June 5, 2019
Irvine, CA
Duke Pahukoa (UNLV) hit a three-run home run and an RBI-single, and Nick Hansen (Grand Canyon) singled three times and drove in two to lead a 16-hit attack as the San Luis Obispo Blues beat the Orange County Riptide 13-2 tonight at Great Park Stadium. Pahukoa’s home run highlighted a four-run first inning for the San Luis offense that put runners on base in all but one inning of tonight’s game and scored in all but two. Twelve Blues’ hitters recorded hits in the game, led by Hansen’s game-high three, and, after posting single runs in the second, fifth and sixth innings, San Luis won going away scoring three times each in the eighth and ninth. Taison Corio (Delta JC), who doubled and hit an RBI-single in two plate appearances, joined Pahukoa and Hansen as Blues hitters with a multiple-hit game. Dylan Beavers (Cal) started on the mound for San Luis, allowing one run via a Daniel Jung (Notre Dame) run scoring single in the first inning, before handing the pitching duties over to Noah Huerta (Texas Tech) who earned the win by throwing three innings of shutout ball. Brett Super (Pitzer College) and Bradley Tews pitched two innings each in relief to close out the win, allowing only one more Riptide run when Caleb Denny (Arkansas) led off the sixth inning with a single and scored on a Jung double. Wesley Scott (Vanderbilt) was the starting pitcher for Orange County but only managed one inning of work and was saddled with the loss.
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Elsewhere around the CCL tonight:
Lincoln, CA
Logan Douglas (Santa Rosa JC) had for hits and four RBI, Bryan Sturges (UTSA) drove in four runs on three hits, Joe Lampe added three hits, including a two-run home run, and Kevin Sandri scored four times in four consecutive innings as the Healdsburg Prune Packers slugged their way past some sloppy pitching to beat the Lincoln Potters 16-14 tonight at McBean Stadium. The Packers offense amassed 18 hits in the game, led by Douglas, Lampe and Sturges’ multi-hit performances, and Healdsburg needed every one of those hits as the Potters took advantage of 14 walks issued by Packers pitchers to generate their 14 runs while totaling only eight hits. Five of the Lincoln hits came in their first at bat, including a two-run double by Nolan Young (Illinois St) and a two-run single by Daniel Susac, that, paired with five walks issued by Healdsburg starting pitcher Spencer Hynes (Houston), gave the Potters an 8-0 lead. But after Lincoln added another run in the second inning, Healdsburg started their long march to victory in the third when Sturges hit a two-run double. Lampe’s home run and a Sturges RBI-single drove three in the fourth inning, Sturges and Douglas added two-out RBI-singles to plate four more in the fifth, and RBI doubles by Blake McDonald (Santa Rosa JC) and Sandri, and another two-out run scoring single by Douglas in the sixth put Healdsburg up 13-9. But that still wasn’t enough as Lincoln again was given a load of free passes, scoring once in the bottom of the sixth inning on three walks and a sacrifice fly, and four times in the seventh on three more walks, a hit batsman, another sacrifice fly and an RBI-double by Anders Green to retake the lead 14-13. The Packers answered in their next at bat, however, scoring three two-out runs on Douglas’ third consecutive two-out RBI-single followed by a run scoring single by Travis Turney (Portland) and an RBI-double by Jason Moran (Santa Rosa JC) to post the final 16-14 score. All of Healdsburg’s pitching performances were not without merit as Andrew Hanson (St. Mary’s) pitched four innings of one-run ball, allowing only one hit and one walk while striking out two, and Morgan White (Portand) struck out three while recording the final nine outs to secure the Healdsburg win. Young and Matt Lopez, who had two singles and a pair of sacrifice flies, each drove in three runs to lead the Lincoln offense.
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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Elsewhere around the CCL tonight:
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.
