearned run on four hits. Race Gardner (Hawaii-Hilo) relieved Garza to start the sixth and struck out four over the next three innings, allowing one unearned run in the sixth when Jaylen Heard (Heartland) hit an RBI-double to drive in a runner who had reached base on a two-out error, walked in one run with the bases loaded in the seventh, and allowed one in the eighth when Marcus Johnson (Santa Ana JC) hit an RBI-double. Grant Young (San Francisco) pitched the ninth inning for Arroyo Seco, striking out one, and surrendered the Barons fifth run on a Basiel Williams Jr. (Jones JC) RBI-single. Larry Barrabino III (Southern) started on the mound for the Academy and suffered the loss, allowing five runs on seven hits.
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Lincoln, CA
Lorenzo Debrecht (Sierra JC) had two hits, including a two-run home run, Matt Lopez had two hits, including a solo home run, and Grant Burton hit a big two-run double to lead the Lincoln Potters to a 10-9 back-and-forth win over the Healdsburg Prune Packers tonight at McBean Stadium in a preview of the CCL Affiliates Division championship series next week in Healdsburg. Debrecht’s home run came with two outs in the seventh inning and drove in Lopez who had singled just before his at bat. The two-run shot broke an 8-8 tie score after Healdsburg had tied the game in their previous at bat, scoring twice in the top of the seventh when Cal Conley (Texas Tech) tripled in a run and scored on a run-producing ground out, which came immediately after Lincoln had scored three times in the sixth when Lopez hit his home run and Burton gave Lincoln its first lead of the game with his double. This type of back-and-forth offense happened throughout the game, Healdsburg scoring first. They plated five runs in their first at bat on five hits, highlighted by a two-run double by David Langer (UConn), an RBI-double by Cole Brodnansky (UConn) and a run-scoring single by Cole Stilwell (Texas Tech). Lincoln got on the board in their first at bat too, scoring an unearned run when a Lopez groundout plated a runner who had reached base on an error, and, after the Packers scored once in the fourth inning on a Conner Mack (Cal) single, the Potters scored four times in their half of the inning on RBI-singles by Bryce Beauchamp (Chico State) and Isaiah Garcia (Cal St Fullerton), and a first-and-third double steal to make the score 6-5. Keith Walker (Yuba JC) was the starter pitcher for Lincoln and pitched four innings, allowing six runs on six hits while striking out four. Brian Martinez (Cal St East Bay), the third reliever into the game for Lincoln, started the eighth inning after the Potters took the lead for good on Debrecht’s homer, allowed the last Healdsburg run in that inning when Jason Dicochea (Santa Clara) hit an RBI-double to get the Packers within one, but Martinez struck out the next two batters to hold the lead and pitched around a hit batter with two outs in the ninth to close out the win. Ian Villers (Cal) started on the mound for Healdsburg and did not figure in the decision, allowing four runs, three earned, on three hits while striking out seven over three and third innings.
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San Luis Obispo, CA
Six Orange County Riptide pitchers combined to hold the San Luis Obispo Blues to one unearned run on four hits, and a Max Ferguson (Tennessee) single and a Carson Matthews (BYU) home run each drove in two runs in the second innings to lead the Riptide to a 5-1 win over the Blues tonight at Sinsheimer Park. Sean Higgins (Columbia) started on the mound for Orange County and struck out three over three innings, allowing one hit in the second inning while retiring the side in order in the first and third. Chase Lyford started the fourth and went two and two-thirds innings to pick up the win, allowing two hits and the Blues only run in the fifth inning when a two-out error, a stolen base and a Ryan Cole (Notre Dame) single plated one. Cole Samuels (St. Louis), Michael Defelippi (Pacific), Andrew Davis and Ryan Sublette (Texas Tech) combined to hold San Luis scoreless the rest of the way. The Riptide got all the runs they would need in the second inning when a leadoff walk and a Trey Lipscomb (Tennessee) double put two runners in scoring position in front of Ferguson’s single. And, one out later, Matthews drove Ferguson in with his home run. That inning was the only blemish on San Luis’ starting pitcher Kyle Richardson’s (Texas A&M) outing. Richardson retired the side in order in the first inning, and retired three of the four batters he faced in both the third and fourth innings and finished with six strikeouts before Derek True (Cal Poly) came on to start the fifth inning and finished the game on the mound for the Blues, striking out seven while allowing three hits and the fifth Orange County run when Chad Crosbie (Miami) hit an RBI-double in the ninth inning.
