Fair Oaks starter Dixon Allen lets loose with a pitch in the Oaks opening game of the Area 1 playoffs Thursday at Yountville. The Oaks lost the game 5-4.

Eureka 5, Fair Oaks 4 (League: 16-6, Overall: 26-7) - July 25 @ Yountville, Calif. - It's hard to win when you don't hit and that's exactly what happened to Fair Oaks in their opening game of the Area 1 playoffs in Yountville Thursday. The Oaks collected only three hits - and not more than one in any single inning - as they blew a 4-2 lead to Eureka, eventually losing 5-4.
    Fair Oaks, the District 6 Champion for the second year in a row, scored a first inning run off District 1 Champ Eureka, utilizing only one hit, an error and a walk. Center fielder Garrett Holtzen led off with a ground ball to short. The throw to first was bad, however, and Holtzen reached base safely. Shortstop Josh Thompson bunted Holtzen to second and the right fielder Bill Rhinehart worked a full count into a walk to give the Oaks two runners on base.
    Fist baseman Devin Spurling popped out to the pitcher for the second out, but then left fielder Mickey Weisser got a hit to right field that brought home Holtzen. The throw actually beat the Oaks' center fielder, but Eureka catcher Steve Morgan dropped the ball allowing Holtzen to score to make it a 1-0 game.
    Eureka tied it up in the bottom of the first as a walk and a sacrifice bunt moved a runner into scoring position. Then with two outs, Morgan made up for his dropped ball earlier in the inning with a base hit that scored designated hitter Jeff Slack from second base to tie the game.
    The Oaks came back to retake the lead in the top of the third as Holtzen led off with a hit to center. With Thompson at the plate, an errant pickoff from Eureka pitcher Erik Giacone allowed Holtzen to move all the way to third. Thompson struck out, as did the next two batters - Rhinehart and Spurling. But during Spurling's at bat, a low pitch got away from Morgan behind the plate and Holtzen came in to score to make it 2-1.
    Eureka came back to tie it in the bottom of the inning and it stayed knotted up until the top of the fifth when two runs came in for Fair Oaks to give Post 383 a 4-2 lead.
    With two outs, Holtzen walked and with Thompson at the plate, Holtzen stole second. Thompson struck out, but the ball got away from the catcher allowing Thompson to beat the throw to first. Meanwhile, Holtzen had taken off from second on the play and kept on coming, rounding third and making it home before Eureka's first baseman could get the ball back to the catcher.
    With Rhinehart at the plate, Thompson stole second. Rhinehart then delivered a double to left center to score Thompson and give the Oaks a 4-2 lead.
    As they had done the previous two times the Oaks scored, Eureka came back in the bottom of the inning to score their own runs. Four hits did the damage, including a double after two were out, and the Falcons went up by one run, 5-4.
    The Oaks couldn't muster any offense over the final two innings as they fell into the loser's bracket with the loss.
    Charles Smith came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth in one of the few bright spots for the Oaks, sending the Falcons down in order with a strikeout and two ground balls.

TEAM	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
FAIR OAKS	1	0	1	0	2	0	0	4	3	0
EUREKA	1	0	1	0	3	0	0	5	8	2

Fair Oaks: Pitching - Allen, Smith (6) and Matlack. Top Hitters - Rhinehart 2B.
Eureka: Pitching - Giacone and S. Morgan. Top Hitters - S. Morgan 2x3; Brandt 3x3, 2B, 2 RBI; Luque 2 RBI.