June 2, 2019
Healdsburg, CA
Four pitchers for the Healdsburg Prune Packers combined for ten strikeouts and only five hits allowed in leading the Packers to a 6-1 win over the San Francisco Seals today at Recreation Park. Colby Morris started on the mound for Healdsburg and threw four innings, striking out six; Sam Reinersten struck out three in two innings, Griffin Hattingh threw two scoreless innings and Devin Kirby closed out the win with two strikeouts in a scoreless ninth. The only trouble for the Healdsburg pitchers came from Seals leadoff hitter Jack Tomlinson who recorded three of San Francisco hits, including two doubles, the second of which drove in the Seals’ only run of the game in the third inning for an early 1-0 lead. That score remained until the bottom of the sixth inning when Healdsburg’s Kyle Barrett led off with a single and scored from first on a double by Joe Bynum to tie the score. A hit batsman and an error later, Morgan White (Portland), who tripled earlier in the game, hit a two-out two-run single to put Healdsburg up 4-1. The Packers added a pair of insurance runs in the eighth inning on a bases-loaded walk and hit batter to post the final 6-1 score. Bryan Sturges (UTSA) notched a pair of singles in the game to join White and Tomlinson as hitters with a multiple-hit game.
Today’s win counts in the standings of the CCL Affiliate Division as Healdsburg, the Lincoln Potters and Solano Mudcats each play the Seals an equal number of times and have agreed to count those games toward their standings. San Francisco was slated to play as an affiliate at the time the schedule was cemented, but the Seals have yet to comply with the affiliate requirements. If and when those requirements are met, San Francisco’s results and statistics will be included in the affiliate division.
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.
Aug 11, 2018
Wichita, KS
The Santa Barbara Foresters beat the JUCO All-American Team 6-5 tonight at Lawrence Dumont Stadium, claiming the National Baseball Congress World Series Championship for the seventh time, the most ever by one team in the 84-year history of the event. The Foresters first won the NBC World Series in 2006, having finished second in 2003 and 2005, and added titles in 2008, 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2016.
July 28, 2018
Thousand Oaks, CA
The Orange County Riptide and the Conejo Oaks will meet tomorrow in the 2018 California Collegiate League Championship Game after each team won a first-round playoff game today at Sparky Anderson Field. The Riptide scored nine runs in their last at bat and beat the Healdsburg Prune Packers 11-9 in the first of two playoff games today, and Conejo scored three runs in their first at bat and held on to beat the No. 1 seeded Santa Barbara Foresters 3-2 in the second game.
Trailing 9-2 heading into the bottom of the eighth inning, Orange County put together a remarkable rally that was capped by a two-out, two-run single by Micah Pries (Pt. Loma) that gave the Riptide the lead they would never forget. The remarkable part of the rally, really, was how they tied the game: ninety feet at a time, literally. Orange County sent ten batters to the plate before an out was recorded. All ten batters reached first base either by one of the eight singles or two walks collected and, once they were on first base, they each, in turn, moved to second base with the next single or walk, then to third base and then to home, never trying to take an extra base or score from second on a hit to the outfield. They did this station-to-station thing for ten straight batters as Healdsburg utilized four pitchers to stop the parade around the bases, but it never stopped until the score was tied. Chrit Rudkin (Montevallo), the fourth Healdsburg pitcher of the eighth inning snagged another sure hit headed for centerfield after the tying run scored, threw home to start a 1-2-3 double-play that seemed sure to end the rally, but the next pitch he threw after the double-play was a fastball that Pries lined into right field that scored the Riptide’s two go-ahead runs. Ryan Sublette (Texas Tech), the fifth pitcher utilized in the game by Orange County, pitched around a one-out walk and single to hold Healdsburg scoreless in the ninth inning and close out the win for the Riptide. Cassius Hamm (Northridge) was the starting pitcher for the Riptide today, throwing four scoreless innings while striking out five before allowing a run in the fifth inning when Wendell Champion II (Houston) hit a two-out solo home run to put Healdsburg up 1-0. Healdsburg’s starting pitcher, Chase Gardner (UConn), was never scored upon. Gardner pitched four innings, facing one batter over the minimum twelve as both of the runners who reached via a hit were erased on the bases, one on a steal attempt and the other in the front end of a double-play. The Riptide tied the score in their half of the fifth inning when Chase Sebby (Ball State) reached on a two-base error and scored on another error, Healdsburg added two runs in the sixth when Sam Wezniak (Cal) hit an RBI-single and a wild pitch plated another, and Orange County made the score 3-2 when Steve Curry (Georgia Southern) hit a double in the bottom of the sixth and score on Austin Sojka’s (OK Wesleyan) second double of the game. Healdsburg then rallied for five runs in the seventh inning, scoring on a bases loaded walk, a sacrifice fly, a wild pitch, an error and an RBI-double by Dane Tofteland (Indiana St) that gave the Packers what seemed to be a comfortable 9-2 lead. But then the Riptide’s eighth inning rally happened.