Before this game the Blues and Riptide resumed their game from June 29 that was suspended after nine innings due to a light restriction curfew. The game was resolved with one inning of play today when Lipscomb hit a leadoff single, advanced into scoring position on a wild pitch and scored on a Dylan Rock (UT San Antonio) RBI-single, and whenNoah Walker (Texas State) pitched around a one-out single to hold the Blues scoreless and earn the win.
July 17, 2019
Irvine, CA
Nick Jones (Georgia Southern) struck out the first eleven batters he faced and thirteen overall in a five-inning hitless and scoreless start, and Dylan Rock (UT San Antonio), who hit a solo home run in the first inning, hit a two-out single in the bottom of the ninth to drive in the winning run as the Orange County Riptide beat the Academy Barons 5-4 tonight at Great Park Stadium in walk-off fashion. Obviously, Jones was dominant tonight. He pounded the strikezone, throwing 13 first pitch strikes to the 18 batters he pitched to and faced only four full-count situations. The first batter to reach base against him came when, after striking out eleven, he hit the twelfth batter on an 0-2 count. He then retired the next batter on three straight strikes. He did issue a pair of two-out walks in his last inning of work, the fifth, but struck out batters on either side of the walks to finish his hitless outing. The only two outs Jones didn’t record by strikeout were two groundball outs, one in the fourth inning and one in the fifth. By the time his start was finished the Riptide had posted a 4-0 lead. After Rock’s home run in the first inning, Orange County scored once in the second when two walks and a hit batter loaded the bases and a groundball out produced their second run, and twice in the third when Antonio Cruz (Rice) hit a two-out two-run home run. But after Jones left the game the Barons rallied, scoring three runs in the sixth inning on two walks, a wild pitch, an RBI-single by Jaylen Heard (Heartland) and an RBI-triple by Christian Lucio (Eastern Kentucky) to get within one, and then tied the game in the eighth when Basiel Williams Jr. (Jones JC) tripled and scored on a wild pitch. Trevor Sutt (Long Beach CC), the second reliever into the game for the Barons, came in to pitch after the score was tied and struck out the first two batters he faced and held the Riptide scoreless in the eighth inning and struck out the first batter he faced in the ninth before Michael Peabody (UC Irvine) singled to put the potential winning run on base. Sutt struck out the next batter for the second out which brought Rock to the plate. And, crucial to the story, before Rock’s plate appearance was decided, Peabody stole second base to get into scoring position. Rock then hit his single and Peabody scored the winning run. AJ Stinson II (Lawson St JC) started on the mound in this game for the Academy and threw three innings, allowing four runs on four hits while striking out five before turning the pitching duties over to Josh Landry (Cypress JC) who held the Riptide scoreless over four innings of relief, allowing only one hit and striking out six. Taylor Pendley (Howard) was the first reliever into the game for Orange County, starting the sixth inning in relief of Jones and allowing three runs on two hits while striking out four over two innings of work. Cole Samuels (St. Louis) pitched one inning, allowing the Barons’ fourth run on one hit, and Ryan Sublette (Texas Tech) pitched around a leadoff walk and an a one-out single in the top of the ninth inning, assisted by an inning-ending double play, to pick up the win.
