| TEHAMA
BULLS |
| No. |
Player |
Pos. |
| 6 |
Cox, M. |
CF |
| 9 |
Miranda, C. |
2B |
| 10 |
Bell, M. |
SS |
| 24 |
Orr, S. |
P |
| 19 |
McKim, T. |
1B |
| 20 |
Weaver, O. |
C |
| 1 |
Thompson, M. |
RF |
| 8 |
Armstrong, K. |
LF |
| 21 |
Tenney, J. |
1B |
FAIR
OAKS POST 383 |
| No. |
Player |
Pos. |
| 11 |
Cook, T. |
DH |
| 1 |
Snider, S. |
LF |
| 12 |
Sneath, L.J. |
CF |
| 7 |
Matlack, D. |
C |
| 23 |
Parra, M. |
1B |
| 9 |
Wright, M. |
3B |
| 42 |
Holtzen, G. |
RF |
| 5 |
Chase, D. |
SS |
| 8 |
Lomascola, L. |
2B |
| 25 |
Barrett, R |
P |
|
|
|
Fair Oaks 7, Tehama 6 (League: 12-0, Overall: 21-5) - July 26 @ Yountville - It wasn't pretty - but Fair Oaks did what it had to do to win its opening game of the 2001 Area 1 playoffs against the Tehama Bulls, 7-6.
Pitching again was the key, although Oaks' starter Robert Barrett often found himself on shaky ground through the five innings he pitched. Fair Oaks pitching gave up 12 hits, while the Oaks' offense collected only half that many.
The Bulls got on the scoreboard in the third inning after the Oaks escaped a scare in the second. Barrett put Tehama down in order in the first, including two strikeouts, but then in the second, a leadoff double and a single put a runner on third for the Bulls. Barrett managed to get out of the jam with two more strikeouts and a ground ball back to the mound, but Tehama struck in the third after two were out as three consecutive hits gave the Bulls a run, before Barrett struck out he final batter of the inning to end it.
In typical Oaks fashion, Post 383 roared back with four runs in the bottom of the inning as second baseman Larry Lomascola led off with a walk. Designated hitter Tim Cook followed with a picture perfect bunt down the first base line for a hit and then left fielder Steve Snider bunted back to the pitcher. Tehama hurler Steven Orr, who stymied the Oaks for most of the game and added insult to injury with a four-for-four performance at the plate, couldn't pick up the ball and the bases were loaded. Center fielder L.J. Sneath struck out for the first out of the inning, but then catcher Doug Matlack walked to force in Lomascola. First baseman Manny Parra followed with a double down the right field line that was just fair. Cook and Snider scored to make it 3-1. Third baseman Mike Wright then flew to center and Matlack was able to tag from third and score to make it a 4-1 ball game.
Tehama again strung together a series of hits and walks to score two runs in the fourth to make it 4-3. With one out, a double by right fielder Matt Thompson, followed by a single by left fielder Kenny Armstrong and a walk to first baseman Jon Tenney, loaded the bases. Center fielder Michael Cox's high chopper over third then brought home the two runs to close the Tehama deficit to only one.
In the fifth, the Bulls took the lead with two more runs as a walk and pair of hits tied the game. Barrett struck out the next batter, but then a double by Thompson brought home Orr to make it 5-4. Luckily for the Oaks, the ball rolled under the outfield fence for a ground rule two-bagger or a third run would have scored in the inning.
Dan Gemma came in to relieve Barrett with one out. Gemma's first pitch was wild and third baseman Timothy McKim, who had reached on a hit to right, came home to try to score. Matlack recovered the ball, however, and tossed it to Gemma just in time to get McKim at the plate. Armstrong, the batter, then grounded to short, with the throw going from Derek Chase to Parra for the final out of the inning.
The Oaks tied the game in the fifth as Sneath walked with one out to start things off. With Matlack at the plate, Sneath stole second. The throw went into center field and Sneath made it safely to third. Matlack then sent a fly to left that allowed Sneath to tag and score to make it a 5-5 game.
Tehama came back in the top of the seventh to take a 6-5 lead as a hit and an error led to a run, but the Oaks rallied in the bottom of the inning with two runs to win the game by a score of 7-6.
Kevin Johnson took the mound for Tehama in the seventh, but the first batter he faced, Cook, grounded a ball to second and beat the throw to first for a hit. Snider followed with a walk and then after a strikeout by Sneath, Matlack got a hit to left to load the bases. Parra walked to force in Cook to tie the game at 6-6, prompting another Tehama pitching change as Michael Bell moved from short to the mound. The first - and only - batter he faced was Wright who worked him for a 3-2 count. The next pitch was in the dirt and Wright walked to force in Snider with the winning run.
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
TEHAMA | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 12 | 2 |
FAIR OAKS | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 2 |
Tehama: Pitching - Orr, Johnson (7), Bell (7) and Weaver. Hitting - Cox 2 RBI; Orr 4x4, 2B; McKim 2x4; Thompson 2x4, 2 2B, 2 RBI.
Fair Oaks: Pitching - Barrett, Gemma (5) and Matlack. Hitting - Cook 2x4; Matlack 2 RBI; Parra 2B, 3 RBI.