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Chase Cockrell (Ole Miss) and Elijah Alexander (Rio Grande Valley) each doubled in the first inning, driving in three runs, Dylan Francis (Cal Poly Pomona) struck out seven over six innings, and Jackson Simonsgaard (Roger St) struck out five in two and two-thirds innings of scoreless relief to lead the Conejo Oaks to a 3-2 win over the Santa Barbara Foresters in the second playoff game today. Cockrell and Alexander’s doubles were the biggest of the six hits the Oaks collected against Santa Barbara’s starting pitcher Caleb Sloan (TCU) and, after Tanner Bibee (Cal St. Fullerton) relieved Sloan to get the last out of the second inning, they would be the biggest hits of the game as the Oaks would not threaten to score the again, collecting only two more hits as Bibee and Hunter Breault (Oregon) completely shutdown the Conejo offense. Bibee pitched four and one third innings scoreless, allowing only a Cockrell single to lead off the sixth inning and striking out two, while Breault retired nine of the ten batters he faced, five via strikeouts and allowed only a two-out triple in the seventh inning to Michael Spears (Ole Miss). The Oaks pitching, however, was up to the challenge. Francis started on the mound for Conejo and threw three scoreless innings with five strikeouts before Michael Neustifter (Oklahoma St) singled to lead off the fourth inning and scored on a Utah Jones (North Greenville) RBI-single, and Ryan Cash (Oklahoma St) hit a two-out solo home run in the fifth to make the score 3-2. Francis got out of the fifth inning without further damage and retired the side in order in the sixth, adding another strikeout, before turning the pitching duties over to Simonsgaard. Simonsgaard was stellar today, retiring the side in order in the sixth, seventh and eight innings, and striking out the first batter he faced in the ninth before allowing his first baserunner when he hit Conner Woods (UNLV) with a pitch. Simonsgaard retired the next batter on a line-out and had a chance to close out the win but Tyler Hardman (Oklahoma) hit a single that advanced Woods, with the tying run, to third base and Angus Denton (Arkansas) relieved Simonsgaard and struck out the only batter he faced to close out the win.
Click here for the boxscore of this game
The Riptide and Oaks will meet in the single, winner-takes-all CCL Championship Game tomorrow at noon at Sparky Anderson Field.
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July 27, 2018
Thousand Oaks, CA
Chase Cockrell (Ole Miss) hit a two-run home run and a two-run double, Brandon Lewis (UC Irvine) hit a pair of doubles and scored twice, and Jordan McFarland (Arkansas) had three hits, three runs scored and drove in two runs to lead the Conejo Oaks to a 9-6 must win over the Healdsburg Prune Packers today at Sparky Anderson Field. Cockrell’s home run came in the third inning and followed McFarland’s second RBI-single of the game to put the Oaks up 4-0. But it was his double in the sixth that was the bigger of the two hits. Healdsburg had taken the lead in the game in the fourth inning, scoring five runs on seven hits, including a bases-clearing three-run double by Sam Wezniak (Cal), a two-out RBI-single by Cade Peters (UC Riverside) and a two-out RBI-double by Ben Sanderson (UC Santa Barbara), and that score held until the Oaks scored once in the fifth inning to tie the game 5-5 when McFarland hit a leadoff double and scored when the Packers turned a double-play. Nick Rincover (Pierce College), who had entered the game to pitch for the Oaks to get the final out of the fourth inning in relief of starter Justin Friedman, retired the side in order in the fifth but a leadoff walk, an error and a single loaded the bases for Healdsburg with no outs in the sixth and Rincover surrendered the lead after striking out one batter when an infield groundout put the Packers up 6-5. That Healdsburg lead wouldn’t last long, however, as the Oaks took the lead for good in their next at bat, scoring four two-out runs after Will Picketts (CSU Bakersfield) got aboard with a one-out single. Lewis, who had doubled in the first inning and scored the Oaks first run on McFarland’s first RBI-single, doubled again to drive in Pickets with the tying run, Cockrell drove in two with his double to put the Oaks ahead and Elijah Alexander (Rio Grande Valley) hit the third two-out double of the inning to drive in Cockrell and put the Oaks up 9-5. After limiting the bases-loaded and no outs damage to one run, Rincover struck out the first batter in the seventh and then turned the pitching duties over to John Vergara, who struck out the first two batters he faced to end the seventh, retired the side in order with one strikeout in the eighth, and pitched around a two-out single in the ninth with another strikeout to close out the win. The Packers, who had already clinched a berth in the CCL Playoff set to start tomorrow here in Thousand Oaks, utilized six pitchers in today’s game, presumably fine-tuning their staff for a playoff run which begins at noon tomorrow when Healdsburg faces the Orange County Riptide. The Oaks, however, needed to win today’s game to edge the San Luis Obispo Blues for the fourth and final spot in the playoffs. Conejo will meet the Santa Barbara Foresters, the No. 1 seeded team in the playoffs, in the 4pm game tomorrow.