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Thousand Oaks, CA
Hunter Swift (Oral Roberts) doubled twice, scored three runs and pitched an inning of scoreless relief, Ruben Mercado (San Jose St) had two hits and two RBI, Brian Klein (Texas Tech) had a pair of run-scoring singles and starting pitcher Mitchell Scott (Cal) threw five shutout innings to lead the San Luis Obispo Blues to a 7-1 win over the Conejo Oaks today at Sparky Anderson Field. Swift, batting in the leadoff spot in the San Luis batting order, scored the first run of the game after being hit by a pitch to lead off the game, advanced to second on a sacrifice and scored when Taison Corio (Delta JC) hit an RBI-single. Corio then stole second base and scored when Klein hit the first of his RBI-singles to give the Blues all the runs they would need. Scott took the early run support and made it stick throughout his start, striking out three and pitching around two singles and four walks over his five-inning start to keep the Oaks off the scoreboard. By the time his outing was complete the Blues had increased their lead to 5-0, scoring twice in the third inning on Klein’s second RBI-hit and an RBI-double by Ford Sherrington (Hendrix), and once in the fourth when Swift hit a two-out double and scored on a Mercado single. Kai Janowicz (UC Davis) entered the game in the sixth inning in relief of Scott and after retiring the side in order in that inning, surrendered the Oaks only run of the game in the seventh when a leadoff walk, a single and a sacrifice fly plated one. Janowicz pitched around another single in the eighth inning to hold Conejo scoreless before Swift came on to pitch the ninth and struck out two of the three batters he faced in the inning to close out the win. Jacob Flores (San Diego State) started on the mound for the Oaks and suffered the loss, allowing four runs on five hits while striking out three over three innings of work. Reece Mathieson (Glendale JC) was the first reliever in for Conejo and struck out three over two innings but surrendered the fifth Blues run on two hits before Aidan Dolan came on to start the sixth and pitched two scoreless innings before Swift and Mercado hit back-to-back two-out RBI-doubles in the eighth to post the final score. Bailey Holbrook relieved Dolan to get the final out in the eighth inning and then pitched a scoreless ninth to finish the game for Conejo.
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Pasadena, CA
The Santa Barbara Foresters hit six consecutive one-out singles and seven overall to generate six first inning runs and Spencer Jones (Vanderbilt) had a three-hit game, one of which was a two-run home run, to lead the Foresters to an 11-5 win over the Arroyo Seco Saints tonight at Jackie Robinson Stadium. The first inning rally was highlighted by a two-run single by Ross Cadena (Wichita State), who would also triple in his next at bat, and RBI-singles by Zach Presno (Fresno State), Jones and Ryan Cash (Oral Roberts). Santa Barbara added one run in the second inning when a walk, a stolen base, a passed ball and a groundball out scored one, one in the fourth when Eric Kennedy (Texas) tripled and scored on Christian Franklin’s (Arkansas) second single of the game, one in the fifth when Dru Baker (Texas Tech) led off the inning with a single and eventually scored on a Kennedy sacrifice fly, and two in the ninth when Jones hit his home run. Caden Monke (Arkansas) started on the mound for the Foresters and went three innings, striking out two, allowing four hits and surrendering one run in the third when Andy Garriola (Old Dominion) hit a two-out RBI-double. Drake Greenwood (Rice) was the first reliever in, starting the fourth in relief of Monke and struck out five over two innings but allowed three runs on three hits, including an RBI-single by Morgan Allen (St. Edwards) and a two-run single by Pete Derkay (Tennessee), both in the fifth inning. Kevin Larson (Fresno State) pitched two innings hitless, allowing the fourth Saints run unearned after two walks and two errors made the score 9-5 after seven innings before Elijah Trest pitched the last two innings for Santa Barbara and retired six of the seven batters he faced, four by strikeout, to secure the win. Alex Cornwell (USC) was the starting pitcher for Arroyo Seco and suffered the loss, allowing eight runs on ten hits while striking out five over four innings. Isaiah Ramos (Antelope Valley JC) pitched the last five innings in relief of Cornwell and struck out seven, allowing three runs on three hits.
