Center fielder Steve Snider takes a lead off first base in the fifth inning of the Oaks game against Rio Loma after reaching base via a walk. Snider eventually scored, but the Oaks went on to lose the game 10-7.
Rio Loma 10, Fair Oaks 7 (League: 17-7, Overall: 19-11) - July 11 @ Sacramento City College - Eight errors killed the Oaks on the field as Post 383 lost its District 6 playoff opener to Rio Loma by a score of 10-7 at Sacramento City College.
The Oaks trailed the entire contest, falling behind 2-0 in the second inning and eventually trailing 6-0 before they scored their first run.
In the bottom of the fifth, Fair Oaks finally put a pair of runs on the board as consecutive walks to catcher Joe Gaggero, center fielder Steve Snider and shortstop Josh Thompson loaded the bases with no outs. Gaggero came home on a ground ball to second by Mickey Weisser. Weisser had been the Oaks starting pitcher up until the top of the fifth when he went to first and was replaced on the mound by Brian Janowiak.
Post 383's second run scored as the next batter, right fielder Bill Rhinehart, got a hit to center field to score Snider and make it 6-2.
Rio Loma erased those runs, however, as they came back to score two of their own in the top of the sixth and a single run in the seventh for a 9-2 lead.
The Oaks managed a lone run in the bottom of the seventh as Gaggero led off with a hit to right. He moved to second on a wild pitch to Snider and then took third as Snider hit a ball to short that was booted, giving the Oaks two base runners.
With one out, Weisser walked to load the bases and then with two outs, a ground ball to short by Rhinehart scored Gaggero to make it 9-3.
Rio Loma answered back in the top of the eighth with a run before the Oaks finally strung together a rally to pull the score to within three at 10-7.
In the bottom of the eighth, left fielder Charles Smith led off with a hit to center. With one out, third baseman A.J. Vidlund got a hit up the middle and then a Jason Lomascola hit to right scored Smith to make it 10-4. Gaggero followed with a hit to right and then with two outs, Thompson hit a slow bouncer to third and beat the throw to first allowing Vidlund to score. Weisser then got a hit to right center to score Lomascola and Gaggero and make it a 10-7 game.
Unfortunately, the Oaks rally fell short. Derek Chase came on to pitch the top of the ninth for the Oaks and sent Rio Loma down in order, but Post 383 - after mustering a leadoff walk by Smith and a hit to right by second baseman Larry Lomascola - faltered and recorded three straight outs to end the game.
TEAM
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
RIO LOMA
0
2
2
1
1
2
1
1
0
10
10
1
FAIR OAKS
0
0
0
0
2
0
1
4
0
7
10
8
Rio Loma: Pitching - Kennedy, Bourdaniotis (8) and Bryant. Top Hitters - Barnes 2x5; Orozco 2x5; Wallace 2x5; Falkenthal 2x5, 2B. Fair Oaks: Pitching - Weisser, Janowiak (5), Chase (9) and Gaggero. Top Hitters - Thompson 2x4; Smith 2x4; Gaggero 2x4; Weisser 2 RBI; Rhinehart 2 RBI.