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Elsewhere around the CCL today:
Fullerton, CA
Austin Sojka (OK Wesleyan) hit a two-out, walk-off, solo home run in the bottom of the eleventh inning to give the Orange County Riptide a 6-5 victory over the Academy Barons today at Fullerton College. Sojka’s walk-off home run was the second such feat for the Riptide in as many nights as Mason McWhorter (Georgia Southern) did likewise last night versus the Healdsburg Packers, hitting his walk-off solo home run to lead off the bottom of the ninth inning. Sojka’s home run today was his fourth hit of the game. His single to lead off the fourth inning sparked a four-run rally, highlighted by an RBI-triple by Aaron Simpson (Ball State) and a two-out two-run double by Bradley Jekich (Pacific) that put Orange County up 5-2. That lead would not last long, however, as the Academy scored three times in their next at bat, scoring on a two-run single by Jacob Shanks (UC Riverside) and an RBI-double by Christian Lucio (Eastern Kentucky). Anthony Nettles (Clark), who started on the mound and struck out four for the Barons, pitched out of a bases-loaded and one out situation in the fifth inning to keep the score tied, and then the bullpens for both teams took over. Spencer Hereford (Dominguez Hills) pitched five scoreless innings in relief of Nettles, striking out eight batters, to hold the Riptide in check until the eleventh inning. Dylan Diaz (Concordia) pitched two scoreless innings in relief of Riptide starter Colin Townsend (St. Louis), who allowed all five Barons runs on eleven hits while striking out six, Tyler Frazier (Oregon) pitched three hitless innings in relief of Diaz, facing the minimum nine batters by striking out six and picking off from first base the only runner he allowed to reach via a walk, and Robby Evans (St. Edwards) pitched around an error in the top of the eleventh inning that put the leadoff batter aboard and a stolen base that put the potential go-ahead run in scoring position by retiring the next three batters in order, two via strikeouts, to setup Sojka’s walk-off. Ryan Zapata (MS JC), who entered the game in relief of Hereford to start the eleventh, gave up a single to Micah Pries (Pt. Loma) to leadoff the inning, got a groundball double-play to erase the initial threat, but Sojka was the third batter he faced. Orange County scored their first run in the first inning when Jekich hit a leadoff single and eventually scored on a McWhorter RBI-single, and the Barons scored their first two runs on four singles, three of them with two outs in the second inning, when Joseph Argumedo (Lynn) hit a two-run single with the bases loaded. Today was the final regular season game for the two teams. Orange County, however, will play tomorrow in the first game of the CCL Playoffs at Sparky Anderson Field in Thousand Oaks. The Riptide, the No. 2 seeded team in the playoffs and the defending CCL Champion from 2017, will meet the No. 3 seeded Healdsburg Prune Packers in the noon game tomorrow. The winner of that game will meet the winner of the Santa Barbara Foresters vs. Conejo Oaks matchup at 4pm tomorrow, in the winner-takes-all championship game Sunday at noon.