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Alameda, CA
Wellington Balsley (Solano JC), Eric Robles (Sterling College) and Justin Banks (Coppin State) each hit RBI-doubles in the seventh inning to erase a 1-0 deficit and lead the Solano Mudcats to a 4-2 win over the San Francisco Seals today at Alameda College and spoil a nine strikeout, four inning performance by Seals’ starting pitcher Sam Gomez (Citrus JC). Trailing 1-0 heading into the seventh inning after stranding six baserunners in scoring position over the first six innings, the three double rally was started when the leadoff batter of the inning walked. After the next batter grounded out, Balsley hit his double to tie the score, Robles hit his double to give Solano the lead and, one out later, Banks hit his double to drive in Robles with what would prove to be the winning run. Gomez struck out three and stranded three runners in the first inning, struck out three and stranded two runners in the second and then retired the side in order in both the third and fourth innings, striking out three more. He allowed two hits and issued two walks but used the strikeout to hold Solano scoreless. Julius Raval entered the game to start the fifth inning in relief of Gomez and struck out two to keep the shutout going and pitched around a walk and a Christian Harkey (Savannah State) double to throw a scoreless sixth before allowing the three-double rally in the seventh. Coby Eckstein pitched the last two innings for San Francisco and allowed four hits and the fourth Solano run when James Harwell (Sonoma State) led off the eighth inning with a single, advanced on a passed ball and a single before scoring on another passed ball. Cody Switzer (Napa Valley JC) started on the mound in this game for the Mudcats and picked up the win, allowing two runs on seven hits while striking out four over six innings of work. Switzer held the Seals scoreless until Alex Schmitz (Oral Roberts) hit a two-out RBI-single in the sixth. Eric Waldichuk (Willamette) pitched two hitless, scoreless innings in relief of Switzer, entering the game after Flynn Morrison (Redwoods JC) tripled off of Switzer to leadoff the seventh, Morrison scoring when Waldichuk got a groundball out for the first out of the inning. Waldichuk struck out two in his two innings before Nate Freeman (UC Davis) struck out two to pitch a scoreless ninth and secure the Mudcats’ win.
July 14, 2019
San Luis Obispo, CA
Taison Corio (Delta JC) hit a two-run triple, Hunter Swift (Oral Roberts) hit a two-run double and added a third RBI, and Kyle Richardson (Texas A&M) struck out five in a five-inning start to lead the San Luis Obispo Blues to an 8-3 win over the Academy Barons today at Sinsheimer Park. Corio’s triple started the scoring in the game, coming with no outs in the bottom of the first inning and driving in Ford Sherrington (Hendrix), who had hit a leadoff single, and Swift, who had walked. Corio then scored on a wild pitch and San Luis had a lead they would not give up. Swift drove in two more runs in the second inning with a bases loaded double to give the Blues, who swept the four-game series against the Barons with this win, five unanswered runs to open the game. Richardson started on the mound for San Luis and held the Academy scoreless for two innings, striking out two, before the Barons hit four consecutive singles to open the third inning to score two runs, Maxwell Dias (New Orleans) driving in two with a bases loaded single. Richardson retired the next three batters in the third inning to escape further damage and then retired six of the next seven batters he faced, four by strikeout, to finish his five-inning stint. The Blues answered the Barons runs in the third inning with one of their own in the bottom half when Nick Hansen (Grand Canyon) hit an RBI-single, and then added two more in the fourth when Brian Klein (Texas Tech) hit a two-out, two-run double to make the score 8-2. Derek True (Cal Poly) was the first reliever into the game for San Luis, starting the sixth inning in relief of Richardson and surrendered the third Barons’ run when Kendall Ewell (Eastern Kentucky) hit a run-scoring single with no outs, but True retired the next three batters he faced, two by strikeout, to limit any rally from forming before Connor Wilford came on to pitch the last three innings. Wilford retired nine of the eleven batters he faced, striking out three, to secure the Blues’ win. Julian Jackson (Eastern Kentucky) started on the mound for the Academy and suffered the loss, allowing five runs on four hits while striking out five over two innings. Larry Barrabino III (Southern) pitched the third and fourth innings, surrendering the last three Blues runs and striking out two, AJ Stinson (Lawson State JC) pitched an inning and a third, Christian Poche (New Orleans) finished the sixth inning in relief of Stinson and stuck out one, and Noah Owen pitched the last two innings, striking out four, to finish on the mound for the Barons.
