Rio Loma 7, Fair Oaks 6 (League: 13-2, Overall: 16-3) - July 7 @ Rio Americano - It took two days, but Rio Loma handed Fair Oaks only its second league loss of the year, 7-6.
    The game started Friday at Rio Americano High School, but was called due to darkness with the score tied at 6-6 headed into the 13th inning.
    Fair Oaks went up 2-0 in the top of the first as left fielder Tim Cook led off with a hit to left field. Second baseman Aaron Yurchak followed with a hit up the middle and with center fielder L.J. Sneath at the plate, a wild pitch advanced both runners. Sneath struck out, but a ground ball by the next batter, third baseman Joe Liebman, scored Cook to make it 1-0. Catcher Doug Matlack then grounded to short to score Yurchak and the Oaks owned a 2-0 lead.
    Rio Loma got one run back in the bottom of the inning off starting pitcher Dan Gemma, but the Oaks increased their lead in the second with another run to make it a 3-1 margin.
    Designated hitter Alex Graham started things off, getting hit by a pitch. With one out, right fielder Matt Pudge got a hit to left to score Graham and make it 3-1.
    Rio Loma came back with a run of their own in the bottom of the inning to again close the gap to one and then tied the game with another single run in the third for a 3-3 game.
    The Oaks edged ahead again in the fifth as Liebman reached base on an errto lead off the inning. He was tagged out as Matlack hit a ball to second. With first baseman Bob Churchill at the plate, Matlack stole second. Churchill then got a hit to left, advancing Matlack to third. He scored as Graham sent a fly to right allowing him to tag and head home to make it 4-3.
    The Oaks made it 5-3 in the seventh as Pudge led off with a walk. Pudge moved to second on a bunt by Cook and then moved to third on a ground ball to short by Yurchak. Sneath followed with a hit to center to score Pudge for the 5-3 lead.
    Rio Loma came back to lead 6-5 as they scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth, but the Oaks tied it up at 6-6 in the top of the ninth.
    With two outs, Yurchak sent a ball by the first baseman into right field. Sneath then hit a shot into right that got by the Rio Loma right fielder and scored Yurchak to tie the game.
    Yurchak replaced Gemma on the mound in the 10th, but neither team scored again through 12 full innings and the game was called until the following day - to be continued before the Oaks scheduled doubleheader against Rio Loma at Bella Vista.
    The Oaks managed only one hit off Rio Loma in the top of the 13th, as shortstop Ricky Alonso singled to left with two out.
    Rio Loma came back in the bottom of the inning to score and take the game 7-6. Yurchak got the first two batters, but then gave up a double off the top of the left center field fence. The umpire originally called the hit a home run, but was over-ruled by his partner as the ball never went over the fence and bounced back into play. The argument over the play was mute, however, as the next batter singled to left to score the run and give Rio Loma the victory.

TEAM
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
R
H
E
FAIR OAKS
2
1
0
0
0
1
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
6
6
2
RIO LOMA
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
3
0
0
0
0
1
7
12
6


Fair Oaks: Pitching - Gemma, Yurchak (10) and Matlack. Top Hitters - Sneath 2x6; Pudge 2x6.
Rio Loma: Pitching - Vaughn, Jason Crider (7) and Shelton. Top Hitters - Golowski 2B; Jim Crider 2B; Shelton 2B; Javidi 3x6; Torres 4x6, 2 2B, 3 RBI.