July 26, 2018
Fullerton, CA
Mason McWhorter (Georgia Southern) hit a walk-off solo home run to lead off the bottom of the ninth inning as the Orange County Riptide beat the Healdsburg Prune Packers 6-5 today at Fullerton College. McWhorter had struck out in all four of his prior at bats in the game and, to add even more drama to his walk-off shot, the Packers had scored four times in the eighth inning on a solo home run by Brian Arias (San Antonio) and a three-run homer by Dane Tofteland (Indiana St) to take a 5-3 lead, only to have the Riptide tie the score in their half of the eighth when, with two outs and the bases empty, an error and two walks loaded the bases for Steve Curry (Georgia Southern), who drove in the tying runs with his game-high third hit of the game. Hayden Pearce (Pacific) started on the mound for Orange County and scattered eight hits to allow only one run while striking out eight in seven innings. The run Pearce allowed came in the first inning when Healdsburg took the early lead when a pair of one-out singles by Ben Sanderson (UC Santa Barbara) and Arias put runners on first and third and Jake MacNichols (Santa Clara) hit a sacrifice fly. From that point on Pearce retired 13 of the next 14 batters he faced and pitched around a pair of singles in each of his last three innings to not be scored upon again. Healdsburg, which like Orange County, has already clinched a berth in the CCL Playoffs, utilized seven pitchers in today’s game, presumably fine-tuning their pitching staff for a playoff run. Eric Parnow, who started and was the only Healdsburg pitcher to throw more than one inning, Nick Candelari (Texas Tech) and Griffin Hattingh (Houston) held the Riptide scoreless through four innings, but Orange County took their first lead in the game in the fifth inning when Josh Nicoloff (Columbia) singled with one and scored when Luke Bandy (Dallas Baptist) hit a two-run home run to put the Riptide up 2-1. Orange County added to their lead in the sixth inning when Aaron Simpson (Ball State) singled, advanced into scoring position on a wild pitch and scored on a Chase Sebby (Ball State) RBI-single to make the score 3-1. Brandon Ivey (Texas), who pitched the ninth inning for the Riptide afer Jack Noble (Oregon) and Jacob Parker (Georgia Southern) each allowed two runs in the eighth, pitched around a leadoff single to hold Healdsburg scoreless and setup McWhorter’s game-winner. Orange County’s win today assured that they will meet Healdsburg in the first game of the CCL Playoffs at noon on Saturday at Sparky Anderson Field on the campus of Cal Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks. The determination of which team will be the No. 2 seed and thus have home team honors will be determined by the outcome of Healdsburg’s game against the Conejo Oaks tomorrow. If Healdsburg wins they will have a better final winning percentage than Orange County and thus have the home team advantage. If Healdsburg losses to Conejo, Orange County will have the advantage.
Click here for recaps of this game
Elsewhere around the CCL today:
Pasadena, CA
Dalton Ney (Lee) and Gabe Chavez (San Bernardino) doubled and scored, and Tristan Peterson and Jacob Jenkins (MidAm Nazarene) hit RBI-singles to lead the Arroyo Seco Saints to a 3-2 win over the Academy Barons tonight at Jackie Robinson Stadium. Ney’s leadoff double in the second inning was immediately cashed in by Peterson’s RBI-single to get the Saints even with the Barons after the Academy scored once in their first at bat when Desmond Gates (West LA JC) led off the game with a single, advanced on a Daniel Harris (Eastern Kentucky) single and scored on a sacrifice fly. Peterson then scored and put the Saints up 2-1 one out later in the second inning when Jenkins hit his RBI-single. Colin King (Regis) who started on the mound for Arroyo Seco, retired seven of the next eight batters he faced after allowing the run in the first before turning the pitching duties over to Wyatt Kelley (New Mexico St) to start the fourth inning. Kelly surrendered only one hit and struck out two over the next four innings, allowing one unearned run in the fifth inning when Bruce Martin (Stetson) walked to lead off the inning, stole second base and scored on a pair of Saints errors. JD Russomano (Corban) and Joey Steele (USF) pitched a hitless, scoreless eighth and ninth inning, respectively, to close out the win. Andy Rosales (El Camino) was the starting pitcher for the Academy, allowing eight hits while striking out three in five and a third innings and surrendered all three Saints runs, the last in the fifth inning when Chavez led off the inning with a double, was advanced to third on a groundball to the right side and score what proved to be the winning run on a Cameron Briggs (UC Davis) sacrifice fly. Christian Lucio (Eastern Kentucky), a late two-way threat for the Barons, pitched the last two and two-thirds innings scoreless for the Barons, notching four strikeouts.