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Santa Barbara, CA
Quentin Selma (Cal) had three hits and drove in three runs, Zach Presno (Fresno St) had two hits and three RBI and Jacob Katzfey (Wichita St) hit a two-run double to lead the Santa Barbara Foresters to a 9-4 win over the Orange County Riptide today at Pershing Park. Selma and Katzfey hit RBI-doubles and Presno hit a run-scoring single to generate four runs in the first inning to give the Foresters a lead they would not give up. Brooks Fuller (Auburn), who was the staring pitcher tonight for Santa Barbara, made that 4-0 lead stick through three and two-third scoreless innings, striking out three, until three consecutive Riptide singles with two outs in the third inning, the last an RBI-single by Blake Faddoul (Santa Clara), got Orange County on the board. Ryan Cash (Oral Roberts) hit an RBI-single in the bottom of the fourth inning to up the Foresters lead back to four, but the Riptide scored twice again in the fifth inning when the first two batters of the inning reached base on a hit batter and an error and both scored, first on a wild pitch and then on a sacrifice fly to score two without the benefit of a hit. And that was the end of the scoring for Orange County. Clayton Beeter (Texas Tech) came on to start the sixth inning for Santa Barbara in relief of Fuller and struck out two in a scoreless inning of work, Brad Demco struck out three in a scoreless seventh and Hunter Breault (Oregon) pitched the last two innings scoreless to secure the Foresters’ win. Santa Barbara added four runs to their total in the fifth inning with four consecutive one-out hits, including a Presno two-run single, and a run-producing groundout, and added one in the sixth when Selma’s third hit of the game plated their ninth run. The first eight Foresters runs were charged to Riptide starting pitcher Tanner King who surrendered 12 hits while striking out six over four and a third innings to suffer the loss. Sean Higgins (Columbia), who relieved King with one out in the fifth inning and retired the next two batters, surrendered the last Santa Barbara run in the sixth before Nick Jones (Georgia Southern) took over with one out in the inning and struck out two on either side of Selma’s RBI-hit. Trey Lipscomb (Tennessee) pitched the last two innings scoreless, striking out two, to finish on the mound for the Riptide.
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Thousand Oaks, CA
Andy Garriola (Old Dominion) had two hits and two RBI, Pete Derkay (Tennessee) had two hits, including an RBI-double, and Jacob Wyeth (Cisco JC) doubled and hit an RBI-single to lead the Arroyo Seco Saints to 10-3 win over the Conejo Oaks today at Sparky Anderson Field. Garriola’s two run-generating singles came in consecutive two-out at bats in the fourth and fifth innings, the later capping the scoring for the Oaks by driving in the team’s tenth run of the game and giving Conejo a 10-1 lead. The Oaks had actually scored first in this game when Nico Lima (Oxnard CC) doubled to lead off the bottom of the first inning, was sacrificed to third and scored on a sacrifice fly, but that was the last scoring they would do until their final at bat in the ninth. In the meantime, Arroyo Seco would score four times in the second inning on two hits, two errors and a sacrifice fly, three times on four hits in the fourth when Garriola got his first RBI and Derkay hit his RBI-double, and three more times in the fifth when Evan Russell (Tennessee) doubled, three walks forced in a run and Garriola’s second RBI-hit and a sacrifice fly plated two more. Michael Garza (Incarnate Word) started on the mound today for Arroyo Seco and, after surrendering the leadoff double to Lima, retired eight of the nine batters he faced in his three-inning start, three by strikeout. Isaiah Ramos (Antelope Valley JC) started the fourth in relief of Garza and held the Oaks scoreless over the next three innings, striking out four, including all three outs in the sixth inning. Race Gardner (Hawaii-Hilo) and Drew Atherton (Cal Poly Pomona) each pitched another scoreless inning before Justin Kleinsorge (Regis) took over in the ninth and surrendered the two other Oaks runs when Tyler Odekirk (Cal St LA) tripled to lead off the inning and three consecutive singles and a bases loaded walk plated two. Kleinsorge retired the next three batters after the walk, however, to finish out the Saints win. Travis Weston (Boise St) started on the mound for Conejo and suffered the loss, allowing four runs on three hits while striking out two over three innings of work.
