Fair Oaks 15, Charles Eggen 8 (League: 2-0, Overall: 6-1) - June 7 @ Bella Vista High - Pounding Charles Eggen 15-8, the Fair Oaks Oaks went to 2-0 in league play and remained on top of the American Legion's Eastern Division.
Although the game was played at Bella Vista High School, Eggen was the home team as the contest had originally been scheduled for Eggen's home field of Mira Loma High.
Left fielder Bryan Lynch slides into second on a second inning steal against Charles Eggen early in the Oaks' 15-8 victory. Lynch reached base on a hit to right field before the steal.
Fair Oaks jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning as center fielder B.J. Crone led off with a hit to right. Crone stole second with second baseman Jim Ott at the plate and took third on Ott's grounder back to the mound. With right fielder Jason Wilkerson at the plate, Crone scored on a passed ball for a 1-0 lead.
Wilkerson got a hit to left and moved to second on a wild pitch with first baseman Nick Palumbo at the plate. Palumbo popped out for the second out of the inning, but a wild pitch with pitcher Russ Beldi at the plate moved Wilkerson to third. Beldi walked, sending shortstop Eric Archuleta to the plate. Archuleta was hit by a pitch and then Eggen's pitcher tried picking Beldi off second, but the throw went into center field allowing Wilkerson to score for a 2-0 lead.
Charles Eggen came back for one run in the bottom of the inning, but Fair Oaks added to its lead in the second with a seven run outburst.
Consecutive hits by Bryan Lynch and Brad Hicks led to the first run as Lynch scored on a wild pitch with Crone at the plate.
Crone also got a hit, followed by Ott's three-run homer to right center to make it a 6-1 game. Wilkerson followed with a walk and moved to third on a Palumbo hit to right.
Wilkerson and Palumbo scored on Beldi's homer to left center, making it a 9-1 Fair Oaks lead and driving Eggen's starting pitcher from the game. After a strikeout, three of the next four batters walked to load the bases, but Eggen avoided further damage as Ott struck out to end the inning.
Eggen came back in the second to score five runs, bringing the run tally to 9-6, but Fair Oaks added a run to tis totals in the top of the third for a 10-6 lead.
Eggen answered back with a run of its own in the bottom of the inning, prompting a Beldi to Brandon Olson pitching change. Olson got the next three batters out and then Fair Oaks extended its lead in the fourth as Olson doubled with one out and scored on a Wilkerson hit to left with two outs.
Eggen made it 11-8 with a single run in the bottom of the fourth, but Fair Oaks scored three times in the fifth for a 14-8 advantage.
Beldi led off with a walk and moved to third on Archuleta's double to center. With Hoppes at the plate, a wild pitch scored Beldi and then Archuleta scored on Hoppes' ball to third that was booted, making it a 13-8 game. Two wild pitches with Lynch at the plate moved Hoppes to third and he scored on Lynch's ground ball to short for a 14-8 lead.
Neither team scored again until the top of the ninth when the Oaks brought home their final run on a Palumbo homer to left to make it 15-8. Palumbo had been robbed earlier in the game on a towering shot to left that cleared the fence fair, but curved foul before landing. The home plate umpire called it a foul ball.
TEAM
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
FAIR OAKS
2
7
1
1
3
0
0
0
1
15
13
2
CHAS. EGGEN
1
5
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
8
13
2
Fair Oaks: Beldi, Olson (3) and Hicks, Palumbo (3). Top hitters: Crone 2x4; Ott HR, 3 RBI; Wilkerson 2x3, 2 RBI; Palumbo 2x6, HR; Beldi HR, 4 RBI; Archuleta 2x5, 2B; Olson 2B. Charles Eggen: Top hitters: Olson 4x5, 2B; Comstock 3x3, 2 2B, 2 RBI; Penso 3x5, 2B; Dunn 2B; Robinson 2B.