July 25, 2018
La Mirada, CA
Cade Smith (Hawaii) struck out five in five innings of one-run ball, Daniel Jung (Notre Dame) had a game-high three hits and David Martinez (Austin Peay) hit a pair of doubles and scored three times to lead the Southern California Catch to a 7-2 win over the Arroyo Seco Saints today at Biola University. Smith retired ten of the first twelve batters he faced and 15 of 20 overall in his five inning stint. He allowed only three hits, a single by Mitch Kerner in the second inning, a single by Cameron Briggs (UC Davis) in the third and a two-out double by Briggs in the fifth that drove in a runner who had reached base after being hit by a pitch for the only run Smith allowed. Smith left the game leading 4-1 after the Catch scored a run in the second inning without the benefit of a hit, and a wild pitch and a Skyler De Los Reyes (UC Riverside) two-run single in the fifth plated three. After a walk and Martinez’ first double put two runners aboard with one out in the sixth inning, Jung plated two more Catch runs with his third single of the game to make the score 6-1, and, in the eighth, Martinez led off the inning with his second double and scored his third run of the game when Kristian Franklin (Grambling St) hit an RBI-double. Taed Heydinger, Deylen Miley (Tiffin), Tayt Smith (ASU) and Anthony Mayorga each pitched one inning in relief of Smith, Heydinger and Miley retiring the side in order in the sixth and seventh innings, respectively, and Smith struck out two in the eighth but allowed three hits, including a Cooper Williams (New Mexico St) RBI-single that drove in the Saints second run. Mayorga pitched around a two-out single in a scoreless ninth inning to secure the win for the Catch. Charles Peacock (Galveston JC) started on the mound for Arroyo Seco, striking out four in four and two-thirds innings and allowing four runs on four hits to suffer the loss.
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Comtpon, CA
Michael Neustifter (Oklahoma St) had three hits, including a pair of RBI-triples and Conor Davis (Auburn) hit an RBI-triple and an RBI-double to lead the Santa Barbara Foresters to a 13-4 win over the Academy Barons tonight at the MLB Youth Academy. Neustifter’s first triple came with two outs in the first inning, driving in Ryan Cash (Oklahoma St), who reached base in all six of his plate appearances tonight, with the opening run of the game, and, eight innings later, Neustifter hit another triple, driving in two runners who had reached via walks, and then he scored the game’s last run on an RBI-groundout. After the Barons tied the score in their half of the first inning on a two-out RBI-single by Joseph Argumedo (Lynn), who matched Neustifter with a game-high three hits, the Foresters scored three times in the second on Davis’ RBI-double, a run-scoring single by Logan Allen (AR-Ft. Smith) and a Cash fielder’s choice. Davis delivered again in the third inning, hitting a run-scoring triple, and then scored on an Allen groundout for Allen’s second RBI of the game. Both teams traded runs in the fourth inning to make the score 8-2, the Foresters scoring on an RBI-single by Utah Jones (North Greenville) and the Barons scoring on a Argumedo solo home run. The Academy added two runs in the sixth inning on a fielder’s choice and an RBI-double by Adam Cendejas, and Santa Barbara scored single runs in the seventh, when Allen led off with a triple and Cash drove him in with a single, and in the eighth, when Jones led off with a walk and eventually scored on a wild pitch. Four Santa Barbara pitchers combined to strike out nine in tonight’s game. Kamron Fields (Texas) started the game and struck out three in four innings, Elliot Anderson (Auburn) pitched two innings with a pair of strikeouts, Dane Acker (Rice) retired six of the seven batters he faced, striking out four, and Chase Wallace (Tennessee) retired the side on order on six pitches in the ninth inning to close out the win. Nikelle Galatas (Jackson St) started on the mound for the Academy, striking out three in three-plus innings and allowed eight runs on ten hits to suffer the loss. Luke Ritter (Wichita St) hit the fourth of five Foresters triples in the game in the seventh inning.