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Lincoln, CA
Matt Lopez homered and hit a two-run double, Zach Arnold (Oregon) had two hits, including a two-run home run and Grant Burton had two hits and two RBI to lead the Lincoln Potters to an 11-8 win over the Solano Mudcats today at McBean Stadium that gave the Potters a four-game sweep of the Mudcats and their seventh win in eight meetings between the two teams this season. Trailing 2-0 after Solano scored two times on four hits, including a two-out RBI-triple by Christian Harkey (Savannah State), in the first inning, Lopez’ home run to lead off the second got the Potters to within one only for a short time as Solano added two more runs in the top of the third inning when Josh Medina (Sonoma State) doubled in a run and scored on a run-producing groundout. Solano, in fact, led for most of the game today, scoring another run in the fifth inning when Nick Pfifer (Cal Poly Pomona) hit a two-out RBI-single, and three times in the seventh when Medina collected two RBI with his fourth hit of the game and scored for the third time one-out later on a sacrifice fly. At this spot in the game Solano had an 8-4 lead, Lincoln having scored twice in the fifth inning when Arnold hit his home run, and once in the sixth when Burton doubled and scored on a Bryce Beauchamp (Chico State) RBI-single. The Potters took over the lead by scoring six times in the bottom of the seventh inning, getting a two-run double by Lopez and a two-run single by Burton to generate four of the runs, and a sacrifice fly and an error to score the other two. Tanner O’Tremba (Texas Tech) capped the scoring with a solo home run for Lincoln in the eighth. Cade Farr (Texas Tech) started on the mound for Lincoln and allowed five runs on nine hits over six innings before Michael Potter (Cal St Monterey Bay) relieved him to start the seventh. Potter failed to record an out in his outing, surrendering the last three Mudcats runs on three hits before turning the pitching duties over to Travis Parker (Utah Valley) who retired three straight batters, one by strikeout, to escape further damage in the seventh, and then retired three of four, two by strikeout, to pitch a scoreless eighth to earn the win. Blake Hearn (Sierra JC) then struck out three of four batters in the ninth to close out the win, surrendering only a two out double to Harkey, his second of the game and, with his first inning triple, his third extra base hit of the game. Caleb Hill (Savannah State), the starting pitcher for Solano, allowed ten runs on ten hits while striking out one over six and a third innings to suffer the loss. Nik Dodson pitched the last inning and two thirds for Solano and allowed one run on O’Tremba’s home run with one strikeout.
Prior to today’s game the Mudcats and Potters resumed the game from last night that was suspended in the tenth inning with the score tied 8-8 due to the fireworks curfew at McBean Stadium. The Potters won this game in walk off fashion when, in the bottom of the eleventh inning, Zach Bushling hit a leadoff single, was sacrificed to second base and scored on an RBI-single by Jordyn Berry (Cochise JC). Tyler Gums (Long Beach State) retired Solano in order in both the tenth and eleventh innings to pick up the win.
July 12, 2019
San Luis Obispo, CA
Braeden Gowdy, Evan Ingram (Hendrix) and Gabe Constantine (Rio Grande Valley) allowed one run over nine innings and combined for 14 strikeouts, Ryan Cole (Notre Dame) went three-for-three with two doubles and two RBI, Duke Pahukoa (UNLV) hit a two-run double and drove in another run, and Hunter Swift (Oral Roberts) and Ryan McCarty each hit RBI-triples to lead the San Luis Obispo Blues to an 11-1 rout of the Academy Barons tonight at Sinsheimer Park. Gowdy was the starting pitcher in tonight’s game and threw five shutout innings with seven strikeouts while allowing four hits. He retired the side in order in three of his five innings and escaped the only threat to his shutout in the third inning when Kyle Freeman (Pitzer), who had hit a single to lead off the inning, advanced into scoring position on a two-out single after Gowdy struck out two. Freeman then tried to score on the Barons’ third single of the inning only to be thrown out at the plate. Ingram pitched the sixth inning in relief of Gowdy and struck out the three batters he faced before Constantine took over on the mound. Constantine retired three of the four batters he faced in the seventh, notching two strikeouts, pitched a scoreless eighth and struck out the first batter he faced in the ninth before issuing a walk to Jaylen Heard (Heartland). Heard would spoil the Blues’ shutout when, after advancing to second base on a groundball out for the second out of the inning, he scored on a pair of wild pitches while Constantine was striking out the last batter of the game. Cole got the San Luis offense going right from the start, doubling to lead off the bottom of the first inning and scoring when Pahukoa picked up his first RBI of the game with a run-producing groundout. Cole then hit an RBI-double in the second inning and an RBI-single in the fourth as part of a five-run rally when McCarty drove in two with his triple, Taison Corio (Delta JC) hit an RBI-double and Brian Klein (Texas Tech) hit a run-scoring single. Brandon Mitchell (New Orleans), who started on the mound for the Barons, was charged with surrendering the first five Blues’ runs on four hits over three and a third innings. Travis Lavendier (Chico State), who relieved Mitchell with one out in the fourth inning, was charged with four runs on five hits, surrendering two San Luis runs in the sixth inning when Swift hit his triple and scored on a wild pitch. Noah Owen pitched a scoreless seventh for the Academy, retiring the side in order with one strikeout, and Christian Poche (New Orleans) pitched the eighth, surrendering the last two Blues’ runs when Pahukoa hit a two-run double.
