Bill Rhinehart moments before his three-run homer gave the Oaks a 3-2 lead over Yolo on Saturday.
Fair Oaks 5, Yolo 3 (League: 16-6, Overall: 24-6) - July 14 @ Sacramento City College - After going 22-0 in league play, Yolo Post 77 ran into the Oaks Sunday night - arguably the hottest team in District 6 right now.
When the dust cleared, Fair Oaks had another solid all-around performance in beating the Yolo team by a score of 5-3 at Sacramento City College's Union Field.
Despite giving up five walks in seven innings, starting pitcher Mickey Weisser also struck out 11 and held Yolo to only two runs before Charles Smith took over in the eighth and Bill Rhinehart in the ninth to mop up and preserve a 5-3 win.
The game was scoreless until the third when Yolo scored twice. Weisser gave up a one out walk to third baseman Tim Carter and then hit left fielder Dan Cody with two outs. The next batter, first baseman Matt Pulley, bashed a double to left field to score both runners. Pulley tried to stretch the double to three bags but was tagged out on the throw in by Oaks third baseman Mike Wright to end the inning.
The game remained in Yolo's favor until the top of the sixth when the Oaks scored three runs off pitcher Michael Redford.
Charles Smith looks in for the sign in the eighth inning of the Oaks game against Yolo.
Center fielder Garrett Holtzen drew a one out walk to start things off and with shortstop Josh Thompson at the plate, a balk moved Holtzen to second. Thompson then beat out a bunt for a hit, with Holtzen moving to third.
It didn't really matter who was where, however, as the next batter, Rhinehart, clubbed a ball into the wind and over the right field fence for a three-run homer to give the Oaks a 3-2 lead.
The Oaks added two more runs to their tally in the eighth as Thompson led off with a hit to left field. Rhinehart followed with a walk which resulted in Redford getting pulled in a favor of Pulley who had been playing first base.
With Oaks first baseman Devin Spurling at the plate, a passed ball sent Thompson to third and Rhinehart to second. Spurling then struck out, but the catcher dropped the ball and couldn't find it allowing Spurling to reach first safely and load the bases.
Weisser then aided his own cause by sending a sacrifice fly to right to score Thompson and Rhinehart scored on another passed ball strikeout to catcher Doug Matlack to make it a 5-2 game.
Smith came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth, struggling a bit as he gave up a leadoff hit to center fielder Rudy Crisolo and a two out walk to shortstop Karl Coulson. Redford then doubled to score Cody who had replaced Crisolo on first on the bad end of a double play try to make it 5-3.
Smith struck out the next batter, however, and the Oaks held a two run lead going into the final inning.
Holtzen managed a leadoff single to start the ninth, but that's all the Oaks got. After a bad bounce single over the first baseman's head by Yolo catcher Juan Medrano and a wild pitch that sent him to second, Rhinehart took over for Smith on the mound.
Rhinehart, who inherited a 2-0 count on Carter, got the Yolo third baseman to ground to A. J. Vidlund at second and then ended the game on another ground ball to Vidlund by Crisolo.
The victory left Fair Oaks as the only unbeaten team in the tournament and set up a Monday night showdown with West Sacramento which had beaten the Oaks two out of three times during the regular season.
TEAM
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
FAIR OAKS
0
0
0
0
0
3
0
2
0
5
7
1
YOLO
0
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
1
3
5
2
Fair Oaks: Pitching - Weisser, Smith (8), Rhinehart (9) and Matlack. Top Hitters - Holtzen 2x4; Thompson 2x5; Rhinehart HR, 3 RBI; Wright 2B. Yolo: Pitching - Redford, Pulley (8) and Medrano. Top Hitters - Pulley 2B, 2 RBI; Redford 2B; Medrano 2x4.