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Lincoln, CA
Keith Walker (Yuba JC), Michael Potter (Cal St Monterey Bay), Thomas Greeley (Long Beach State), Eli Garcia and Blake Hearn (Sierra JC) threw a combined two-hitter, Lorenzo Debrecht (Sierra JC) hit a two-run home run and had a game-high four RBI and Isaiah Garcia (Cal St Fulelrton) had three hits, including a two-run double, and scored three times to lead the Lincoln Potters to a 16-2 rout of the Solano Mudcats tonight at McBean Stadium. Walker was the starting pitcher for Lincoln tonight, throwing five innings and allowing both Mudcats runs, unearned, when Adam Chadwick hit a two-out, two-run home run in the second inning after an error put a runner on base in front of him. Chadwick’s home run was the only hit Walker, who struck out three, allowed in his start. It was the only hit, in fact, any Lincoln pitcher would allow until two outs were recorded in the eighth inning when Justin Banks (Coppin State) hit a single. Potter, Greeley, Garcia and Hearn completely shutdown Solano, throwing an inning each and allowing only two baserunners combined. Solano starting pitcher Eric Waldichuk (Willamette) held the lead briefly after holding Lincoln scoreless through two innings but in the third the Potters scored three unearned runs on RBI-singles by Jordyn Berry (Chochise JC) and Parker Kelly (Texas Tech) to take the lead, and then scored eleven times in the fourth to blow the game open. The Potters sent 16 batters to the plate in the fourth inning and scored eleven runs on seven hits, the big blows coming with two outs when Garcia hit his two-run double and Debrecht hit his home run. Cody Switzer (Napa Valley JC), who relieved Waldichuk with one out in the fourth inning and surrendered Lincoln’s last three RBI-hits of the inning before ending the rally, pitched a scoreless fifth and sixth inning before allowing the last two Lincoln runs in the seventh by issuing a pair of bases loaded walks. Christian Harkey (Savannah State) pitched a scoreless eighth inning to finish on the mound for Solano.
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Santa Barbara
Luke Taggert (Incarnate Word) retired twelve of the 13 batters he faced in a one-hit, four inning start, and Eric Kennedy (Texas) and Blake Hall (Oral Roberts) each hit RBI-doubles to lead the Santa Barbara Foresters to an 8-3 win over the Conejo Oaks tonight at Pershing Park. Taggert struck out four in his outing, got outs on six ground balls and two fly balls while allowing only one hit and one baserunner, a one-out double by Gabe Baldovino (Ventura CC) in the first inning. At the time he threw his last pitch, however, the game was still either team’s to win as Oaks starting pitcher Eric Ma (Cal Lutheran) had held the Foresters scoreless as well, allowing only two hits through three innings. But before the next Foresters pitcher could take the mound Santa Barbara rallied for four runs on five hits against Ma, scoring all four runs with two outs on RBI-singles by Spencer Jones (Vanderbilt) and Ryan Cash (Oral Roberts), and got two when Kennedy hit his double. The Foresters added runs in the fifth inning when an error, a walk, a double by Hall and two sacrifice flies scored three, and another in the sixth when Kennedy drove one in with a sacrifice fly to finish with a game-high three RBI. Isaac Coffey (Oral Roberts) was the first reliever in for Santa Barbara, entering the game to start the fifth inning in relief of Taggert and retiring the side in order with two strikeouts before surrendering the Oaks first run in the sixth when Justin Ammons (Tennessee) hit a two-out RBI-single. Coffey retired the side in order in the seventh before Kevin Larson (Fresno St) pitched a scoreless eighth and Connor Woods (UNLV) pitched the ninth, surrendering Conejo’s two other runs when Nico Lima (Oxnard JC) hit a two-run home run. Charlie Beilenson (Brown) was the first relief pitcher into the game for the Oaks, relieving Ma to start the fifth inning and allowing four runs on one hit over an inning and a third before Guillermo Pinedo (Glendale JC) pitched the last two and two-thirds innings scoreless, allowing two hits while striking out two.